Does Mild Hearing Loss "Feel Like" Your Ears Are Clogged?

I've been told I have mild hearing loss in both ears, with the left one a bit worse. In addition to tinnitus, I feel like my left ear is a bit "clogged". Is this a symptom of hearing loss or something else? Just curious what other have experienced. Also, if it is not related to hearing loss, I'll want to go back and see my doctor.

 

First hearing loss I had, I thought was because of earwax buildup in my right ear so I went to irrigate it. After nothing changed I went to see an audiologist and found out I had hearing loss in that ear. So yes absolutely a possibility.

 

I have about 65db loss in high frez. range. I can tell no difference from the time when I had no loss.

 

Yes my ears feel plugged all the time from hearing loss.

 

@Telis, honestly I dont think its from the hearing loss directly.

 

What do you think it from? My ears feel stuffed up constantly.

 

I have that as well, must be t related as I've never had it before t.

 

Ok, this turned into neurology 101, so bear with me...

I think its increased hyperactivity plain and simple.
Every T sufferer notes that as the T gets very loud as it happens in spikes, other symptoms begin to appear - actual T sensation, ears turn red, fullness, tenderness, increased hyperacusis, and so on. No sufferer with soft tinnitus complains of these disturbing symptoms- at least not that I've ever seen.
What the Swiss neurosurgeon explained to me during my consultation a year ago- ie. it is a neurological manifestation as a result of abnormal hyperactivity in the auditory brain regions.
The pathway in laymans' terms is as follows-
Cochlear trauma/auditory nerve lesion(neuroma etc)-hearing loss-DCN hyperactivity-auditory brainstem hyperactivity-auditory thalamus hyperactivity-auditory cortex edge effect (neighboring frequencies become hyperctive)
Yes this is a result of hearing loss, but the brain has to become hyperacitve on auditory scale.
2/3rds of deaf people (?) don't have severe tinnitus at all, many have not even an inkling of T just stone deaf, yet logic dictates that they should be afflicted with excruciating T, yet this isn't the case.

I might add that this auditory hyperactivity works on a feedback mechanism. The thalamus forms a thalamocortical dysrhythmia with the auditory cortex and brain stem. The the DCN gets feedback from the thalamus the brain stem, so its a looping vicious back and forth cycle. One poster mentioned I believe rtwombly, that this state is like the "new norm", the brain does not know how to bring itself back to homeostasis. This is due to they hyperpolarization of Calcium channels in the thalamus as a result of hyperpolarization of Potassium channels in other parts, sort of like a cascade failure on a Borg Cube. Now this of course manifests itself as bullshit sensations in our ears, because that's where the brain correlates auditory malfunctions. I know this sounds really laymany, but maybe @attheedgeofscience can say from what he understood in Switzerland, if what I'm saying makes sense.

p.s.If I may hypothesize what happened to you @Telis , when you first developed tinnitus. Your brain tipped into the unbalanced state due to sudden high frequency hearing loss, but instead of taking it easy and let your brain adjust, you forced yourself into very noisy situations, which in turn pushed those poor K channels into overdrive and once they could no longer go back to normal state, the hyperactivity got deeper and penetrated the thalamus where its own channels also got polarized. You got the wrong advice from doctors because they know nothing about neurology.
Its like telling a new epileptic patient who just had an attack, to buy a strobe light and stare into it for 1hr a day - what do u think his poor K channels will do? They will blow a fuse and his epilepsy will get worse and worse.

 

Since i have T i have it too. But not all the time. It comes and goes. When i am stressed there are more clogged. Mabey bacause of the pressure,

 

You could have fooled me with that explanation!

I try not to theorize on what tinnitus is. I don't have a medical/pharmacological background. I prefer to present facts eg: audiograms, test results, my own (subjective) improvements, etc.

 

Alot of people with T seem to have this feeling in the ears.

I get it as well occasionally, with me it is very much stress related.

 

Stress related...meaning the T is stress related or the clogged feeling?

 

I mean the clogged feeling, when I am very stressed out about my T my ears feel clogged, my T is from hearing damage although the T is also reactive to stress and certain loud sounds.

 

i have had T since 2009 when my first round with menieres disease occured. since then i have had hearing loss and yes the stuffed ear feeling in both ears. its miserable not being able to hear or even think of the price of hearing aids. ive tried numerouse amplifiers, and even an old starkey which seemed to work well. but you need two of them for balance.

i was also diagnosed with stenosis in my neck and i truly believe that it might be the root of the problem with the T. it may be pressure on the spinal cord is causing the tinnitus and dizzyness. ive seen a neurologist and he said it could be possible but not probable. meanwhile what choice do i have but to live with it. and save for those overpriced hearing aids. i find no assistance with hearing aids whatsoever. and i have limited insurance. if anyone has suggestions on where to get financial aid for these please let me know.

 

@suzieq,

Hearing aids can help with amplifying lost frequencies, but their not intended to restore your hearing, or help to diminish or eliminate your T.

I wear a hearing aid / masker and it helps some, but the sound seems tinny and unreal. My T on most days, is much louder than the masker and it's set at 65db's.

However, if you want to try them, most hearing aid retailers, give you a 30 day trail for free. See if they work for you or not?

 

I'm trying to figure this out too. My right ear feels clogged most of the time. I keep trying to pop it by moving my jaw. My left ear will sometimes pop, but right ear never pops. My left ear is the side I perceive the ringing from. When I blow my nose I can hear my eardrum move in my left ear, but never in my right ear.

I received initial treatment (prednisone) along with an audiogram 11 days after my acoustic trauma. The doctor told me I had hearing reduction in the higher frequencies on my left side and my right side was OK, and overall should still be able to hear conversations.

My left ear has hearing reduction and T, but it is my right ear that always feels clogged. Sometimes it feels like the clogginess shifts from side to side, but it's mainly in my right ear. This clogged feeling is sometimes more bothersome than the T as I can't tell if this hearing loss, aural fullness, or what? If i have hearing reduction and on left side shouldn't that be the side that feels clogged?

I have my first appointment with an ENT coming up on Monday. I hope she can answer some of my questions and gives me another audiogram.

 

I also have this and have mild-moderate hearing loss. I have a drop to 25b-30db on 4hz.