Near-constant ear fullness and tinnitus with long COVID, nearly back to normal
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Not stated
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Sep 2025
In their words
- Now: Near normal
My allergies and other systemic issues are a lot worse since first getting COVID, but the ear fullness has fully gone back to normal.
In context ↗
Read from 11 of their posts and comments; links to the 8 this page draws on
Summary
After a second COVID infection in mid-2023, Pond 94976's right ear had near-constant fullness and tinnitus, with the left ear also affected at first. A week of steroids helped only slightly and made them irritable. Over about two years the tinnitus faded to a non-factor and the ear fullness returned to normal, but allergies and systemic issues stayed worse and ears flared with each reinfection.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
Their words about each treatment
- Claritin · Helped
Claritin has helped historically to mitigate some of the symptoms.
In context ↗ - Afrin · Worse
Afrin ended up really messing me up in the long-run.
In context ↗ - box breathing (4x4x4x4) · Helped
I find box breathing (4x4x4x4) to be helpful here.
In context ↗ - steroids · Helped
I took a week-long course for my tinnitus and ear congestion/pressure. It helped slightly, but was fairly unimpressive.
In context ↗
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, with time counted from when the illness began. Hover or tap a point. The chart starts 6 months after onset: the story doesn’t say how ill they were before that. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-01-26 | left ear resolved; right ear tinnitus mild but constantMy L ear resolved but my R ear is still what I would call mild in terms of tinnitus and pressure.In context ↗ | Mild |
| 2024-02-12 | ear symptoms down to about 30% of how they startedthings have improved compared to when they first started, but I still have near constant ear fullness and hearing issues in my R earIn context ↗ | Mild |
| 2024-07-25 | tinnitus basically a non-factor; moved on with lifeTinnitus is a lot better - basically a non-factor.In context ↗ | Near normal |
| — | ear symptoms flared with each COVID reinfectionFlares up each time I get COVID, and then goes back down.In context ↗ | Not stated |
| 2025-09-06 | ear fullness fully resolved; allergies and systemic issues worsethe ear fullness has fully gone back to normalIn context ↗ | Near normal |
Adverse events
- Oxymetazoline nasal spray (Afrin)“Afrin ended up really messing me up in the long-run.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Corticosteroid pulses“I did get quite irritable on them, which is a fairly common side effect.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Mast cell (MCAS) & allergies
My allergies and other systemic issues are a lot worse since first getting COVID
In context ↗