Seeing as I've spent over 20 years having numerous (probably nearing 10) GPs wrongly telling me I have an ET problem, I'm in a prime position to say what I'm about to. Check out this link:
http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/T...0go%20bump.pdf
Middle ear blockage, not always what it seems
Behind the eardrum is an air-filled space
where three little bones conduct the sound to the cochlear or inner ear, when the eardrum vibrates. The air is replenished through the Eustachian tube every time we swallow or yawn, something most people have experienced on air flight. Many
patients come to us with a conviction that they have Eustachian tube blockage, and this will have been reinforced by professional diagnosis in the absence of any investigation. It is very easy these days to measure Eustachian function with impedance audiometry. A soft earplug placed in the outer ear connects with a device which measures the pressure behind eardrum. In over 97% of our tinnitus patients this proves to be the same as atmospheric pressure, indicating that the Eustachian tube is functioning normally. Nevertheless many patients have been
treated for Eustachian dysfunction even
though they didn't have it. Do not accept a diagnosis of persistent blocked Eustachian tube without this test.
Eustachian blockage no longer such a
common problem.
Concepts about Eustachian tube blockage, particularly in complimentary medicine, are generally very out of date, and reflect the common clinical findings in pre-antibiotic days, when chronic infection of the throat and sinuses was commonplace. In those societies where children are given regular courses of antibiotics, and live in good housing, such chronic infections are now a rarity, compared with the high prevalence of these symptoms. Consequently Eustachian dysfunction after childhood (when glue ear is common) is now rarely seen. In any case, impedance audiometry, taking some 30
seconds to perform, gives the answer
The crux is, if you have a middle ear condition relating to tension in the various tendons (if you have a stressful or noisy lifestyle, it's not uncommon), you will get discomfort that feels very similar to an ET problem (the 2 are very close to each other) when going through pressure changes.
If you think you have an ET problem, don't take the GP's word for it: GET A TYMPANOGRAM ASAP, preferably at a time when the discomfort is recent.
(Don't be put off by the tinnitus reference - the analogy about ET issues is relevant, and you WILL get a feeling of pressure, similar to ET dysfunction, if you have a middle ear issue. Also note that a middle ear problem isn't the end of the world - early diagnosis is the key)