Recently Stuffy Ear

Hi,

I've had tinnitus in my left ear for about 10 years. It gets louder and quieter and sometimes the sounds change, but I've gotten used to it for the most part.

About a month ago, I woke up with what I would describe as stuffiness in my left ear. It's like water got into my ear while swimming. My hearing level has dropped in that ear and bass sounds reverberate which makes it difficult to concentrate on music for example.

I've been to the doctor and my ear is perfectly clear, no wax or any other visible problems. She suspected ETD and gave me a nasel spray. It hasn't worked... my ears pop normally so I'm not sure if that's it. Any other ideas what it could be? I'm on a long waiting list to see an ENT specialist. The hearing problem is causing me problems at work so it's becoming stressful and no sign of it abating.

 

The term for this (that you can use to do research online) is "aural fullness" or "ear fullness"...

 

Do you have any jaw pain, pain on chewing, clicking or popping in your jaw joints, etc?

 

It's probably TMJ related, but it could also be something like a cholesteatoma. Its most likely NOT a cholesteatoma, but you might want to go over your history with the new ENT just to rule that out.

 

Yes, @JimmyBH , When I have ruled out wax and infection...and your "normal ear popping" seems to indicate an ability to equalize pressure, I usually look hard at jaw muscle (masseter, temporalis, pterygoid) problems, as was mentioned.

 

Jimmy this also happened to me a few years back. Oh it drove me nuts to have that sensation in the ear. No pain or anything but everything sounded muffled and I was a bit off balance. It felt like water in my ear canal. Now what I did was take a cotton ball soak it with hydrogen peroxcide and water and gently squeeze a few drops into your ear. You will hear a sizzling effect for a few moments. Then lay on your side and let the water sort of drain out.

But do not do what I did back then. I thought oh maybe if I do this ten times a day.....then I had really dried out ear canals that itched like crazy.

 

Hope you can see an ENT soon, buddy

Having a stuffy ear is horrible, I use to deal with this constantly as a kid and teenager, best of luck to you...