Altitude Change

[Ghostkitten666]

I always use earplugs when going on long drives on freeways, without any problems even w. altitude changes and the like.
Today though I was unlucky.
I was driving up and down over a hill with foam earplugs fitted tightly in my ears (because on a loud freeway all day), and I guess the pressure change established a gradient between my earplug infested outer ear and middle ear once I got to the top of the hill. I then swallowed involuntarily, which seemed to cause some massive (and kinda loud) decompression in my middle ear and almost seemed to suck my eardrum out.

There wasn't any pain as sometimes occurs, I just had a T spike and my hearing feels a bit "off" as if something's missing. Therefore, it just seems like a bit of middle ear barotrauma, but I am still really worried because of the force and the apparent shock of the decompression/whatever pressure change occurred.

Is this damage likely to be permanent, or will I be fine and am I just overthinking things?

I have an ent appt. tomorrow anyway, so at least I can start treatment sooner rather than later if it did do something to the inner ear.

 

[linearb]

IANAD, but I don't think this is damage at all. I find that wearing plugs, removing them, etc often causes tone bursts and changes in T, and I believe it's just the hearing system recalibrating to changes.

 

[Ghostkitten666]

@linearb

Have you had a similar experience, like when wearing earplugs while flying airplanes or driving over mountains and doing something to equalize?
Earplugs will cause a pressure gradient by themselves (+ pressure onto the eardrum from the outside), but combine that with altitude changes it just seems to be more iffy.

 

[Denny]

After almost 4 years of t I finally flew this summer to attend my nephew's wedding
I really missed a lot in this time because I avoided flying because of t . I regret not
Trying earlier. Don't generalize and make a list of things you cannot do because
Of your t.