Hearing Loss. I need help.

[Tmansdc]

1. My left ear pops whenever I swallow.

2. When I blow air into my ears to clear them out, the left ear takes longer to have air get into the left side then right ear does. Is that a problem?

3. Theres a 20 decibel hearing loss, and when headphones are on, music on that side distorts and losses hearing much more quickly then my right ear.

4. I tested this with a hearing aid plug in my right ear, but the music still sounded more on the right side. Especially the drums and double bass drums and bass guitars/bass lines even with a hearing plug in my right ear. No matter what genre of music or tone of the instruments. Be it jazz, rock, country, etc. all bass and lower tom/bass drums sound only in my right ear and I cant hear them that great in the left ear. Yet guitars and vocals and stuff like that sound quite decent in my left ear with no balance problem.

5. I have slight ear pain over there, I had a tube put in my ear in late 1999 which fell out in early 2001, but I didn't have these problems till summer 2004. What's the problem with it? I mean, its like. I went to the ent, had two hearing tests, allegra d, rhinocort, and was told to blow out my ears 15 times a day. To no avail. However he says my 20 or so decibel hearing loss is "normal." No it isn't, it's annoying. He said there was nothing he could do and I'd have to live with it. That's crap, there's got to be something I can do.


So what is wrong? Please help me out here. Thank you.

are there any cures? I want an artificial cochlea or something like that. But I don't think my parents would get it for me. What should I do? And the doctor didn't recommend one. So what should I do? I hate hearing tones in my right ear but not my left.

Didn't recommend any hearing aids either. Would Digital Hearing Aids enable me to hear tones that I have lost in my left ear? I can't go back to the ENT until mid Feburary so I'm just asking.

[Mystr Tiger]

Might it be waxy build-up? I'm not familiar with the air technique. I use cotton swaps on my ears every morning after my ENT cleaned out my ears and instructed me how to do it.

Have you exposed your left ear to high decibels for extended periods? I've heard that some performers sustain hearing loss on the side that faces drums.

[kraftrourke]

how old are you???

i have to cover my ears even when its windy. if someone blew air into them id push them away instinctively.
how can blowing air into them help your situation any?

just thinking about it scares me.

[Tmansdc]

Sorry I posted this here, if there was an off-topic board, I would have posted it there.

[tINY]

Sounds like a middle ear problem, especially since you had a procedure to keep your eustacean tube open earlier in life.

You may want to find another ENT specialist and get a second opinion.



-tINY

[Tmansdc]

Originally posted by Mystr Tiger
Might it be waxy build-up? I'm not familiar with the air technique. I use cotton swaps on my ears every morning after my ENT cleaned out my ears and instructed me how to do it.

Have you exposed your left ear to high decibels for extended periods? I've heard that some performers sustain hearing loss on the side that faces drums.

Nope. Both of my ears have been exposed to high decibels for equal amounts of time. It is for lack or thought of a better word, kinda is a downer. I mean, I hear music more on the right side in my headphones. Then when I wear a plug, I hear the guitars and vocals (no matter the tone, style, or pitch, etc.) And I'm not a performer, well not yet anyway. I hope to soon (I'm 18 by the way. Yes, I'm a youngin.)

But I may pursue a career in producing or something like that in the future, and I need ears that work to the full capacity.

ENT said I'd have to live with that though, but I have hope that that isn't the problem. Anyone know of anything I could do like home treatments or herbs or something? Thank you.

Also, another ENT back in March said I had a blocked eustachian tube, but I had no hearing loss or feeling of pressure in my ear until about August.

But I don't know if it's barotrauma or not. He tested and said I had pressure, but he didn't want to do the tube again.

[Tmansdc]

Originally posted by kraftrourke
how old are you???

i have to cover my ears even when its windy. if someone blew air into them id push them away instinctively.
how can blowing air into them help your situation any?

just thinking about it scares me.

I mean by holding my nose, then blowing outward. It's suggested to divers to do that constantly.

Everything sounds a little clearer, less distorted, and louder on the right side, but drums and bass guitar are the most noticeable.

[Your Add Here!]

See a doctor, will ya?

[Jack Ruston]

The blocked feeling and slow clearing sounds like you've got fluid behind your eardrum/in the eustacian tube. (I dont know about the distortion etc). Needless to say you should definitely get this handled professionally, but in the meantime there are a couple of things you can do...

Use a wax disolving oil to remove any wax on the outside that might be exacerbating things.

Clear your ears (gently) as often as possible.

Most importantly, watch your intake from cows dairy. Its notorious for producing mucus in your sinuses and tubes etc. Stay off it completely for a few days...no milk, no cheese, no whey, no milk solids etc etc. watch out for biscuits and margarines, spreads etc that all have milk in. Also avoid peanuts and bananas as they are mucus producing too. Almost everybody is in some way intolerant to these things. Most people dont notice unless its really bad, but as we're all fairly paranoid about our ears we do notice much more. See what happens when you leave that stuff out for a bit.

Whether the dairy thing helps or not, you MUST get this looked at properly.

J

[A101]

Not too long ago I had a similar problem and it turned out to be wax build up.
It is not a very good idea to use off the shelf ear products.
First see an ear specialist, have it cleaned and examined.
Second see an acoustician to pinpoint exactly what frequencies you’re having problems with.
This link has a lot of useful information: http://www.hearnet.com/index.shtml

[bloodstone]

Originally posted by A101
Not too long ago I had a similar problem and it turned out to be wax build up.
It is not a very good idea to use off the shelf ear products.
First see an ear specialist, have it cleaned and examined.
Second see an acoustician to pinpoint exactly what frequencies you’re having problems with.
This link has a lot of useful information: http://www.hearnet.com/index.shtml

My story, summarized. Been playing rock guitar upwards of 200 shows a year for 20 years. Recently decided to have my loss checked. Went to my primary care doc for referral. He said I had wax occluded against my eardrums. Had my ears professionally cleaned (they removed an incredible amount of wax, about the size of a cigarette filter from each ear). The positive change was incredible. Went to the audiologist. Determined I had "above average" hearing fo my age (43). Got custom-fitted for musician's earplugs. I wear them whenever I know I'll get exposed to high dBs.

[bnath]

Originally posted by Tmansdc
I mean by holding my nose, then blowing outward. It's suggested to divers to do that constantly.

You may want a second opinion on this! I've been told by a few doctor's that this habit can actually distend the ear drum if done too frequently...

b :*

[Tmansdc]

Originally posted by bnath
You may want a second opinion on this! I've been told by a few doctor's that this habit can actually distend the ear drum if done too frequently...

b :*

He said to do it fifteen times a day, and i've been doing that for the last eight weeks.

Hopefully it didn't do too much damage. Plus, if the eardrum is damaged, it usually repairs itself right?


And it's not wax, because the ent said there was none. He said there was nothing he could do, but there has to be. I wouldn't have some of these symptoms if it was simple nerve damage.


And I feel my jaw pop/click/squeak everytime I open it on the right side.

[edyer]

The blowing in your ears thing is called the VALSALVA technique. I'm not sure if that is the correct spelling but it's at least close. What happens is you force air in through your eustacian tubes into the space behind your ear drum. It is used by divers to compensaate for external pressure. But as divers become more experienced many go the jaw pop instead. It's a lot less traumatic on the ears. You are esssentially overpressurizing your eardrums everytime you do it. The danger is that you can damage the eardrum or the inner ear and it can be a problem.
If I were you I would go post haste to the next ENT you can find and tell him what's going on. Be proactive and be your own advocate. If you have any other symptoms like dizziness let him know that also. Those ears do more than just let you hear, they keep you from falling on your ass too.
Good luck

[slobbermonster]

I'm no expert but my brother-in-law was going deaf. Everytime you try to talk to him it was the "huh" over and over again. He is a High altitude mountain climber and apparantly developed a hearing issue from all the climbs. I think surfers and swimmers get the same problem, anyway they fixed it with surgery and now hears as good as new. If I understood correctly the had to replace the little bones in his ear cuz they had fused together, I think they used titanium or something.

[Tmansdc]

Fused together? What the hell?


And I can't go see an ent for two months, he says give it two months to see how it goes. And I'll stop the blowing technique. I sure hope the Valsalva technique hasn't damaged my eardrum doing it for the last seven weeks. Well, I seem to hear a little bit worse then I did, so maybe the eardrum interior is damaged.


I hope that that can be healed simply by stopping the blowing.


What else should I do while I wait to see if it gets better?

[Jules]

Perhaps be calm about it. Stress levels arent good for hearing.

But I am sure that is easier said than done..

Look up House Ear Institute on google

And H.E.A.R on google (look out for their green banner ad on this forum)

Fingers crossed, you will be OK!

[A101]

Why can’t you see an ENT for 3 months?
We’re not talking about preamps or compressors.
You’re in music business and your hearing is the most important gear that you have.
Go find another ear specialist ASAP!
Furthermore, try 2-3 specialists and get different opinions.

[TYY]

A few things:

Technically a valsalva is exhaling against a closed glottis, though I suppose if you plug your nose and force exhale you will "pop" your ears.

If you have narrow canals and are prone to wax build-up, DO NOT USE Q TIPS. They will only make your problem worse. Wash your ears like you wash any other part of your body- with soap and water. Let the shampoo get down in your ears and rinse under the shower repeatedly. See your ENT/otologist if you need a more thorough cleaning.

Sounds like you don't have much confidence in your ENT. Perhaps you should find another or consult a superspecialist.

Any problems with vertigo, etc? Hx of TMJ problems?

[Tmansdc]

Originally posted by TYY
A few things:

Technically a valsalva is exhaling against a closed glottis, though I suppose if you plug your nose and force exhale you will "pop" your ears.

If you have narrow canals and are prone to wax build-up, DO NOT USE Q TIPS. They will only make your problem worse. Wash your ears like you wash any other part of your body- with soap and water. Let the shampoo get down in your ears and rinse under the shower repeatedly. See your ENT/otologist if you need a more thorough cleaning.

Sounds like you don't have much confidence in your ENT. Perhaps you should find another or consult a superspecialist.

Any problems with vertigo, etc? Hx of TMJ problems?

I've got no vertigo, and Tmj I'll know when I go into my dentist on Janruary 6th. And I'm going to wait till after the holidays come up at least till after the new year to go to an ent. I'm so swamped. How could I go to another ENT without paying much? I can't get a referral just like that can I?

[genericperson]

got insurance?

sounds like your a good candidate to go to an audiologist.

better than guessing.

[Tmansdc]

I did go to a hearing test at the ent, i had a little positive pressure in my left ear and a 20 decibel hearing loss but the doc said normal. ugh. lol.

[RobMacki]

Do you have a tendency to grind your teeth?
Could be TMJ. Dentists love tmj because it means product sales for them. I'd have the ENT doc check for TMJ too just to confirm.
I went to an ENT about a year and a half ago who treated me for TMJ and said:
No grinding. No hard foods. No gum. and Ibuprofen daily for the swelling for two weeks. A dentist will want to fit you for a mouth guard to wear every night when you sleep. Is it worse in the morning? If so you could be grinding while you sleep.

My ENT doc said his patients aren't as sensitive toward their hearing as I am. That may be why yours said that's "normal" although I'd get another oppinion.

Hope ya find out soon.

[Tmansdc]

My ear also itches and it discharges clear, non smelly fluid. And I'll ask the dentist about TMJ on Janurary 6th. I think a dentist could detect TMJ better then an ENT.


But I'm just saying that since Dentists specialize in the jaw region.

[Tmansdc]

Originally posted by Tmansdc
My ear also itches and it discharges clear, non smelly fluid. And I'll ask the dentist about TMJ on Janurary 6th. I think a dentist could detect TMJ better then an ENT.


But I'm just saying that since Dentists specialize in the jaw region.

and no, it's not worse in the morning then in the afternoon. But I'll ask about that anyways.

I'm going to the dentist before I go to the ENT anyway so I'll have to ask the dentist about it.

[Tmansdc]

I'm going to go see a different ENT on Feburary 3rd. I made an appointment. But apparently since the doctor told me to wait 2 months he put it in my file also. So that kind of ruined it.


What else now?

[tINY]

You can pay your own money and go see someone else. HMOs don't own you, but they try to spend less money on non-life threatening situations....



-tINY

[bnath]

Originally posted by TYY
Any problems with vertigo, etc? Hx of TMJ problems?

..:


Weird, I have similar problems to Tmansdc, but I *do* have vertigo and have had it for years.. I've seen a few ENTs to no avail. What's HX of TMJ?

b :*

[Tmansdc]

Well, see, the main problem I have is the hearing imbalance. Makes it a pain in the ass when I listen to music on headphones. Also, I'm going to copy all the stuff I've listed on this forum to a notepad txt file and print it out and just hand it to the ent so he sees all of my symptoms. I'll be fine till Feburary 6th.


And I do not have much money. I need to spend it on other things like Christmas and such.

[TYY]

Originally posted by bnath
..:

What's HX of TMJ?

b :*

Sorry, Hx is short for "history". TMJ refers to problems with the temporomandibular joint. (where the jawbone meets the ear)