Tinnitus from Eustachian Tube Dysfunction — I Hear a Thumping Sound

Hello everybody,

A newbie here.

In February 2021, I noticed a dull thumping sound in my left ear similar to when you hear neighbors above you bang while walking. Sometimes, the sound was also similar to a ship horn in the distance. The thumping was asynchronous to the pulse. Some people reported crickets or high-pitched tinnitus which is not the case with mine.

Since then, I went to a couple of ENTs who practically said the same thing: "You've got issues with your Eustachian tube and it will take a while while it heals." Every exam has been done thoroughly, and the tympanometry results have shown that the eardrum reflex in my left ear still isn't as good as it should be. During the exam on April 1st for instance, the ENT specialist told me that the eardrum was greyish which is due to fluid build-up.

As of three weeks ago, I have been using Nasonex as prescribed and will have to be doing so for the next three months at least. Also, I am aware that healing can take months and months, which doesn't prevent me though from thinking about my condition.

In addition to that, I do Valsalva during the day, rinse my nose with saline solution in the morning and in the evening and inhale steam. And chew a lot of chewing gums to keep the tube continuously open.

In the last three months, my tinnitus has been changing constantly. In February, I could sometimes hear loud vibrating sounds like I was under an MRI machine, and one night, I even jumped out of my due to a panic attack as the sound was so loud. In the morning, the sound was no more but the good old thumping sound remained.

As of now, I usually hear the thumping sound in the morning when I wake up while during the day and in the evening, probably thanks to Valsalva, either I can't hear it or it is completely gone. Today, for instance, I woke up and could hear it but it faded in volume about an hour and a half after I rinsed my nose with the saline solution, applied Nasonex and did Valsalva a couple of times.

What I've noticed is that when trying to do Valsalva in the morning, it takes some effort for me to pop my left ear and it usually takes a dozen of tries for me to able to pop it. The right ear pops immediately. Although I am aware it is linked to my Eustachian tube still not having recovered fully but I was wondering if somebody else here had or has a same or similar experience?

Thanks a lot for your (positive) inputs and wishing you a nice day!

 

Hey Diesomnius,

How have you been? Did your thumping go away?

Best,
Jane

 

Hey @diesomnius, did your symptoms go away?

Best,
Jane