I hope that whatever I say won't prevent you from having it thoroughly
checked by a specialist... but...
There are a number of muscles in and around the ear which may tense,
sometimes voluntarily or not, in response to stress. If you can remember
the circumstances in which this sensation began it might be helpful to
understand the process. Involuntary tensing of little muscles can be
addressed in a number of ways: dietary supplement (I think magnesium and/or
calcium help muscles to function more smoothly); relaxation
exercises/meditation; medication.
Anyway, the point is that when muscles tense in the ear you can hear a
thunderous hum, and if you have developed a reflex of tensing these muscles
in the presence of loud sounds (are you morbidly sensitive to sound?) that
might produce the symptom you describe. Just 2c worth from a
non-specialist. john
At 01:54 PM 4/20/01 -0700, you wrote:
>To all the good doctors here and anyone else who might know something...
>
>For several months - I can't seem to remember exactly when this all
>started - I have had a very weird pain in my right ear - hard to
>describe in spoken, never mind written form... It seems to have become
>rather worse in recent weeks. It resonates painfully with a kind of a
>"whump..." sensation - set off by my own speaking/singing voice as well
>as certain external sounds. It tends to happen indoors, in smaller,
>more "closed in" rooms. Singing in a studio or theatre somehow seems to
>be less of a problem, but something like speaking at "normal or louder"
>volume in a kitchen and/or a "clattery" sound like putting dishes in a
>cupboard is excruciating. Holding the ear or putting in a wax earplug
>helps... My actual hearing ability seems normal. After not having a
>regular doctor for about a year, I have seen two physicians at walk-in
>clinics about this and I have just now obtained the services of and had
>a check-up with a regular "holistic" physician. None of them can see
>any problem with the outer ear - e.g., injury, wax build-up, etc. My
>new doctor says I need to see an ENT specialist to do a full test of my
>ears and have an MRI scan to eliminate the possibility of a tumour in my
>inner ear.
>
>Here is a problem: Here where I live in Victoria/Vancouver, there are
>months-long waiting lists for "specialist" stuff like the above - all
>part of "bigger picture" systemic problems with dysfunctional
>healthcare, which is stuff for a "backstage" rant... I am committed to
>move north in just a couple weeks, for the 4-month summer gig I do up in
>the Yukon. At this point, I'm certain there are no ENTs there and
>probably no MRI scanners, which makes me wonder if I might have to do
>something like take time off from my gig to fly back down for this...
>
>Tumours and other bad stuff notwithstanding, I'm wondering about other
>causes. It just occurred to me, I have worn earplugs as a sleep aid for
>many years. Could chronic earplug use be problematic? How about hay
>fever/allergies? water trapped in the ear from swimming/showering?
>other...?
>
>Thank you all so much for any thoughts, ideas... Feel free to respond
>on or off list...
>
>Blessings.
>
>Michael
>
>Michael Eckford <michaelb@i...>
>Michael Eckford <michaelb@i...>
>Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
>http://www.angelfire.com/me/interdependence/
>
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
John Blyth
Baritono robusto e lirico
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
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