Before I describe the problem I'm hoping for advice on, I want to apologize if this is not the correct forum for this topic. The reason I am posting on this one is that it seemed like the closest match.
On and off for a few years now I've had to tolerate having fluid in my ear (inside the ear drum). I've been to the doctor twice to have it looked at, and that took me to the point where I could either continue to try nasal sprays, with the last resort being a tube put into my ear drum to drain the fluid. After reading about the potential consequences, I don't feel comfortable with doing the tubes. And after going through a couple samples of nasal sprays (I think it was called Nasonex) I stopped using those because they seemed ineffective, plus I don't like the idea of inhaling steroids.
So now I just live with the fluid being there. I'll share as much as I can about what it's like, and hopefully someone can suggest something that might help me remedy it.
My ear rings all the time, and I think that's probably the most annoying effect of having the fluid in there. There is also the reduced hearing, but I've become used to that. When I tilt my head, no matter which angle or amount, I can't hear any type of sloshing or movement of the fluid. There's no pain to speak of. I recently visited a chiropractor (at the suggestion of my fiance) and she said she could see what she thought could be a white fungus around the edge of the inside of my ear drum. By the way, 2 treatments over two weeks from the chiropractor have not helped. Once in a great while my ear will pop or crack (popping and cracking being two different things). But I haven't been able to pop it myself in a long time. I regularly try the trick of plugging my nose and closing my mouth and pushing air out, but that only seems to help push air into my good ear.
I think that's everything. For what it's worth, I'm in my early 30s. As far as I know I never had any ear infections as a child, though I do remember a few ear aches that were treated with warm ear drops. I do have slight allergies, and that's what I initially blamed for my ear problem. However I no longer believe that that is the case. Then again, I'm no medical professional, so I could very well be wrong.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear em! This constant ringing and reduced hearing are starting to wear on me. :) Thanks in advance for any suggestions.