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Crackling / popping / clicking in ears - it's like an orchestra

Posted , 3 users are following.

AsteroidAndy
AsteroidAndy

Hey folks,

I've had crackling in my ears when I swallow or yawn (sometimes when I inhale deeply as well) for years now. Sometimes they also actually pop, which seems to restore some mild hearing loss.

In January these sounds were joined by a up until now permanent background musician, named Tinnitus. Now this issue I've read and heard about extensively and I now what can and especially cannot be done about it. That's not why I'm here.

Since a few weeks I've also been noticing clicking in my ear when going for a run. This is usually when I have some autophony, meaning that I can feel or hear my own breath in one of my ears. 

It's like my ears are dealing with a chronic imbalance of inner and outer pressure. They often feel muffled and/or clogged. Popping them does help a bit, but they often will close up again.

Mind you, I've never really had any issues with actually opening the Eustachian tubes, which I can do voluntarily (like divers often do).

Hope any of you have any ideas what all of this means. Doctors have been useless as of yet.

Thanks for reading

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • ItAintMono
    ItAintMono AsteroidAndy

    Posted

    Go and see an audiologist and get your ears checked out properly. Regular doctors will just look in there and probably not see anything wrong. You might then need a referral to an ENT.

    • AsteroidAndy
      AsteroidAndy ItAintMono

      Posted

      I've been all over the place with this. They won't give me a proper diagnosis. The ENT says it might be ETD (for which he gave me nasal spray - Nasonex and Flonase - and Prednisone: neither helped). Another doctor mentioned TMJ. I've been to a jaw specialist, who gave me jaw relaxation exercises. This does help for the cracking I sometimes experience when chewing, but does nothing for the tinnitus or the chronic popping in my ears.

      So yeah, that's kind of why I'm looking and asking around for any ideas on what the hell is going on up there.

  • mainak46439
    mainak46439 AsteroidAndy

    Posted

    Thanks for sharing your information. You can consult an Audiologist. I hope you get well soon.
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