A stuffy, blocked feeling in the ear may be related to external ear canal cerumen, foreign bodies, Meniere’s disease, secretory otitis media, etc. Targeted treatment needs to be given according to the specific cause.
1. Foreign bodies in the external auditory canal and cerumen: If the external auditory canal is blocked with cerumen or the foreign body has not crossed the isthmus of the external auditory canal or is not embedded in the external auditory canal, it can be directly hooked out with a cerumen hook. If it is caused by active insects, use oil or ethanol to drop into the ear first, and then remove it with tweezers or flush it out with saline after the insect is adhered and killed.
2. Ménière’s disease: patients need to pay attention to bed rest during the seizure period, but also can be used diazepam, phenylephrine and other vestibular nerve inhibitors, scopolamine, scopolamine and other anticholinergics, guillotine, flunarizine and other vasodilators, nimodipine, betahistine and other calcium antagonists treatment. Some patients are also treated with medications injected into the tympanic cavity, such as gentamicin and dexamethasone.
Some patients can also be treated with Meniett’s low-pressure pulse therapy, as well as semicircular canal occlusion and labyrinthectomy. Daily cooperation with the doctor is also needed to carry out vestibular rehabilitation training, hearing rehabilitation training, and so on.
3. Secretory otitis media: patients can use erythromycin, cefuroxime and other antibiotics to control the infection, and can also use dexamethasone and other glucocorticosteroids to assist in the treatment. If the patient is accompanied by nasal congestion, 1% ephedrine solution can be used to keep the nasal cavity and the Eustachian tube open. When the condition is serious, tympanotomy and tube placement, pharyngeal tube balloon dilatation and other surgical treatments are performed.
It is recommended that patients seek medical examination as soon as possible to clarify the disease and then follow the doctor’s instructions for treatment.