Ear Pain and Fullness

[sds111]

Does anyone have this feeling? It feels like my ears are blocked with wax or fluid which is causing ear pain. (Similar to when you decend on a plane).

The docs say it’s ETD, an audiologist I saw last week said the pressure is ok and therefore not ETD and no sign of fluid.

If I look back to the start, approx 9 months, I’ve had this feeling ever since. It sometimes feels like I have water in my ears or they tickle deep in side.

The left, which is worse , sometimes feels like the ear drum is stretching which is causing a stabbing pain.

Could this be hyperacusis or TTTS? I have an ENT appointment in a couple of weeks which hopefully might answer some of my questions.

Has anyone had success with these symptoms disappearing over time?

Thanks

[sds111]

I forgot to mention the loud clicks when I swallow and sometimes when I talk also

[PABLR in reply to sds111]

From what you say it doesn't like hypercausis which is an extreme sensitivity to sound usually with, but sometimes without hearing loss and often with tinnitus. I don't know what TTTS stands for, but the clicking sounds as though it might be related to the jaw, so if your appointment doesn't come up with anything useful maybe see your dentist.

[sds111 in reply to PABLR]

Thanks, I’m sensitive to some noise, like the shower, laptop fan and speakers (seems to raised the T for a short while afterwards) but general conservation and noise don’t cause any pain or feel excessively loud.

[sds111 in reply to PABLR]

Tonic tensor tympani syndrome

[Philip6 in reply to sds111]

I get the loud click in my left ear every time I swallow, it comes and goes and can be really annoying. That’s the Eustachian tube opening and closing I think. Sometimes doing the valsalva manoeuvre can stop it for a while. The Dr gave me Beconase but that didn’t work. I’ve had it for many years.

[sds111 in reply to Philip6]

Thanks for your reply.

[hollyrain]

What does TTTS stand for please?

I am having a rotten time with Sinusitis and ET effusion currently, since Chriistmas. My left side is far worse, if I plug my right ear I can't hear. I have terrible distortion...I can't tell the difference between planes and trains, noise surrounds me rather than is directional. Any vehicle on the road sounds like a gravel track, I can hear my own breathing on the left, chewig sounds like Im trying to bite through rock, brushing my hair is like a long loud scrape, having a shower sounds and feels like rain on a corrugated roof. I can't hear the car radio over the engine. A man made me jump out of my skin yday because I couldn't hear him and he approached me from the left. It's frightening, worrying and frustrating. I am exhausted and literally sleeping 16 hours of the day, it has floored me like nothing before. On top of it my tinnitus is screeching louder than ever 24/7.

I've been given steroid and antihistamine nasal spray for 1 month and 16 day course of ABs from GP and have written all the quirks down, so when I go back next week I'm going to ask for referral to ENT to discuss long term management and expectations. It is impacting on my life in so many ways.

Hope your appt goes well and you get the answers you are looking for.

Best wishes x

[sds111 in reply to hollyrain]

Thanks for your reply, I hope your symptoms improve soon. Tonic tensor tympani syndrome

[hollyrain in reply to sds111]

Thank you

[Philip6 in reply to hollyrain]

I hope you feel better soon. Sorry you are suffering at the moment x

[sds111 in reply to Philip6]

Appreciated!

[surviveT]

hi sds - as well as my very bothersome T, I now hv a feeling of fullness on left side only - my ear pressure seemed ok as well and no sign of fluid , just like you. I dont have any pain but i do have a sort of strange vibration on the left side. I also have some loud clicks on left side only . This all started after a very loud noise incident last Nov . The feeling of fullness started after a small bump to head on left side ear, last Oct.

I am going back to ENT soon so may hv more idea after this

Do you have any idea what could have caused yr symptoms

[sds111 in reply to surviveT]

Yes, a loud music event back in May. Thanks for your reply. Good luck with the appt.

[RobWG]

Yes.

Mine is more feeling of fullness rather than pain. It varies and seemed worse when my T first started just over 3 years ago.

It used to coincide with an odd fluttering sensation in my ears that now occurs very infrequently.

No diagnosis has been offered from the various health departments.

I fight on 😀

All the best

RGrif

[sds111 in reply to RobWG]

Thanks for your reply. I had very occasional fluttering in my right but that appears to have stopped now. Full all of the time since May for me.

[RONf]

Hi sds111

Most interestingly, your post exactly replicates the problem I have had for the past ten months. I too could write, 'It sometimes feels like I have water in my ears or they tickle deep in side. The left, which is worse, sometimes feels like the ear drum is stretching which is causing a stabbing pain.' I also have an occasional similar pain in my right ear. The problem, thankfully, has not currently worsened my tinnitus, to which I have eventually habituated during the past twelve years since its onset.

Here's my journey (so far):

Back in April 2023 I saw a doctor in ENT and described the problem. She sent me for a hearing test. As my test came back with similar results to a previous test, she simply sent me on my way, saying as my hearing hadn't deteriorated I would 'get over it'.

I didn't get 'over it' so went back to my GP in late May 23. I was prescribed amoxicillin (in case it was an infection) and Mometasone Furoate nasal spray - 2 spays each nostril twice a day. Initially this seemed to sort it.

The problem re-emerged in late August 23 and, having returned to the GP, once again I was prescribed Mometasone Furoate nasal spray - 2 spays each nostril twice a day.

In late September 23 I paid to see a private, well respected ENT specialist who said I had Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. and recommended that I continue to use the Momentasone Furoate spray for between 3 months and six months. Which I did.

In December 23 it seemed to have sorted itself once again and over Christmas the problem has virtually disappeared.

But at the beginning of this month (January 2024) it all started again - even worse than before. Last week I saw my GP and she says I should continue to use the Momentasone Furoate spray (although this long term, frequent use now concerns me) and breathe simple steam (with no added items). She is referring me back to ENT.

So currently I too can say 'It sometimes feels like I have water in my ears or they tickle deep in side. The left, which is worse, sometimes feels like the ear drum is stretching which is causing a stabbing pain.' Strangely, the deep discomfort seems to change sides, from left to right, and varies in its intensity.

Hope your ENT appointment in a couple of weeks answers some of the questions on this shared ongoing issue. I would be most interested to hear how you are getting on! Meanwhile, I'll share any ways forward that lead to improvements in my ETD journey.

Kindest regards

Ron

[sds111]

Thanks Ron, glad to hear I’m not going crazy. Today my right feels a little better and feels almost like some fluid is moving deep in my ear. My hearing on my right feels slightly worse than my left but the hearing test have come back with almost identical results. Just feels a little blocked with wax sound feeling, but it’s not. I’ll let you know if I find out any more.

Do you have any sound sensitivity? Keep in touch! 👍

[Fridays_Child_62]

I can identify with a lot of what you say. I went through a bad patch of it a few years ago and now it tends to come and go. My GP diagnosed ETD but when I attended my hospital appointment, they said the pressure in my ears was fine, which is how it felt (on that day). I had TTTS-like symptoms and I am convinced all of this was more connected with my ear muscles than the eustachian tubes (or possibly both). To an extent, I still suffer from it now, but the situation improved when I started to take multi-vitamin and mineral tablets. It is an annoying and distressing condition but your ears will probably settle down after a while.

[sds111 in reply to Fridays_Child_62]

Thanks, good to know as i'm struggling with it still after 8 months. Looing back, i'm sure it started just after or very close to the event. There do seem to be slightly better day but I wonder if this is due to me concentrating on something else for a while.

Can I ask what multi-vitamin and mineral tablets you take please?

[Fridays_Child_62 in reply to sds111]

When my ear saga started, I had bouts of outright pressure in my ears. I then regularly got tension in and around my ears. It was much better when I was lying down. The tickling or wet feeling in the ear was actually a welcome change, as it was usually a sign that the tension was easing. I also found that applying heat to the area around my ears provided temporary relief. I experienced this and other symptoms for several months, perhaps over a year, and some symptoms still come back now. The TTTS in my right ear showed a marked improvement after I started taking Superdrug A-Z multi-vitamins and minerals for an entirely different reason. I still get it in the left ear, but that has always been milder and more occasional. I also still get spontaneous ear flutters. It can be very daunting, as I think problems seem magnified when they are happening in your head. The trouble is doctors don't seem to appreciate this or be well educated on the subject.

[Karenemmagrace]

Hi there. I had a very distressing journey with tinitus, TTS and hyperacusis, but my symptoms have all gone down to a level 1 out of 10. Obviously I'm not qualified to say what your symptoms are caused by, but TTTS can definitely cause a feeling of fullness, pain and a feeling of a 'tickle.'

Something to be aware of is that TTTS does not seem to be recognised widely in the UK by medical professionals. I had 2 really unhelpful appointments with ENT's in the UK and then eventually saw a really brilliant audiologist in Australia over zoom who is an expert in the field of TTTS (I shared my hearing test results with her.) Her name is Myriam Westcott: dwmaudiology.com.au

In my experience my symptoms were very much related to my nervous system, and I found some brilliant resources that helped me both understand the power of the mind/body connection, and work with it over time to heal these distressing symptoms. ENT's are typically not good at helping people in this holistic way. If you are interested, I can share more, with links etc.

[sds111 in reply to Karenemmagrace]

Yes please that would be really helpful. See you able to send me a private message with the details? Of share here, whichever you prefer. Thanks

[Seabob in reply to sds111]

Hi - i recommemd Julian Cowan Hill on You tube as he has helped me enormously with my ear issues - he also has an app - very insightful man - explains all about the auditory system, nervous system and much more, so pleased i discovered him, i too have weird fluid feeling, ear pain for four years, no diagnosis from ENT or anyone!! having acupuncture, doing breathing meditation and Tai Chi, cut out sugar, still on a journey with this, all the best.

lia

[sds111 in reply to Seabob]

Thanks, I'll take a look.

[Karenemmagrace]

Ok the main 2 people I would recommend are Joey Remenyi and Julian Cowan Hill. Both have gone through (and healed from) deeply distressing experiences of chronic audiological symptoms, and now help others in various ways you can see on their websites. If you go to YouTube, there are 2 videos you can find - one where he interviews her and one where she interviews him, and they tell their stories, which I personally found very powerful.

Joey Remenyi is a vestibular audiologist and Julian is a tinitus survivor. Both work with the latest understandings around neuroplasticity and help others understand and work with the mind/body connection, towards healing.

Good luck with it all, and I hope you find all the answers and help you need.

[sds111]

Thanks I appreciate the info.

[Dumfy]

Hello SDS

I also have the symptoms you describe, which I have had for about ten years. I'd not heard about TTS until I saw this thread, which matches my symptoms to a T, so thanks for starting it.

I'd previously been diagnosed with a TMJ disorder, although the consultant wasn't entirely sure at the time, so I dismissed it until recently. In my endless pursuit to cure my problem, I looked into the causes of TMJ, and have been trying to improve my posture over the last few weeks. I mean, whether I have TMJ or not, poor posture strains the neck muscles, which could lead to jaw and ear issues - it's all connected. Anyway, I had nothing to lose.

Interestingly, I strained my neck this weekend doing DIY, and my ear pain and T is currently dreadful. Prior to that, though, I had seen improvements after being more careful in how I sit and stand. Instead of sitting at a desk all day, I now work standing up, which seems to help. When I do sit, I try not to slouch.

At present, I still have T and ear pain, although I don't have daily headaches any more, so I'm hoping my other symptoms improve over time. Could poor posture be part of your problem, perhaps? Either way, I hope you find a solution.

[sds111]

Thanks, I'll look into that, I do sit in front of a laptop for long period when working. (Using a seperate monitor and set up). Can i ask if the ear pain has got any better in that time, mine seems to have got worse and I now take OTC meds every few days. Also do/did you have any sensitivity to noise with it?

[Dumfy in reply to sds111]

Hi SDS

Yes, the pain has decreased, as has my tinnitus, although it still comes back. I now find sitting down for even short periods seems to bring trigger it, so I'm sure my issues are posture related. I bought a rising platform that sits on my desk a few weeks ago, and it's the best £100 I've spent in years. It takes a while to adjust to working while standing, although I got used to it in about a week. I never sit at a desk now, even when I go into the office.

As for sensitivity to noise, oh yes! There are certain everyday sounds, such as rustling plastic, that I find very jarring. I'm hoping that may stop if I can sort my posture out.

[sds111 in reply to Dumfy]

Thanks for the info - my T is noise related so i'm not sure that would work for me but i'm happy to try anything. Hope you manage to sort the posture.