Bourbon City

I hope someone here at the TM has suffered or is suffering as I am suffering. I have had a sinus infection the past three weeks and thus a drainage problem that has caused coughing and a bull-frog type voice. My ears are also plugged. Plugged like one can get in an airplane except my ears don't pop open after landing.

I can not hear well with my ears plugged. I can not tell from which direction a sound comes from, nor how loud or soft I am playing relative to the rest of the group. The plugged ears don't hurt when I play, but with my ears plugged, the band sounds bad to me and I sound bad to me.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who suffers from this problem during certain time of the year so I hope there someone who has a practical solution to my plugged ear problem. I get like this about once every two years. The Ohio River valley could be a part of my problem, but I'm not moving.

Can anyone help me?

__________________
Dale Schmidt, P.E.
Bridges to build and Rivers crossed...

trickg

A product that I have had some success with, although I don't know how quickly you could get your hands on some, is a nasal wash called Xlear. It helps with all sorts of nasal, sinus and ear congestion problems due to colds and allergies.

The website for that is:

http://www.xlear.com/

Other than using a decent nasal wash to get those tubes unclogged, opened and cleared, you will probably just have to wait it out.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius

camelbrass

Happens to me every 2 or 3 years. I have an excessive wax build up (not pleasant I know!!). Feels like your playing about 100 miles away..and you're the only one who can hear it!! Go and see you doctor..he'll give you some drops that'll soften it all up and then will give your ears a wash out. You'll hear a pin drop like a bomb going off after that.

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Trevor

Bourbon City

Patrick and Trevor,

I found a dealer of Xlear here in Louisville but they were out of it. The shop recommended some ear drops and a nasal spray made from grapefruit seed. I went to the shop and bought the stuff. I have used it now. I hope it works. I'll let you know in a day or two if the stuff worked.

I've been looked at for wax build up and I don't have that problem. I think mine is just fungus or some other crud. I used to go to an ENT "Doctor and get them to "blow" my ears open. It always worked but the Doctors won't do that for me any more.

I've noticed that when I blow my nose after a warm shower in the morning my ears will gurgle and open a little. I'd like faster results.

Any other ideas for me? I'd really like an easy fix that I can also do for the next time this happens.

__________________
Dale Schmidt, P.E.
Bridges to build and Rivers crossed...