For what it's worth - and I may well be totally wrong - but the more I think about it, the more I think I have a TMD / muscular / joint issue.
It's a tad odd that my ETD became worst after quitting smoking... Stress perhaps?
When my ETD flaired up for the first time since '93 back in 2002, I was going through the tail end of a truly ghastly court case (they all are - the only winners are the lawyers).
The problem gets worse as the day progresses and appears to be best when I get out of bed first thing.
The current bout of glue ear was not brought on by a cold or 'flu - it seems to have come out of the blue, and I'm not a hayfever sufferer.
At this moment, my non-clinician's opinion is that the disorder is brought about by tension in the muscles around the jaw and ET. The blockage *seems* to be worse after eating.
Regardless, it does appear that both our (Hufty and my) symptoms are very similar...
I wonder if the constant swallowing and popping, i.e. muscle attempts to clear the blockage, is causing problems due to some kind of fatigue? Maybe the best policy for me would be to focus on de-stressing (take up Yoga..), and the ET issue could go away in its own time... It does appear that my ET issues have reared their head during stressful periods in my life.
Last edited by WG774; 6th May 2008 at 12:15.