1. Community
  2. Ears, nose, throat and mouth
  3. Ear Problems

Ears have been feeling like there’s pressure/fullness but can’t pop??

Posted , 2 users are following.

patricia38104
patricia38104

Some background about the problem: I have never been on a plane, scuba diving, or done any activities damaging to my ear except listen to loud music (though I try to keep the volume regular.) As far as I know, I have never had an ear infection in my life. I also don’t have severe sinus problems and have not been facing anything that could be a sinus issue except pressure in my head and behind my eyes the past couple days. I clean my ears with Q-tips but that’s all. I haven’t had a cold in months and my tonsils have not been removed. I do have braces though, and this has started after I got my wire changed so I think it could be this. However I want a second opinion.

The first time I felt my ear pop in a while was a month ago, around the 4th when I blew my nose a little too hard and my left ear popped. This was all I felt in my ear for a little bit after, and for the rest of the month I can’t recall having any problems. 

However, on the 4th of January (This month) my ear popped again after lightly blowing my nose in the bathroom. I felt fullness in my ear and like my ears had pressure in them. Both ears this time. I felt it and tried to swallow and try other methods I found online to try and pop them to no avail. Defeated, I gave up and hoped it would quit on its own. It did for a bit, but it was full and felt like they filled up and crackled on and off for the next couple days. 

Things got worse as of two nights ago. Around 8:00 p.m. my ears randomly started crackling and filling up and I thought I was going to lose my hearing. I did have muffled hearing for a little bit but that was brief. It went away after a couple seconds, but the fullness and pressure came back on and off throughout the night. It didn’t muffle my hearing like it did the first time, but it still hurt and confused me. 

As of yesterday, my ears got worse. They were okay in the morning but as the day went on they started to hurt a bit more and feel a little like they were burning from the pressure. They felt full and crackled a bit as well, but my hearing wasn’t muffled until I woke up about 40 minutes ago and I couldn’t hear for a couple seconds. I can hear fairly well now (can hear myself speak) and I can feel the veins behind my ears really well when I crack my left cheek/swallow.

As I type this, I can feel the veins behind my ears on both sides of my head. I have the fullness feeling in both ears but more so the right. Both have a little bit of the sensation I described earlier. I am also not experiencing any dizziness or vertigo from my ears being messed up. 

I don’t have a clue why this is happening. Like I said, no history of ear infections. Haven’t had a cold in months and barely any sinus issues. I think it could be from my braces (tinnitus) but I’ve heard that people who had it from that also had jaw clicking, if I have that i’ve never noticed. The only possibilities I can think of are my braces, tonsils, or somehow sinuses. Has anyone else experienced this and should I make an appointment to the ENT before it’s too late?

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • patricia38104
    patricia38104

    Posted

    I’m going to have my mom call the orthodontist later in the morning to see if anyone else has experienced this. Will update after my mother calls.
  • pistal666
    pistal666 patricia38104

    Posted

    Do you feel Dizzy at any time in particular? Like when you get up from a hot bath or you sit up to quickly? Do you get a crackle when you swallow? I don't think anything to do with your Teeth is going to effect your hearing. 

     

     

    • patricia38104
      patricia38104 pistal666

      Posted

      Sometimes I get dizzy from getting up too fast, but that’s happened before the problems with my ears as well. I do hear a crackling sort of noise when I swallow. 
  • pistal666
    pistal666 patricia38104

    Posted

    Has your Doctor mentioned the possibility of it being ETD (Eustachian tube dysfunction)? Or if you really think it is something else, go to ENT because It's going to be one of the three things he covers, for sure. A burning sensation could be an infection or the beginning of one? Does it feel tender/sore when you put fingers behind the Earlobes, whilst you swallow?

    • patricia38104
      patricia38104 pistal666

      Posted

      I haven’t gotten te chance to talk to the doctor yet, but that could be what it is. I am going to try to get to the doctors in the next couple days, though. It doesn’t really feel sore when I put my fongers behind my earlobes, by the way. 
  • patricia38104
    patricia38104

    Posted

    I’m up early once again because of my ears. It felt like both of my ears were filling up since about a half hour ago. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear when I woke back up. The feeling of fullness came and went throughout yesterday, and the little bit of burning sensation too. I’m going to try my hardest to get into the doctors because I really don’t want to risk losing my hearing for good. I’m gonna be surprised if it’s an ear infection honestly, because I haven’t ever had one in my life. Plus nothing else seems off with my sinuses.
  • patricia38104
    patricia38104

    Posted

    Okay, my ears have gotten worse. I feel pressure in both of them currently ( a little bit more in the left ear than the right), it feels like they're either wet on the inside or have air rushing in and out of them, I don't know how to describe the sensation. When I swallow or chew,I can feel pressure in the veins behind my ears (moreso the left one), right behind my earlobe. I can also feel it when I pop my left cheek. However, I can hear fairly well. I woke up early the past two mornings with no hearing in either ear for the first few seconds of the day, but haven't lost hearing throughout the rest of my days. It currently feels like there's a large amount of pressure behind my ears, almost like it's weighing them down.I haven't had audible crackling or muffling in them since Thursday night.I did get a bit dizzy when I got up from my bed earlier, albeit it only being two or three times. I really am confused over this.

  • patricia38104
    patricia38104

    Posted

    I went to the doctor’s for this about two days ago, she said that there was no wax buildup and she also said there was no ear infection. She said there is something wrong insode my nose that is causing me to feel pressure in my ears and recommended me Sinex to try and clear it up. I took some a little bit ago but it just made my ears feel worse. Now my head and ears feel full and I feel a sort of itching/pain and wetness in them. Last night I got a brief ringing in my left ear, and i was terrified that I would have lost my hearing. I haven’t, though, I have been able to hear since then but like I said the ear pressure persists. I don’t know what to do about this anymore and it’s getting so frustrating.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.