Ear / Hearing issue

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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Serious question. I have mild hearing issues, some tinnitus, etc but lately I have noticed something really strange.

The kids and I were rough housing and my daughter thought it would be funny to yell in my face.
She yells and my left ear suddenly heard the noise like it was being played through a blown speaker.

I'd say this has been going on about 4-6 months. It happened again this morning. I hear just fine, no unknown issues but anytime the noise gets to a really loud volume, the left ear quits hearing and just starts buzzing. Strangest thing.

Any idea what might be going on there?
 
From one who has some serious hearing issues: See a doctor who specializes in hearing before the problem get worse. I don't mean an audiologist. They are not doctors. They are more like hearing aid salesmen.
 
Norman said:
From one who has some serious hearing issues: See a doctor who specializes in hearing before the problem get worse. I don't mean an audiologist. They are not doctors. They are more like hearing aid salesmen.
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What's the difference? What title do I look for? Is there an ear version of podiatrist?
 
I'd start with an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat; it's amazing his all of that stuff is interrelated).
 
Torn eardrum. Are you aggressive with the Q tips?

When you get water in your ear, maybe a few hours later do,you get a warm water feeling in that ear if you tilt your head or after eating(chewing)? If you plug your ear with your finger and pulse it to create a push pull pressure/vacuumed do you hear a very slight crack or crunch noise?

Sitting still, low ambient noise, all the sudden the so you get an instantaneous ring that pops up?
 
Unit74 said:
Torn eardrum. Are you aggressive with the Q tips?

When you get water in your ear, maybe a few hours later do,you get a warm water feeling in that ear if you tilt your head or after eating(chewing)? If you plug your ear with your finger and pulse it to create a push pull pressure/vacuumed do you hear a very slight crack or crunch noise?

Sitting still, low ambient noise, all the sudden the so you get an instantaneous ring that pops up?
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hmmmm. Yup yup and yup
I have tinnitus to there is a ring I can hear if I listen for it but yes, there are many times where it kicks in loud for a few minutes on its own.
Sometimes I will be sitting quiet and suddenly the ambient noise in the room sounds like I am underwater. Again this lasts for a few minutes.

Weird I haven't connected these other dots. The broken speaker sound is new and unusual.
The other things have been happening for a long time.
 
Torn ear drum. I'll send you the bill. You have Obama care or real insurance? If you have O-care, I'll send the bill to some unsuspecting, law abiding, middle class tax payer.

You you have real insurance, I'll triple my rate.
 
Don't muck about - see your regular doctor, if that's quicker/easier. He/she will get you to a specialist. It can be fixed (assuming a tear) but don't mess around with it.
 
Often the burst eardrum is a result of a blocked eustachian tube and some rapid altitude changes. I managed to do that to my self once a few years back. Just some mild allergies I thought and had to run the plane up to the mechanic...oops.
 
Norman said:
I don't mean an audiologist. They are not doctors. They are more like hearing aid salesmen.
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Just don't tell them that, they can be rather sensitive about it.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I think it's a symptom of a 100LL overdose.
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Unit74 said:
Torn ear drum. I'll send you the bill. You have Obama care or real insurance? If you have O-care, I'll send the bill to some unsuspecting, law abiding, middle class tax payer.

You you have real insurance, I'll triple my rate.
Click to expand...
I'm a contractor still. My insurance is crap but at least it is really expensive.
 
Norman said:
From one who has some serious hearing issues: See a doctor who specializes in hearing before the problem get worse. I don't mean an audiologist. They are not doctors. They are more like hearing aid salesmen.
Click to expand...

I take exception to that, as I have a doctorate degree in audiology, but I agree you should see an ENT. Beware though, the ENTs use audiologists to provide a differential diagnosis. We fit hearing aids when there is no medical/surgical solution, which is about 95% of all hearing loss cases.
 
N659HB said:
I take exception to that, as I have a doctorate degree in audiology, but I agree you should see an ENT. Beware though, the ENTs use audiologists to provide a differential diagnosis.
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I went to An audiologist a few years back and learned all about my tinnitus. It was fascinating to learn about. I was in metal bands when I was younger and have 50 percent hearing loss somewhere up in the range where drum cymbals are. This is good because it is not in the normal conversation range. I got custom ear plugs made by this aidiologist that work really well. This buzzing w/ loud noises thing is new though.
 
Yea Bryan get yourself to an ENT. Sounds like an Torn Ear Drum but you really need a doc looking at it.
 
N659HB said:
I take exception to that, as I have a doctorate degree in audiology, but I agree you should see an ENT. Beware though, the ENTs use audiologists to provide a differential diagnosis. We fit hearing aids when there is no medical/surgical solution, which is about 95% of all hearing loss cases.
Click to expand...

Sorry 'bout that. I shouldn't paint all with the same brush. :oops:
 
N659HB said:
Bryan, I assume you have a good ANR headset when you fly?
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I do. I started taking my hearing seriously a bit too late in life.
I wish I had known better back then the damage I was doing.

I sang and played guitar in some loud bands. We couldn't afford proper rehearsal space.
What we could afford was a U-Haul storage unit. Terrible Terrible Terrible idea. half stacks & drums inside 4 metal walls :(

I had no idea that I was doing perm. damage to my hearing.

I guess the silver lining is learning from it. My kids don't get to use ear buds or headphones for anything.
Once it's gone, its gone. The ringing isn't bad day to day but at night, it is really bad. I sleep w/ a white noise machine to block it out.
 
N659HB said:
I take exception to that, as I have a doctorate degree in audiology, but I agree you should see an ENT. Beware though, the ENTs use audiologists to provide a differential diagnosis. We fit hearing aids when there is no medical/surgical solution, which is about 95% of all hearing loss cases.
Click to expand...
I don't know why you would take exception. You have to admit that a high percentage of so-called audiologists are just glorified hearing aid salesmen with some minor amount of training. But you do deserve congratulations on your level of expertise.

I have had severe hearing problems for greater than 25 years. For years I saw "audiologists". But for the past few years my hearing has deteriorated further and all those audiologists could do was sell me more powerful aids. My ENT finally referred me to an audiologist that was an AUD (Dr. of Audiology). After all this time I found there is a major difference between an "audiologist" and an AUD.
 
Easy way to self-diagnose a torn eardrum, esp. if you are a Scuba driver. Do the valsalva maneuver (gently blow against your plugged nose), and if your eardrum is punctured, you'd hear the continuous hiss of the air escaping.
 
Ah, geez, Dude, don't tell him to do that! Don't do anything with pressure changes till you see a doctor!
 
No air w/ the valsalva but when I neti pot for sinuses, I get water in my ear.
Also only on the left side where I experience this issue.

Calling the Dr. tomorrow.
 
This is going to be the year I get my hearing checked. I think my left ear is going, i tend to tip my head without realizing it.
 
What?



...I guess that joke only works when speaking
 
Ears are complex. I think being an ENT must be the most frustrating specialty in medicine because so little is known with any degree of certainty.

I'll join the chorus of people urging you to get evaluated by an ENT. But don't expect to actually receive a diagnosis. If it's something obvious and physical (like a tear, for example), then yeah, the ENT will be able to tell that. But if not, then be prepared for a very long, trial-and-error diagnostic journey which may well end with a diagnosis beginning with "idiopathic," which is doctor-speak for "I dunno."

Don't get me wrong: You may find something (or some combination of somethings) that alleviates your problem. Just don't necessarily expect to understand why it alleviates your problem. Otolaryngology, in my experience, is very far from an exact science. It's more of an elaborate game of educated guesswork.

On the positive side, I think ENTs are among the most dedicated doctors in the world. They really do want to fix your ears. It's just that ears are extraordinarily complex, and the parts that tend to cause problems are the ones that are tucked away where they can't be easily observed.

By the way, the reason I know this is because I have a long-standing problem with Eustachian tube dysfunction, as well as tinnitus that I've had since childhood. I can now completely control these problems using a combination of Western allopathic and Eastern herbal treatments, as well as diet (severely limiting sodium intake and keeping my caffeine intake within shouting distance of reasonable limits). But I still don't have a diagnosis except for a handful of "idiopathic" ones I've been given over the years.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not complaining. The various Western doctors and Eastern herbal practitioners have all helped to the point that the condition is no longer an issue for me. If I do what I'm supposed to, I don't even have tinnitus anymore, and I can hear a mouse peeing on cotton. All the doctors, herbalists, and audiologists were dedicated; and by being open-minded and willing to cooperate, they eventually did come up with a regimen that works for me.

The thing I don't have is a diagnosis that isn't a mere restatement of the symptoms. But hey, you can't have everything.

Rich
 
JOhnH said:
I don't know why you would take exception. You have to admit that a high percentage of so-called audiologists are just glorified hearing aid salesmen with some minor amount of training. But you do deserve congratulations on your level of expertise.
Click to expand...

Hey, it's PoA: anybody can take exception, right? ;)

But seriously, most of the public doesn't realize that audiologists and traditional hearing aid dispensers are not the same thing, and I'll leave it at that.
 
ENT says no visible damage, suspects inner ear issue. About to take a hearing test. Sounds a little inconclusive. Guessing I will leave with no new information except knowledge that my hearing has degraded since my last audiograph 10 yrs ago.
 
The really important part about this thread is that we learned there's probably a recording of Bryan singing in a metal band floating around out there somewhere that we must get our hands on. :)

(Sorry about the eardrum, Bryan...)
 
I went to the ENT because my wife says I don't hear her well. The doctor tells me they get a lot of that. The audiology tests came back normal.
 
Unit74 said:
Torn ear drum. I'll send you the bill. You have Obama care or real insurance? If you have O-care, I'll send the bill to some unsuspecting, law abiding, middle class tax payer.

You you have real insurance, I'll triple my rate.
Click to expand...

:):):).....yuppers,thats funny cause its true
 
Moderate loss in the 4k Hz range on a scale of "Mild, Moderate, Severe, Profound"

AND I S**t you not, Doc says "You are pretty healthy. I am surprised at your age you are not having more issues."
I would have taken a swing at him but it makes my bursitis act up and of course my trick knee might give out or possibly my hip.
 
A man is talking to the family doctor. "Doc, I think my wife's going deaf." The doctor answers, "Well, here's something you can try on her to test her hearing. Stand some distance away from her and ask her a question. If she doesn't answer, move a little closer and ask again. Keep repeating this until she answers. Then you'll be able to tell just how hard of hearing she really is." The man goes home and tries it out. He walks in the door and says, "Honey, what's for dinner?" He doesn't hear an answer, so he moves closer to her. "Honey, what's for dinner?" Still no answer. He repeats this several times, until he's standing just a few feet away from her. Finally, she answers, "For the seventh time, I said we're having MEATLOAF!"

Fits me to a tee.

source: http://jokes4us.com/peoplejokes/doctorjokes/goingdeafjoke.html
 
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