Since retiring from the LPGA Tour, a 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur winner has been channeling her competitive drive into painting in Atlanta. Now, she has publicly opened up for the first time about an ongoing health concern, turning to fans as she looks for answers.

Jane Park revealed she has been dealing with a persistent and unexplained ear condition for over two months. The timing, she noted, coincided with the start of pollen season, which could be a reason, but remains a speculation.

The symptoms described in the story are unsettling. She shares facing dullness and a water-like sensation in one of her ears. Along with that, she has muffled hearing on that side. Intermittent dizziness, irritability, and headaches also surfaced a few days ago. The other ear, however, remains unaffected. But what makes the situation really tough is that the standard diagnosis has come clean: her audiology report was fine, and there was no visible blockage. Alongside that, a pressure test ruled out fluid behind the eardrum. However, a course of ear drops, an antibiotic pack, and a steroid pack have all failed to bring relief to Park so far.

Park further shared that she tried ear drops, antibiotics, and a steroid course on her own, but nothing helped. She then visited urgent care twice, but her experience was disheartening. The specialist prescribed a single medication to manage the headaches and suggested the issue might resolve on its own. Park, however, pushed back and secured a CT scan. “My catastrophizing mind is going straight to a brain tumor,” she wrote.

The uncertainty over the past two months had scared her. Left with no solution, she appealed to fans, saying she needed to “crowdsource” some information to find a solution, asking if she might have missed something.

Park retired from the LPGA Tour in 2020 to provide full-time care for Grace, her daughter, who sustained brain damage through seizures in the first year of her life. Her professional career began in 2007 following a decorated amateur run that included a U.S. Women’s Amateur title and 17 career top-10s on the LPGA Tour. After two years of absence, she made a brief return to the competition in July 2023, playing in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Through it all, Park has shown a willingness to be candid about her difficulties. However, her latest update on her health is certainly a little difficult.

Apart from painting, Park has also been managing life as a full-time caregiver. Earlier this year, Grace battled pneumonia and spent three weeks in the hospital, but she came back safe and sound. In a February Instagram post, Park wrote Grace returned “stronger, sassier” and was back to doing a little twinkle-toe dance on her favorite spot on the couch. For now, that is where things stand: a few hard months, but a hopeful future.

Apart from Park, another golfer had suffered a similar health issue in a frustrating loop of tests and symptoms that refused to go away.

Jason Day’s experience highlights the reality of inner ear issues

PGA Tour veteran Jason Day knows what it feels like to have an ear problem derailing everything. Doctors diagnosed him with vertigo in 2015 after he collapsed on the course during the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. The incident critically affected his ears. He displayed symptoms of dizziness, nausea, and a persistent inability to stay balanced, all stemming from a disruption in his inner ear.

Jason later confirmed the condition stemmed from a virus attacking the vestibular nerve in his inner ear and described it as something that cannot be cured but only suppressed. This situation particularly became difficult as the vertigo kept surfacing in 2023. He had pulled back at Augusta, changed his diet, and taken time off, describing it as the only option available to him. So there’s no outright cure for his vertigo, but medication and physical repositioning techniques targeting the inner ear help.

The encouraging part of his story is that just months after his 2023 vertigo battle, Day won the AT&T Byron Nelson, his first PGA Tour title in five years. So there’s definitely a way through it all, but it cannot be a certain fix. The patient needs to adjust their lifestyle and receive the right medical support. For now, Park is still waiting for her CT scans, and hopefully, the results will be in her favor.