Never talk to the angry without earplugs

June 15, 2008 6:58 PM

EarPressureFilter: I had an argument with someone a couple hours ago, and they yelled in my left ear for a few seconds. My ear isn't ringing. but it feels pressurized, like I'm underwater, on and off. I've taken a full dose of magnesium-based antacid...anything else I can do? Will a doctor be able to help, or do I just need to move somewhere with a vow of silence for a month?
posted by StrikeTheViol to health & fitness (8 comments total)

A really hot steamy shower. You can also get earwax softener stuff which could help, but IMHO is bloody unpleasant.
posted by pompomtom at 7:07 PM on June 15, 2008

Maybe try chewing gum like when you're on an airplane and your ears pop.

Just curious, but how does magnesium or antacid help ear pressure?
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:24 PM on June 15, 2008

Wow that's some serious yelling!

I don't think earwax is the problem, but if so, regular old hydrogen peroxide works as well as "earwax softener stuff" and is much cheaper, like less than a dollar for a big bottle.
posted by rokusan at 7:25 PM on June 15, 2008

It could be this or this or something more exotic like this; a quick look in the ear with an otoscope would help differentiate between those and other potential diagnoses, so yes, get it looked at, although if it gets better before you get to a physician then it is probably nothing too serious. Some general info about noise induced hearing loss is here and if you want to try to get rid of that fullness you might want to read this; if you try anything be gentle and stop immediately if it hurts or otherwise gets worse.
posted by TedW at 7:36 PM on June 15, 2008

Several scientific studies (notably those by Joseph Attias and colleagues [1,2]), have shown that magnesium (in the form of magnesium aspartate, oxide, or stearate), at a dose of 2.9 mmol/kg (116 mg MgO /kg body weight) can reduce the magnitude of both the noise-induced temporary threshold shift and the permanent threshold shift in human subjects. The improvement by magnesium in these studies was typically 5 to 10 decibels, which means that it does not completely block the injury, but orally ingested magnesium partially protected against permanent hearing loss. The magnesium must be given as soon as possible after the exposure. - source

This is pretty well studied.
posted by phrontist at 7:55 PM on June 15, 2008

Give it a few days to cool off, just some temporary hearing loss. I doubt a human can produce enough loudness to create permanent damage in one shot.
posted by gjc at 9:38 PM on June 15, 2008

I had a similar problem after playing in a band at a particularly loud, televised basketball game. Went to a clinic after two days, and the doctor found that the ear drum was intact and all, but that the tissues were inflamed.

The remedy: Plain cough syrup. Double dosed for a few days.

Hope this helps.
posted by Kimothy at 12:45 AM on June 16, 2008

If you have impacted ear wax, you may need a doctor to irrigate your ear.

This happened to me a few years ago. I had experienced muffled hearing for a couple months. It was so bad it took 15 minutes for the marble-sized ball to fall out of my left ear. Good luck.
posted by mynameismandab at 9:17 PM on June 16, 2008