re: #7, from the (pretty spot-on) description, it sounds like a eustachian tube problem. There's three sections of the ear (outer, middle, and inner), and each has a slightly different function in the hearing process. The part of the ear you can see on the side of your head = the pinna, and it and your ear canal are to collect and funnel sound to your eardrum. The eardrum marks the start of the middle ear, which is an air-filled space w/ a series of 3 bones that act like a bridge across the gap. The purpose of the middle ear is impedance matching, which is to say overcome the difference in the way sound carries in air versus water. One side of the bony bridge (called the ossicular chain) is connected to the ear drum, the other to the oval window, which is the start of the inner ear. The inner ear is filled w/ fluid, and when a soundwave hits your eardrum and causes the ossicular chain to jiggle, it sets up a series of water waves in your inner ear. These waves make the ear send a signal to your brain saying you heard something.
If anything goes wrong in any of the three sections of the ear, you can have a hearing loss. These hearing losses fall into one of two categories: problems in the outer or middle ear mean sound isn't moved from one place to another like it's supposed to be; that's called conductive hearing loss. Problems in the inner ear result in an inability to detect sound and/or send a message to the brain when a sound is detected. That's called a sensory/neural or sensorineural hearing loss.
The middle ear is connected to the outside only by the Eustachian Tube. It's function is to equalize air pressure (which is why you hear a little 'pop' when you're driving up a mountain or in an airplane. The tube opened up and air rushed in or out to try to make the pressure behind your eardrum equal the pressure in front of it.) If, for whatever reason, the tube can't open, there is a pressure differential and the eardrum can't move efficiently, which can cause a hearing loss.
Although that kind of loss is generally mild, ET problems can also cause fluid to build up behind the eardrums, which causes a much more significant hearing loss. If the tube function improves, however, the problem goes away.
Er. Which is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than you ever wanted to know about that. Um. Nice scarves?
Random medical facts you don't care about for $1000, Alex.
If anything goes wrong in any of the three sections of the ear, you can have a hearing loss. These hearing losses fall into one of two categories: problems in the outer or middle ear mean sound isn't moved from one place to another like it's supposed to be; that's called conductive hearing loss. Problems in the inner ear result in an inability to detect sound and/or send a message to the brain when a sound is detected. That's called a sensory/neural or sensorineural hearing loss.
The middle ear is connected to the outside only by the Eustachian Tube. It's function is to equalize air pressure (which is why you hear a little 'pop' when you're driving up a mountain or in an airplane. The tube opened up and air rushed in or out to try to make the pressure behind your eardrum equal the pressure in front of it.) If, for whatever reason, the tube can't open, there is a pressure differential and the eardrum can't move efficiently, which can cause a hearing loss.
Although that kind of loss is generally mild, ET problems can also cause fluid to build up behind the eardrums, which causes a much more significant hearing loss. If the tube function improves, however, the problem goes away.
Er. Which is waaaaaaaaaaaaay more than you ever wanted to know about that. Um. Nice scarves?