Is Hearing Loss Supposed to Hurt?

[Vaba]

The ear that I possibly have hearing loss in is my left ear (10dB at 4kHz). While the T in my right (healthy, 0dB up til 16kHz) ear is 10x louder, my left ear (and that side of my face) feels like it's been blasted off my head by a shotgun, like there is no sensory input from that ear, jaw half, or cheek whatsoever.

Basically the whole ear canal feels like it's been filled with liquid cement, and the jaw and neck muscles surrounding my left ear feel numb as well, like they're constantly injected with novocaine.

My question is, how do I know if this immense pain/numbness is from hearing loss, or something else?

It seems like most of the people with hearing loss I've met never noticed that they were losing their hearing, one day they woke up after losing 40dB either gradually or suddenly (like from a gunshot) and couldn't hear people over the phone, and had pure-tone T.

I don't have any significant level of hearing loss. I didn't even notice that my left ear was "tinnier" than the right and felt full of mud until I lost a tiny bit of hearing. Why does the left side of my face feel like it's been exposed to some traumatic injury, like a bomb blast, when it's lost no significant amount of hearing?

Also, when it's dead silent, is your head supposed to feel pressurized, like it's going to explode?

 

[gotyoubynuts]

How can hearing loss hurt? In theory. I don't think it can

 

[Sam Bridge]

I have 30db loss at 4khz both ears, tinnitus only in my right ear which is quite mild i would say. No pain though..

 

[Radiohead]

Since I experience tinnitus I get all kinds of weird physical sensations in both my ears. They feel blocked and sometimes hurt. They've never felt like their normal selves again. I'm really afraid of flying as well, since my ears sometimes feel like theire going to explode because of the pressure. I'm definitely sure though that sound caused the damage because it started after a loud party. It's been puzzling me for over a year.

 

[Jkph75]

You don't have hearing loss! Really you don't. You probably have TMJ or a problem with your neck that is causing those symptoms.

 

[spingee]

Unfortunatly it doesnt hurt, you are not warned at all

 

[Sam Bridge]

Yeah you do not have hearing loss really. Many many people would have hearing "loss" like that, infact in both ears at certain frequencies my hearing is at 10db..

 

[Vaba]

Yeah you do not have hearing loss really. Many many people would have hearing "loss" like that, infact in both ears at certain frequencies my hearing is at 10db..

I hope so

My audiograms always show different results. Sometimes it's a 10dB loss, sometimes 0dB, sometimes 15dB. But what I feel is that my left ear feels stuffy and painful, but my right ear (which has MUCH louder T) has 0-5dB threshold up to 16kHz. I can't find out why the left side of my face feels terrible... My hearing is insane, though my tests show some loss;/ I was playing Dungeons and Dragons with my buddies earlier today, and I heard my friend's cat Bandit skulk into the barn, when no one else did...

Not even sneaky cats with their padded feet can escape my senses, but I don't have H, safe sounds don't hurt me. I've just always had misophonia, which makes me much more sensitive to the quietest impulse sound. I can tolerate 85dB sounds (like music) for a few hours, as long as they are continuous, but the instant I detect a sudden sound, like the paws of a cat slapping on the floor, or a bunch of plates banging together, I feel my heart skip a beat, and I jump a foot in the air.

The teeth on the left side of my mouth in the front have a LOT more wear than the teeth on the right side, (some are worn flat, I was a bruxer for years) but I don't have TMJ symptoms other than ringing w/ slight hearing loss, muscular tightness, and major numbness. No painful clicking or locking, like some IRL friends with TMJ have.

It FEELS to me like my left ear has major hearing problems compared to the right... is my brain seriously intelligent enough to be able to notice when <5% of hearing function is lost? That's crazy. 99% of normal people don't notice their hearing is deteriorating until they're half deaf... I'm VERY in tune with my body.

 

[Lorac]

Hearing loss can hurt. My loss happened three years ago when my left ear went suddenly deaf. It hurt like hell! My ear feels better now but not normal, always uncomfortable.

 

[Vaba]

Hearing loss can hurt. My loss happened three years ago when my left ear went suddenly deaf. It hurt like hell! My ear feels better now but not normal, always uncomfortable.

Problem: I don't have sudden deafness, or any type of deafness.

I lost a pathetically small amount of hearing - 5 - 15dB - but I feel totally numb because of it.