Am I losing one of my senses?

August 29, 2010 9:46 PM

When experiencing hearing loss, can you hear inside your head? What factors can contribute to hearing loss? At the ripe old age of 25 am I going deaf?

I've known for a long time that I hear better out of my left ear. When I was little the only time I could tell was lying in bed, I'd compare sides by pressing one ear into the pillow. The last year or two I've noticed the right ear getting slightly worse. It's only a little, I prefer to hold the phone to my left ear, but for the most part I hear fairly well. The latest development has been just in the last week or two, I've had a hard time getting rid of water in the right after a shower or swimming, and now there's a definite 'plugged' sensation, I can still hear, though sounds are dulled, and the sounds inside my head (teeth clicking, humming, etc) are more obvious. I'd think if it were hearing impairment I wouldn't hear these sounds either.
I'm quite sure it's not wax build up (could I have damaged my ear with a q-tip?).
I am planning to seek professional help for this, but I'm without a regular doctor at the moment and hoping to find a GP in my new town to discuss it.
Any help or resources is greatly appreciated!

posted by Carlotta Bananas to health & fitness (21 answers total)

Also, I don't deal with loud noises or listen to music loud (I have earbud style headphones, but I keep the volume down).
posted by Carlotta Bananas at 9:48 PM on August 29, 2010

I'd suggest going to a chemist and getting a bulb syringe and giving the ear in question a serious clean-out. These things are magic, if the problem is an obstruction.

(of course, I'd suggest 'go to a doctor' first, but you've already got a plan for that, right?)
posted by pompomtom at 9:59 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

It could be a clogged inner ear; you can get fluid build-up there, especially if your sinuses are clogged, and it's behind your eardrum where cotton swabs can't reach (at least, not without puncturing your eardrum). That's what it sounds like to me; you might want to try taking a decongestant and seeing if it helps, although visiting the doctor is still probably a good idea.
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:59 PM on August 29, 2010

I had the same symptoms when I had swimmer's ear a few times. It definitely starts out feeling plugged up then moves on to being itchy and painful. Your doctor will fuss at you for using q-tips, which gets rid of the ear wax that you need to keep your ear canal from getting dried out and cracked and then infected. Some people swear that sweet olive oil or something in your ear helps, but mine never improves until I go and get Cipro drops from the Ear doctor. Once he had to spray some sort of powder in my ear. I haven't had swimmer's ear in a while, so my memory's a bit hazy. Stopping with the q-tips prevented it from recurring, though. (Darn it. I do love sticking those things in my ear.)
posted by artychoke at 10:01 PM on August 29, 2010

An Audiologist would be the doctor to see.

As an anecdote, my sister had a similar experience with what you've described (the recent stuff, not the past hearing issues) she just thought her ear was clogged. Turns out she had an ear infection that didn't hurt until right before her eardrum burst. I suggest getting checked out sooner rather than later.
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:01 PM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I once clogged my ear with a Q-tip by inadvertently pushing the wax in further. For about a day and a half, I had dulled sound in that ear, lots of pressure, a plugged situation, and could hear every damn thing "inside" my head.

After a day of stressing that I'd somehow damaged my ear, I went to an urgent care clinic. The nurse took one look in my ear, said "Oh, it's clogged," and cleared it out with a syringe. All in all, it took about a minute, and the relief was instant. I could have kissed her on the spot.

She commented that clogged ears are pretty much the only aliment they treat that can be cured almost instantaneously.

If you decide to the bulb syringe thing yourself, make sure that you use water that's the same as your body temperature, or else you'll give yourself a headache. (Also make sure that you know what you're doing. If you can afford it, I'd recommend seeing a doctor just to be on the safe side.)
posted by schmod at 10:11 PM on August 29, 2010

It's not uncommon for people to damage their ears while cleaning with q-tips. If you need to clean them yourself, using an ear syringe is the best idea. How to here.
posted by Ahab at 10:17 PM on August 29, 2010

It may be wax build-up -- the water that gets in your ear during swimming, etc. could turn the wax into a mushy ball, which then molded to the shape of your ear canal and blocked your normal hearing (this is what happened to me in the past). I would not worry about hearing loss, based on the description you give.

There are over-the-counter ear wax removal kits that have wax softening drops and a bulb syringe, although these are intended as a maintenance or preventative treatment for those of us who have a lot of ear wax. However, if you do have severe wax build-up, the doctor will likely prescribe wax softening drops and have you return for a second visit in order to flush your ear out with water. The biggest difference between these two is having a professional take a peek in there to see what's going on.
posted by puritycontrol at 10:22 PM on August 29, 2010

Your description is almost exactly the one I had when one ear plugged with wax. I had it washed out by an ear doc. It was so cool what you experience immediately after. For a while you will be able to hear high frequencies normally your brain has trained to ignore. You will hear your clothes as you slightly move, etc. But that only lasts a short while before your brain trains to ignore them again. What a pity but I guess there is a good reason. See a doc to inspect and have it washed out first time so you know how to do it.
posted by nogero at 10:47 PM on August 29, 2010

IANAD! But from what you describe, it's worth giving Debrox (followed by the bulb syringe) a try - q-tips can have the unintended consequence of pushing wax in, as schmod mentioned.
posted by usonian at 10:49 PM on August 29, 2010

If you don't have a new GP yet, urgent care should be able to either handle it, or point you at an ENT who will help you. Get the immediate last-week-or-so crap fixed, and discuss the overall hearing situation with them then.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:50 PM on August 29, 2010

If you are worried about the general health of your hearing, you can do an online hearing test at the UK's Royal National Institute for the Deaf website.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 1:16 AM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Why are you so sure it's not wax build-up? The symptoms you describe sound exactly like what I had, and which turned out to be an earwax impaction.

Q-tips might make it worse, though it's probably beyond the point you can reach with one anyway. Debrox and a syringe were what did the trick for me. Dilute hydrogen peroxide can also help, but ask your doctor about the proper strength, etc.
posted by wjm at 2:15 AM on August 30, 2010

Soft, rounded objects are really not useful for getting sticky, mushy substances out of closed spaces. See if you can find a reasonably priced walk in clinic to sluice out your ear.
posted by anaelith at 5:28 AM on August 30, 2010

Yes you can still hear inside your head when experiencing hearing loss. I think it means it's likely not to be caused by nerve damage, which is good, because you can't really fix the nerve damage version. Although the real test involves putting a tuning fork at the center of your forehead and seeing which side hears it louder. If your right side does, then it's not a problem with the nerve :) You probably (but not definitely) have "conductive" hearing loss, which could be a wax build up, could be something stuck in your ear, could be an infection, etc.

I hesitate to recommend ear cleaning techniques, since I know nothing about what's safe and what's not. I have a friend who did the version where you create a vacuum and suction out all the wax and she ended up with an awful ear infection in her late teens.
posted by quirks at 6:16 AM on August 30, 2010

Thanks guys! I'm starting university this week, I'm going to see if the clinic there can help me, if not it'll be to urgent care. Scary stories about eardrums exploding are excellent motivators.
posted by Carlotta Bananas at 6:46 AM on August 30, 2010

Long shot, but I sometimes have this problem in one of my ears if I am dehydrated (I can pretty much guarantee to induce it if I drink coffee in the morning without an accompanying glass of water). Try to extra-hydrate yourself for a few days and see if you notice an improvement.
posted by telegraph at 6:53 AM on August 30, 2010

Speaking as someone who's seen a lot of audiologists in my day - the general advice I've gotten from just about every single one of them regarding sticking anything in your ear goes as follows: you shouldn't put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. Leave that to a professional.
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:19 AM on August 30, 2010

I've had severe hearing loss since I was born. This does not sound anything like that. It sounds exactly like wax build-up.
posted by desjardins at 8:28 AM on August 30, 2010

Seconding Debrox. It worked for me when other brands didn't.
posted by Gridlock Joe at 9:09 AM on August 30, 2010

Data point from someone with life-long 50% hearing loss:

I can still hear, though sounds are dulled, and the sounds inside my head (teeth clicking, humming, etc) are more obvious. I'd think if it were hearing impairment I wouldn't hear these sounds either.

sounds exactly like the inside of my head.

I am so not trying to freak you out. Get it looked at, is closer to what I'm saying.
posted by YamwotIam at 9:44 AM on August 30, 2010