Aural Fullness Since Concert — Will It Go Away?

Hi Everyone,

So one month ago, I went to an outdoor concert. I was standing in the front near the stage. Since then, I have had a fullness/pressure type feeling in my right ear. I am very concerned that it hasn't gone away. About two weeks ago, I went to an ENT doctor, and they tested my hearing/ear and said everything is normal and no damage to my ear, the hairs in my ear, or my hearing.

In many cases, it is not as bad right when I wake up, and than becomes a consistent nuisance throughout the day. It is not debilitating, but it is annoying. I do NOT have any type of ringing in my ear and don't hear any sounds, it is only the fullness/pressure feeling.

The doctor didn't give me much to work with outside of saying it could go away over time, and the prognosis is better without hearing damage, which applies to me. Now that I am one full month in, I am wondering if anyone has experience with this, and if so, can it go away on its own over time? How long can it take?

Thanks so much.

 

@breejo,

It could just be due to allergies causing extra mucus that gets in your Eustachian Tubes.

love glynis

 

I had a similar experience to you, but with a horrible spike to my tinnitus from loud noise. After the spike went away and things for back to their normal level, I noticed that although my hearing was fine, I had a sense of pressure and fullness in my ear. I'd never completely understood what it was before, but I believe the prognosis I was given on here is correct.

There are muscles in your ear that respond to sound, to protect the ear. Sometimes, after exposure to loud noise, these muscles can tighten up or spasm for awhile. In my case, I have never found it permanent. This recent case is the worst I have had, and it is beginning to recede for me. It is impossible to say for sure, but it may for you as well. Just give it time, and try not to focus on it if you can. Maybe try something that calms nerves like a beer, or just try to relax as best you can. I'm also avoiding caffeine, which seems to help. Much like tinnitus, it responds to stress, so staying calm is a good way to combat it as well.

Now, the other potential thing it could be is ETD, or Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. If that's your problem, you can try some exercises to alleviate it (avoid the Valsalva maneuver though). I'm leaning towards it being inner ear muscle tension tho, given this happened after noise exposure.

 

@kiel

Thanks so much for the response. I appreciate the info. I hope you are doing ok and hopefully will get out of your recent bout soon. A couple of questions for you. When you have gotten these bouts of fullness that have gone away, how long did that typically take for you from start to finish? How many times did the fullness go away and come back, how much time in between those bouts?

I hear you on trying to relax and take my mind off it. It definitely doesn't help to obsess about it. I am doing my best to focus on other things, but it is hard to ignore it completely. Going away with the fam for a few days at the beach this weekend so hopefully can try and relax a bit.

All the best

 

This is obviously due to noise over-exposure and has nothing to do with congestion/sinus related ETD.

A friend of mine who is a journalist who does reports on inner ear disorders told me that researchers are aware ETD is a common misdiagnosis for this "ear fullness sensation caused by loud noise trauma. You must understand the inner ear is a medical mystery still it's not well understood by most doctors. Scientist can make a new discovery about the inner ear and ENT's and audiologist will not learn it for a decade after the fact. It's sad and why our community is a mess.

https://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/#hiddenloss
Hearing loss outside of the bare vitals for communication is not tested. In a laymenized nutshell studies say nerve related hearing damage doesn't show up on the hearing test. Nerve related hearing loss and hair cell death are two separate issues entirely. Once again ENT's ignore science.

Now you know you do have hearing damage and it's a false sense of comfort.

 

Inflammation of all sorts (including, presumably, from acoustic trauma) can cause pressure and fullness sensations all over the body.

Since you're past the window to consider steroids, you could look at non-toxic things with antinflammatory properties to try to help a little.

 

Anywhere from a day to like two months. Mine is already better now from where it was like a week ago, tho. I hear you on it being difficult to ignore. Honestly, sometimes it bothers me more than T. I wish I could be more help, and I hope it goes away for you soon.

 

@breejo How is the ear fullness now for you?

 

What was the band?