Swallowing Issues Causing Explosive Feelings in Ears/Temples

Coyotesdawn

I guess I have two general inquiries, one of which concerns what kind of medical professional one should see if they have improper swallowing or dysphagia?

My other inquiry involves the swallowing problems themselves. Around last May I remember developing some strange swallowing difficulties. I started to have to swallow with a greater force than before, and every time I swallowed it was as if my middle ear pressure was changing (increasing to a sometimes painful amount). I also realized that some of my hearing had started to go out many times when I swallowed, and that I would have a little bit of ear fullness each time as well.

To this day, I often seem to swallow very rapidly, possibly without the right technique. I also seem to have a lack of saliva in my mouth to swallow effectively, even though I am not dehydrated.

When I swallow now, sometimes I get a sudden sharp pain in my ear, in my temples, or toward the back of the neck as if there has been an explosive decompression inside of those areas. Other times there will be a loud pop in one or both of my ears, followed by loud clicking when I swallow. It essentially feels like my eustachian tube becomes subject to a rush of high pressure air, which then travels upward and wreaks havoc on my middle or inner ears and associated structures.

It especially happens when I swallow while my head is bent over, or if I am looking to one side or another. It also can happen when I swallow food, but most often from the former cause.

I have suffered migraines, vertigo, and sudden sensioneural hearing loss from these events, and I am at a loss for what to do to combat this. I have never heard of this phenomenon before.

To note that around the same time I started having these same swallowing problems, I also had what felt like a small neck injury from falling (pinched nerve and I could feel bumps in my back neck), and I now have an exaggerated forward head position, as well as a jaw that seems to be positioned to far upward as if someone had punched it from underneath. I don't know if these structural changes could result in odd forms of dysphagia or not.

Has anyone ever heard of these symptoms before, or have any suggestions for what I could be experiencing? Furthermore, what kind of professional might I see about this?

Thank you so much for the help.