Sound Sensor Failure | Hacker News Reader

Sound Sensor Failure

jacquesmattheij.com

28 pointsbussetta21 comments

Another problem you might notice is a significantly reduced ability to pick out signal from noise. e.g. someone talking against music or engine noise.

I think this is due to the brain being able to 'boost' signals based on directional information, which you can no longer do with one ear.

Social impact => harder to follow conversations in pubs/bars etc.

One useful adaptation is to provide directional hearing by cupping your hand on your ear and pointing the cup in different directions. This also saves you having to turn your head as much.

It's surprisingly effective.

It's also fun for two-eared people. You can pick out distant sounds much more clearly if you cup your hands around your ears and track around. A bit like having an ear telescope.

Oof, I have that signal-vs-noise thing all the time, making it very uncomfortable and awkward for me to try to talk to people in loud places, to the point that I've sort of started avoiding it to avoid the awkwardness... Sucks.

I feel the same... probably because of my tinnitus :(

I would say go to the doctor, as this sounds quite dangerous, also above everything the headache. You should have been to the doctor already, and not self-diagnose.

If anybody knows of any effective home remedies that do not involve needles then I'm 'all ears'.

Is visiting a doctor an option?

It is and if this lasts much longer it will not be an option but mandatory. I've moved around a lot in the last few years and don't actually have a relationship with any GP where I currently reside, so there is a lot of overhead in terms of paperwork and insurance stuff to be sorted out for any such visit. And of course I keep hoping that it will just magically clear up like it so far always did after every flight that I ever took (it feels just the same) but I am beginning to believe that I won't be that lucky this time around.

If it's earwax, try 'Debrox'. It's an earwax removal kit that you can buy at the drug store.

I had a similar problem a few years ago. I was deaf in my left ear. I went to a doctor and they pulled out some special equipment to clean it but recommended I buy the at-home kit. It worked

Definitely not that, earwax -> outer ear, this thing -> middle ear. The blockage is from the nasal passage, not on the outside. But if the blockage would be on the outside then your tip would probably work.

I get ear blockage just about every spring. Allergy medicine helps in my case. Also, maybe try to keep the inside of the ear dry. I had an ear blockage last month, and it went away after a few days taking allergy medicine, but then just the other day water ran down my ear during a shower and it's clogged up again.

Also, like others mentioned - go to a doctor - in particular an ear, nose, throat specialist. 2 years ago I went and they cleared everything out.

Someone I know has had similar issues to this (for different reasons), and by his experience I'd recommend you see a doctor right away.

Depending on the cause, they may be able to do something simple to fix things, but if there's something more serious going on, you'll be glad they found out now. In my friend's case, the fact that they didn't intervene when he was younger has made treatment more complicated.

In any case, I definitely would not take medical advice from anyone here (or on the web), or delay seeing a professional.

1st thing I would do is take a long hot shower. Also maybe go for a jog.

Go to an otorhinolaryngolog. These people are specialist and can clear your Eustacian tube. Also, if you happen to have on a regular basis deafness on one side, this can also come from back problems. Tension in the back is pushing tension up to the muscles wrapping the Eustacian tube and then you have issues. If you have control over the muscles of your Eustacian tube, you can repeatedly contract/relax it, it may move the stuff you have there and allow them to fall back again in your nose.

The ear canals and the nose are connected?

They are. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tube

It helps with drainage if you get an ear infection, and that kind of thing.

Seeing a doctor would probably be best. But if you were determined to try to solve this yourself, you could try reducing the pressure in your outer ear, see if you get some leakage. The MacGuyver in me says all you need is a vacuum cleaner, some duct tape and a plastic pint glass.

That sounds like a potential Darwin award to me.

As someone with occasional Eustachian problems, I can relate to your troubles.

I assume you've tried all the air-moving exercises to equalise the pressure? Tongue pressing against the ridge behind your upper teeth, repeatedly try to swallow (this is the thing that works the best for me, though I've never had a complete blockage; it's called the Frenzel maneuver [1])

Looking at wikipedia [2], there are quite a few variations you might try.

If these don't do anything for you, go see a doctor. This is serious, if it's lasting for a week.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenzel_maneuver

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_clearing#Methods

Holy crap. That worked!!

Thank you so much... you've really made my day. It's not perfect yet, likely the eardrum is a bit deformed/floppy from being stretched that long but it is about a million times better than 5 minutes ago.

:) :) :)

Mad props to you and I'd happily upvote you a 100 times if I could. If you're ever in/near Amsterdam let me know and I'll buy you dinner.

As someone who has a hearing problem, partial deafness sounds terrible (no pun intended) and slightly scary because hearing problems affect everything from your balance to be able to function socially in loud environments. Get well, Jacques.

It is incredible how many things are affected by just partial hearing loss. My nightmare so far has always been loss of vision, but I realize far more clearly now that loss of hearing is in many ways quite serious as well.

Thanks!

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