Moving and Changing Burning Ear Pain and Ears Feel Full — What's My Diagnosis?

Hello all,

My tinnitus has worsened after being ok with it for probably 6 years. I became too comfortable I guess. After a trip to the cinema the tinnitus worsened along with introducing lots of pain in my ears. It's been nearly 3 months now since I went to the cinema and I am still getting ear pain most days.

I have looked on here and I don't think it is reaction to sound, so I don't think I have the normal type of hyperacusis. I have a 23-month-old daughter that is screaming all the time and it doesn't cripple me. Though I am super on edge and stressed about it all the time.

What I do experience is ears feeling full, burning pain, sometimes in one ear, sometimes in both. It seems to move around a lot.

Last night I went to bed with my left ear hurting, I woke up with my right ear hurting and my left ear not so much, then during the day I had a lie down and then my right ear stopped hurting and my left ear started hurting.

It's mainly a dull ache and burning sensation.

I was making some progress with meditation and relaxation and thought that I was getting a bit better in managing the tinnitus (I was in a very dark place as most are at onset) and had a few good weeks where I was managing OK.

But this pain, I just am at a loss with how to try and manage it or deal with it, it's just so random and changeable.

Any advice from anyone who might have experienced the same? It would be appreciated as my GP, ENT and three Audiologists that I have seen... well what's the point, just get told ooh shouldn't have pain, don't know what that can be

Many thanks and I hope that we can all get rid of this horrible thing one day.

 

Hey,

Kinda got the same thing going on.

Started after 2 seconds of noisy wheelspin (stupid I know) and was maybe made worse by valsalva.

Anyway I suffer with fullness and ear pain in my right ear daily and constantly regardless of sound also some level of jaw pain and facial pain.

For the first month I had terrible burning again irrespective of sound. This has since subsided.

This has been going on now for 5 months and to say I'm mentally drained would be an understatement.

From what I've read this is either TTTS or noxacusis (however like you pain isn't from sound... I have constant pain and fullness).

I'm steering towards TTTS caused by acoustic shock as I have all the symptoms including random thumps in the ear (muscle contractions).

Still waiting on ENT appt.... I've been told its a 30 week wait! However I'm not holding my breath as they are quite useless. I've been before for a similar issue which with time subsided.

So right now I'm living day to day. Struggling day to day. Docs give me Tegretol for the face pain which also helps smooth my mood. I'm also taking Sudafed for my constant blocked nose, codeine for my pain (plus makes me a bit high and helps me sleep), turmeric for inflammation, vitamin B complex to help nerves and Cod Liver oil.

So far nothing much has helped. I'm relying on tincture of time at this stage. Anecdotally it seems most ppls pain does ease over the years. I've had something similar before and it did ease after 3 long years.

Hope you heal mate!

Shaun

 

Is the Tegretol doing a good job of helping with the face pain?

 

Hi,

Well right now I don't have facial pain so it could be working. The Tegretol more keeps me even-keeled.

Biggest problem today is blocked nose and awful fullness. Like massive pressure that feels my ear may burst.

Cheers,
Shaun.

 

Hi Colin,

I also have burning in my ears and sometimes up to my temples. I think the best thing that I've found to do is to go on with my day and try to think and act as I normally would. If I get upset, it gets worse. I try to relax, talk to my family, smile at my son and take walks in my neighborhood. I also listen to calming music while I'm on the computer. I too had a situation today, when I felt I had a setback. I prayed for protection and then tried to let it go because at that point there was nothing I could do to change what happened.

I have noticed my emotions have a great deal to do with the tinnitus, hyperacusis and pain. I try to get focused on other things, because obsessing on it just makes the symptoms and my emotional well-being worse.

Praying for all of us to find relief~
@twa

 

Hi Colin, it does not sound like hyperacusis, although the symptoms are similar. If you had hyperacusis you would not be able to be around loud sound. I hope it gets better soon.

 

I have ear burning and quite a few weird pain related symptoms, however loud noises don't hurt me as much as one off sounds, especially cabinets closing type of sounds. My own voice sometimes hurts me too. Would you say hyperacusis? Mine started after an infection.

 

That sounds more like hyperacusis, pain after sound...

 

Makes sense, as I do not have pain or very miiiiild pain with my hearing aids off and can sleep fine.

 

Let’s talk about a recent exposure I had:

I recently went on a trip and stayed at a hotel. The lobby of the hotel had a few arcade games, board games, a giant wooden versions of Connect 4 (Don’t ask). The only way to make it to my room was through the lobby.

On my second night, as I was making my way out, I threw my ear muffs (22NRR Howard Leights) and started walking through the lobby. Someone was playing with the giant wooden Connect 4. As I walked by, the individual playing pulled the release for the chips and they came crashing down on the wooden table thus making one of the loudest sounds I’ve heard since my tinnitus onset.

The sound came from a direction that was directed towards my left ear. When I returned to the hotel later that day, my girlfriend and I recreated the sound (I was at a safe distance). The Decibel meter read in at 97 dB and 102 dB the two times it was recreated. That night I didn’t feel any adverse effects. The following morning, my right ear started feeling slightly full/clogged. The second morning it was a little more full than last. Today on the third morning, it’s feeling significantly fuller. Only thing that removes the fullness feeling for half an hour is eating meals. In the right ear I believe my tinnitus is spiked however I can’t be sure. It’s been louder for some time now.

My questions are:

· Should I again resort to Prednisone for this noise exposure? I don’t seem to have any spike to my tinnitus in my right ear (yet). Only issue is the substantial fullness in my right ear.

· Even if my ear muffs where working at half capacity, that would mean my exposure was 87 dB to 92 dB. I am exposed to these levels all the time without muffs and I don’t get fullness. What gives? Is my hyperacusis so severe or is this TTTS at work?

· Interesting to know that although the sound was directed towards my left ear, it was my right ear that is feeling full. My left ear is fine so far. My best guess is that it’s because my hyperacusis is severe only in my right ear?

 

I think the "issue" here was the sudden nature of the sound, which startled you. It wasn't loud enough to cause any damage whatsoever.

You have taken way too much Prednisone before, it's not candy, and won't help. You however have a very obsessive mind and I don't think you can rest before you again pop some Prednisone.

I can't understand how you can't be sure if your tinnitus has spiked. If it's spiked, you know. If you're not sure, then your mind is playing tricks and it only seems louder because you're monitoring it more now after the "noise incident".

What will happen again like many times before with your noise incidents:
1) You pop some Prednisone
2) You forget about this incident
3) You come across some new minuscule noise incident a month from now, maybe a plate dropped on the floor this time
4) You come back, post a question about it, tell how you're not too sure if the tinnitus has spiked, but you feel a little bit of ear fullness, wonder if you should take Prednisone
5) Everyone tells you not to stress, it won't be permanent, and recommend not to take Prednisone, but you take it despite the advice
6) You forget about the incident
7) Rinse and repeat

 

I understand the sudden nature, but isn't a sound in the low 100 dB enough to hurt someone with moderate to severe hyperacusis? I might not be able to gauge if my tinnitus has spiked (I'll get to this in a second) but my right ear is definitely on its 5th day of being full/clogged and sensitivity is through the roof on it (light switches bother me).

What I didn't mention here was that during my trip, I drove 1000 miles in 3 days and 4 days prior to that I travelled (Big Bear) a few hours through a blizzard with snow chains which caused a pretty steady noise (70 - 78 dB low pitch) inside the vehicle as they slapped the road (I wore ear plugs).

The reason why I can't gauge my tinnitus spike is because prior to these trips and exposures, I moved to a new locations (studio apartment) which has a lot of ambient noise and I couldn't hear my tinnitus anymore. I since then made it a habit to no longer check for my tinnitus. After my trip to Big Bear (where it was dead quiet in the cabin) my tinnitus was pretty apparent. As soon as I got back home I couldn't stop hearing it. So now I am unsure if it was because of the sound exposure, the long drive or the snow chains.