A Test (Maybe Tympanogram?) at the ENT Department Made My Tinnitus Much Worse

Hi. First post. Really appreciate some help here. Very anxious at the moment and don’t know what to do.

I was always told nothing could be done when it came to tinnitus so for years have been using headphones and drowning out for the most part and because it’s a low hum, loud telly and outside alleviates, for some of the day. When it first started it wasn’t constant but as years have gone on it’s now daily. I sometimes get the higher pitch whistle but 90% of time it’s the lower hum. Until now.

Yesterday, I went to an ENT dept at a local hospital for an appointment I’ve had for months, for some tests for tinnitus. Since I’ve left there it’s now worse than it’s ever been in all the years I’ve had this. I have no clue as to what they have done to me. I had the hearing test with the headphones and the tones, but prior to this, there was something else that caused some pain where they put some things in ears attached to a long wire going into a big machine with a screen. They didn’t explain or tell me what it was and yes I know I should’ve asked. It was tight in my ear and I saw the word ‘leak’ on the screen so she took it out and placed again. Assume it meant it had to be a tight seal? Only thing I can find online which I think it may have been is a Tympanogram, but they are small hand held units and not big desktop machine with screens. It did cause some discomfort and from what I read, it moves the eardrum around, creates pressure in the ear? Am I right.

Anyway, I’ve now got a horrible whistle which is just constant for two days with no rest from it and it’s not as easy to mask with music or telly as the humming tinnitus was. It’s just there all the time. Can someone tell me if this is something that’s familiar to anyone and has it been caused by this test?? Can’t believe something that’s made my life a misery has been made so much worse by going somewhere for help.

 

Electrocochleography? Did you hear sounds during the test?

 

Hi thanks for reply. After googling what you’ve said that test shows pads on head which I didn’t have.

I don’t know what this test was called. The test after that one was the sounds where I had to click the control when I heard sounds. The first one that hurt was not more than a few minutes and ears were completely sealed but nothing was explained to me about it before during and after. My fault for not asking. I’ve suffered the most for the last 6 years but after these tests it’s much harder to drown out because it’s a higher piercing not humming like my usual underlying tinnitus noise.

 

Just ring up the clinic and ask what test they gave you.

 

Yes. Have tried but they are not back till Monday and will call first thing in the morning. Am gutted I let them anywhere near me.

 

A number of people here, including myself, suspect that their tinnitus was caused by one of those tests. The good news is that there is a reasonable chance that it will begin fading after a month or two, and if that happens there is no reason (unless you hurt your ear yet again!) for it to not continue fading. Ears take forever to heal, so it might take a year or two for it to get back to your baseline. Having said that, this might just be a spike. Spikes can take over three months to fade, but most last less than that.

The bottom line is that chances are that this is temporary and that in the long run you won't be stuck with the sound that is bothering you now.

 

@TBH Would you say that none of the sounds that you had been exposed to during the test were loud?

 

Thanks Bill. I don’t know how much more I can take of this at the moment. I can’t do anything. Put me off food. Can’t concentrate on watching the television at the moment. And I’ve had this for years. But not in this league. It’s just worse.
I don’t think any of it was particularly loud no. Big tight headphones for the audio tones and this first one with the tight pressures. She did two tests and then I saw a doctor who had the results of the tests, who basically said we can’t do anything other than send me to a tinnitus group. It was a waste of time.

 

And ...
A lot of the things that relieved my usual tinnitus, radio, iPod, telly, washing machines... do not block this out

 

Shocking. I am now aware of at least three people (you, me, and another person who posted earlier this month) who got tinnitus problems as a result of the tests that haven't even been loud.

I've been there and I've done that (during the first 3-6 months following that hearing test; mine turned on in the evening of the day of the test). I could hear mine over the sounds of a car on a highway. It will be bad, but it ought to get better. Try to live one day at a time. Keep telling yourself that this is most likely temporary.

The trick to masking is NOT to block out the sound. The trick is to give yourself something else, besides your tinnitus, to listen to. The sound of crickets works well with a high pitch tinnitus. Of course during the first 5-10 minutes you will continue focusing on your tinnitus. But hopefully eventually you will catch yourself listening to the crickets.

 

@TBH you might find some of the tips in the post below to be helpful to you:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

Tympanometry is usually done before audiometry. Some of the machines are not so loud (I mean the buzzing which you feel when they put the thing with the pressure inside) but some are very loud. But if yours was not loud then even better. I don't know what hurt your ears. Could be the pressure, or something different. Sorry this happend to you. I'm not sure what you could do. I would just suggest some magnesium supplement because it's good for nerves and won't hurt you.

 

Thanks for the replies, I called this morning but because they only had locums on that day when I was seen, they couldn't even tell me who the tester was, or the name of the Doctor. Or know where either of them are from. Waited on the phone an hour for that. She did think it was the Tympanometry though, 'ear-buds and pressure testing'.

Now it may just be me, but how can a test that moves the eardrum around be a good thing for someone already suffering from tinnitus? I've now been awake for the second night in a row and feel awful, How can I work today, and the ringing in the ears seems even worse. That can't be a coincidence, can it? The woman on the phone when asked if it may be temporary damage said 'There's no guarantees'!!!

 

Pressure test is about right. It feels like aeroplane pressure on ears, but won’t clear and with a lot more noise than my tinnitus has ever been before

 

Update:

Specialist’s secretary could tell how distressed I am today and said that he would call me at some time today. He didn’t.

The doctor I saw and the head of department at the audiology dept in hospital was also calling me back today. Neither of them bothered. Not impressed.

I can’t believe that my tinnitus could be made so much worse than it was before this test, and has put me in such a dark place. Loud rumble and high pitch ringing together 24/7, I had some let up prior to this. Dreading going to ‘sleep’ tonight for the 3rd night of this lack of sleep. What has this woman done to me?

 

I'm supposed to have a hearing test soon. I may just leave it. Unless there is part of it that isn't dangerous.

 

How is this not malpractice with significant damages?

 

I have just been called back in end of week, and I just don’t know what to do. 5 nights of pure frustration and depression and anger at myself for having this done. I can’t function properly and know going back there will just frustrate me even more. What can I do when everyone says that the pressure test is done on all tinnitus sufferers. How do I ever get past this??
I’ve never cried day after day like this in my life

 

When you become president, you may consider culling many ENTs, or at least make them suffer. Some of them are so negligent, like the fucker I went to and so many others on this forum. They are completely unaware of the damage they have inflicted on people’s lives.

 

I had a hearing test about 3 months ago because of clogged ears and my right ear started ringing during the test and hasn’t stopped. Hoping with time it goes away, but have been miserable since.

 

I got 2-3 days of fullness in my bad ear which started during my Timpanometry test. Was quite worried but it returned to baseline after that. The T sounds didn't really change, just a slightly full feeling which I get from other things too from time to time.

It seems to be no problem for some of us but a bit iffy for others. I have had lifelong sinus problems and bruxism which may be a factor.

 

It's still a common mistake, that the tests, performed by the ENT nurses won't hurt you. The most popular in this community board is the Tympanometry test. They perform it on you, without saying anything special ("Just relax. Small children are doing this everyday"). Then they put some earstick-devices in your ear and exert pressure up to 100 decibel right to your ear.

Nobody, absolutely noboy with an halfway common sense, would think it's a good idea to put 100 decibels right to the ear, especially of someone who has to suffer with Tinnitus or Hyperacusis. I can't understand why the nurses even perform these test. They're not really revealing and if the audiometry doens't show somethign special, there's absolutely no need of performing a Tympanometry test. The only reason they to this, is that they can settle up 10 $ more for the health insurance.

They did it to me and it took me three month to settle down, until it went away. But the good news is, that it got away.

There should be a big banner at the start of the board page "DON'T DO TYMPANOMETRY TESTS!" or something like this. We have too many threads in here, where people complain about the damages of these tests.

 

My audiologist told me it was impossibile that traffic noise and underground trains noise could hurt my tinnitus. I think that is patently false. She did not believe white noise was making my tinnitus worse. Sad state of affairs when even the experts deny your experience. One feels betrayed and abandoned.

 

This is my main worry, whether or not it will go away. This has the hallmarks to completely ruin a life.
Before this test when I was outside, I could never hear my tinnitus. Now I'm outside and I hear the high pitch whistle, when I'm inside that is there now 24/7 with the low hum together.. all day every day. I don't sleep, barely eat, and I feel sick, which is probably sick with worry more than anything that I can't function properly anymore.
Like I said previously, I could manage the hums of tinnitus before and it wasn't constantly there because I'd mask with iPod in bed at night. I have nothing to stop this constant whistle now. I am going back to them but I don't really know why. What can anyone do once they've done this. Nobody will take my calls

 

Does seem to be getting worse and I now wonder whether the overly loud noises that are 24/7 may be actual damage to ears from the test and not tinnitus anymore. My tinnitus was never this loud before. Specialist friend said oh it should calm down in a day after that test. 6 days on and it’s worse

 

Went back to the hospital who did the damage, and were totally dismissive of me after causing the most depressing week in a long time on me. It’s so bad and just gets worse I just can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Dark miserable lonely nights, followed by depressing days.

Is there anyone on here from London who has seen anyone who has a clue about these problems. I've seen so called 'consultants' at a hospital who take no responsibility for inflicting this on me after the Tympangoram test, and come out with the 'nobody really understands why/what about tinnitus', and even before I went back to the instigators of this pain, I knew it would be a waste of time. I'd like to see a proper specialist who isn't a dangerous idiot. The first thing they wanted to do when I got there was the tests again. Yeh, I know, Unbelievable that people like this are let loose on the general public. Nothing was addressed, just more lecturing on tinnitus. I know all about it, I wanted help for what they'd done to me. Can't believe I'm on my 9th day of this hell and it is relentless. How I wish for the tinnitus I had of old, before I saw these incompetents.

 

Might I suggest the 'broken record' technique to you when dealing with something like this.

Did you already file a formal complaint? Maybe they will take things more serious that way.

 

I would like to say yes but sadly my experience has been very negative so far. Have you gone private or public in London? You said you waited months so this is probably NHS and not a private appointment? Was it audiology or the ENT department?
I had a number of loud tests both under private and public healthcare that in retrospective I would now avoid. I saw two ENTs privately and they both did microsuction. They ordered MRIs and many other tests like cochleography, otoacustic emissions, caloric tests for balance, and they always measured ear pressure.

There is a chance that this will calm down though. I hope it does.

 

Has it improved at all? Fingers crossed it did.

 

No improvement whatsoever. Am into the 12th day AND night of this. It was the NHS and I went back to see someone who was dismissive of it and said most people don’t get this response to the test. Audiologist did it and then saw ENT doctor with results. Hearing WAS ok. Went back a week later and saw different ENT doctor, who was not a pleasant person and they wanted me to do the test again. Purely defensive in case I wanted to sue but not in the least bit interested about how much pain I am in due to their total negligence. They’re never going to admit fault. That’s why I’m now looking for someone privately. He was going through the motions for Tinnitus lecturing. I know perfectly well what it is, but I was there because I believe they’ve caused me damage. As much as people say the NHS is wonderful, I’ve seen and spoken to a succession of unfriendly and dismissive people. And even the admin on the phone was rude. Still can’t function. It’s made worse because it’s always on my mind it was inflicted on me by incompetence and the doctors at the hospital are not fit for purpose. The consultant who’s name is on the letters is just a figurehead who refuses to see or talk to me without making a private appointment. Someone like that can whistle. I’d rather pay and see someone who would’ve come to the phone after my experience with his underling idiots. My complaint just ended in this second appointment where I was intimidated by two men, one a doctor.