Am I hearing my eardrum take a beating? (and if so, that's pretty cool).

Factual Questions
1

Okay, so when my apartment smoke detector goes off, I have to stand under it and fan it with a T-shirt to make it stop. I instinctively always seem to cover my left ear completely with a hand, for some reason. And every time, I get this consistent thumping sound in my right ear, sounding like it’s coming from just inside the curve of the ear. It stops a second or so after the alarm stops ringing.

I didn’t think anything of it until I overheard a drunken argument between two mutual friends of mine the other night. One has an inability to measure and control her voice volume, and it gets worse when she’s drunk. She thought she was talking softly and she was basically hollering to be heard on the next continent over, and when she starting actually trying to yell it got even louder- at which point I started hearing the tapping sound. Only the ear closest to her at first, then both as she got louder. Stopped whenever she stopped talking, even if the other (much quieter) person was shouting.

And then I was on the bus with a seriously screaming baby, like worse than I’ve ever heard any of the myriad babies I’ve known scream*, and I heard it in both ears when each scream reached its crescendo. Again as soon as the kid stopped to take a breath, the thumping stopped, and didn’t start right when the sound started again, but right when it got loud again.

Now, both of those later times the sound was physically very painful to hear the whole time. With the fire alarm, though, it’s only painful once the tapping sound starts up and only stays painful until the tapping stops (which happens when the alarm stops).

Clearly I’ve not actually broken an eardrum, because the pain stops immediately and there’s nothing like blood, loss of hearing, none of the telltale snap people mention. But is it possible I’m hearing it get hit particularly hard and/or get close to breaking point?

ETA: It’s definitely not my pulse, by the way. For one, it’s much quicker than my usual pulse, and it’s also a lot more measured, and reverberates a lot less. It definitely lacks the forceful quality of the sound fo blood rushing through your ears.

  • The mother was on the way to the children’s hospital, judging by the stop she got off at.
2

Dunno but if and when you end up with damaged hearing you won’t think there’s anything “cool” about it.

3

Am not a doctor, but my advice is to see one, pronto. You don’t want to mess with permanent hearing loss and what you describe seems - to me - ominous.

4

I’ve experienced similar, but only with EXTREMELY loud and sustained stuff like rock concerts/clubs or overpowered sound systems in cars. I can’t imagine a neighbor being able to yell loud enough to get to THAT kind of level.

If you’re experiencing this so seemingly easily, yeah, you might want to get checked out.

5

From a rock musician who has been exposed to extremely loud volumes, I think there is something wrong with your ears and that you should hie yourself to the good doctor posthaste.

6

Sounds like your tensor tympani muscles are doing what they’re supposed to do:

7

Well, if that is right, the OP has hyperacusis, which is not good, but can be treated.

So, yeah, talk to a doctor.

8

Oh balls. Yeah, I see one tomorrow anyway, so I’ll ask her then.