I have no idea if you’re correct about it being eustachian tube related, but if you are, a decongestant is likely to help more than an antihistamine, or perhaps better yet, both.
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Actually, that’s what I meant. I thought the two terms were interchangeable (aren’t decongestants antihistamines?)
[EDIT: I just quacked “decongestant” and “antihistamine” on DuckDuckGo, and you’re correct - they’re not the same. But what I would grab from my medicine cabinet is Benadryl, a decongestant. Thanks for correcting me, @MDB.]
I’m quite confident that my self-diagnosis is correct, because the sensation I feel is not momentary, as with a sudden loud noise, but it’s exactly as I’ve described - the feeling you get in your ears when you can’t equalize your ears after flying.
Sorry to be picky, but no Benadryl is not a decongestant. It’s an antihistamine. The generic is diphenydramine. Decongestants are like Sudafed or pseudoephedrine. One doctor’s quick and dirty explanation was “Antihistamines dry you up. Decongestants open you up.”
Addendum: Antihistamines with a “D” at the end, like Benadryl-D or Claritin-D do include a decongestant.
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I don’t think you’re being picky at all. Bad information is worse than no information, IMO, and I appreciate your efforts to set my path right. (I’d do the same if I were in your shoes.)
I’ll talk to my pharmacist today and get some advice about a decongestant I can take safely with my other meds. Again, I thank you for sharing your knowledge.
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Generic “advice.” Decongestants are not generally recommended for people with hypertension (high blood pressure) as they work by constricting blood vessels. However, short term use in people with well controlled hypertension is usually ok. There are also nasal spray decongestants that don’t act systemically, but I don’t think they’re likely to do much for eustachian tubes. There other disadvantage is they are subject to “rebound” when stopped.
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I deal with allergies that affect me similarly as what you described.
Using a Neilmed sinus rinse has helped me for years. Learned about it from doctors after sinus surgery many years ago.
Not sure if your issue is allergy related but if it is this sinus flush idea might help you.
@Raudrive: Yes, I find Neti pots work very well for sinus issues, but I don’t think that they do much for Eustachian issues.
@MDB: I’m definitely going to rely on my pharmacist’s advice on this one. He’s been very helpful in the past, and will be able to help me choose the right OTC med.
This med will be used sporadically, when my neighbour is mowing, so I think long-term effects are unlikely. But I trust my pharmacist - he’ll know what to recommend (even if I have to see my family doctor for a script.)
Just curious. Try holding you nose and swallowing with your mouth closed 3 or 4 times while she is mowing and see if it helps, worsens, or has no effect.
At your own risk - 
- you might also try the opposite, gently popping your ears and see if it helps.
Fred F
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My pharmacist recommended this oxymetazoline hydrochloride nasal spray. It works like a tablet for 12 hours, but is absorbed intranasally, within minutes.
NOTE: This is not just a nasal decongestant: it’s a systemic medication that is absorbed through the nasal mucosa, and will work to “unstuff” my Eustachian tubes (assuming that’s the problem). The advantage is that I won’t need a lot of lead time to get it into my system when I see Neighbor firing up her HellMower™️.
I will post my results the next time she mows (her blades are set so low, it’s not really “mowing”: it’s more like beating the weeds back down into the ground!)
I know it only by it’s name brand, Afrin. It is rather famous for “rebound.” If used regularly, symptoms often get worse. I wasn’t aware of systemic effects.
@MDB: I’ll only be using this once, every 5 days or so, so I’m not worried about the rebound effect. I just hope that my self diagnosis is correct.
Sorry, your neighbour’s lawn mower is loud, but I would suspect it’s not that loud for you? Because you are at a fair distance from it, maybe even in your house? I’m just trying to clarify whether this is an issue of loud sound, or of specific sound.
I don’t understand the question @Neville (I don’t think). Her mower’s specific frequency seems to be the culprit, not the SPL. It seems to cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate sympathetically at sufficient amplitude to evacuate the air from my middle ear. The sensation for the 2 hours she’s mowing is that of getting off a plane and not being able to equalize your ears.
This phenomenon occurs even when my hearing aids are out of my ears or are muted. My ear muffs are designed to attenuate gunfire, not sustained, loud, low frequency sounds. The sympathetic vibration of my tympanum with her mower occurs even when I’m indoors with doors and windows closed, at which time my SPL app registers ~80-85dB in the house.)
(Your assumption that her mower is not loud for me is incorrect: it’s uncomfortably loud for me, hence the creation of the thread.)
My other neighbours’ John Deere and Kubota mowers are not nearly as loud, and cause me no problem. (I use a John Deere, myself.)
I hope this answers your question.
For some reason “Recruitment” keeps registering in my brain every time I read this thread…… Might be miles off base though? Hopefully your medication will help alleviate the mower noise, and hopefully the problem will be solved…… Cheers Kev 
@kevels55: I have run across the term, but have never studied its meaning. I shall Quack it (I use DuckDuckGo) before I agree or disagree with you, Kev.
(Seems like a reasonable suggestion, Kev, so thank you …)
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Well, I have much more ciphering to do before I’m fully up to speed on “recruitment”, Kev, however I think it explains a good part of my discomfort. I’m not sure now whether the mechanical issue I’ve described is, in fact, operant, but it feels that way.
Your hypothesis, for the time being, is King of the Hill. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise.
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I found this short article useful, so I’m sharing it. Sounds like part of my problem may also be due to hyperacusis.
https://hyperacusis.net/what-is-hyperacusis/hyperacusis-or-recruitment/
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Yeah Jim, as far as I am aware; Symptoms of Recruitment and Hyperacusis are not too dissimilar, both can be confused with one and the other, Hyperacusis is fairly rare though! I believe early doors, after my initial hearing loss I had Recruitment, I had a very strong aversion to certain loud noise, in especial the noise you get from a loud and busy pub, prior to that, you couldn’t keep me out of them, after my hearing loss I tended to give them a wide berth…… Nowadays it still occasionally bothers me, if the noise is exceptionally loud, and I just leave, but most of the time I can handle it, after a fashion…… Cheers Kev
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@kevels55: I’m very grateful for your input on this, Kev. Although I’ve been wearing HAs for 18 years, it never occurred to me that I’d have to learn about hearing, in general, and my own loss, in particular, in order to manage it effectively.
I also appreciate your ability to look beyond the hardware when analyzing an issue such as the one that prompted this topic.
You are welcome Jim…… I am, but a layman, apart from being a First Aider, I am qualified in nothing conceivably medical, ENT & Audiology are massive subjects, there is a wealth of learning to be even mildly knowledgeable, I do not profess to be even on the first rung of that learning ladder, but like yourself I am interested enough to learn what I can, it helps me to better understand my own loss, and if we can pigeon hole certain symptoms, then it takes a little stress away, knowledge is a powerful thing…. I worked a lot with the hearing impaired, and because I had a vested interest, perhaps I retained some of that knowledge, unfortunately not it all. This forum is a breeding ground for learning, every day I learn something different, as I am sure we all do, it is a priceless resource to seek out answers for the hearing impaired…… Good luck in your quest for solutions…. Cheers Kev
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