u/Opposite-Inflation11

I’m honestly at my wits’ end and hoping someone here has experienced something similar.

About 7 days ago, I woke up with significant pressure/fullness and muffled hearing in my right ear. It felt completely clogged and made me extremely disoriented. The sensation can get so intense that I feel like I’m not walking straight and like I’m losing my mind.

I went to my family doctor that Friday. He couldn’t see anything obviously wrong with my ear, but because of the sudden onset and muffled hearing, he was concerned about possible sudden hearing loss and told me to get a hearing test ASAP. Unfortunately, it was Friday and everything was closed, so he recommended I go to the ER.
At the ER, they looked in my ear and thought they could see some fluid behind the eardrum. They did a quick hearing assessment and said my hearing seemed okay. I was told to try things like steaming and measures to help open my Eustachian tubes.
My family doctor also flushed my ear that Friday. There was very little earwax, and flushing it made absolutely no difference to the fullness or muffled sensation.

Saturday: I woke up with the same severe fullness and disorientation. I tried steaming and massaging around my jaw/ear. I also bought saline spray and Flonase because I thought this might be Eustachian tube dysfunction.

Sunday: Same thing again. My ear felt completely clogged and I was incredibly disoriented. Saline spray and Flonase didn’t seem to do anything. I was so anxious and uncomfortable that night that I only slept about two hours and actually felt sick to my stomach from the anxiety.

Monday: I woke up and my ears were basically clear. Later that evening, however, the fullness came back. I couldn’t understand why it was fluctuating so much.

I contacted my family doctor again and he arranged an ENT referral. Somehow I was able to get an appointment for Tuesday.

Tuesday: I had a full hearing test and pressure testing/tympanometry. Everything came back normal. I had no hearing loss and normal middle-ear pressure. The ENT also looked carefully in my ear and did not see any fluid behind the eardrum or any significant earwax buildup. So there wasn’t an obvious physical blockage that could explain the sensation.

Because there wasn’t an obvious cause, I’m now on a waitlist for a CT and MRI, but I’m being told it could take a couple of months.

The ENT also gave me betahistine to try for the dizziness/disorientation, although he was very upfront that there isn’t strong evidence that it will help in my situation.

Wednesday: I stayed home and took the betahistine. My ear stayed basically 100% clogged/full all day. I was still extremely disoriented and uncomfortable.

By this point, I had started doing more research and began wondering whether TMJ/bruxism could be involved.

I’ve had a history of clenching my teeth, both during the day and at night, for years. I always assumed it was just something I did when stressed and never really paid much attention to it.

I started consciously paying attention to my jaw position and realized I was clenching WAY more than I thought. I started trying to keep my tongue resting on the roof of my mouth, lips together, and teeth apart.

I also realized that my teeth themselves were extremely sore, which made me realize how much clenching I had probably been doing without noticing.

Thursday: I went back to the hospital because I was hoping they might be able to do imaging. They didn’t think imaging was indicated and instead examined my jaw and said that my symptoms could be consistent with TMJ. They recommended Advil twice a day and seeing a dentist.

The problem is that I start a new job on Monday, so getting a dentist appointment immediately isn’t really realistic.

Friday: I had a complete breakdown because I was so exhausted and frustrated. I took Advil, took 100 mg of magnesium before bed, put my old orthodontic retainers in, and taped my mouth shut while sleeping because I was trying anything I could think of to prevent clenching.

Saturday: I woke up and my ear was almost completely clear — maybe 5% fullness.
I was exhausted from the past week of barely sleeping, so I took a nap today. I was drifting in and out of sleep, and during the nap I could actually feel myself clenching my teeth at times and pushing my jaw forward. I was somewhat aware of it happening while I was half-asleep, but obviously wasn’t consciously choosing to do it.

When I woke up after that short nap, the ear fullness was back to almost 100%, along with the same horrible disorientation.

That’s what is really confusing me. I don’t have significant or persistent jaw pain. I don’t have pain in the muscles around my jaw either, and when I’ve tried massaging the area, there’s nothing that particularly hurts or feels like a painful knot. I have also been doing hot compresses and massages and even use a tmj acupuncture tool, and there is no difference with this.

That said, on the day when my ear was almost completely clear, I did notice some tingling around my right jaw joint and some cracking/popping in the right side of my jaw. Other than that, I don’t really have pain in the joint or surrounding muscles.
Yet I clearly have a history of clenching, my teeth are sore, and I actually noticed myself clenching my teeth and pushing my jaw forward while I was drifting in and out of sleep during my nap. The ear symptoms also seem to fluctuate dramatically.
That’s why I’m wondering whether the clenching/bruxism could somehow be contributing to the ear fullness even without the typical TMJ pain people usually describe.

I’m wondering:
Has anyone experienced severe ear fullness/pressure from bruxism or TMJ without significant jaw pain?

Can TMJ/bruxism cause this type of ear sensation even when hearing tests and tympanometry are completely normal?

Has anyone had the fullness accompanied by dizziness/disorientation like this?

Did treating the clenching actually resolve the ear symptoms?

What treatments helped you besides simply being told to “stop clenching”?

Has anyone benefited from dental treatment, a properly fitted night guard, physical therapy, or other approaches?

I’m obviously not assuming this is definitely TMJ, especially since I’m still waiting for imaging and have been evaluated by an ENT. I’m just trying to understand whether this pattern sounds familiar to anyone.

The hardest part is that the sensation is so intense despite everything testing normal. It is genuinely debilitating, and the uncertainty is making my anxiety much worse.

I’m desperate for ideas at this point. I start my new job Monday and really need to figure out how to manage this. Even if someone has a temporary fix, please let me know just so I can start my job this week and then look into long term treatment. I have to drive to my job and can’t with the disorientation.

Sudden right ear fullness/muffled hearing that keeps fluctuating — normal audiogram and normal ENT exam. Has anyone experienced this?

I’m hoping to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar because I’m honestly pretty stressed and confused right now.

Last Friday morning around 9 AM, I woke up, lifted my head off my pillow, and suddenly noticed that my right ear was extremely blocked. I could still hear, but everything was incredibly muffled and it felt like my ear was completely plugged. I also felt very disoriented/dizzy because the hearing between my two ears was suddenly so different. I had never experienced anything like this before.

I saw my family doctor that day. He examined my ear and only saw a small amount of wax. He flushed it out, rechecked my ear, and didn’t see any significant redness, swelling, inflammation, or anything else that would explain the hearing change. Because the hearing loss had come on so suddenly, he was concerned about possible sudden sensorineural hearing loss and told me I needed an urgent audiogram. I couldn’t get one that day, so he sent me to the ER.

I waited around 10 hours in the ER and was eventually seen around midnight. The ER doctor also didn’t see an obvious infection, wax buildup, or significant inflammation, but he said he saw some fluid behind my eardrum and thought it was Eustachian tube dysfunction. He did tuning-fork testing and recommended conservative measures like steam/warm showers and pressure-equalizing techniques.

Over the next few days, the symptoms kept fluctuating. At times the right ear felt 80–100% blocked and I felt dizzy/disoriented enough that I didn’t feel safe driving. Other times it would improve significantly, sometimes to the point where it felt almost completely clear. I also had a low humming/ringing sensation at times.

I tried warm showers/steam, saline spray, gentle jaw/facial massage and stretches, swallowing/yawning techniques, and Valsalva. I could never reliably get the right ear to “pop.” The symptoms would sometimes improve later in the day and then feel much more blocked again after waking up.
By Monday evening, my hearing felt almost completely normal again, although I had a strange pressure/fullness sensation in both ears. Then Tuesday morning, the right ear felt somewhat muffled/blocked again, probably around 50% compared with how severe it was initially. I could still hear, but I couldn’t hear my own voice as clearly inside my head on that side. It’s like a full feeling inside my head.

I finally saw an ENT today and had a full audiogram. Here’s the part that has me confused: my hearing test came back above average. The ENT said I do NOT have sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and he doesn’t currently see fluid behind my eardrum or evidence of an Eustachian tube problem. So objectively, my hearing is excellent even though the ear can still feel very full/blocked.
Because he isn’t sure what’s causing the sensation, he’s ordering autoimmune bloodwork as well as a CT and MRI to investigate further.

Some other potentially relevant things: I’ve had jaw clenching/TMJ-type issues for about a year. I clench my jaw while sleeping and sometimes wake up with sore teeth/jaw, and occasionally get pain around my ear. I have no known allergies and wasn’t sick beforehand. I’m obviously relieved that my hearing test was excellent, but I’m still really confused because the sensation feels very real and sometimes makes me dizzy/disoriented.

Has anyone experienced sudden/intermittent ear fullness or a “plugged” sensation with a completely normal hearing test and normal ear examination? What ended up being the cause for you?

I’m especially interested in experiences involving TMJ, migraine/vestibular migraine, inner-ear issues, or anything else that could cause this kind of sensation without measurable hearing loss.
I’m not looking for a diagnosis, just trying to understand what possibilities I should ask my ENT about while I wait for the imaging. I have bad anxiety and I have been a mess while waiting for this to clear up.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on Mounjaro for a while now, and the dose I’m currently on is working really well for me. I’m experiencing strong appetite suppression, reduced food noise, and all the things people hope for with this medication. I’m also staying in a calorie deficit consistently and averaging around 7,500–10,000 steps per day.

Over the last month, though, I’ve noticed that my digestion has slowed down significantly. I’m on hormonal birth control and have been for over a decade. The main reason I’m on it is because if I’m not, I will bleed continuously.

Lately, I’ve started experiencing what feels like period symptoms again, along with full-on breakthrough bleeding that’s been going on for about two weeks. I’m also getting pretty bad hormonal acne all over my chin, which I haven’t dealt with in a long time.

Part of me wonders if the delayed digestion from Mounjaro is affecting how well my birth control is being absorbed. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

I’m really hesitant to switch birth control because I’ve been on this one for so many years, and finding one that works for me was a challenge. Changing birth control has always been a difficult process for me, so I’d prefer to avoid that if possible.

Another thing that’s frustrating is that my weight loss has basically stalled during all of this. I’m drinking plenty of water, staying in my calorie deficit, getting my steps in, and doing everything I normally do, but the scale isn’t moving the way I’d expect. I’m wondering if the bleeding and hormonal fluctuations are causing me to retain water weight, or if something else is going on.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Did you find a solution that didn’t involve changing birth control? Did the breakthrough bleeding eventually stop on its own? And for those who experienced hormonal changes while on Mounjaro, did it affect your weight loss temporarily? For context, I also have significant insulin resistance, which is one of the reasons I’m on Mounjaro in the first place.
I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences or any advice you might have. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been on Mounjaro for a while now, and the dose I’m currently on is working really well for me. I’m experiencing strong appetite suppression, reduced food noise, and all the things people hope for with this medication. I’m also staying in a calorie deficit consistently and averaging around 7,500–10,000 steps per day.

Over the last month, though, I’ve noticed that my digestion has slowed down significantly. I’m on hormonal birth control and have been for over a decade. The main reason I’m on it is because if I’m not, I will bleed continuously.

Lately, I’ve started experiencing what feels like period symptoms again, along with full-on breakthrough bleeding that’s been going on for about two weeks. I’m also getting pretty bad hormonal acne all over my chin, which I haven’t dealt with in a long time.

Part of me wonders if the delayed digestion from Mounjaro is affecting how well my birth control is being absorbed. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

I’m really hesitant to switch birth control because I’ve been on this one for so many years, and finding one that works for me was a challenge. Changing birth control has always been a difficult process for me, so I’d prefer to avoid that if possible.

Another thing that’s frustrating is that my weight loss has basically stalled during all of this. I’m drinking plenty of water, staying in my calorie deficit, getting my steps in, and doing everything I normally do, but the scale isn’t moving the way I’d expect. I’m wondering if the bleeding and hormonal fluctuations are causing me to retain water weight, or if something else is going on.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Did you find a solution that didn’t involve changing birth control? Did the breakthrough bleeding eventually stop on its own? And for those who experienced hormonal changes while on Mounjaro, did it affect your weight loss temporarily? For context, I also have significant insulin resistance, which is one of the reasons I’m on Mounjaro in the first place.
I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences or any advice you might have. Thanks!

24F, 5’4”.

I had a laparoscopic appendectomy a little over 2 weeks ago, and over the past 2 days I’ve started feeling an uncomfortable tugging/pulling tight sensation in my lower right abdomen near my hip area. It’s not sharp or severe pain, but it’s uncomfortable and has me a bit worried.

What’s confusing me is that I don’t have any incisions on that side. My incisions were on the left side and in my belly button, so I’m not sure if this is normal internal healing or something I should be more concerned about.

I’ve been walking daily during recovery to stay active and avoid sitting all day, but only at a slow pace on flat ground, nothing strenuous, no hills, heavy lifting, or intense exercise.

No fever, redness, drainage, vomiting, or severe pain. Mainly just this pulling/tight sensation.

Is this something that can happen during normal healing, or should I contact my doctor/surgeon?