I have been having trouble with my ears since November 2003. It began while I was listening to music in my room. I was so scared by the weird feeling in my ears that I spent the next 2 days in my room, secluding myself away from any sound. In the time following the first appearance of the pains, I learned a few things. It is mostly my right ear that hurts, although sometimes the left ear will hurt too. The pain is most noticeable when listening to music, but has also been caused by a rise in the conversational volume level in a room. The pain varies: most of the time it is just a feeling of pressure or fullness along with soreness, but I have also felt sharp pains from time to time. When the pains first started, I also suffered bouts of dizziness, but that stopped after the first month. There is also a ringing in my ears, but that doesn't bother me so much. I began wearing ear plugs quite frequently after these symptoms started, based on a doctor's advice. The doctor also suggested I try pinching my nose and blowing to pop my ears.
Since this problem started, the symptoms have been getting worse. There are now moments when the hearing in my right ear will fade out and be replaced by a high pitched ringing. This will last about 10 seconds and then the hearing will return. I also recently went to a club with some friends. I didn't want to go inside but did so anyways because I didn't want to be left outside by myself for several hours. I wore earplugs. When I came out, there was a weird sore feeling behind my jaw. The soreness and pressure in my ears has also gotten worse. It is getting so bad that it almost feels like my inner ear is about to be crushed. Also, now it hurts my ears if I try the pinch and blow even though it didn't hurt before.
I have been to several doctors since this problem began. I have been to a family doctor, 2 ear specialists, a neurologist, and am about to see an oral surgeon this tuesday. No one has given me a specific answer as to what is wrong, but they have made suggestions that it might be hypersensitivity in my hearing, TMJ, a damaged muscle that connects to the ear drum, etc. The last hearing test that was run on me came back saying that I had extrordinarily good hearing, but this was before I went to the club. The neurologist run an MRI on me to see if there might be a tumor on the auditory nerves. The results came back normal.
This problem has been causing me to be severely depressed here recently. There have been several occasions where I have started crying thinking about this problem. The doctors I have been to seem to get angry if I go back to them. Music hurts my ears, even at low volumes. If I yell or anyone near me yells, it hurts my ears. If I hum at all, I start feeling that pressure in my ears. My ears will also hurt even if I am not near any sound at all. It's getting to the point where my ears are hurting all the time. I am scared to go anywhere where there is music or any loud noises. It is making what little bit of a social life I have almost nonexistant. I don't know what to do about this problem anymore, and I am really afraid that I am losing the hearing in my right ear. Somebody please help me with this situation.

Hello,

It's good that you have been checked out by some docs, even if they do seem to get frustrated. Doctors can be like that when they're not entirely sure of the answers. I'm sure they'll have checked for middle ear infections etc... If so, it sounds to me like the tmjd diagnosis was probably on the money. I suffered from this along with an inner ear disorder. The jaw and the ear are intricately connected through muscles and nerves, which means that the initial symptoms of tmjd can often be ear pain. Tmjd sufferers also suffer a lot of the type of stuff you're describing - hyperacusis, sensitivity to sound, weird vibration and reverb in their ears etc... It's an area that falls between 2 stools - medicine and dentistry, so if you're not a clear cut case then docs can get confused. The answer is to find yourself a good tmjd dentist - do a lot of reading on the different treatments on offer. I worse something called an NTI splint - a small device you put in your mouth at night to stop you clenching. I got a terrible sensation of vibration in my ears on and off, along with pain, a feeling of fullness and also a sense that my hearing was diminishing. The thing that helped with the vibration was tiny doses of a benzodiazepine - valium, 2mg. It acts as a muscle relaxant. You might be greatly helped by this. Put the words 'tmj+support' in to a search and it will lead you to some excellent info. Also, if you are seeing an oral surgeon, if you do the search I told you about you will get info on treatment options - if you are diagnsoed with this, beware of surgery as it really ought to be a last resort used only when other options have failed completely.

I can't say for sure this is what you have but it's worth looking in to, as it's definitely a big possible,

best,

hbep.

I hope that lib will reply to you as your prb could also poss be PET - which I have seen she has. Patulous Eustacian Tube.

CL.

I hope that lib will reply to you as your prb could also poss be PET - which I have seen she has. Patulous Eustacian Tube.

CL.
it could be but does not sound like it to me, and i am unsure i have pet at this point, they think i have a form of myoclonus now. i am awaiting a verdict from the neurologist i saw. the problem is these conditions are all hard to dx.
it sounds like hyperacusis and maybe a muscle problem, my doc said muscle probs can cause patulous symptoms. still suffering!
lib

Another symptom I forgot to mention is that sometimes when I wake up, whichever side of my head I was laying on during the night, the next morning, the hearing in that ear will be reduced. It happened to me this morning. I have been up for an hour and a half and the hearing still isn't back to normal.