For over a year and a half during the COVID lockdown, I suffered through the sound of Rice Krispie treats in my ear as I learned about Eustachian tube disorder and what a deviated septum is.

Most often my ears crackled – LOUDLY and randomly – when I was trying to sleep. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. 🥺 😫

It was so bad that I told a number of people that I could understand why someone with undiagnosed ear issues might consider suicide. Without sleep, the day is set up for failure. Then, when the evening rolls around, terror sets in because of the fear of the noise awakening me at 11 or 2 or 4 or multiple times throughout the night.

Important: I am not a doctor, and everything below is based on my experience. Please speak with a medical professional.

TL; DR – Speak with an ENT

This isn’t a recipe, so the story, while interesting, is not what you’re here to learn. My advice, if you are experiencing an issue like this and have insurance, is to contact your Primary Care Doctor today. Ask if you need a referral to see an ENT?

If you do, take the needed steps ASAP. If you do not, contact an ENT ASAP.

What’s Going on in My Ear or Eustachian Tube?

Let me introduce you to the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube is an opening that connects the middle ear with the nasal-sinus cavity. When mucus, or something else, in your nasal cavity covers it, or the tube doesn’t close properly you might experience some snap, crackle, pops! This may be diagnosed as Eustachian tube disorder.

Ear Crackle Sounds – Who Needs Sleep?

You do! I do!

Would you like to be unfocused, frustrated, irritable, etc.? Don’t get enough sleep, and wake up multiple times every night with no clear way to stop the irritation in your ear.

Prolonged issues like this may lead you to think about suicidal thoughts. I can speak from personal experience. Please speak with a medical professional.

Sleep is imperative! No, that’s not quite right.

Uninterrupted sleep is imperative, and you deserve it every night. I needed something to help me get sleep.

Not knowing if it would solve the sleep mystery, I tried releasing the pressure I felt my holding my nose and blowing lightly. This is commonly done by scuba divers and when descending in a plane. Psssh. Common stuff. No big deal.

Squeak!

That’s what I heard. Yay! Ahhh. Well, sometimes yay.

And then, one day Squeak! — I was asked “Was that your ear?!” 😮 It was so loud that people multiple feet away could hear it. This got me to seek out alternative solutions.

What Over the Counter Solutions Exist?

Now that we’ve got ourselves a baseline understanding, how can you reduce the crackling, popping, snapping, high pitched squeaking going on in your ear?

First, schedule an appointment with a doctor, and possible an ENT as soon as possible!

While you wait for the appointment, there are a number of things I tried.

• Blow your nose often – If you need to, take a shower before bed to free up your nasal canal.
• Swallow or yawn – I found swallowing to be a problem at night, though it was helpful during the day.
• Jaw muscle stretches/movement – Tension will get into your body. This can help to release some.
• Pinch the nose and gently blow out – You may hear a squeak, this is normal.
• Sleep with multiple pillows – Keeping your head upright will help mucus drain properly.
• Neti pot – There are multiple types and they may help clear mucus from your nasal canal.
• Saline spray – A moisturizing spray to
• Xlear – I found this spray to be incredibly effective at clearing the nasal canal.
• Afrin – Get a rapid clearance of your nasal canal. Read the usage directions!
• Flonase – While typically prescribed for allergies, it can help to reduce inflammation.

While these were helpful, they didn’t get to the likely source of the problem for me.

Do I Need Surgery for a Deviated Septum?

Maybe! According to the Mayo Clinic…

About 70% to 80% of people have a septal deviation that’s noticeable to an examiner. In many cases, the deviation is minor and causes no symptoms. A deviated septum that is moderate to severe can lead to nasal obstruction and require treatment.

Source

Turns out, I had a deviated septum thanks to a soccer game in high school. Thirty years later, the bill came due.

What you’re looking at below is a CT scan of my head.

A septum should be fairly straight, making it possible for the nasal passage to work as intended. My deviated septum appears to have blocked passage, making it possible for the snap, crackle, pops to get worse and worse.

Does Surgery Work?

Maybe. Maybe not.

As I write this blog, it has been about three months since the surgery.

During month one, I healed and found relief, sleeping soundly for the first time in a year and a half.

Month two saw a plateau of healing, and the flu arrived during month three.

Thankfully, I had gotten the flu shot in October and that helped my body recover quickly. But, two nights were horrible, and I was woken by snap, crackle, pops in my ear. I was terrified that it had returned to pre-surgery levels.

Fortunately, my worries carried no merit. In fact, I feel even better post-flu, and have stopped using any nasal sprays!

What’s the Lesson/Summary?

Simply put, if you can, see someone ASAP!

It may take time to determine what the cause is. Because of the pandemic’s impact on scheduling and life, it took me two ENTs and about eight months to learn about my deviated septum.

My hope, if you’ve read this far, is that you’ll find an answer today!

If you learn about something not noted above, please let me know. I’d love to help anyone avoid this horrible experience. 🙇‍♂️