Q: I have been having severe ear pain rather the ears are blocked. I have a constant cold and at times continue to sneeze. The doctor has advised me to go in for surgery to rectify the nasal passage. This problem has been with me for the last 5 to 6 years. Please advise how safe is the surgery and what is the success rate? Can it be cured without surgery with only medication? At times I used to use a nasal spray called Rhinocort some two years back but have not used it for the last one year.

A:It is possible that you have a nasal blockage due to a mechanical defect or deviations and that has led to off and on pain in the ear. Surgery to correct this may help you as far as the pain in ear is concerned but one has to be sure that the problem is due to the nose. This is the mainstay of the whole plan. A good diagnosis that the nose is responsible for the pain and surgery of the nose will give good results. Surgery of the nose is generally safe and done under local anaesthesia.