14 Weeks and No Relief

[Elle]

Hi

I had an ear infection in my right ear in August , then 3 days later my left ear drum perforated . This caused Bells Palsy as well due to the pressure that built up behind the drum before it burst, and since then I have been diagnosed with glue ear in the now healed ear .

Since it burst I have had the most awful loud rumbling noise right behind my ear drum , like a non stop bubbling noise which I can feel vibrating with the slightest breath of air , sound or movement , even blinking . ( which I am relieved to say I can now do after not being able to close my left eye for 6 weeks due to the Bells ) .

But this noise is driving me crazy . I have been completely deaf in the left ear since the drum burst and this and my own heartbeat are the only sound I can hear . Non stop . 24/7 .

The hospital did an MRI because on the hearing test the left nerve showed as completely dead .
They found a golf ball sized tumour ( biopsy proved benign ) and are going to operate to fit a grommit , take a bit of tissue out of the entrance to the Eustacian tube and remove the tumour which is in a gland right next to the facial nerve .

Hopefully this will relieve the awful noise and pressure that I,ve had for the past four months but I have been told that even though my operation is marked as urgent it will be next March / April because of waiting list .

I cant put up with this noise for another four or five months .

 

[glynis]

Hi Elle,
Aww duck,
Sorry to hear what your going through.
I would ask your doctor to see if he can push your appointment forwards for you and say it's effecting your mental well-being with the sound and really need to be seen sooner.
My son had a ear operation to remove a big mass and ear bones removed and a new drum so totally understand how the waiting can make you feel too.
I hope you get that lucky break and get seen sooner.
In the mean time try masking the sound with keeping sound on around you day and night to help distract the sound.....lots of love glynis

Hope the bells has settled down now and face back to normal as its not nice going through it and not been able close your eye.
Know a few people who have had it.

 

[Elle]

Thanks for your reply Glynis . I dont really want to push for an earlier date because my consultant is the head and neck cancer specialist , and although he said it still needs to be removed as quickly as possible I know that other patients haven't had the good biopsy results that I have and have been told that theirs is cancer . They need to be seen before me . I totally understand why mine will be so long to wait but in the grand scheme of things my problem is noise , not life threatening . Doesn't stop it feeling this bad though , especially combined with the Bells which I am still suffering the effects of . The ear problem has caused an awful balance problem which means that I cant go far walking and haven't been able to drive since it all happened mid August . Even though my family are doing everything they can the loss of independence and the isolation of almost complete deafness is awful . Before all of this I was travelling and doing volunteer work in places like South Africa , but I've had to cancel my plans for 2017 as I just cant do it . I loved travelling on my own and going off doing good things for people and it feels like that huge part of my life may have ended as the longer it takes to get my ear etc sorted out the greater the chance of permanent hearing loss . Devastated