Otovent Extra Balloon (5 Balloons)

I was skeptical about this working but I was getting desperate. I had done a lot of long-distance plane travel in the last 6 months. My right ear has been blocked from April to July 2019, I had no hearing out of my right ear and it was getting really annoying and embarrassing. I went to the doctor about it and he told me that I had fluid behind my ear-drum, he gave me a course of antibiotics but that did not work. He said all I could do was wait for it to get better on its own. I could hear the fluid moving around, especially when I titled my head to sleep. I got this product and tried it. The balloon was very hard to blow up at first. You have to put your finger over one nostril and put the balloon thing in the other nostril and then take a big deep breath with your mouth and blow as hard as you can to inflate it. It gets easier as the balloon gets more use. The first time I did it I felt faint because of the pressure in my inner ear. The second time, I could hear all sorts of crackling going on in my ear. It was definitely moving the fluid around. After using it as directed for about 3 days, I noticed my hearing slowly coming back and no more fluid noise crackling in my ear. My hearing is about 80% back now. I will continue to use it as directed and hopefully, my ear will be back to normal soon. I don't know how safe it is because when you use it, it feels like you are going to blow your ear-drum right out of your ear, but it worked for me. I will be using this before and during any more air travel in the future.

The Otovent is a bit tricky to use, but if you follow the directions, it should inflate a plugged middle ear and promote drainage. Of course, this is most applicable to people who cannot do this by pinching their nostril and blowing hard with their mouth closed. I can do that and had been doing it for 4 weeks, but my blockage persisted with muffling, reverberation and awful, worrying tinnitus. Early today I received the Otovent and started using it. Like some here I felt it did push air into my middle ear but less so than if I simply pinched my nostrils and blew hard. Still, after a bunch of sessions with the Otovent today, I finally got some sustained clearing. I feel like I turned a corner. Now, it may be my eustachian tube had finally calmed down enough that it started to work as it should. It may all be pure coincidence that I improved after starting the Otovent. I can't say for sure, but I'm just happy to be over this. Middle ear infections in adults, particularly following a cold, are most often viral and self-limited, clearing in a week or two. I've had them periodically before. This one was different, persisting with the additional problem of loud tinnitus that I don't recall having before, at least not to the extent that I could not sleep due to the noise. This was very, very frustrating. So, what can I say for sure - Keep inflating your middle ear a number of times a day, allowing the air to penetrate and rise above the fluid and slowly push it out. The Otovent may be a convenient way to do this. It worked for me.

During a short, mild virus, my left ear went into a tunnel and didn't come out. This was six weeks ago. I had hearing loss, some kind of continuous, low white noise and tinnitus in my ear, and what made it even more difficult was feeling dizzy, sometimes workable and often times not; driving and walking the dogs could be hard, so I often avoided it (as well as yoga and the gym). My concentration was off, I felt disconnected...I'm sure those who have had similar problems with their ear/s understand. I made 3 trips to urgent care, a nurse, and my pcp, followed by seeing 2 different ENTs. Fluid, they said, some said middle ear, some said inner ear. I can't take decongestants because of an SVT (heart arrhythmia), nor can I take steroids due to other body reactions. I took a course of antibiotics per the first ENT, and that did not help. I took antihistamines and meclizine per my pcp, and those just exacerbated my symptoms. I used Neilmed, a saline rinse, nothing. Lavender oil, nothing. Flonase, which I hadn't realized contained a steroid, made me feel ill and horrible. I scoured the internet for solutions, jutted out and wriggled my mouth/jaw, did breathing exercises - in the bad nostril, out the good nostril - and nothing discernible happened. I ordered and am still using chewable papaya extract to allegedly thin out any mucous or whatever was/is going on (sticky, glue ear? I still have a somewhat persistent cough following the virus). I prayed, I meditated, I visualized.I wanted to order Eustachi, but the price tag was formidable for me. I saw Otovent, and for 16 dollars, I decided I'd try that first. But first I looked it up and found this, and I better understood my ear. [the youtube video address I posted did not publish, grr...Search youtube: How to Use the Otovent - 4:44 video by an ENT from Cape Cod] I was a little put off by some of the reviews here of Otovent that said it did nothing for them, but desperation is what it is. That said, the Otovent came yesterday, and after watching the technique on the video a few times, was ready to try it. My husband found it simple to use, but I needed constant direction about when to release the air and when to swallow, my brain not directing my body as easily as his did.It worked! The first time I used it, both my ears popped, although I didn't regain better hearing in the left ear immediately, but felt a little more underwater. But that was only for a few minutes. Within 5 minutes, my hearing was about 50 percent better, maybe more, and the white noise didn't take up as much head space. Almost best of all, my dizziness greatly diminished and I now feel much better able to function. I used it yesterday afternoon and repeated it yesterday evening. So far I remain at about 50 - 60 percent more hearing and less annoyance out of my left ear, and it's enough to communicate, exercise, and get things done. I will continue to use it 1-2x a day and hope that time and its use will take care of the rest. Note: I think the video I pasted above indicates that there might be some mild ear drum pain as you're releasing air into the middle ear, and when I felt it, I felt that I'd done the technique correctly. It went away over the next half hour to hour, never really bothering me.All that said, even with results that have not or have not yet restored my hearing completely (as it can take time for the fluid to drip out, I guess, probably also depending on its viscosity), I can hear much better and feel functional. I had wanted to start interviewing for a part-time job, but there was no way I could connect to the world and an interviewer. Now I would be/am able to. I hope my long-windedness and detail helps someone going through similar - not to be dramatic - torment and frustration. And remember when it gets to feel like torment, say yes to the experience (yes, I accept what life has thrown me right now) BUT do everything in your power to investigate solutions that might work to take care of and heal your body. I said yes to the experience 50 times a day, and no to it 500 times a day, but I think that's fair and human (and yet I still think this helps in this unbalanced proportion). And on a level some people may not care to consider or regard as worthwhile, if nothing else, saying yes to the process brought me peace, where the resistance to what happened to me out of the blue, did not. Good luck to all.

I have had intermittent chronic unilateral ear fullness for more than 20 years. I have had some degree of chronic serous otitis media (glue ear) since childhood of varying severity, which never completely cleared, and would worsen with colds/sinusitis. Airplane flight descents could be torture on the affected side, especially if I had a superimposed cold or sinusitis. I have never had a problem with auto insufflation with Valsalva, but I still could not get the middle ear to drain. No hearing deficit, so ENT intervention not warranted (or desired on my part), but still a very irritating chronic issue.I did some recent Internet searching, and came across the Otovent, Eustachi, and Earpopper options. The Otovent was first up based on cost, and it also seemed the closest match to the classic ENT Politzerization concept. I saw some of the reviews here grousing that it was a lot to pay for a piece of plastic and some balloons. I home tested the concept using a drinking straw, rubber bands, and party balloon. It was difficult to maintain a seal at the nostril, but I was eventually able to inflate the balloon and get the insufflation to work. After a few days, I did notice a slight difference in how the ear felt, with mild improvement in the fullness, which I had never had before. I ordered the Otovent to see if the real deal could accelerate my progress.A couple treatments (done the right way) with the Otovent were worth 100 treatments with my makeshift setup. The plastic hub is perfectly shaped to create a good seal at the nostril. Decades of poor middle ear and mastoid air cell aeration were resolved in a few weeks with this gadget. Fantastic. Some thoughts/insights I hope others find helpful, because I know what it is like to suffer with this for a long time:1. It's not too much $ if it works for you to resolve a chronic health issue, and I suspect it will work for most people who have negative middle ear pressure issues. You spend more than $15 on a haircut. And you can use it any time the issue creeps up again.2. It may not be right for you. If you have severe Eustachian tube dysfunction, or some other serious issue that would result in difficulty with normal middle ear aeration, you'll need an ENT as you may need intervention such as drainage tubes and/or balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube.3. It's not that common that a person would have an issue of such significance that would prevent this product from giving them some relief. Many people that are not getting relief from this product are not using it correctly for their situation, which is not their fault. The included product instructions will not work for everyone. If an adult is not having great success with this product after using it for a week as directed, you can try the following:a. Best results if you do this in the morning and stay upright for the rest of the day to allow everything to drainb. Have on hand a glass of water with a drinking strawc. Use the Otovent as directed for the inflation phase, but do not deflate the balloond. While the Otovent is still in your nose, and the balloon is still inflated, take ten quick gulps of water in rapid succession using the straw. This will feel strange and awkward, and a small amount of air will leave the balloon, but this method is significantly more effective then taking the balloon out, pinching your nose, and then gulping the water.What the above will do is pull air into your middle ear, while the pressure from the inflation phase has temporarily dilated your Eustachian tube. Initially this will make the ear feel fuller than ever, and you might think that everything is worse. But this is sensation is what you want. Your middle ear is starved of air and you are solving the problem. The lighter air will rise to the top of the chamber, and push fluid/secretions down so that the gunk can drain down through the Eustachian tube. As you go through your day, you should feel the ear slowly decompress, especially when you swallow or belch, and may taste something strange in the back of your throat, which is a sign that the ear is draining properly.4. The balloon issue. I use party balloons with the Otovent and it has worked great for me. The manufacturer recommends their own balloons for satisfactory inflation pressures. You can try both and make your own decision.5. You may notice improved sinus drainage after using the Otovent, as the paranasal sinuses and middle ear/mastoid system are essentially a circuit. It could be used as a periodic health maintenance tool. It's amusing to me as this product has been out for a while but the manufacturer has sold itself short as it can be much more effective with new instructions, and as it has more uses than what has been advertised.

I have had a clogged ear for the past 2 months! I have gone to two doctors (a GP and an ENT), both of whom muttered something about a viral ear infection that would just take time to heal. No recommendations for any treatment. Very frustrating. My best guess is that I have an adult form of "glue ear," residual "gunk" in my ear from an initial ear infection that is taking a LONG time to drain.Anyway, I began searching for every home remedy I could think of. Here are some of the things I have tried: ear wax removal kit, hydrogen peroxide in the ear, saline spray, Afrin spray, Flonase spray, plugging my nose and mouth and blowing, warm heat humidifier, sleeping on my bad ear, sleeping on my good ear, sleeping upright in a chair, sleeping with a heating pad on my bad ear, various massage techniques behind my ears, the Eustachi, and others I can't remember that didn't do a thing for my problem.I then tried Sudafed, and that seemed to help a bit, but my friend suggested that I should be working on loosening the "glue" in my ear rather than drying it out. So per her advice, I stopped the Sudafed and started using a Neti Pot saline rinse twice daily and taking Extra Strength Mucincex twice daily. They both seemed to help a little.But I still wanted something to finally get rid of my ear pressure and muffled hearing. In my online searches, I kept coming across the pages of British ENTs who recommended the Otovent as the ONLY clinically proven at-home treatment for glue ear. I don't know if the Otovent is sold in the US, but it must be fairly common in the UK. I figured it was worth a try and ordered it via amazon.com. It shipped airmail from the UK but still arrived within a week.The first few days I used it, it seemed to be helping more than some of the other things I was trying. But after a week of use, I think my ear is more clogged than ever before. I'm very frustrated. I have another ENT appointment, but it's not for another month and a half. This is miserable!

First of all, for those users, or worse, reviewers who have Not used this item, it is Not the same as simply plugging your nose and blowing / popping your ears. It's possibly similar to swallowing water and manually "popping" your ears by blowing, but still the volume of air is much greater using Otovent (an in my case much more effective).BUT TO RESTORE NORMAL PRESSURE IN A NEGATIVE PRESSURE EAR IT WORKS.Also! Don't use it if your eardrums are already bulging. I realize not everyone has an otoscope at home and someone to examine their ears, but it's simple physics. If your eardrum is retracted, there's negative pressure behind your eardrum (in middle ear) this product will help.If you're experiencing acute otitis media the pamphlet says do not use. If your doctor/PA/NP says "oh my your tympanic membrane is bulging" this product won't help and could be painful.I thought this kid was going to need tubes (a bit dramatic I know, since he only gets earaches 2 times/year). I know that they don't do surgery after just 1-2 earaches.Child's ears have been filled with fluid for over 3 weeks. He gets mild relief from going to higher altitudes (8,000ft) but we live at 600ft altitude. I'm going to bring it with us for him to use in higher altitudes too.What a relief, literal & figuratively.After 1 inflation the child (6yrs) was able to hear better. He was quite plugged and while it was the first use, it was on step 2 that his ears cleared. This was inflation via a nostril, then releasing the air back into his nostril.I cleaned the Otovent, used another balloon and tried it myself. Woah, it works. My R ear had bothered me for weeks but after one use I had relief. For me it worked on step 1.The kid needs adult supervision using it, continues 3-4,times/day. Sometimes it pops on step one, sometimes step 3 (swallowing and releasing air from balloon into nostril).Read the packet instructions.Plug one nostril, Blow, pinch balloon with other hand. If no success, plug same nostril or keep it plugged, release air into other nostril. If no success, blow up again (using either nostril j guess). Pinch it, swallow water an while swallowing release balloon. Voila, it forces air into your ears.When you have thick viscous or even glue like consistency fluid in your middle ear (like my son) you might have success after 1 treatment but you will need to continue it 3-4 times daily for a week or so. The fluid is slow to drain an it seems your body will keep producing it as long as there's negative pressure in there. Vicious cycle I know, but keep at it and you'll feel relief as it drains faster than it refills.Type in the link Bc Amazon won't let me link it. It's a video that simply describes how it works.Once today his R nostril was too plugged to even blow it up. I'd not recommend using it when your nose is terribly stuffy Bc i think it would actually force mucus back. Gently blow your nose first, or take a decongestant an use 30 minutes later.Kid blew his nose an it worked fine.Directions recommend doing both nostrils (I.e. Two blows each time you do step 1, step 2, step 3 if needed), however, I'm not sure why. The air goes into each way regardless of the nostril you use.It says not to use with acute otitis media, I've looked in his ears with the otoscope and his redness is gone, tympanic membrane is not bulging, so he's been using it with great success.This video really explains it well it Amazon won't let me link

So glad to have this after flying back from Europe. Wish I had it on the plane! Helping reduce inner ear pressure.

In conjunction with homeopathic remedies, this balloon cleared my child's ears and she did not have to have tube surgery as scheduled by her ENT for fluid /loss of hearing!