Ear Problems, help me talk about this and then maybe more...

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Hello forum.

Really what I want right now is someone/s who I can talk to about this. You don't have to actually help me with the actual problem, at least not right now anyway, what I want right now is to be able to talk about it. You see it's difficult to talk about and I'm hoping someone/s will help me with that. If I try to think about how I could write it all down it's just too big and I get all stressed out thinking about it. So this is step 1. So would anyone like to try and help me along with this please?

i have a medical background, not in ear, nose, and throat, but i might be able to be of some help. feel free to message me

So I can put something about how this situation started.

Now if I talk about what lead up to this, my PC speakers broke. On one occasion, I managed to get them to work again, but the sound from them was different and horrible. I just put it down to the speakers being busted. More on that later. While I was waiting for the new ones I ordered to arrive, I would listen to music on my tablet and sometimes put the tablet right next to my ears on full volume. I must stress that it is not very loud on full volume, nor would I do this for longer than a few seconds. I first used the tablet in April I think, and I've never owned one before. I would do this with the tablet then too, but I did it more with the loss of my PC speakers. I noticed that my ability to tolerate doing this was becoming less and less, and I was contemplating stopping doing it. I certainly haven't listened to loud music or loud anything since this started.

So I get my new speakers and put them on. The sound quality on these was horrible too. And this was the first I noticed my problem. I ended up trading my new speakers for my step-father's speakers. I managed to get these to sound "right", but only after setting the Real Tek Audio Manager to treble. And yet despite sounding fine, these will set me off like nothing else. I can listen to the exact same thing on my tablet without issue that would set me off horribly coming from the PC speakers. I know very little about sound and am not computer savvy. I don't know if there's something wrong with my machine or not. Originally, only stuff from the speakers could set me off, but now all sorts of things can and I stopped listening to anything from my PC ages ago.

So if anyone knows about computers and sound, that could be helpful too.

Have you been to an audiologist? Tinnitus is usually a symptom of some kind of hearing loss. I have it pretty bad.

Also, you may have inverted eardrums, as I have. This means that the eardrum is slightly 'sucked in' or concave in appearance and will be sensitive to any kind of pressure - such as from the bass in speakers when they're put next to you ears. It can cause extreme discomfort and pain.

I would see your doctor. Antihistamines can help.

Hi Drake

i am definitely not an expert but I do have a little experience with ears. not sure i can help but may give you a lead?
No harm in trying eh?

I have tinnitus (my mother also had it later in life) I got it by being stupid listening to music too loud and especially one drummer I had in my band who played too loud and had his cymbals right at ear level.
There are certain frequencies which give me pain in my ears, a singer 2 weeks ago kept hitting a specific note which hurt (I put ear protectors in) this was through a PA system and not really loud.

I also have had a burst right ear drum where my mother smacked me upside da head when I was an incredibly annoying teenager. (she was lovely but at the end of her tether ... I was so annoying!).
She accidentally cuffed my ear like a cup and the pressure bust the ear drum.. its still worse than my left one.

It was agony if I put my head under the water in the bath until it healed over. I could suck water into my mouth through my ear.
Is your both ears?

Anyway I will simply list my thoughts....

*Tinnitus can be temporary due to blockages infection etc or it can be permanent like I have.

BUT you can cope by learning to zone it out by not focussing on it (listening to quiet music at bedtime is one that I do). I get constant hissing & very high pitched...... bugger .... I`ve started focussing on it right now to analyse it!
its more a psychological thing really as I cannot make it go away I just learn to ignore it and not worry about it.
You can learn to zone it out by not thinking about it....... So DONT WORRY you can adapt to this and get on with your life absolutely fine.
just takes a bit of time ... dont over think it.

*Tinnitus can be brought on by certain drugs... check yours

* Obvious one but..... blocked ears??.. wax remover. sometimes build up can press on the tympanum (ear drum)

*Inner ear infection? ask the doc

* Sinus problems... sinusitis your sinuses run throughout your face and are closely connected with ears and pressure. I had this and I had really painful gunk right inside my face for ages it was like solidified snot (sorry), it eventually came out but I remember my hearing was badly affected... got better though

*Talking of pressure I once went on a plane and one ear didn`t `pop` for a couple of weeks... some people have worse. This is your eustachian tube (not sure about spelling)is a narrow passage leading from the pharynx (back of the throat to the cavity of the middle ear, permitting the equalization of pressure on each side of the eardrum. Thats what the popping is. this can get blocked or infected?
Swallowing does the trick, yawning massive yawns is the best though really opens it up. feels great too!

* OK this next bit comes with a Massive HEALTH WARNING.... when my ears are blocked after a cold or with bath water I do this trick... BE CAREFUL though. (Our [u]ENT expert cathylynn who posted above should give advice before me... I would send her a private message)[/u].

Pinch your nostrils shut and force/blow air into your face/ears this will build pressure but often pops my ears and I can suddenly hear really clearly again. NB I learned this after my burst ear drum fiasco ... my ear drum actually whistled for a while!!... how cool is that!...
sometimes even tiny bits of air will come out of your eyes! ! !!
I accept no liability for your eyes popping out or brain hemorrhage.... ask the expert first!

* Did you have a cold or flu.. again could be sinus related.

* OK on to the crinkly, grating noises in the back of your head... I get these too, I think it is kind of bone cartilage or small bits inside your joints crumbly bits (God knows what its actually called) apparently it is quite common and not a big deal. It really worried me for a time, just kind of feels a bit like gristle rubbing. I think I fell on my head too often and damaged the neck area joints. Its only loud because its right next to your ears!

* The swooping sensation could be because the inner ear is closely connected with balance. I have lost balance when stuffed up with a cold or sinus issues.

Ok thats my list... I know its not expert but you never know it may trigger off an avenue of thought to help you.

Good luck

I think the key is kind of ignoring it. This is hard if you keep thinking about it sure, but distraction helps.
No I do not get any pain (except very specific frequencies as I mentioned through a PA).
Mine is a high pitched hiss with a very quiet high pitch whistle overtone

Re, Quiet music (I listen to a lot of beautiful baroque music more recently with voices or choirs, it means that when all is quiet that there is a focus... I am a musician so I can get drawn into the beauty)

This helps me especially at bedtime to get off as does reading.
I will bet you that if you are absorbed in reading an interesting or exciting book you wont even notice it.
I think its a lot about the psychology of attention and simple distraction. yes it will be there again as soon as you think about it, but it will fade again as your attention wanders.

You might even try white noise in the back ground it kind of duplicates the tinnitus. (there are some cool little phone apps which have loads of sound loops like waves, fire crackling , breeze in the forest with birdsong etc... very relaxing).

p.s. I don`t know that true silence exists, however I do find the environment very very peaceful and tranquil on some quiet sunday morning when all the cars are gone....

I think you may be getting into an anxiety loop: you are focussing on the noise because the noise wont go away and the noise wont go away because you are focussing on it!

There will be moments when your attention wanders away from the noise, but make sure when it comes back to just kind of notice it is back then say here it is again and then get on with what you are doing you dont have to panic if it it keeps cpming back to your attention.. just kind of accept it and move on. consciously distract yourself if you must.

This is NOT life threatening, you definitely CAN learn to manage it so that it really wont interfere at all,
Eventually please believe me that it will hardly affect your life at all.
The future is not as bad as you think you are just thinking about it a lot at the moment.
Humans are marvellous at adapting to things....
Distraction is a very underatted cure for a lot of ailments!

Hello again Peejay.

I thought I should mention that since I wrote

That`s good news,

I know there are other issues too making you feel down but try to remember that life can still be amazingly beautiful at times.
Look at clouds in a blue sky, ........uplifting....
All the best
PJ