I have chronic cough, blocked ears and popping sound in ears while swallowing. How to treat it?

Hello doctor,

I am a 66-year-old male with a weight of 198 lbs and a height of 6 feet. For the last four months, I have been continuously facing the following problems, moderate sore throat, feeling like a lump in my deep throat, gastric reflux, poor digestion, a feeling of air blocked in both ears and a popping sound on swallowing. After treatment, these symptoms subside for some time. But now I have deviated septum. Presently I have sticky mucus discharge from the nose in postnasal mode. Sometimes, I also feel stress in the jaws. Due to continuous popping in my ears, mostly my left ear, and a lump feeling in my throat, I am unable to sleep properly. This is having an adverse effect on my health. I have been on medication for almost three months on and off, including Levocetirizine, one tablet twice daily, and Fluticasone spray. I also take Rabeprazole DSR for the reflux issue, steam inhalation, and saline gargles. But symptoms sometimes abate and again come up. I regularly take Bisoprolol, Metformin, and Glimperamide for a few years. Due to soreness in the throat, popping in the ears, and continuous cough, I was unable to sleep. The sticky mucus is viscous and salty in taste and discharges in the throat. RTF test showed partial dysfunction of the left eustachian tube. What could be the likely causes and line of treatment to get rid of this? Could it be due to air pollution or some other allergy source? Due to continuous coughing, my abdominal muscles are painful, and there is a split voice in my throat. It appears like there is an overproduction of mucus all over the respiratory tract. I have started taking the antibiotic Augmentin eight hours once for the last four days, but no relief. This problem is chronic but more intense in the last four months. Presently, it is in the acute stage and not responding to treatment. Please advise.

Hello doctor,

Thank you. I do not smoke, neither do I drink. I had this chronic problem, but that used to get resolved after some treatment. But this time, the problem has prolonged for the last three to four months despite treatment going on. My current problem is as I mentioned soreness in my deep throat area, pain, burning, and as if something is stuck up. Continuous coughing brings up mucus, excessive formation of the viscous white or light grey mucous, especially in the left side of the nose, and blocked ears popping or clicking on swallowing with a burning sensation in the ear passages. I could not sleep last night due to these problems. The problem is just not responding to treatments, including nasal spray use, Digene tablets, Rabeprazole DSR, Monton-L, steam inhalation, and saline gargles. The intensity keeps changing from time to time. I do have a gastro reflux issue, which too, is chronic. I have started Augmentin 625 mg, three times a day, and today is the fifth day but no improvement yet. I do not drive a two-wheeler and, most of the time, stay indoors. Since the problem is going on for a few months repeatedly, the seasonal effect may not apply. I have taken the best possible picture from close range but without using a spatula. Kindly note I have just completed a three weeks course on Terbinafine 250 mg for skin infection.

Hello doctor,

Thank you. I started Amoxycillin four days ago since things were not improving. I am taking Rabeprazole, and Domperidone DSR, once daily. I am using Fluticasone spray twice a day and Montina-L once daily, along with steam inhalation for liquidating the mucus. I had a fever but only for one day, two days ago. I got a laryngoscopy done just now, and there is no growth, but LPR is positive. I have no breathing trouble. I have two problems, continuous accumulation of mucus in the throat, forcing periodic coughing and spitting, clogged ears, and feeling of dryness or irritation. What is macrolide? My food habits are a simple, pure vegetarian diet and about three cups of tea a day. Such severe symptoms did not occur in the past for so long period, and I am unable to sleep due to irritation in a deep throat and ear canals too, much phlegm generation, and coughing. Congestion is seen more in the left nostril, and the taste is salty with a whitish viscous discharge. I hope you will be able to draw a conclusion and chart the outline of treatment.

Hello doctor,

Thanks for the reply. Last time, I consulted you in this thread, and you gave me treatment. I followed the same. There was some improvement. But for the last two months again, I have been having problems. No treatment is working, which are as follows:

Fluticasone sprays twice a day. Now I have stopped. I took Levocetirizine with Montelukast for almost a month. Earlier I took Omeprazole-D. Now I am taking Rabeprazole with Itopride one in the morning empty stomach. But I feel Itopride should be taken more. When should it be taken after or before meals, but it is a combined drug? I had got my throat checked fully. There was no growth requiring investigation, but chronic LPR is confirmed. I also got an endoscopy done. A mild hernia at the esophagus was detected. These could be caused by continuous irritation by acid. It seems to be more of LPR and reflux than GERD. I managed to reduce weight from 202 to 189 lbs by fasting, diet reduction, Pranayama, and walking 1000 steps more, which I cannot do presently. I have started taking short walks since long walks I cannot do due to mid-thoracic pain in my back when walking. I also do Pranayama like Kapalbhati 100 times, Alom vilom 120 times, and Bhastrika 45 to 50 times. But my belly refuses to go inside, and my stomach feels full and hard. The doctors did not find anything wrong. Stage 2 liver fattening was detected though. I do not drink. Neither I smoke, nor do I take spicy and fatty foods? This coupled with my stress, little hernia, indigestion, and tummy could be the cause of reflux causing repeated coughing out and trying to cough up a small amount of viscous phlegm. I also feel phlegm run down my nose in post-nasal flow. My pulse oximeter readings show 97 % and PI 1.8 % to 5.6 %, varying at different times. I was prescribed an asthma inhaler by the chest department twice a day. But despite all this, there is no relief as of date. I feel throat roughness and dryness of mouth and burning on tongue sensation many times. Other regular medicines are Metformin, Glimepiride, and Losartan in the evening and Bisoprolol and folic acid in the morning. I feel slight irritation in my throat all the time, but the main thing is feeling as if something is sticking or lump, and I have to cough up to clear mucus. I cannot sleep at night unless I take Clonazepam 5 mg tablet chewable, which was prescribed to me for leg burning sensation due to cervical and L4-L5 compression. I also noticed that after consuming food, I suddenly have a lot of mucus formation, which appears coming from the left nostril cavity and throat for a few minutes, then subsides, and I have to draw mucus from the left nostril inside, frequently. I have to clear my throat. But the mucus will not go away. Sometimes it may be a symptom of relaxation. The rest are mentioned already in the early correspondence of this thread. I am fed up and now planning to stop every medicine. Stress too, is a cause I know but am unable to handle it. I am now 68 years old and just do not like hardened tummy bulge, which I never had. Only since a year. Can Pregabalin tablets 2 in night I take could cause this tummy and weight gain? I can afford to stop as my spine leg burning is under control at the moment. Kindly go through all these slowly as it appears as a compounded and messed up report, along with earlier reports and symptoms I sent. I am not doing gargles and steam as was advised by you earlier. Should I start or not? Just take a fresh view and clear up the mess. Too many things and too many medicines. Even as a patient, I am not happy. But this throat irritation and sticking in the throat is taking a toll.