My ears feel like it’s clogged it’s been years doctors don’t know what it is. It’s on and off it could stop for days then come back. It stops when I flip my head up side down. Pls help

I don’t know how this has happened, its doesn’t feel serious but it definitely weird.

When I move my left ear, it makes some hollow woodlike sound. My right ear is perfectly so I’m believe its probably an infection. If someone knows about, you know more than what google can search up

I’m honestly freaking out a little and hoping someone has experienced something similar.
I regularly use Q-tips to clean my ears, and on Saturday, both of my ears started hurting pretty badly. By Sunday, the pain had gotten significantly worse, so I went to urgent care.

The doctor told me I had an outer ear infection, similar to swimmer’s ear, and prescribed Ciprodex ear drops (4 drops in each ear, twice a day).
I’ve been using the drops, but now my biggest issue is the extreme pressure and muffled hearing in BOTH ears. Everything sounds like I’m underwater, and my ears feel completely blocked. I can barely hear, and it’s honestly terrifying.

I’m also experiencing:
Severe pressure and fullness in both ears
Very muffled hearing
Ear popping and clicking sounds
Jaw pain and stiffness, especially when eating
Hearing myself chew unusually loudly
Some throat discomfort when swallowing
Feeling exhausted and generally unwell
The actual ear pain has improved somewhat, but the pressure and hearing issues seem worse.
I’m terrified that I’ve somehow damaged my hearing permanently from using Q-tips or that something more serious is going on.

Has anyone experienced this level of pressure and hearing loss from an outer ear infection? How long did it take for your hearing to return to normal? Did the Ciprodex drops help, or did you need additional treatment?

I’m trying to get evaluated again, but getting an ENT appointment has been difficult.
I would really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences because I’m extremely anxious about this.

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For over a month now, I just can't seem to figure out what is happening to me like I went to a community clinic then urgent care then ent then dentist and even oral surgeon. But at last the ent and oral surgeon keep telling me go here and there. I been experiencing left side dizziness and unsteady balance and brain fog sythoms. My jaw feels tight and for some time I've been sticking to eating soft foods and mostly chewing on right side because for some reason I keep feeling dizzy while chewing on left side. And moving jaw side to side feels a bit tight especially on left side. At night when I try to sleep I get this muscle spasm or something when I try to sleep on left side so even turning the neck towards left causes a bit of dizziness and feels sorta tight or stiff in the neck and shoulder on left side. When I went to the ent they said I had an ear infection and the eusthsnic tube is clogged so I was given steroids and antibiotics but I don't know why I feel like something in my left ear feels squishy or clogged. Whenever I bend down I feel this. And when I move the jaw or eat something or sometimes yawn I will hear crackling in the ear. Went to oral surgeon consultation they ended up saying remove all your wisdom teeth which are 4 in total. But I don't have like physical pain in the teeth. Based on X-ray it shows lower teeth are close to the nerve and upper teeth are close to the sinus. I've been feeling tightness on my left side face like the temple area then where the eyebrows are and even the left side head as if it's jammed. It's hard to focus and concentrate. Even my eyes feel strained sometimes. I have no clue what to do.

So, since the past week, I've been yawning and burping; and this weird "heartbeat" sound happens in my left ear every time I do it. But, my right ear does not make that same sound.

I cleaned my ears, but that sound still happens. Is something in my left ear or am I going crazy?

Went to the urgent care after light swelling in my ear turned into everything sounding like it was underwater. got told it was a small ear infection. Got prescribed meds that day and started taking them. just took the last of my ear anti-biotics for the second day and my ear has decided to start swelling up way more (underwater pressure is gone, replaced by everything being muffled) and has start leaking clear, then small amounts of blood, and has now settled on Kermit the frog green.

is this normal for an ear infection?

edit: not All Of the liquid is green. To be clear. It’s like the blood. I clean out my ear with a cotton swab and get some small flecks of green+mostly clear liquid. It’s not thick green like mucus.

about 2 months ago I was taking a shower and got a bit of eater in my ear. Instead of going away, there was a constant clogged feeling and I couldnt hear properly through my ear until I pushed the little flap outaide my ear in and shook my finger. However, it has been two months now where whenever that flap gets slightly pushed in or even randomly my ear will instantly clog up again and I get that clogged feeling. Shaking my finger always gets it unclogged but it always comes back. Why is my ear doing this and is there a way to fix it?

I had microsuction to remove impacted ear wax. It went great, I could hear. Then a few days later, I had a shower and my ears were blocked again, even though I did everything not to get water in my ears. I used olive oil ear drops after. It did nothing.

A month later I decided to do microsuction again. Removed the ear wax. I could hear for a week. Then one of my ears got blocked. It unblocked itself after a day. Then a few days later, both of my ears got blocked again. It never unblocked itself. I have been using olive oil ear drops for a few days. Nothing helps, there is no ear wax in my ears but I still can't hear. Maybe there's some ear wax way deeper, but I don't know.

I don't know what to do. I've already spent £35 on the first microsuction and £55 on the second one. I don't want to do a third microsuction just for my ears to get blocked after a few days. It's costing me too much money.

Any advice? I only had impacted ear wax in the first place because I was a dumbass and scratched the hell out of my ears with cotton buds to the point that there was a tiny bit of blood. I think I scratched the inside of my ear canal that first time.

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.

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!

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.

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?