Ear Canal Feels Wet, But No Fluid

[John236]

Recently I have had some weird problems with my ears. I went to the doctor in March 2015 for ringing in my left ear. The ENT did not see anything wrong with my ear and prescribed me prednisone. I am currently taking the prednisone. Lately I Have gotten a sense of warmth in my ear canal for about 3 to 5 seconds and then it feels like fluid is in the canal. Upon checking there is no fluid inside the ear canal. It feels like I have gotten out of the shower and the inside of my ears are still wet. Any ideas ?

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Lately I Have gotten a sense of warmth in my ear canal for about 3 to 5 seconds and then it feels like fluid is in the canal. Upon checking there is no fluid inside the ear canal. It feels like I have gotten out of the shower and the inside of my ears are still wet. Any ideas ?

Not all that uncommon, actually. The thinking is that when a person has intrusive tinnitus, his or her autonomic nervous system sort of goes on "high alert" for the purposes of protection. (That's what the ANS does - protect through fight or flight.) Anyway, while on high alert the ANS picks up all sorts of auditory sensations to which it would otherwise tend to be largely oblivious. One of the most common of these sensations is a feeling of moisture when in actually there is none.

Dr. Stephen Nagler