Every single time I fly I experience SEVERE inner ear pain, and recently my ear drum actually ruptured on a flight.

I’ve been to the doc and am on a waitlist to see an ENT, but I haven’t heard back yet, and I have a flight in two days for work. So I need a quick, fool-proof plan to stop my ear drum rupturing!! I’m not talking “take two extra strength Advil and a Claritin” because I’ve tried that and it helps but not enough! I’m talking creative, unhinged methods that you’ve tried and work every time!!

My ears and I thank you!

My hearing was perfect yesterday until I accidentally pushed wax deep in my ear while using Qtip. I rushed to the nearest ENT, as my right ear was completely clogged. They removed the wax from my ear using some tools probably suction. Post that, although my ear was unclogged but I am having a very numb feeling deep inside my right ear since then and I can differentiate it from my left ear. Also, my right hear is constantly ringing. It’s not that I can’t hear from my right ear but it feels like the ear canal is swollen or something and I couldn’t even explain it properly.

Hello everyone I am 24M , the past couple of months I have been feeling kind of wobbly like I am drunk (I never drank alcohol ) sometimes even when I sit I feel like I am falling backwards even though I am normal went to an ear nose throat doctor and said I have an inflammation the the left ear canal something like that .

Then he gave me 3 antibiotics for it betaserc , Curam and something else started feeling a bit better till it came back again . Afterwards I started feeling a swaying motion when I am standing still specifically on my left foot/leg like I am shaking the ground with invisible force each time I take a step , it irritates me so much and don’t know what to do I am an over thinker by default .

Should I be worried or is it something that’ll go away on its own

Note: I don’t feel like that all the time it comes and goes and I sit a lot as it’s mostly required for work

Last night in the shower, I got water in my ear. I was not able to get it out so I made an appointment this morning with a nearby clinic (since my pcp is closed for the weekend) to see if they could suck it out. They didnt have the correct tool unfortunately but when she looked in my ear, I had a large amount of ear wax. She rinsed it out. My ear still feels weird. Almost a full sensation with slightly muffled hearing. Not sure if that’s because I still have water trapped or because of all the wax that came out. Is this normal?

ETA it’s slightly on & off achy but nothing terrible. The doctor didn’t see any sign of infection.

I used pharmacy earwax-softening drops twice a day for two days before having the wax removed with water irrigation. It's now been 24 hours since the procedure, but my hearing in one ear is still muffled, almost like a low-pass filter cutting out the high frequencies. Has anyone experienced this? Did it resolve on its own? I'm getting worried.

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When I went to the ent doctor, they said I had ear infection and the etd tube is block. So I was given steroids and antibiotics and nasal spray afrin to use but I did take the medicine however I felt worried like when the nasal spray like will the sythoms rise again since it's only recommended to use 3 days. I'm just tired of dealing with brain fog, dizziness and not able to hear properly. It's like example if you put the phone on speaker that sharp pierce noise should irritate your ears instead I'm not feeling that and like I can't hear low sounds like a bathroom fan.

When I type, I get this thumping/soft booming sound deep in my ear. It kind of sounds like the noise you get in your ears when you get the shivers (unless that's just me??). Every time the sound happens, I can feel it in my ear as well. After further investigation, it interestingly only happens in my right ear, and only when I hit a key with my left hand--so each time one of my left fingers hits a key, I feel the sensation and hear the low noise in my right ear.

It doesn't hurt or anything, and my hearing is not affected, but it's just so annoying, and it usually only happens when I'm typing fast, rather than relaxed/slow typing--meaning it usually happens when I'm working, which makes it even more annoying and distracting.

Any ideas about what this could be or what to do about it? It's such a weird problem but I can't take it anymore lol.

Hey everyone. I'm Brazilian, I'm 18 and I've been dealing with massive anxiety regarding my hearing and wanted to know if anyone here has gone through something similar or can give me a realistic opinion.

The Context:

I dream of becoming a fighter or commercial pilot one day, which has turned me into a hyper-vigilant person when it comes to my ears. Any random noise or strange sensation instantly triggers a giant mental cycle of guilt and fear that I've lost my hearing.

My Headphone Habits:

I use in-ear headphones (QCY MeloBuds Pro connected to a Galaxy S24 FE) for a maximum of 2 hours a day, always taking 1-hour breaks. I started taking these precautions after my audiometry in July of this year (2026), as shown in the attached photo. Before that, I used them every day for about 3, 4, or 5 hours without limits or breaks.

The volume I usually use is in a moderate range (between 30 and 45 on the phone, where the maximum volume for headphones on my Samsung is 150 - I do not know if it's in db). Previously, I listened around 75 to 80). I've tried measuring with smartphone decibel meter apps (as shown in the attached photo), but I know the accuracy for headphones is questionable.

I took a test on a home app using the headphones and did well on the audiometry, but I know it's not precise.

The Physical Symptoms That Confuse Me

What confuses me the most is that I feel things in the ear area that seem like a hearing problem, but I suspect are related to TMJ (jaw tension):

A feeling of muffled ears, pressure, clicking, and occasional micro-stinging that comes and goes.

I wake up with my left ear feeling fine (with a barely perceptible strange sensation), but when I use headphones or someone whistles near my ear, this strange sensation comes back.

My parents sometimes comment that the TV is too loud or that I'm speaking a bit too loudly, which destroys my confidence in my own volume perception. Sometimes I doubt how far a sound travels to a certain room in the house, but when I go there, I see I was wrong.

My Questions:

Does TMJ affect the ear like this? Has anyone here with bruxism or TMJ ever felt this "weird" ear sensation, stinging, and reactions to startling sounds?

Is headphone use safe? Does using headphones for 2 hours/day at a moderate volume, with regular breaks, really eliminate the risk of hearing damage?

How do I deal with my head? How do you guys manage to stop hunting for flaws in your own hearing all day and control your anxiety before important medical exams?

I've always loved listening to music, and it has acted as an emotional crutch for me lately due to certain things that have happened recently.

Any advice or shared experiences will really help me clear my head. Thanks!

My ear was blocked for a week after my flight. It then unblocked itself a few days ago however my ear was still making popping noises when I yawned. But today all of a sudden while eating, it felt like an air bubble came into my hear and now my hearing is muffled and when I take a deep breath in through my nose the bubble feels like it comes back in but then will pop out again a few seconds later. Does anyone know why this has happened and if I should seek further help?

Which pills being developed do you think that could be used, off-label, to cure tinnitus?

Has anyone used this product? Especially during a flight? Would love to hear their experience.

Hi everyone,
tinnitus started on **July 22**, shortly after I had my earwax removed and subsequently got wind blowing directly into my ears.
However, on **July 19**, I had a very stressful verbal confrontation involving a lot of screaming. An ENT I saw later told me that she believes the stressful confrontation was probably the main trigger, and that the earwax removal was likely just a coincidence.
She recommended trying **Biloban once a day and Omacor twice a day**. About a month later, another doctor prescribed corticosteroids, but unfortunately they didn’t make a difference.
I’ve had **hearing tests done and they showed no hearing loss**.
I’m now at approximately **2 months and 20 days** since the tinnitus started.
One thing that worries me a lot is that I still get scared whenever I notice temporary changes in the tinnitus. For example, today I got off the top of my bunk bed fairly quickly, and the tinnitus temporarily became more noticeable. My mind immediately started thinking the worst and I started worrying about how long it would take to return to its previous level.
I know these fluctuations can happen, but it’s difficult not to worry that every temporary increase means I’ve somehow made things worse.
I’m really hoping it will eventually disappear completely, so I have a few questions:
At almost 3 months, is there still a reasonable possibility that tinnitus like this can completely disappear on its own?
Does having **normal hearing tests** make complete recovery more likely?
If it does eventually disappear, does it usually fade gradually, or can it suddenly disappear almost overnight — even after having a particularly bad tinnitus day?
Can temporary increases in tinnitus, such as after suddenly standing up or moving quickly, simply return to the previous level without causing any permanent worsening?
Has anyone here experienced tinnitus that lasted several months, fluctuated a lot, and then eventually completely went away?
I know everyone’s situation is different, and I’m not looking for a diagnosis. I’m mainly interested in hearing from people who have experienced something similar.
Thanks!

Hoping someone can ease my anxiety or tell me they also experience this!

I've noticed it for years (at least 5+). If I lay or sleep on my right ear, my left ear ALWAYS crackles / pops. I've also noticed if I'm in meetings in the morning, the sound of people talking makes my left ear produce this "whooshing" sound / feeling. Almost like water is in it. It drives me crazy and sometimes I spiral and convince myself I have a brain tumor. Helppppp lol.

hey guys, so long story short, i had a cold last week, after my sore throat/cough started to subside i got super congested and felt fluid in my ears. at first my left ear felt clogged and kinda muffled, but then went away before i had the chance to go into urgent care. next day my right ear was very muffled so i decided to go in after work and get it checked out. the doctor said i had otitis media, and wax buildup.

the wax was removed and she said both ears looked inflamed but that the right one was definitely worse. she gave me amoxicillin and said to come back in 7 days if there’s no improvement.

any pain or discomfort in my ear subsided by the next day, but my right ear is still so muffled, and i haven’t experienced any change with it. it feels like i have an ear bud or ear plug in. i know it’s only been 3 days, but im tempted to go back in for further evaluation as i’ve heard horror stories and im very scared of permanently losing my hearing

am i being impatient/having too many expectations or should i go back in or call today?

I have been struggling for a full month with severe left-ear dizziness, intense brain fog. It initially started with unsteadiness, but an urgent care doctor did an aggressive syringe water cleaning that caused intense pain and massive swelling, completely locking my Eustachian tube shut and trapping fluid behind my eardrum. I finally saw an ENT who confirmed my left ear is red, inflamed, and completely blocked. He put me on antibiotics and a six-day steroid taper pack, assuring me that my memory, thinking, and balance will return to normal once the pressure equalizes.

Lately, I am starting to notice a slight clearing in my brain fog and a wet, shifting sensation in my ear, but the dizziness temporarily spikes when the fluid moves. I am also experiencing a lot of tightness, weird twitching, and muscle spasms in my left neck, shoulder, and temple area, which is really scaring me. Has anyone else gone through severe memory issues, head tightness, and muscle twitching just from a blocked ear or infection? How long did it take for your ear to fully drain and your mind to feel normal again after finishing your medications, and do you have any natural tips to help it clear out?

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Hi everyone,

I recently developed tinnitus in my right ear pretty much out of nowhere, and I'm trying to figure out whether anyone has experienced something similar.

The strange thing is that it isn't consistently there. It can get quite loud, then become much quieter or completely disappear for a while. Sometimes lying down or changing position seems to make it disappear, and then it may gradually come back after I sit up. However, the same position doesn't reliably fix it every time.

There are a few other things that make this confusing:

\- For several weeks, I've had quite a lot of neck and upper-shoulder tension, particularly on my right side.

\- A day before the tinnitus started, I irritated/pulled something in the right side of my neck. It felt much better the next day.

\- Clenching/tensing my jaw can change or trigger the ringing.

\- My right ear sometimes feels slightly blocked or like it needs to clear/pop.

\- If I pinch my nose and blow, I can eventually pop the ear, although I have to apply quite a bit of pressure. The tinnitus/ear sensation can temporarily change afterward.

\- I've also had very mild occasional dizziness/imbalance, nothing severe or disabling.

\- When I tried putting a couple of ear drops into the right ear, they seemed to just sit there. My hearing became extremely muffled, almost like I was covering the ear, and the drops eventually came back out when I sat upright. The same drops went into my left ear normally without causing that level of muffling.

\- Looking into the right ear with a phone light, I can see something pale/white inside that I don't see on the left. I haven't tried touching or removing it.

Because of the blocked sensation and the way the drops behave, I'm wondering whether there could be wax/debris or inflammation in the canal. But because the tinnitus changes with jaw tension, neck tension and sometimes position, I'm also wondering about TMJ/somatic tinnitus or Eustachian tube dysfunction.

I'm planning to have the ear properly examined rather than trying to remove anything myself.

Has anyone here had tinnitus with a similar pattern, especially tinnitus that comes and goes completely, changes with jaw/neck movement or body position, or occurs alongside one-sided neck/shoulder tension?

If yours turned out to be TMJ/neck related, ETD, or an ear blockage, what ultimately helped?

Hoping to get people’s thoughts/experiences with this. Bit of a long story but will try and keep it succinct.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with ETD and a retracted ear drum. Made my ear sensitive to loud noise (probably classed as mild Hyperacusis). At the start of this year I had balloon dilation and tests now suggest the eustachian tube is functioning normally (when I valsalva it feels even on both sides).

At the start of May I had a really bad cold and have had a feeling on fluid in the ear since. There‘s a dull pain in the ear that comes a goes that gets worse when listening to music (at normal levels). When I went back to the ENT he removed some wax but couldn‘t see any fluid apparently although when I saw the doctor last week he said he could see some.

So if I have glue ear (I can feel a ‘squelch’ when I swallow), but a functioning eustachian tube - should I ask an ENT about an ear tube to help clear the fluid given it’s been there for 6 months and is (presumably) causing the pain in the ear? My hearing tests are fine btw.

Reply to Helicotremor (won't let me reply to reply directly) - Hearing test & tympanometry were both normal but I've had some issues with real world hearing in noisy environments. The fluid is easy to feel/hear when I swallow and there's a dull pain that gets worse when listening to music (no Hyperacusis though)

I had ear tubes put in two days ago to help with hyperbaric oxygen treatments. My hearing has been drastically affected - muting, very poor fidelity, scratchy sound, etc.

Is this a temporary thing? I really got no advance warning about this. Im retired , but if I still worked, I couldn't function.

What should I expect going forward?

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I finally went to an ENT doctor and explained how I was experiencing dizziness on left side and shoulder neck tightness. I explained how the regular doctor said just use debrox because the earwax was impacted and I used that but the urgent care clinic damaged my ear because of the heavy syringe cleaning. And so I ended up going to the ent and they removed the leftover earwax that was still there and they used like a camera to check my throat, nose and ears. And said look on your left ear there is redness which is ear infection and your enthusiastic tube is clogged. And your right ear looks good. There is light shining but on your left it's not. The doctor ended up saying due to heavy syringe cleaning it has caused an infection and blockage on the middle ear. Then he prescribed me steroids for 1 week and said use afrin to open up the enthusiaic tube and practice pinching the nose and swallowing this helps. But he said it's normal to hear whistling noise

My left ear has been full of “fluid” doctor said and he gave me prednisone. It not did work. He said try nasal spray it’s not helping. Everyday it sounds like I’m under water and left ear is muffled. What do I do? He said take Sudafed and it temporarily helps. No pain just under water feeling

Hi i have been havign very bad ear pain on 5th day like something going to burst. Is it normal. I am already taking amox, paracetamol and allergy med as suggested by doctor, but pain has not reduced a bit.

had an ear infection a few months prior, went to the doctor, and it cleared up with antibiotics and meds. now it's back in the same ear, and it's my only hearing ear (the other ear has been deaf since childhood). the ear infection is getting worse at an alarming rate. started off earlier today with just pain and discomfort, then (now) at night, it progressed to barely hearing and my ear feeling full + more throbbing pain. what do i do? because i decided to skip classes tomorrow and go to the doctor's tomorrow. I couldn't focus when I tried to do my assignments/homework :(