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/
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