I will give you my suggestions based on my experience at A&E (of which I had plenty at in the past). You mentioned that you are worried about your throat health. But yet it appears that you have not taken steps to reduce or stop the smoking, which increases your risk of: Acid reflux Throat and nasopharyngeal cancers. I would suggest you consider seeking smoking cessation help if you can’t battle your addiction alone. The reflux CAN cause throat irritation.

Thank you for your question. Ear blockage or hearing loss can be due to: 1. Conductive hearing loss – Hearing loss due to a physical blockage of the ear canal or middle ear (space deep to the ear drum thaf houses the hearing bones). Common causes include: Impacted ear wax Ear infections Fluid in the middle ear Foreign body in the ear Stiffening of the hearing bones. Conductive hearing loss are usually reversible (ie hearing can revert back to normal) once the underlying cause is treated. 2.

Zyrtec D contains an “anti histamine” which reduces running nose, itchiness and allergies. It also contains a “decongestant” which will reduce the block nose. Yes it probably will help with some of your symptoms. The “usual steroid nasal spray” is meant for long term use, so I’m not surprised if it doesn’t work in 2 days, perhaps you can try a month of usage. If you are not better, you might need to see your doctor to check if it is other more serious problems. Take care!

Simply put. There are benign causes and worrisome ones. If the frequency is unusual and lasting longer than a minute or two, I would advise you to get it checked. At the A&E, our practice would be to first examine where the bleeding occurs, if it’s at the front and easily seen it’s usually due to mucosal injury be it nose digging or blowing your nose very hard. Some medicines like acne medications can cause dry mucosa, as can cold weather and climates.

Thank you for your question. Coughing during or after a cold is often due to postnasal drip (nose mucous dripping down the back of the throat, causing irritation and inflammation of the voice box). The voice box (medical term is larynx) is a very sensitive organ. Once inflamed, minor irritations of the voicebox (e. g from mucous, phelgm, saliva and in some people even a breath of dirty/cold air) will easily trigger a cough reflex. It takes time for the inflammation of the voice box to settle and often, treating conditions of the nose and acid reflux from the stomach may help.

Thank you for your questions. As your questions have been answered well by Dr Chua, I shall not be repetitious. However, I would like to elaborate on why snoring is a significant symptom and the assessments involved for a snorer. Snoring is a common symptom and a local study has shown that up to 30% of Singaporeans snore. It is a significant symptom for 2 main reasons: 1. If the snorer has a bed partner, he/she will be frustrated and possibly sleep deprived from the constant or loud snoring. 2.

Thank you for your question. From the symptoms that you described, you may be suffering from an ear infection. The two most common ear infections are: 1. Otitis externa – infection of the ear canal 2. Otitis media – infection of the space behind the ear drum You will need to see a general practitioner or ENT Specialist to have the infection treated. Since you have been getting an ear discharge, you will most likely need antibiotic ear drops.

The common cold is a viral infection of your upper respiratory tract (includes the nose, sinuses and throat). There are over 200 viruses that can cause a cold and an adult may on average experience a cold two to three times a year. Young children (especially those less than 6 years old) are most at risk of getting a cold.

Thank you for your question. I will address the question in a few sections: “Sinus” vs Sinusitis – What is the difference? “Sinus” is a common term that many people incorrectly use to describe nose symptoms such as: Frequent blocked nose Runny nose Sneezing Sinuses are hollow spaces that surround the nasal cavity. Everyone has them and it is a normal part of the anatomy in your face. The lining of these spaces (called mucous membranes) produces mucous that drains into the nose.

Thank you for your question. Yes, Q-tips or any other cotton buds are not meant to be inserted into the ear canals as they are too big! You will end up pushing your earwax deeper into the ear canal or may damage the lining of the ear and cause an ear infection. I’ve also seen broken Q-tips lodged in the ear canal or puncturing the eardrum! It sounds like you may have developed an ear canal infection (also known as otitis externa) and given topical antibiotics by your GP.

Thank you for your question. The Adam’s apple is the hard prominence you feel in the front part of your neck and is part of the thyroid cartilage. It is a strong protector of your voicebox and windpipe. It is highly unlikely that your friend would be able to hit you with such a force to cause any permanent damage to your voicebox without you having significant pain, hoarse voice or difficulty with breathing at the time of injury. Your voice may be slightly hoarse from some mild swelling in the voicebox (which is a very sensitve organ). This usually resolves on its own.

Thank you for your question. If your tympanic membrane perforation is due to an injury, it is not uncommon to have bleeding from the ear following the injury, depending on the extent of soft tissue injury sustained. If the bleeding is mild, e. g only blood stain on tissue, you can use the eardrops given by your GP and see the ENT Specialist next week. Since you have yellow ear discharge as well, you might have developed an ear infection. However, if it is profuse, you should see an ENT Specialist earlier as other measures to stop the bleeding (e. g.

Thank you for your question. I assume you are asking about a hole in the eardrum? The time taken for a hole in the eardrum to heal largely depends on: The cause of the rupture The size of the hole in the eardrum Eardrum ruptures due to trauma (e. g from ear picking, slap on the face etc) takes about 6 – 8 weeks to heal. If the hole is >75% of the total surface of the eardrum, it might take longer or even fails to heal completely.

Thank you for your question. The medical term for a feeling of pins and needles in any part of the body is called paraesthesia. It occurs due to some disturbance to the nerve that supplies the sensation to the skin on that part of your body that you experience paraesthesia. The causes of paraesthesia depend whether it is transient (temporary) or chronic and range from pressure on the nerve that supplies the sensation to the skin on the part of your body that you experience paraesthesia to diabetes, vitamin deficiencies and neurological conditions.

Thank you for your question. Common causes of postnasal drip (sensation of mucous stuck in the back of the nose or throat) include: Conditions of the nose (e. g sensitive nose or rhinitis, sinusitis) Acid reflux to the throat (called laryngopharyngeal reflux) Dehydration In patients I’ve seen with similar history to yours, a one sided nasal congestion or postnasal drip may indicate an active sinus infection (sinusitis).