I have chronic glue ear. The ENT says it’s likely associated with having 22q duplication symptom. I was recently diagnosed with dysautonomia and am wondering if the dysfunction of my Eustachian tubes (which is causing the glue ear) is related to the dysautonomia. I’ve had these ear issues my whole life. Prior to my 22q diagnosis (in my 30’s) the doctors blamed my ear issues on “getting water in the ear while showering” or in some other way. They wouldn’t even diagnose glue ear. I have 4-12 ear infections a year and as a kid had a speech delay because I wasn’t correctly hearing the sounds others made. When we changed my care plan and started treating my ear issues as a chronic condition (6 years ago) my ears got substantially better. In large I’m not getting ear infections like I did and we can minimize the “stuffy” ear feelings and tendinitis like pain. A steroid nasal spray once a day and chewing gum help more than everything they previously tried. I also try to avoid going out of their are air quality advisories and if I do go out I wear a mask. This has helped so much. The mask sucks in the heat, outdoors, but it’s worth it to minimize the ear issues that suck a thousand times more.
