Even Quiet Music Leaves My Ear Feeling Full

[Casper]

For the first time since my T started about ten weeks ago (from loud music at an indoor concert), I listened to some music at home. I played it over a small Bluetooth speaker (Bose Mini Soundlink 2) and kept the volume low (50-55dB according to my phone). Even at this low volume, however, my right ear (the one I think of as the "bad" one) soon started feeling full. Surely there's no way that calm piano music played at this volume can be damaging, right?

For reference, it's not like I've been avoiding sound. I'm exposed to music in stores, cafés, when having dinner with friends, and so on, and I never have this issue then. Is this a psychological issue perhaps? Maybe because I'm now actively listening to the music, instead of hearing it as background noise? I've used the same speaker to play rain noises at night for the past month or so, and that has never caused me problems either.

I'd really appreciate it if someone who is more experienced/knowledgeable could shed some light on this. I really don't want to do further damage to my ears, but this seems like it really should be safe.

 

[fishbone]

Full ears could be because of an ear infection or water/fluid retention in the ears. See an ENT and see what they say. Your ears could also have hypercusis (however that is spelled). My ears are very bad and i could tolerate that level db easily.

Since, tinnitus is a new thing for you, i'd say that you are focusing a lot on it as well. try to not dwell on it and distract yourself from it. The more attention you give it, it will just bother you more...

 

[yonkapin]

Could be a minor symptom of hyperacusis or acoustic shock disorder. There might be specific frequencies in that piece of music that trigger those sensations in your ear. It's normal to experience all sorts of strange symptoms when you first get tinnitus and exprience hearing damage, I've been through it all personally.

When my tinnitus and hyperacusis were real bad, snare drum sounds would trigger my left ear to flutter and I would experience a sensation of the ear feeling "full", this went away after a couple of months.

Some of the information in the following document might be helpful: http://www.dineenwestcottmoore.com.au/uploads/ASD_TTTS_guide_medical_professionals.pdf

You're not doing any damage to your hearing listening to music at normal decibel levels even though it might feel like it.

 

[LukeYoung]

I would think infection or hyperacusis.

My ears were VERY sensitive after my onset of T.
For about a month more or less.

 

[Casper]

Full ears could be because of an ear infection or water/fluid retention in the ears. See an ENT and see what they say.

A few weeks after I first got T I went to an ENT, who checked my ears and tested my hearing and told me that everything looks fine. I'm doing my best to ignore it in the meantime...

Could be a minor symptom of hyperacusis or acoustic shock disorder. There might be specific frequencies in that piece of music that trigger those sensations in your ear. It's normal to experience all sorts of strange symptoms when you first get tinnitus and exprience hearing damage, I've been through it all personally.

Good to know that the sensitivity should get better with time. I actually listened to some more quiet music today and didn't experience any issues.

I would think infection or hyperacusis.

My ears were VERY sensitive after my onset of T.
For about a month more or less.

Only sensitive for a month? I'm approaching three months and my ears are still sensitive, and my T is fairly mild based on what I read from others here. Especially low-frequency noise, like driving in my car or the fan from my laptop seem to bother my ears. I notice that your T is also from loud music. Did it ever improve?

 

[LukeYoung]

A few weeks after I first got T I went to an ENT, who checked my ears and tested my hearing and told me that everything looks fine. I'm doing my best to ignore it in the meantime...



Good to know that the sensitivity should get better with time. I actually listened to some more quiet music today and didn't experience any issues.



Only sensitive for a month? I'm approaching three months and my ears are still sensitive, and my T is fairly mild based on what I read from others here. Especially low-frequency noise, like driving in my car or the fan from my laptop seem to bother my ears. I notice that your T is also from loud music. Did it ever improve?

You probably have huperacusis then. Mine were sensitive but that went away, still sensitive but not to normal 60db sounds.

 

[Casper]

You probably have huperacusis then. Mine were sensitive but that went away, still sensitive but not to normal 60db sounds.

Thanks for the reply. I hope that it will eventually go away for me too.

 

[arcade]

Hi Casper, are you still experiencing this several months later?

I too experience this exactly as you described. It's almost as if purposely listening to music, although mainly through headphones at even very low volumes, causes my ears to tighten up and feel full, 'hot' or 'sore', hard to describe because it's not the same 'cotton in your ears' fullness as straight after acoustic trauma - just feeling very abnormal.

My cause of T is the same as yours although only 8 weeks ago (early April I stood in front of a speaker at a metal concert - sharp dip at 4khz hearing loss for the first few days but it recovered to normal hearing when returning to ENT), and my T also reduced to a level that I don't hear it during the day much after the first 2 weeks. At night it still drives me insane.

Perhaps purposefully listening to music as opposed to meaningless background noise invokes the acoustic reflex and our ears tighten up as a result (baseless conjecture - I have no idea). At least by now my ears themselves don't have much healing to do, and if it doesn't occur with ambient noise it could be a subconscious reflex of some kind as a result of the acoustic trauma.