Hi everyone,
I'm a 47 year old male and have had mildish fluctuating tinnitus for about 7 weeks now. I remember one night my right ear rang pretty loudly for about 10 seconds, and for about 10 minutes after the ear was quite suceptible to noise. I felt no pain, but running a shower would make the ringing worse. It faded after about 10 minutes though and I thought nothing of it.
However not long after I noticed when in a quiet room I could hear a quiet high pitched sound. Definitely within my ear, not my head. It wasn't a constant ringing , tone or hiss, it was more of slightly fluctuating "growl" or buzzing. I have also experienced another sound, a very high pitched sort of "sparkle" sound, which seems to be the more "intense" stage of the tinnitus.
I gave it 3 weeks to go away but when it didn't I saw a doctor. The first doctor looked in my ear and said my right eardrum was slightly "pushed in" and the ear canal was slightly inflamed. She gave me an anti inflammatory ear spray. She also demonstrated the Valsalva maneuver, which I didn't know about. I tried doing that and the right ear, with tinnitus was indeed harder to "pop". Not impossible, but certainly harder.
The next week I saw another doctor. He looked in my ears and said my ears looked fairly healthy. I mentioned the buzzing noise and difficulty in popping my right ear. He thought I might have a problem with my Eustacian Tubes and recommended steam inhalation.
Then 2 weeks later I saw another doctor. She said that my eardrums looked a bit dull and that might suggest fluid in my Eustacian tubes. She didn't say that my ear looked inflamed or that my eardrums were pushed in or anything like that. She gave me a nasal spray and an Otovent device, used for equalising ear pressure.
Before I visited any doctor or knew about Eustacian Tubes I can't say I noticed any real "fullness" in my ear. It didn't feel clogged up. I did notice thought at times it would give small clicks, and if I wriggled my lower jaw the right way it would sometimes "pop" . I occasionally had moment of mild pain in my right ear, but really just a momentary ache that would last a few seconds.I also noticed one time when sleeping on my left side that swallowing would produce a crackle noise in my right ear.
I have taken up daily exercise now and although at times it seems to aggravate the tinnitus slightly I view it as a small price to pay. I have since been using steam inhalation 3 times a day and using the Otovent and Valsalva to pop my ears. I have noticed in the past few weeks that my hearing can feel slightly muffled after popping my ears, then suddenly there is a crackling noise (and sometimes a loud "thud") and my hearing becomes clear again, albeit still with the buzzing noise.
So far I haven't noticed much of an improvement in my condition. The tinnitus usually quiets down after I've lain in bed for an hour or so, and at times it can be almost imperceptible, but it's still a daily thing with me.
Other things maybe worth mentioning- I have had a constant problem with stiff neck and shoulder muscles for many years, and from what I've read this can contribute to tinnitus. As for acoustic trauma I don't know. I have only been to one concert in my life - I was way back and it wasn't really that loud. I have used headphones often in recent years, but *always* on *low* volume, for the very purpose of preventing tinnitus.
Thank you everyone on this forum. When it comes to tinnitus, any fellow sufferer is indeed a friend!
I'm a 47 year old male and have had mildish fluctuating tinnitus for about 7 weeks now. I remember one night my right ear rang pretty loudly for about 10 seconds, and for about 10 minutes after the ear was quite suceptible to noise. I felt no pain, but running a shower would make the ringing worse. It faded after about 10 minutes though and I thought nothing of it.
However not long after I noticed when in a quiet room I could hear a quiet high pitched sound. Definitely within my ear, not my head. It wasn't a constant ringing , tone or hiss, it was more of slightly fluctuating "growl" or buzzing. I have also experienced another sound, a very high pitched sort of "sparkle" sound, which seems to be the more "intense" stage of the tinnitus.
I gave it 3 weeks to go away but when it didn't I saw a doctor. The first doctor looked in my ear and said my right eardrum was slightly "pushed in" and the ear canal was slightly inflamed. She gave me an anti inflammatory ear spray. She also demonstrated the Valsalva maneuver, which I didn't know about. I tried doing that and the right ear, with tinnitus was indeed harder to "pop". Not impossible, but certainly harder.
The next week I saw another doctor. He looked in my ears and said my ears looked fairly healthy. I mentioned the buzzing noise and difficulty in popping my right ear. He thought I might have a problem with my Eustacian Tubes and recommended steam inhalation.
Then 2 weeks later I saw another doctor. She said that my eardrums looked a bit dull and that might suggest fluid in my Eustacian tubes. She didn't say that my ear looked inflamed or that my eardrums were pushed in or anything like that. She gave me a nasal spray and an Otovent device, used for equalising ear pressure.
Before I visited any doctor or knew about Eustacian Tubes I can't say I noticed any real "fullness" in my ear. It didn't feel clogged up. I did notice thought at times it would give small clicks, and if I wriggled my lower jaw the right way it would sometimes "pop" . I occasionally had moment of mild pain in my right ear, but really just a momentary ache that would last a few seconds.I also noticed one time when sleeping on my left side that swallowing would produce a crackle noise in my right ear.
I have taken up daily exercise now and although at times it seems to aggravate the tinnitus slightly I view it as a small price to pay. I have since been using steam inhalation 3 times a day and using the Otovent and Valsalva to pop my ears. I have noticed in the past few weeks that my hearing can feel slightly muffled after popping my ears, then suddenly there is a crackling noise (and sometimes a loud "thud") and my hearing becomes clear again, albeit still with the buzzing noise.
So far I haven't noticed much of an improvement in my condition. The tinnitus usually quiets down after I've lain in bed for an hour or so, and at times it can be almost imperceptible, but it's still a daily thing with me.
Other things maybe worth mentioning- I have had a constant problem with stiff neck and shoulder muscles for many years, and from what I've read this can contribute to tinnitus. As for acoustic trauma I don't know. I have only been to one concert in my life - I was way back and it wasn't really that loud. I have used headphones often in recent years, but *always* on *low* volume, for the very purpose of preventing tinnitus.
Thank you everyone on this forum. When it comes to tinnitus, any fellow sufferer is indeed a friend!
