argh, my left ear feels shut

variant

So I was indulging myself in some Heroes last night and as I was watching, I felt my left ear slowly closing. I woke up today and it feels completely shut and like it need to be popped but it just won't. I can hear from it still, though it feels like im sitting between two speakers and the left one is turned down.

I did Q-tip before I started to watch the show, which apparently is bad for you?
Also my nose was flowing like the Amazon yesterday morning and afternoon but had stopped it had stopped in the evening.

So I'm trying to figure out what to do because I have 6 unit class final tomorrow and I can't concentrate.

I guess it could only be three things: Wax impaction, congestion, ear infection.

Xagarath

Have you tried taking a shower or bath? I've sometimes found water solves that kind of problem.

JaysonFour

Blow your nose. Your sinuses are plugged up, and the only way to equalize the pressure inside with the air pressure outside is to get the holes inside cleared out so air can flow again. Be advised, this WILL be somewhat painful when your ears pop.

The Black Hunter

Go to a doctor, it may just be a wax buildup

If they think it's an infection, go to a specialist.

variant

Can't go to a Doctor, no insurance.

I did shower a little while ago and let some water go in it and turned to get it out, felt a warm sensation and the water came out but it's still the same.

My sinuses just started acting up again. I'm gonna go to the store and get some ear drops and psuedoephedrine.

Dark Moon

Probably a wax impaction, given that you used a Q-tip to build a nice waxy barrier in front of your ear drum. Stop cleaning your ear canals with Q-tips. If you've never had ear problems before, you should be able to get an ear cleaning kit (bulb + dilute hydrogen peroxide solution) from the drug store and try to remove the build up with that. If this doesn't work, the build up may be too extensive or it may be something else, in which case a trip to the doctor is next on the list. If you've had ear problems before and have anything like a perforation in your eardrum, go straight to the doctor and do not pass go, as getting hydrogen peroxide in your middle ear will cause Problems.

Note that you should not have to clean your ear canals if your ears are functioning normally. Your body irrigates the canals regularly and leaves nice little bundles of wax that you can remove outside the canal. Consistently cleaning too much of the wax out of your ears will result in really nasty infections. If you have overactive wax production in your ear, ask your doctor about it and they will likely refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist for a specific plan on how to deal with it.

Joe Chemo

If you could feel it closing as you were watching a movie, I bet it's not wax. Another possibility is the tube that connects your ear and back of your throat, the one responsible for equalizing pressure when your ears pop. It's the Eustachian Tube. It can block up if it's inflamed (ie from a sore throat) or you have sinus congestion.

The way I clear my tube is by holding my nose, closing my mouth, and blowing. Be sure to slowly increase pressure -- sharp bursts of pressure can damage your ear. I find it more effect to do this during or right after a hot shower.

EDIT: Ah, I see you mention you have a sinus congestion. Then I'm definitely putting my money on it being a Eustachian problem.

Mim

I wouldn't recommend cleaning out your ears just yet with water. If it is an ear infection that will only make it worse (trust me, I learned this two months ago). Try wiggling your ear a bit, if you wiggle it and you can then hear out of it like normal then it's probably wax. If not, then err on the side of caution with the water because it could be an ear infection or something else.

vonPoonBurGer

Joe Chemo wrote: »

EDIT: Ah, I see you mention you have a sinus congestion. Then I'm definitely putting my money on it being a Eustachian problem.

That'd be my guess as well. An anti-inflammatory (e.g. ibuprofen) can reduce any inflammation that might be closing that tube, so that's worth a try. If it keeps up though, definitely go see a doctor.

eternalbl

Man, I used to get ear infections and blocked ears all the time and the best thing was a blow dryer on warm at low ... blow. Or just lay with the clogged ear facing up for a bit. After 30 mins or so you'll start to feel the pressure release.

Oh, and more recently I've found tylenol cold and flu is the shit for congestion. Even a cheap store brand anti-histamine will usually keep my sinus clear for about 8 hours,but anything medical makes my sinus feel... just odd.

KyleWPeterson

Go with the ear cleaning kit, agreed. I used to use Q-tips a lot until I went to the doctor a few years back and while looking inside of my right ear, the doctor pulled out a pea-sized mound of ear wax. I could not believe how well I could hear for weeks after that, and rarely have used Q-tips since.

variant

I went to the pharmacy and got some Psuedoephedrine 12 hour, broke it in half (i figure it would make it act faster) and took both pieces.

Ear is fine now, ~3 hours after taking it. It slowly opened up.
I'm feeling a bit drowsy though, so I'm going to take an Excedrin (for the caffeine) to wake myself up.

So it was congestion i guess but breaking the Pseudophedrine in half wasn't a good idea as I've never felt drowsy when I've taken the whole pill.

Dark Moon

variant wrote: »

I went to the pharmacy and got some Psuedoephedrine 12 hour, broke it in half (i figure it would make it act faster) and took both pieces.

Ear is fine now, ~3 hours after taking it. It slowly opened up.
I'm feeling a bit drowsy though, so I'm going to take an Excedrin (for the caffeine) to wake myself up.

So it was congestion i guess but breaking the Pseudophedrine in half wasn't a good idea as I've never felt drowsy when I've taken the whole pill.

Glad it went away. Pseudoephedrine doesn't induce drowsiness - the listed possible side effects of psuedoephedrine include only the opposite of sleepiness (sleeplessness, restlessness, anxiety). Also, taking less of a substance will decrease its effects, so if you've never had drowsiness when taking a full dose of pseudoephedrine taking half a dose certainly won't cause it.

Just a note - excedrin will do fuck all in terms of waking you up. It's got ~65mg of caffeine in it, roughly the same amount as you'll find in a cup of tea. You'd be better off having two cups of tea and not subjecting your poor liver to a bunch of acenatimophen for no reason.

Smug Duckling

Since this seems to be relatively solved, I'm curious how you guys go about cleaning your ears.

My current method is to do it in the shower with a warm-water-soaked facecloth. Put it over my index finger, put it in my ear and turn it a couple of times. I've been doing it for ages without problems, and I think my finger is too big to go very far into my ear, so it shouldn't cause any problems. (Plus, if there were a build-up of wax, putting the warm water in there would hopefully get rid of it.)

Thanatos

Dark Moon wrote: »

variant wrote: »

I went to the pharmacy and got some Psuedoephedrine 12 hour, broke it in half (i figure it would make it act faster) and took both pieces.

Ear is fine now, ~3 hours after taking it. It slowly opened up.
I'm feeling a bit drowsy though, so I'm going to take an Excedrin (for the caffeine) to wake myself up.

So it was congestion i guess but breaking the Pseudophedrine in half wasn't a good idea as I've never felt drowsy when I've taken the whole pill.

Glad it went away. Pseudoephedrine doesn't induce drowsiness - the listed possible side effects of psuedoephedrine include only the opposite of sleepiness (sleeplessness, restlessness, anxiety). Also, taking less of a substance will decrease its effects, so if you've never had drowsiness when taking a full dose of pseudoephedrine taking half a dose certainly won't cause it.

Just a note - excedrin will do fuck all in terms of waking you up. It's got ~65mg of caffeine in it, roughly the same amount as you'll find in a cup of tea. You'd be better off having two cups of tea and not subjecting your poor liver to a bunch of acenatimophen for no reason.

O_o

One generally takes two Excedrin, which is 130mg of caffeine, which is slightly less than you get in a cup of coffee, which will most definitely help wake you up.

But yeah, pseudoephedrine doesn't cause drowsiness.

Dark Moon

Thanatos wrote: »

O_o

One generally takes two Excedrin, which is 130mg of caffeine, which is slightly less than you get in a cup of coffee, which will most definitely help wake you up.

But yeah, pseudoephedrine doesn't cause drowsiness.

Oh, whoops. Still, having a cup of coffee/several cups of tea or a caffeine pill is a better habit to get into when you need to wake up than taking a couple hundred mg of unnecessary painkillers.

truck-a-sauras

sinus colds suck. Had a sinus cold so bad one time I had similar ear issues, but mine was so bad I couldn't hear at all. I thought I had gone deaf or my ear drum blew out.

jefe414

Smug Duckling wrote: »

Since this seems to be relatively solved, I'm curious how you guys go about cleaning your ears.

My current method is to do it in the shower with a warm-water-soaked facecloth. Put it over my index finger, put it in my ear and turn it a couple of times. I've been doing it for ages without problems, and I think my finger is too big to go very far into my ear, so it shouldn't cause any problems. (Plus, if there were a build-up of wax, putting the warm water in there would hopefully get rid of it.)

Well, the natural process of chewing breaks stuff up. I currently have an ear infection so it's all closed up right now but I have not had a clog in over 15 years. If someone is prone to ear clogs, chew gum.

variant

Well so I took sudafed just in case again yesterday, but not today, so it came back, I was at school all day so I couldn't take the medicine, then later I was hit with intense Vertigo, luckily I was just pulling in to the driveway. Took the medicine a couple of hours ago and now I'm amped, can't sleep and have a final in the afternoon. great.

Wonder if this could be a sinus infection...but my nasal leek hasn't been thick, at all, it's watery.

Mad Jazz

It could be an infection, or just a cold messing with you. I imagine you'll be fine once you're done stressing about exams and have a chance to get some rest.

Incidentally, you shouldn't break or chew pills unless it's part of the directions. Medications are designed to be absorbed and released at a specific rate, and altering the delivery could mess with that rate and give you some gnarly side effects (or just render the medication useless, or anything in between).