I Started Hearing a Whooshing Sound in My Left Ear After a Cold

Hi all, I'm 29 female from Perth Western Australia.

I got many colds and viruses this year and after a particularly bad one I started hearing whooshing in my left ear. It became so loud I couldn't sleep at night.

It disappeared for a few weeks until I got another cold. Now it's back but it comes and goes, tends to be worse from 12pm to 6pm.

I already suffer pretty intense health anxiety and anxiety in general about medical settings since I experienced some medical trauma 2 years ago.

I saw a doctor twice. The first one looked in my ear and said he saw mild inflammation and to come back in a week, which I did. I had a massive panic attack and then he said I needed to go to hospital... He looked in my ears again and said nothing. I explained it was in time with my pulse etc.

My ears continue to pop and I get pressure and pain in my left ear. Sometimes it feels like warm liquid could come out at any moment but it's just a sensation. I'm also not producing any ear wax in this ear which is really odd. Could this just be a residual effect of having multiple colds this year?

I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow but I'm really nervous because this has been coming and going since the first of September. Anything I should suggest to get the ball rolling?

Anyone with similar experiences?

Thank you.

 

IMO... Give it time. It will most likely clear up on its own, but may take a few months to fully fade away.

I don't think you should worry.

 

Hi! I've posted here before, I'm 30, from Perth Western Australia.

Last year in September after having had virus, the flu, colds one after the other I started hearing a whooshing in my ear. I suffer from really severe anxiety and agoraphobia, as well as PTSD from a medical procedure (code blue c section) I had complications from the epidural which resulted in a high block and subsequent trauma all to do with medical treatment. I'm on Mirtazapine and Lorazepam as treatment but I still can't leave the house without having serious panic attacks. When I first started the Mirtazapine I had orthostatic intolerance and would get light headed, couldn't hear for 30 seconds when I stood up because my heart beat was in my ears. I told the doctors about this constantly but it was brushed off as anxiety.

So when the whooshing started I freaked out.

It would roar for months and then it disappeared for a few weeks and came back but in my right and left ear! The right ear was so bad I couldn't sleep.

This eventually settled and then I saw a GP in February this year, he wanted a CT scan done on my temporal bone. Then COVID-19 struck and I couldn't get it done. I sort of just lived with it and it's barely noticeable during the day, although at night it's terrible and in the morning.

I can't hear it when I'm in a car, I don't really hear it when I'm exercising and mostly I can't hear it during the day now but it gets so bad when I'm stressed and tense. The pitch changes and that's confusing to me.
When is loud, sometimes gentle pressure on my neck alleviates it, if not fully, somewhat. Other times that doesn't help at all. I can't hear it if I have headphones on either?

My ears are still popping and if I do the Valsalva maneuver, it disappears for 30 minutes to an hour. It's all very confusing.

I'm getting headaches but that honestly could be stress and anxiety. My vision is off but has been doing that since I had my Daughter in 2017, all my issues started after having her. I actually experienced weird symptoms after having her, all put down to anxiety: vision changes, taste change, tingling, numbness, palpitations etc.

The problem I face is getting an MRI, CT OR Anything like this is almost impossible, I can't leave the house, so I am unsure what to do, what I can do for help? I have also never had any imaging done and my Mum is allergic to the dye they use, so likelihood is, so am I.

Anyway, I'm rather fed up, so any help would be appreciated.

 

@tiniturtle knows a lot about pulsatile tinnitus, I'm tagging him / her just in case.

You can't leave the house and get the scans because of your agoraphobia? Is there no treatment you can take to alleviate that? Xanax?

 

That does sound to me more like ETD or congestion from colds/sickness. Sometimes when your ear is blocked it will amplify internal sounds, like the blood flow of the blood vessels near your ear. This is one of the situations where an evaluation by ENT might be helpful. It doesn't sound like the classic presentation of PT, but anytime you have it, it should be investigated regardless. Good luck.

 

Incompetent doctors will not say "I don't know what your symptoms might indicate". They will say "it's all anxiety" to cover up for their lack of knowledge. Did he tell you to take these pills every day or as needed?

Again, this is NOT just anxiety (if you are anxious at all). There are so many things that might have happened during childbirth and epidural that could affect for example your inner ear. Some inner ear disorders can disturb balance/hearing/vision/taste/smell/cause nausea or make you disoriented (which could be described as dizziness or a vision issue even if you don't lose your balance and even if your eyes ere fine). It can look like you are having cognitive issues.

You need to do a telehealth with an experienced neurotologist.

By the way, did you have any hearing loss?
And can you explain what exactly you mean when you say your vision is off?

 

@Louise_ann

Cortisol, a steroid hormone bouncing up and down causing blood pressure (hyperactive) to do the same. This could be causing all your problems. Cortical levels are check by blood test.