The positional issue suggests something with mass is moving, as there are little pressure changes with position. Has anyone looked into the possibility of a detached otolith (from the saccule or utricle) bouncing around? Usually, it affects vestibular sense (balance, position, vertigo) in a condition called benign positional nystagmus but, theoretically, it can lodge in the vestibule and have an effect on auditory function.

Kal

Might it be fluid buildup?
Just curious if you have suffered any throat/neck related illnesses as this can inhibit draining of both ear or nose.

Another way to describe the sound, can it be described like rustling trees/leaves in the wind?

Thanks
Orb

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I have this weird hearing issue. I want to preface by saying that my hearing , at least as measured by 3 different audiology experts at 3 different locations using 3 different protocols is off-the-charts good. 21kHz , no problem. BUT..

whenever I hear certain frequencies(havent pinned down which ones yet though I am trying very hard) my left ear goes crazy with this static-like sound(it sounds like digital clipping)... it doesnt get worse at any particular time in the day...isnt accompanied by pain, no ringing at all, just the clipping sound when I hear certain frequencies. left ear only. It DOES seem to get worse when I bend over to tie my shoe so maybe it is a pressurization issue? 3 ENTs have looked at my ears..no dice. my eardrums are in perfect shape, test scores off the charts, no obstructions...perforations, or any appearance of damge.

and so..even though my hearing is fantastic, and things look great in there...i think subconsciously I am making myself hear worse..because my imaging is ALWAYS off(favors the non-cracling side).. this is extremely frustrating.

SO to recap

perfect hearing(in terms of frequency pickup, all there)

eardrums etc no sign of any physical damage/trauma

extreme crackling sounds during certain frequencies

imaging off on hifi, favoring the non-crackling side

bending over/pressure makes it much worse.

I do have severe problems going down deep underwater..excruciating pain even at depths as shallow as 12 feet or so.

I dunno, im clueless. but i make part of my living using my ears(and voice) , and I cannot live like this...even though I hear fine, all the crackling and pressurization/depressure sensations are extremely annoying....!

HELP!

oh yeah

one ENT thought that I may have had a piece of hair from a haircut/shave resting on my eardrum..getting excited during the offending frequencies.. alas, not that either!

desperate here. help me out, folks...

Oh yes..the problem is with my LEFT YEAR ONLY..all the crackling, all the pain, all the weirdness comes from there. d

Hey, man. I'm sorry for your misery.

Google "Eustachian Tube Dysfunction" and see what you think.
As you work on this, try these experiments:

1) Try 'equalizing' and see if you notice a subjective change in how you perceive things. The 'crackling' sound could be from air trying to equalize the pressure behind your eardrum to the outside world and what your are hearing may be air moving in your eustachian tube.

When you equalize (pinch your nose and gently blow out your nose against pressure) you may pop open that tube and this could temporarily ameliorate your symptoms.

Also, if that works, you've identified the area with the problem!

2) Try some Afrin in the spritzer/atomizer bottle (not the kind where you squeeze the whole bottle) and do three snorts in each nostril. Then, tilt forward until your head is upside down, lean side to side, and tilt your head back. Wait ten minutes, then repeat...and see if this makes a difference.

3) You could even try a 4 Hour Sudafed (30-60mg) and see if it helps at all.

All of the above can help keep the tissue around your eustachain tube out of the way while we see if your symptoms are caused by any tissue irritation/swelling.

{Additionally, if your eardrum is damped in a different fashion than normal (middle ear pressure that is not normal) you can notice certain frequencies can be encountered that can create unpleasant harmonics and you can notice those distortions you mention.}

It may also be worthwhile trying a few prescription medicines (antihistamine, anti-inflammatory nasal spray) to see if they are of benefit, and you could even ask your ENT if he/she thinks a brief prednisone trial would be worthwhile.

***There is also a test called a tympanogram that an ENT/Audiologist can do to try to assess the pressure behind each ear drum to look for any asymmetry.

It doesn't seem you have a thing called hyperacusis, but your sensitivity and discomfort at certain frequencies fits the term for those frequencies. Typically, this problem has a broad frequency distribution.

It can be one sided, though.

Check out www.hyperacusis.net and read around and see what overlap you have with what they describe.

Your symptoms do not really fit for anything like Meniere

Unfortunately, often this can be a precursor to hearing loss. Sometimes when one senses a popping, rustling, clicking, wooshing, whirring or other manifestation in the ear in response to certain sounds or frequencies it can mean hearing degradation. I'm not saying this is the case with you but if you find over the next 10 years or so that your stellar hearing is diminishing you might have had a warning. Hearing loss of course is part of the natural aging process and can be accelerated by long term exposure to loud sound/noise.

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oh, and this has been happening since I was on the plane back to Germany from Iraq.. my ear went off then (In the C-130, 2005) and has never gotten back to normal.

Was it really bouncy, etc? That could cause the otolith issue.

I also wonder if this is something contacting the eardrum when you have a certain position. Sometimes something (hair, etc) hits the eardrum, it sounds very, very sharp and loud.

I've had that problem. Sucks. I presume they've checked your ear canals?

So, to carry on...

It is possible to have a normal (or not perfectly performed) tympanogram and still have eustachian tube dysfunction (hereafter abbreviated to ETD) but it usually shows up on that test.

The maneuvers I mentioned can help nail it down. If you equalize and notice a big difference, I'd give that result more credence than the tympanogram.

The fact that you first noticed it while flying also fits - as the condition can make for difficulty equalizing air pressure with altitude changes. I don't know how diligent they are with maintaining steady cabin pressure in those planes. How have you done with flying since?

Changes in head position can also exacerbate ETD.

Did the audiologist play any frequencies that elicited your disomfort? That would interesting if you could map your frequencies.
The ear sounds you describe, can they happen any time, or do they occur only when stimulated by a bothersome frequency?

If you plug your nose and swallow, do you notice any ear sensation?

I can't help (I wish I could) but I sincerely hope you get this resolved. Your description of what is happening is dreadful.

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Hey, thanks folks. Kal, I looked up the disorder you talked about, the only thing is..i dont have any vertigo or nausea.. its just that if I am playing a song that has those annoying frequencies(the ones that excite whatever is causing the distortions), the distortions are much worse if I am bending over.

I know. I was not suggesting this malady but, rather, an analogous one that would involve the errant otolith affecting some of the auditory apparatus. It would account for the positional changes in a way that simple pressure problems would not.

Kal

I've had the same symptoms in one ear for over 20 years. I can clear my hearing up (with regards to level and peak frequencies), ie imaging bloom..on my RIGHT side,if I pinch my nose and suck air in - hard. Then my ear sort of gurgle/pops and then I feel this awful negative pressure (hurts) in my ear..and my hearing is better but also dynamically flattened to some degree on the problematic right side.

If I swallow twice or so, it goes back to being slightly clogged sounding.

I was hospitalized 3 times for ear infections on the right side as a kid. Had my tonsils pulled at age 3-1/2. (It was my first time on K! whoooo.o.0.o.0.eee....wow)

In my personal experience, no anti-inflammatory has ever cleared this up.

I have the exact same issues with my left ear. I've pretty much decided it is allergy and sinus related and that occasional fluid builds and causes the scratching noise. It comes and goes and can last a few days to a few weeks at a time.

Buddha is probably right and I've had estachean tube problems for several years that originated on a flight to Atlanta. I actually had to have surgery to get my left ear to open back up as the tube had collapsed and wouldn't return to open. My doctor corrected a deviated septum and that seemed to help with my sinus problems. That was the most miserable week or two of my entire life. I felt like someone had stuck popsicle sticks up my nose and had to wait almost 2 weeks to remove the packing. Don't do it unless someone holds a gun to your head.

Sorry to hear about your issue- sounds annoying at the very least.I have some similar issues, though less the fuzzing/clipping one than the off image issue.

I also seem to test out perfectly for standard hearing- even can hear those "kids only" frequencies most adults over 30 can't. But not matter what the setup, room, gear, I always hear imaging favoring my right ear. Not a huge amount, but my amp luckily has a balance control and pretty much have it one click over (out of ten I think) all the time. I certainly have plenty of upper respitory issues, so it probably is just that- who knows? Our skulls are not exactly perfectly symmetrical and you can have variations of thickness too, so it could be structural.

I tend to think many hearing tests are limited though, and sort of end just above the median. And it's not like they test all things, more frequency than anything else. Maybe your issue is a little more complicated, or more subject to open air sound than from a test headphone.

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I dont do so well with flying or swimming, comfort wise. the one ear hurts pretty badly unless i chew gum constantly or always yawn..swimming wise, cant go down below 7 or so feet without pain

THAT is a tube symptom, loud and clear.

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Orb, yes, the sound is a bit like rustling leaves, but much louder, sharper, more intense.. i think the ENT checked for fluid buildup?

Interesting, the reason I was suggesting the fluid behind eardrum is its something I have experienced, causing the same sounds,etc you are experiencing (no vertigo,etc just like you).
Antibiotics cleared it up for me, could try Sudofed 1st (unpredictable whether tablet or liquid will work for you so may want to try both with a break in-between and see if you get the sensation of irritable throat at the back due to fluid then draining.
Its a quick and cheap way to test, just note to buy both tablet and liquid as it seems people vary with which works best for them.
Also do not take Sudafed for more than 3-4 days at a time as it can make any congestion worse.

Bear in mind that what you have may be totally different, but seems very similar in description.

Keep us all informed and good luck
Cheers
Orb

That's a relatively low frequency, actually. In the vocal range. Are there other frequencies that do this?

Does it not do it at lower volumes, then becomes noticeable as the volume rises?

You have an overlap of symptoms:

1) The pain with diving you mention, the sensitivity to altitude change fit exceedingly well with eustachain tube issues.

2) Your sonic sensitivity could involve more stuff and is more puzzling.

It could still be related to changes in pressure/damping with a troublesome eustachain tube (but your ENT and audiologists usually catch this, especially if the sensitivity is always there.) You mention some days better than others, is this true of the frequency dependent 'buzzing/pain' you notice? Any days when you can't make it happen?

There is a phenomenon of 'adjusted sensitivity' to certain frequencies, where the brain 'turns up' your sensitivity to certain frequencies in an attempt to keep your hearing curve consistent with other frequencies...but this is usually seen in company with some identifiable change in your hearing acuity on audiology testing.

(Is that ear the one closest to the gun when you go dog shooting?... ...)

As I mentioned before, it can be part of the spectrum of tinnitus, called "hyperacusis."

Be sure to look over that topic on Google or at that website and see how well anything describes what you notice.

Wikipedia has an OK introduction: Hyperacusis

Anyway, check out the info from the thread and give those differing maneuvers a try and that will help try to narrow things down.

My first thought is calcium buildup in the inner ear but I think that may be more associated with losing your balance as a symptom. By coincidence I experience the same thing on occasion but it isn't related to any particular stimuli. Just a tiny little clicking noise in my left ear. Lasts about 15 seconds and goes away.

BTW, I've been taking a Benadryl every night before bed. I don't know why I started doing that but it was a very long time ago. One byproduct of doing that is it appears to dry out moisture in the ear and helps the ear spit out ear wax. No shit. Sometimes I will be just sitting there and the opening to my ear will tickle and (don't gross out) I'll stick my finger there and out comes dry ear wax. I have no idea how my ear pushes it out but it does. I also don't remember ever having an ear ache come to think about it since.

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I have no idea how my ear pushes it out but it does.

Your ear canal is surrounded by smooth muscle cells, and the wax is expelled via coordinated contractions of those muscles moving the wax out of your body...kind of like how your intestine pushes food and feces to your anus. You may have noticed that some earaches can occur in the same way tummy cramps do.

By expanding and then contracting, the ear wax is forced forward...

That is super cool!

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That is super cool!

So the line about 'shit for hearing', is true?

Some people have an anus for an ear?

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That is super cool!

So the line about 'shit for hearing', is true?

Some people have an anus for an ear?

Some people have an anus as their entire being.

We have a word for them...

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Your ear canal is surrounded by smooth muscle cells, .....

Really? I don't think so.

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By expanding and then contracting, the ear wax is forced forward...

Those are bronchioles (in the lung) not the external auditory meatus.

Kal

Good lord, Kal.

Just enjoy the possibility. Try picturing the description!

You're ruining it!

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Good lord, Kal.

Just enjoy the possibility. Try picturing the description!

You're ruining it!

You piece of shit! I think we have hair in our ears that move shit out.

Oh god now you're "shooting" for a disability claim with the VA.

I believe that one of, if not Kal's 'Raison d'

Really an admirable post, Ncdrawl.

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Good lord, Kal.

Just enjoy the possibility. Try picturing the description!

You're ruining it!

Put the smiley on your original post and I will step back. Some might believe you.

Kal

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Kal, are you a doctor? Awful lot of knowledge about anatomy!

Not a medical doctor (although I may play one on the Internet). You can Google me or see here:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/721232/description#description

Kal

I was kidding, ncdrawl. "shooting", get it?

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Really an admirable post, Ncdrawl.

+1

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Some might believe you.

That was the idea.

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Some might believe you.

That was the idea.

Well, I may as well do my standard thing and get the windmills going.

NC: First things first: Do your research on the item below, weigh the situation appropriately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If it is nerve damage, then there is an interesting item from Asia, call 'Jiogulan' Tea. It "apparently" does seem to help in nerve repair. Good old empirical results, but that does seem to be the case. How it achieves this particular 'thing' is up to debate or whether it does anything at all, but I've messed about with it and it des seem to do something. What exactly, is the question. But you might want to look into it. Drugs is drugs, natural or contrived/extracted for corporate profit. (I've got a friend who's done medical research trials, drugs etc, for the past 18 years, so I do hear a bit on how this is done, the why's, the who's, etc). Of course corporations would rally and rail against the use of natural ones. Look to the state of the FDA and what it's done for the past 30 years. It's record is worse and worse as each year passes.

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Hey, ill try it, Ken...im willing to try anything short of a lobotomy.

Just a note of caution. Funny you should say that.

For example, if it is bone injuries as an adjunct to the nerve condition, then there can be possibility of permanent fractures causing (relational) blood flow issues or clots.

Now, MMS will mess with the pH balance of the blood, as will Jiogulan. Jiaogulan will generally, IIRC, correct to perfect function, relatively speaking, with regard to helping the body regain or rebalance blood ph. This is apparently one of it's forte's, as it is expressed by advocates of the tea or leaf.

Now, it seems as if incidental and empirical information is coming down the pipe that is starting to relate clotting to the body's inability to maintain a perfect pH. I know of how important this is in another science, this need for perfect pH to prevent clotting, so I have some correlation as to the veracity of the pH correction and the pH of the blood as an overall potential issue surrounding clotting.

Now, if you've thought about what I said and the given person has blood issues and body issues that create clots..and they are carrying around clots in their body..then they take the Jiogulan, and it loosens the clots..and before the body absorbs the given clots..the given clot lodges in the brain and effectively, in one way or another, lobotomizes them.

I mention this Jiogulan Tea as a friend had his mother in the hospital with nearly full meylin nerve sheathing loss. Fuck, that must of hurt.

Nerves are like an electrical wire. Current (the message) must be conducted along a path (the nerve) to successfully get from point A to point B (the brain to a fingertip). The electrical current must travel without being corrupted, scrambled, diverted from the proper path, or leaking energy. Therefore, myelin is like the layer of plastic insulation surrounding an interior wire, which is the nerve. Additionally, myelin speeds the conduction, so it's also analogous to a secondary coating on the wire that reduces the resistance facing an electrical current. The interior wire represents the series of axons and nerve cells that relay the electrical impulse.

Myelin is always made of lipids of proteins, but it functions slightly differently depending on where in our nervous system it's employed. Our body has a Peripheral Nervous System, PNS, that branches from the spinal cord to carry information related to sensory input, while our brain's Central Nervous System, CNS, determines how to act on that input. Each of these systems synthesizes myelin in a different way, so different complications can result.

Dysfunction in the myelin of nerve fibers causes the interruption of smooth delivery of information. Either nerve impulses can be slowed, such that we can't pull our hand away in time to avoid being burned, or mixed up, so we aren't able to determine if a pan is hot in the first place. This is akin to a pet chewing on a wire, causing the device to dysfunction. When problems arise in nerves of the PNS, neuropathy might result, and when injury affects the nerves of the CNS, multiple sclerosis is often diagnosed.

Anyway, she was a powerful psychic and her main tendency was to have 'others' as they say, speak through her. Now, she had JUST come back from a trip to China where she visited many major shrines for the dead. She says the insane number of people who tried to speak through her was off the charts.

Now, I had read some work done by some people with deep levels of work in such areas and they where medical experts on the nervous system as well.

They found that the meylin sheathing on the channelers were severely degraded and needed to recover after powerful channeling sessions. This falls in line with the analysis of the US Naval Academy of research that shows that the human nervous system is superconductive and it appears as if it operates off of the cooper-paired versions of the PMG (platinum metals group) that fall under the umbrella of 'white powder of gold, or the 'philosopher's stone'. The cooper paired versions of the PMG where shown by David Hudson to be both in and out of this dimension, and could and did bridge the gap between the two. And that these superconducting particles and atomic structures are inherent and in all foods and are used in the human body but the standard 30 second burn method of spectroscopic analysis is inadequate to show this, the 300 second burn method of the Soviet academy of sciences does show them, though.

In the western 30 second burn method, they don't show up at all,and when they do they look like Iron, Silica, and aluminum.

Apparently, the Jiogulan tends to be loaded with these prima-materials that are needed to balance the body out properly so it functions optimally and also allows for repair of tissue if it (the body) is functioning optimally. The particular chemical and etc mix and the way they are stacked and operate in the Jiogulan is apparently very effective with dealing with nerve damage, which is a very difficult thing to deal with, In my limited knowledge on that aspect.

So I gave this woman the information while she was in the hospital and gave her the tea. She said it seemed to have an effect, an effect that was beyond what the hospital was attempting to do. She made a full recovery but if the Jiogulan had anything to do with that, it is debatable, of course.

As for my logical discourse on parapsychology, that would take about a year or so to really outline so it won't be done here.

My primary point is to caution you as to the nature of issues of blood and similar when looking at this tea and the possible dangers it can represent if taken without due caution and knowledge of what your potential issues might be.

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Gotya, Dr. Rubinson, or should I call you professor? Man, you are a smart dude. What are you doing working for an audio rag?

(kidding)

Having fun. No kidding.

Kal

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I mention this Jiogulan Tea as a fiend............

Well, that confirms my suspicions.

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.......had his mother in the hospital with nearly full meylin nerve sheathing loss. Fuck, that must of hurt.

Actually, demyelination and possible consequent axonal conduction failure usually leads to loss of function and very rarely any pain.

As for the rest, it is a very colorful and strange story of nerve conduction which, since it is wholly by analogy (rather than actual description) is beyond criticism. However, myelin does not play much of a role in insulation by acting as a non-conductor as would the insulation on a wire. The membrane of the axon is generally sufficient for this purpose. Myelin, because of its bulk, acts to reduce the capacitance of the axon and, as all audiophiles know charging/discharging a capacitance is time-consuming. By reducing the capacitance of the axon membrane, the axon can conduct faster. Thus, loss of myelin, independent of other issues, usually leads to slower signal transmission, not loss of transmission.

Whatever.

Kal

I was outlining one of the potential issues that might be encountered, which is only a reasonable (And fundamental) thing to do, IMO. I did it in a way that illustrates the direction and tack it comes from, and also tried to steer clear of statements, which as a form of factualizing incidental information, should properly be avoided. I think we can agree on that.

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I was outlining one of the potential issues that might be encountered, which is only a reasonable (And fundamental) thing to do, IMO. I did it in a way that illustrates the direction and tack it comes from, and also tried to steer clear of statements, which as a form of factualizing incidental information, should properly be avoided. I think we can agree on that.

Agreed. That's one reason I did not offer a critique. It does convey the flavor.

Kal

Have you tried getting a water pick and irrigating you ears out. Not the attachment for your teeth. The other one. A lot of family doctors still use this method to get troublesome ears cleaned out. You'll be surprised what comes out. You got shit in your ears, troop. And yes, you probably did hurt your ears in the service. My outgoing hearing test was worse than my induction test. Loud noise comes with the territory.