Pain in my right ear...

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Many times when I drive my right ear hurts really badly. I'm not sure how to describe the pain. It's a pain from down in the ear canal. A serious, pulsing pain. It gets worse and worse and eventually goes away. I have mentioned this many times to my family. Sometimes I get it when listening to audio on my headphones. I wonder if something is wrong. I should probably see an ear doctor (whatever they are called).

I don't know if it's related, but among my sensitivities (which are getting worse as I age) are sensitivities to sound. For the first time ever less then a week ago I had to leave a movie because it was using "DTS" audio and I couldn't concentrate.

My grandfather took niacin for tinnitus(not sure if thats your problem) I take it for
chloesterol reduction.

http://www.emedicine.com/ENT/topic235.htm

It can cause a flushing reaction that many people hate(some like it, I do).
I have no idea how much for tinnitus but I take 3 grams daily in divide doses.

You said you get this when you drive. Are you driving in an area where you change elevations quickly such as a mountainous area? I get this when I drive from the mountains where I live down to the valley 3000 ft elevation change. Also happens when flying. There's a name for it Barositis or something spelled similar. Pilots and stewardess get this problem often because of the constant altitude changes they endure. Generally means there is fluid trapped behind the eardrum and the eustachian tube is not opening up properly to drain it. Often starts with colds or allergies. My dr prescribed a medical device called the Earpopper which solved the problem. Go to earpopper.com...yes device looks & sounds absurd but is worth the price because it works!

But that's just a guess as to what is going on with you. You need to see an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) doctor for that kind of problem. Meanwhile use earplugs in shower so you don't introduce water into the ear. If you get water in ear you can use a hairdryer on lowest heat setting to dry out the ear canal.

If you listen to music while you drive at high volume, this damages your ears over time. I currently have pain in my right ear because of this.

The left kick-panel speakers is closer to me but sends the sound into my legs. The right kick-panel speaker is sending the sound in a straight line to my ear. Because it is across the cab the sound from the right speaker hits my ear at a less steep angle.

I set the stereo balance a few clicks to the left so that the right side isn't so loud. This helps. At the same (high) volume, having it centered causes throbbing ear pain in a few minutes whereas this is almost totally avoided if it is offset to the left.

The downside is that it hurts sound quality.

Is this causing your ear pain?

I dunno about this ear-popper device, but you can possibly fix the pain by holding your nose, closing your mouth, and trying to breathe in or out. With mouth and nose blocked off, the pressure thus exerted can only effect the fluid in your sinuses, either sucking it out or pushing it back towards the ears, as required (if you're going downhill, you want to breathe out, if going uphill you want to breathe in).

I've suggested this method to a few people with varying degrees of success... one of them claimed it caused agonising pain, another couldn't get it to work at all, but it works for me

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Diagnosed but unconvinced... I reckon I'm just a rude and arrogant wierdo

You should definately see a doctor.
Not necassarily a specialist, but he may refer you.