Due to noise, I have been trying to sleep with yellow spongy earplugs.They feel pretty weird, and because I sleep on my sides, I am concerned that I may be damaging my ears by using them.Is it harmful to use earplugs in this fashion?

Answer :

I do sympathise with you if you are sleeping in an environment which is so noisy that you have been driven to wearing earplugs.I think I would be inclined to move if at all possible!The little sponge earplugs are designed to sit in the external ear canal and they should not be pushed in too far since they will act as ramrods, packing wax and debris deep inside the ear canal and possibly against the eardrum.This would be very painful.Regular use of earplugs can lead to swelling and local infection of the skin of the external ear canal, although their occasional use is likely to be harmless.A pair of soundproofed headphones might cut out the surrounding sound rather better, but no doubt these would also be hot and uncomfortable.Good luck in dealing with the source of the noise pollution that’s preventing your sleep.It may be that your local council can help you if the noise is at an unacceptable level.

 

 

I have always had earache on flights, and over the past few years the pain in the right ear has increased.Last time I flew, the pain was so bad I had to scream into my coat, and I'm practically deaf in the right ear for a couple of days after the flight.I always take paracetamol or ibuprofen at least one hour before landing.Is this something I'm just going to have to put up with?

 

Answer :

You are experiencing the misery of barotrauma.The pain is always most severe during descent as the air pressure increases.Unless air can pass through the Eustachian tube from the nose to enter the middle ear during descent, the eardrum is sucked inwards, causing the pain.If the pressure change is great, or rapid, the eardrum may burst.The deafness that you describe after landing is due to the drum remaining stuck, or to fluid in the middle ear.You may have a partial blockage in your nose, or a damaged septum in the middle of the nose. This could prevent air from equalising the pressure across the eardrum.I suggest that you ask your doctor to check your ears, nose and throat.If the nose is damaged, surgery may be necessary.But, if there is no apparent abnormality, you could try using decongestant nose-drops before take-off and again before the aircraft begins to descend.You may need to keep having sips of water, and frequently blowing your nose gently throughout the descent, and for an hour or so after landing.

 

My 6-year-old daughter has a permanent discharge from her nose.It is very thick and usually green, although it does not run as such, and there are no other symptoms of a cold.Is this just a continual cold or is there another infection present?She is generally fit and well.

Answer :

The most likely cause for a greenish discharge from the nose in a child is the common cold.Sometimes a cold can take weeks to disappear completely and during this time the child may have some yellowy-green discharge from both nostrils, although usually as time goes by the discharge decreases in amount and becomes clearer in colour.Unfortunately, before the symptoms of one cold have gone a child may have picked up another one, and this can result in a discharge from the nose that seems to be almost continuous for several weeks.There is another possible cause for your daughter's persistent nasal discharge – a foreign body (like a bead or other tiny object) stuck up one nostril.This is less likely to be the cause in a 6-year-old than it is in toddlers (who seem very fond of pushing objects into noses and ears!) but it's worth shining a torch up both nostrils just to check that there's nothing wedged there that could be causing irritation and infection.If you think you can see anything in her nose, don't try to take it out yourself. It's easy to push a foreign body further into the nose, and removal is best done by a doctor, possibly using a small surgical instrument.



* The information is only for reference purposes only , the disease varies from person to person, it is inappropiate to use drugs without doctor's instructions, if you need any assistances or inquiries, please call 31763336