suggestions for ear ache?

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

I have made so much progress with 4S but when continuously exposed to my worst

trigger---gum...my behavior is such that I play music through my headphones. I

will be working on the exposure part (reduction!) with my new employer but I

would also like to address the fact that with too much exposure my left ear

begins to ache. This was true several years ago as well. In fact my

audiologist said I was starting to have hearing loss in that ear due to the

exposure. I don't have this problem with my right ear and it has more or less

the same exposure. The only difference is that I uncover my left ear to speak

on the phone. In order to protect the ear, I even put ear plugs in and reduce

the volume.

I certainly am going to work on reducing exposure to the cube environment and

possibly go to my audiologist but I would like to know if anyone has suggestions

for further protecting the sore ear drum and if anyone else has similar

experiences.

Thanks,

Sonya

[Guest guest]

I have had something similar and I know this is going to sound crazy and hopefully one of the good doctors here can correct me but it felt to me in the past that my ear was going into spasm or cramping from the abusive sound.That is not quite right but I'm finding it hard to put a word to the feeling, similar to tensing when you are about to feel impact?? Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on 3Sender: Soundsensitivity Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2011 06:50:47 -0600To: <Soundsensitivity >ReplyTo: Soundsensitivity Subject: suggestions for ear ache? Hello all,I have made so much progress with 4S but when continuously exposed to my worst trigger---gum...my behavior is such that I play music through my headphones. I will be working on the exposure part (reduction!) with my new employer but I would also like to address the fact that with too much exposure my left ear begins to ache. This was true several years ago as well. In fact my audiologist said I was starting to have hearing loss in that ear due to the exposure. I don't have this problem with my right ear and it has more or less the same exposure. The only difference is that I uncover my left ear to speak on the phone. In order to protect the ear, I even put ear plugs in and reduce the volume.I certainly am going to work on reducing exposure to the cube environment and possibly go to my audiologist but I would like to know if anyone has suggestions for further protecting the sore ear drum and if anyone else has similar experiences.Thanks,Sonya

[Guest guest]

I have heard this before and I am suspicious about the impact of jaw or muscle

tension from the stress of the situation, tightening the jaw or cheek or neck

muscles even around the eyes can provoke an ache in the area of the middle ear

or ear canal.

One ides is to use relaxation exercises several times a day and become more

mindful of muscle tension during these exposures. A simple Advil or Tylenol can

often relieve the pain and I am a big believer in hot compresses on the side of

the head to increase bloodflow and soothe that ache.

Let me know if this advice is helpful. More jaw or head or neck clenching is

connected to this issue that we think!

DrJ

PS Eardrums and middle ear spaces are certainly equipped with what is needed for

aching, i.e., nerves, muscles, ligaments, joints, and so on.....

[Guest guest]

I agree with Dr. J regarding jaw or muscle tension from the stress (not to discount the other possibilities of what could be going on directly in & from the inner ear). Coming from a dentist's family, I know that TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) pain that often comes from grinding or clenching teeth, which many people don't even know they are doing, is often reported as an ear ache since that joint is directly in front on the ear. If you push (carefully) your fingers onto each side of your face right in front of your ears, while you open (wide) and close your mouth/jaw, you can feel the joint . . . and if it hurts while you're pushing (not too hard!), then that might be part of the problem. Usually wearing a night guard at night, or even during the day also, helps to keep the teeth from finding a place to lock into each other and then the teeth tend to slide instead of clench or grind. Anyway, if you find that this could be contributing, which, like Dr. J said, would make sense considering the stress from 4S, then you might want to see a dentist. Unfortunately, that won't help the 4S itself, but at least it might help get relief from an ear ache if that's the cause.

From: Soundsensitivity [mailto:Soundsensitivity ] On Behalf Of MSent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 7:43 AMTo: Soundsensitivity Subject: Re: suggestions for ear ache?

I have heard this before and I am suspicious about the impact of jaw or muscle tension from the stress of the situation, tightening the jaw or cheek or neck muscles even around the eyes can provoke an ache in the area of the middle ear or ear canal.One ides is to use relaxation exercises several times a day and become more mindful of muscle tension during these exposures. A simple Advil or Tylenol can often relieve the pain and I am a big believer in hot compresses on the side of the head to increase bloodflow and soothe that ache.Let me know if this advice is helpful. More jaw or head or neck clenching is connected to this issue that we think!DrJPS Eardrums and middle ear spaces are certainly equipped with what is needed for aching, i.e., nerves, muscles, ligaments, joints, and so on.....