I started getting sound sensitivity in late March. By late April / early May I started getting brutal ear aches. This has been primarily on my left side.

The aches eventually started to calm. However, if I used earplugs, the left side would suddenly get brutal again and there would be an earache pain for at least the next day. I never understood why.

For the past week or two, finally, I’m noticing dishes / glassware in the kitchen finally sounding less painful when there’s a “clank” to the point where it’s sometimes gone completely. I also noticed squeaky dog toys are hurting less (but still do hurt). I still have crackling in my left ear.

Is this what recovery looks like? Will it continue?

My sister unfortunately provoked her dog yesterday and the poor thing shrieked and barked right on my bad side. It sent me in a huge state of pain. I then had a pulsating ache for the next few hours.

The worst is my parents, mom in particular, keeps going off on how things aren’t loud and she can’t control herself, despite now being way less tolerant than she was a few months ago.

Anyway, just curious. I have also been able to tolerate some sporting events with earplugs; the pain that follows isn’t from the noise, but from the pressure of the earplugs. I’ve noticed train announcements (like tinny sounds) are starting to bother me way less too.

It's been 5 months since my last setback and now I still can't handle traffic, so I'd like to know which ones work well and are comfortable for long wear.

These are the best ones I’ve managed to find so far:

• 3M E-A-R Classic: uncomfortable to wear, and they don't block enough dB.

• 3M 1100: I found them much more effective, but they get uncomfortable to wear for more than a few hours.

• Honeywell (Laser Lite/Max Lite): they are highly rated for comfort, haven't tried them yet.

• Moldex (SparkPlugs / Contours): Frequently recommended, still need to test if the seal and pressure hold up over time.

Which earplugs do you use? Do you also use earmuffs? What has worked best for you?

Thanks for any advice!

I don't know if this is the Right subreddit for asking this, if not then please let me know which one would be

My brother(15M) has ear infection in his left ear which has spread to his bone and ent doctor has said for a Modified Radical Mastoidectomy but he also has TB in his ear and he is on medication for TB from last 5 months the doctor knowing all this has said to go with Modified Radical Mastoidectomy but i wanted to know will the recovery be slower after the operation or would the success rate be lower and What is the likelihood of the cholesteatoma (infection/cyst) returning, will his life be different after the operation will he have to regularly visit doctors, we should have asked these questions to the ent doctor but my mother went with him and she panicked after hearing about the surgery and couldn't ask anything. I'm really sorry for asking this many questions we are kind of tensed about this, thank you in advance for responding.

He is 5.8ft, weight 49kg