Weak or Overly Flexible Eardrum

[Kerry H]

Hey all - I'm wondering what you think of this. I kind of talked about it recently in my post about PT, but I feel like I have a weak or overly flexible eardrum. It's only my left eardrum, which is also the ear that developed T.

Whenever I plug my nose and blow to pop my ears, this ear drum is the only one that pops. And it doesn't pop like it used to either. It feels like it pops too much. I have to yawn to try and move it back in place. Sometimes when I breath, I can also feel it moving. I've always been a pretty nasally person which could be a part of it. When I was at the ENT last, he agreed that the left eardrum did look weaker but did my provide a reason why or anything I could do about it.

The other day when I plugged my nose to and pop my ears, it went too far and I could hear my heartbeat for a few minutes, but then it went away and it moved back in place. And over the past couple days, it seems like I can feel my heartbeat occasionally in my ear, but I don't hear a sound.

Anyone have any information on what this could be?

 

[Erlend]

Do you hear your own voice when this happens too? Like an echo?

 

[Kerry H]

@Erlend - I haven't really noticed. When it happened I was at work and was sitting at a desk by myself. I wasn't talking to anyone.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Did your ENT (or audiologist) run a tympanometry test? That test is a reflection of middle ear pressures and eardrum mobility as well.

Stephen Nagler

 

[Kerry H]

Did your ENT (or audiologist) run a tympanometry test? That test is a reflection of middle ear pressures and eardrum mobility as well.

@Dr. Nagler - No, he did not. But that sounds like something I should have done. Thank you. He just advised I get an ABR test, which *side note was like 15 minutes of hell haha.

 

[cullenbohannon]

I had similar symptoms and I thought it was my eardrum. I'm pretty sure it's ttts though which what I referred to in another post I believe you mentioned it as well. Just something to keep in mind.

@Dr. Nagler - No, he did not. But that sounds like something I should have done. Thank you. He just advised I get an ABR test, which *side note was like 15 minutes of hell haha.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

The important thing is not to guess. The important thing is to undergo a thorough evaluation by a knowledgeable and experienced clinician so you know. Then you can plot out a plan for achieving meaningful relief.

Stephen Nagler

 

[Karen]

What type of doctor (or clinician) would be the best one to see for this type of evaluation? Would an audiologist be able to perform a thorough evaluation for him, or is there another type of specialist he should see?

 

[Dr. Nagler]

What type of doctor (or clinician) would be the best one to see for this type of evaluation? Would an audiologist be able to perform a thorough evaluation for him, or is there another type of specialist he should see?

@Karen -

The operative words here are knowledgeable and experienced. It can be an audiologist, an otolaryngologist, an otologist, a neurologist, neurotologist, an otoneurologist, a psychologist, a family doctor, whatever.

What is needed is a knowledgeable and experienced captain of the ship. And whichever tests the captain cannot perform, he or she can prescribe.

As I see it, anyway.

Stephen Nagler

 

[FrankTheTank]

floppy ear drums are the worst my whole family suffers from floppy ear drum. My great grandmother who had it in the last 19th century passed it down to my grandmother who passed it down to my dad who passed it on to me and my sister. My uncle Jason had a floppy ear drum and my 2nd cousin Arthur has a birth defect that gave him a third outer ear just behind his real right ear if theirs anything life gave me it was weird ear genetics.

 

[Kerry H]

floppy ear drums are the worst my whole family suffers from floppy ear drum. My great grandmother who had it in the last 19th century passed it down to my grandmother who passed it down to my dad who passed it on to me and my sister.

@FrankTheTank - Is there anything you have done to help alleviate the problem? And is there anything that makes your floppy ear drum worse?

 

[Obi]

I went for a music concept last week so I was around the speaker, since then I feel like something is inside my ear,so I went to the hospital for checkup but doctor said that nothing inside my ear later I went to an audiologist for hearing assessment after test the doctor said that my hearing it's good that I don't have any problem but up till now I still feel something inside my ear and it's ringing too.