Hear differently when holding my nose and blowing

Hearing Loss
#1

I know, not a very elegant title. I know I have high frequency hearing loss. But it’s much less pronounced if I hold my nose and “blow out” my eustachian tube. Sometimes I can hear my ears pop and I can hear much better, but other days I can only hear high frequencies when I am actually blowing out my eardrums and not breathing.

Is this normal for most people? Should I ignore this situation and take my hearing test with my ears “clogged up”, which is the way they are most of the time? On some days, my ears crackle as I breathe in and out. On a related note, I’ve been using Flonase for over a year to try and help the eustachian tube issue, but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything.

I was enticed into a hearing test at Sam’s Club, which shows minor hearing loss below 2k hertz, but it drops off pretty significantly after that, expecially after 3k Hz.

Should I first address my clogged ears with an ENT, or should I go to an audiologist for hearing aids? I would like to have another hearing test done to verify the Sam’s Club test, even though I think the guy knew what he was doing.

Thank you for all advise.

#2

Same thing happens to me, not every time but sometimes, when I either yawn or blow my nose or do something similar, something seems to clear up in my ears and I could hear a little better, but it doesn’t mean I got perfect hearing back.

It’s just similar to when I’m flying and on the descend, my ears get plugged up due to the pressure change, and I have to chew gum or yawn or blow my nose to clear them up, that’s all.

You should see an ENT for your hearing loss anyway, especially if blowing your nose consistently seems to help clear up whatever.

#3

There’s actually a name for the procedure…valsalva. Press your nostrils, close your mouth and “blow”. Those other tricks didn’t always work very well for me and before I learned it, descending in a plane was BAD. Now I do it even when I kinda figure I’m a little plugged up.
I gather pilots and divers do it all the time in their business.
But for me I have similar issues with what has been mentioned. Bubbling and generally plugged up. Not all the time.
I went to an ENT (a couple of them actually) and he basically said that he could do something but the risks would far outweigh the benefits. I interpreted that as that I’m not entirely deaf and have some hearing and so any procedure could cost me more than the little hearing I might get back. If I were deaf or profoundly hard of hearing then a procedure could show benefit and thus be worth the risk.