Ear Canal Discomfort and Fullness

[PeteJ]

My left ear is in discomfort and pain again with a distinct fullness sensation.

The severity comes and goes. It's bad again this evening.

Is there no theories on this? Is this from damage? TMJ? Hyperacusis?

It has a slight itchiness but the above problems are way worse.

It all feels chronic. Will it ever go away? It's as bad as my tinnitus and makes my tinnitus/ear problem so much worse. I am just absolutely discouraged and devastated from this tinnitus/ear canal double problem and how often my ear canal area hurts with the fullness sensation.

Doesn't anyone else have this?!?

 

[cjbhab]

Yes, I have the exact same problem - I can honestly get used to the tinnitus sounds, but my left ear almost always feels full and hurts. My right ear feels normal - I'd like some answers too.

 

[PeteJ]

Yes, I have the exact same problem - I can honestly get used to the tinnitus sounds, but my left ear almost always feels full and hurts. My right ear feels normal - I'd like some answers too.

It might just go away or subside. My tinnitus volume is the worst thing for me. The ear pain subsides at least although when the pain is really bad, it is unknown how long it will last for.

 

[Yuuls]

I have the same problem too.

My ears constantly build up pressure and when I swallow I get a tiny bit of relief and it happens all over again.

My left ear is the one I got water stuck in after a shower and the one I messed with - I used a blow dryer a about a foot away, banged my head gently on my left side on my bed, jumped up and down to get the water out. I never actually felt relief of the water coming out. Ended up going to a bar that night with water in my ear.

The ENTs that I've seen have both said my left nostril specifically has some inflammation (I did not tell one of them about the water getting stuck just to see what they would diagnose me with).

But my tinnitus itself is even in both ears. Tingly static noise, with different tones of beeping in each ear.

 

[Tango]

I too am experiencing ear fullness , SBUTT and pain primarily in the left ear for 6 weeks. Seen an ENT and he thinks its ETD. Prescribed nasal spray and suggest symptom could last up to 3 months. this is so annoying particularly the SBUTT.

 

[Forever hopeful]

@Tango,

What is SBUTT? I have aural fullness and probably TMJ. I had the AF before when I had tinnitus bilaterally in 2015. It all but went away 4 years ago in both ears as did the AF (that went away sooner) and now I have tinnitus and AF back in left ear only x 1 week. Don't know why. Neck, TMJ who knows.

 

[Mi1]

@Tango,

What is SBUTT? I have aural fullness and probably TMJ. I had the AF before when I had tinnitus bilaterally in 2015. It all but went away 4 years ago in both ears as did the AF (that went away sooner) and now I have tinnitus and AF back in left ear only x 1 week. Don't know why. Neck, TMJ who knows.

How long did it take to go away?

 

[Forever hopeful]

@Mi1.

I honestly am not sure I think probably about a year. When I first got it I was using sound machines and a sound pillow to sleep. I know I used the sound pillow to sleep for at least a good year or a little bit longer. Then my sound pillow broke I just stopped using it. And I stopped using the sound machines because it was gone one day. I think it was like a weird progression where I would just not notice it in quiet rooms and wouldn't feel the need to turn the sound machine on. And then it occurred to me that it was actually completely gone. I could be in a quiet room and not hear it and I could occlude my ears on a pillow and not hear anything.

I had a consult with Dr. Nagler a few weeks ago and he did say that very often it does go away you just don't hear about those stories because people leave and don't come back to post and it hasn't been well studied. It did go away for me before. And what I'm struggling with now is completely different than what I had 5 years ago. The sound is different. I have some very mild hearing loss in my left ear now at one tone. I didn't have that last time, although I believe acoustic trauma was the cause. I have different sounds in both ears now. Dr. Nagler did say it could also go away even after the experiencing hearing loss so there is always hope. The one piece of advice he gave me though that I thought was really sound advice, was to proceed forward as if it is never going to go away because otherwise you'll wake up every morning disappointed that it's still there. I know I do. I'm trying to focus on habituating and treating this as if it's going to be a part of me for the rest of my life even though I hate it. And if I'm to wake up one day and realize it's gone, well that would be wonderful.

 

[Vicki14]

Yes, I have the exact same problem - I can honestly get used to the tinnitus sounds, but my left ear almost always feels full and hurts. My right ear feels normal - I'd like some answers too.

Exactly the same!

 

[Vicki14]

I honestly am not sure I think probably about a year. When I first got it I was using sound machines and a sound pillow to sleep. I know I used the sound pillow to sleep for at least a good year or a little bit longer. Then my sound pillow broke I just stopped using it. And I stopped using the sound machines because it was gone one day. I think it was like a weird progression where I would just not notice it in quiet rooms and wouldn't feel the need to turn the sound machine on. And then it occurred to me that it was actually completely gone. I could be in a quiet room and not hear it and I could occlude my ears on a pillow and not hear anything.

I had a consult with Dr. Nagler a few weeks ago and he did say that very often it does go away you just don't hear about those stories because people leave and don't come back to post and it hasn't been well studied. It did go away for me before. And what I'm struggling with now is completely different than what I had 5 years ago. The sound is different. I have some very mild hearing loss in my left ear now at one tone. I didn't have that last time, although I believe acoustic trauma was the cause. I have different sounds in both ears now. Dr. Nagler did say it could also go away even after the experiencing hearing loss so there is always hope. The one piece of advice he gave me though that I thought was really sound advice, was to proceed forward as if it is never going to go away because otherwise you'll wake up every morning disappointed that it's still there. I know I do. I'm trying to focus on habituating and treating this as if it's going to be a part of me for the rest of my life even though I hate it. And if I'm to wake up one day and realize it's gone, well that would be wonderful.

Do you think the sound machine caused your ear fullness? How long have you had this for? x

 

[Forever hopeful]

Do you think the sound machine caused your ear fullness? How long have you had this for? x

I don't think the sound machine caused the ear fullness.

My ear fullness eventually went away.

 

[Vicki14]

I don't think the sound machine caused the ear fullness.

My ear fullness eventually went away.

That's amazing your ear fullness went away! Great to hear! How long did you have it for?

 

[Forever hopeful]

That's amazing your ear fullness went away! Great to hear! How long did you have it for?

My ear fullness is likely related to TMJ issues rather than hearing loss since my loss is very mild. My hearing has also improved on last audio gram and my unilateral tinnitus resolved - for now anyways.

I still get ear fullness on and off that I feel on the left side mostly, which I also feel though my jaw. It comes and goes and I have it back now. I've had it twice in the last year and a half and it went away both times and now it is back again. But I'm under a ton of stress again so I'm clenching more.

 

[Vicki14]

My ear fullness is likely related to TMJ issues rather than hearing loss since my loss is very mild. My hearing has also improved on last audio gram and my unilateral tinnitus resolved - for now anyways.

I still get ear fullness on and off that I feel on the left side mostly, which I also feel though my jaw. It comes and goes and I have it back now. I've had it twice in the last year and a half and it went away both times and now it is back again. But I'm under a ton of stress again so I'm clenching more.

Thank you for your reply! You sound like you have it nailed!!! x