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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes A Feeling Of Hollow Sound In Head And Muffled Speech?

Hello, I have a hollow sound in my head where I can actually hear myself breathing and when I speak, it sounds extremely muffled to me. I have to ultimately rely on my years of speaking to gauge how my words are actually sounding to the person or people I am talking to, hoping they understand. I have spoken to my oncologist about this (I had nasalparyngeal carcinoma as a child), and he relates this to my chemo or radiation treatments. I am 44 years old, 5'3 and 155lbs.. There has to be a remedy to correct this, it's driving me CRAZY!!! I have tried the suggested lowering my head to my knees for approximately 30 seconds, but the fix is temporary (if at all). Please, please help me.
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Mon, 13 Nov 2017 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 14 Nov 2017 Last reviewed on
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hello
Thank you for trusting HCM

Your treatment might disrupt the way the ear directs sound. This is called conductive hearing loss.

Some types of surgery and radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer cause swelling around the part of your middle ear that connects up to the back of your nose (the eustachian tube). This swelling can cause conductive hearing loss, which makes it difficult to hear soft sounds.
Some times radiotherapy induced sensoneural hearing loss may cause bone conditions more than air so the way you speak may produce internal echos so you hear your own voice.

Muffled speech may be due to laryngitis (post radiation).

Please consult your doctor for further assistance.
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What Causes A Feeling Of Hollow Sound In Head And Muffled Speech?

Hello Thank you for trusting HCM Your treatment might disrupt the way the ear directs sound. This is called conductive hearing loss. Some types of surgery and radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer cause swelling around the part of your middle ear that connects up to the back of your nose (the eustachian tube). This swelling can cause conductive hearing loss, which makes it difficult to hear soft sounds. Some times radiotherapy induced sensoneural hearing loss may cause bone conditions more than air so the way you speak may produce internal echos so you hear your own voice. Muffled speech may be due to laryngitis (post radiation). Please consult your doctor for further assistance.