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Ear dysfunction diagnostic assistance

Posted by medicalpain @medicalpain, Jul 28 5:31am

At the beginning of 2022, I worked at a bottle depot where I was exposed to loud glass clanging noises, which never bothered me before.

Towards the end of 2022, during sub-zero temperatures, my ears became red and swollen when exposed to the elements. The clanging noise, which previously was tolerable, began to cause sharp pain in my ears.

After a particularly loud shattering of glass bottles, my left ear became full and hard of hearing. I performed the Valsalva maneuver to relieve the symptoms and restore my hearing, but afterwards, I experienced occasional spontaneous muffled hearing for several months as well as extreme internal rattling within the left ear when I blew my nose.

Now, in 2024, I still have persistent issues. Whenever I inhale sharply through my nose, my left nostril collapses, and what I believe is my eardrum, pops inwards. The "ear drum" pops back out when I perform the Valsalva maneuver,.

However when I perform the same sharp inhalation with my auricle pressed against the opening of my ear, it seems to not pop inwards.

My left ear also becomes sore when I listen to music with earbuds.

An ENT specialist has confirmed that my Eustachian tube is clear of blockage.

I previously tried a full cycle of antibiotics, antihistamines, jaw movements, and ear massages without improvement.

Does anyone have clues or ideas as to the condition I may have or what might be causing these ongoing symptoms?

Are there any known cures for such a dystrophy?

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dloos | @dloos | Jul 29 9:45am

I wish there were answers to ear problems. Mine started with a plane flight. After the flight, my ears would not “pop” back open. That was just the beginning. I have seen many ENTs and there really are no answers. I wear hearing aids now, but I’ve also developed tinnitus, and hyperacusis so it’s a balancing act to turn up the hearing aid without making the hyperacusis unbearable.
My ears ring constantly. I use soft music or TV to distract from the constant noise in my head. My life has been severely altered since this all started.

I hope your condition is different from mine, and you find some relief.

REPLY
patriciapardo | @patriciapardo | Jul 29 3:38pm

I have your same exact symptoms. I developed tinnitus three years ago but last year it was pretty much gone. In November, I got Covid in Paris and my return flight was terrible. I was still very congested and, upon descending, I felt tremendous pain in my ears, especially the right one. My tinnitus and Hyperacusis returned the next day…this has turned my life upside down with stress and anxiety.

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1 reply
dloos | @dloos | Jul 29 5:36pm
In reply to @patriciapardo "I have your same exact symptoms. I developed tinnitus three years ago but last year it..." + (show)
@patriciapardo

I have your same exact symptoms. I developed tinnitus three years ago but last year it was pretty much gone. In November, I got Covid in Paris and my return flight was terrible. I was still very congested and, upon descending, I felt tremendous pain in my ears, especially the right one. My tinnitus and Hyperacusis returned the next day…this has turned my life upside down with stress and anxiety.

Jump to this post

I’m not willing to get back on an airplane. We sold our vacation home because it wasn’t possible to get there anymore.
Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference, but over the last two plus years, I have learned that things CAN get worse, and I won’t risk that.
It seems to be progressive anyway. I started out just with clogged feeling ears. Now I have that plus tinnitus and hyperacusis. I haven’t gotten any encouragement from doctors that it will improve.
No one seems to think I will go totally deaf, but my hearing is really horrible.

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