Ear Problems

Hi all,

I just made this account. Having a lot of ear problems at the moment. I've had them for years but it's worse right now. I guess I am doing this post for support and thoughts.

First off I've had tinnitus since 2009 caused from ear infection. I had some bad years with it, some quieter years with it. I try to stay away from loud music at events cause it makes mine worse even if I plug my ears. For the past couple of months I've been attending church and like I said it made my tinnitus worse.

Ok, so here's the other side of it. I also have a lot of ear infections. Seems like every time I have to see my GP I have an ear infection or sinus infection. On July 1st I saw her and she said my eardrum had ruptured in my right ear and of course I had an ear infection in both my ears. She gave me antibiotics. The hole affected my hearing a little.

So, some time passed and I didn't get better, so I ended up taking more antibiotics. (I was still attending church through this) So, there was a period of time (couple weeks) I didn't go and the ringing calmed down but my ears started feeling closed in. As in I could hear myself chew and and swallow. When I swallow they click very loudly and when I go outside I feel like there's a hum over my head and its worse coming from my left side (not the eardrum that ruptured).

So, I went back to see my GP, she said the hole had healed and she said my ears were a little pink but not really and ear infection but I had so much fluid behind my eardrum that it was pushing it out and that's what was causing me to hear myself chew and can hear my ears click. So, she gave me a new allergy pill (Xyzal) also antibiotics for a sinus infection, also a water pill to help drain the fluid.

It's been almost a week and a half since I've seen her and I've finished the meds. I'm no better, I feel like it's just getting worse. I also have a lot of sinus pressure and pain in my my right cheek. I've tried decongestants, nasal spray, NetiPot, other allergy pills, hot compresses... nothing seems to help it. I'm worried I've damaged my hearing and it's not cause of fluid backed up in my inner ear. I have done a lot of research about all this. I have read that hearing damage can make your ears feel plugged too.

Most things I read scare me to death because they say it gets no better. I have an appointment with a ENT next week, scared he won't be able to help me. I am miserable and feel like my head is in a hole.

I'm sorry for the long post but there's a lot to my story. I just wanted some support because I'm terrified I'm stuck like this.

 

Hello there.

I might be similar to you - my ENT consultant suspects I have Eustachian tube dysfunction caused by some kind of virus in my middle ear. A year ago I had a nasty cold and went to see a doctor and it’s how this all started. At about the same time I developed tinnitus in one ear along with hearing loss and negative pressure - all in the same ear.

I had an MRI scan yesterday to rule out anything nasty (mainly acoustic neuroma) and I am waiting anxiously for my results.

I have decided that if after all the tests I am told I have nothing serious, I can live with the tinnitus and the mild haring loss in one ear. I too get a lot of clicking and popping in my affected ear and I can cope with that too.

I haven’t got any insight for you though so sorry about that. I feel that knowledge is going to be key for me - to find out I have something wrong or that I don’t have anything serious. Not knowing is the worst and having read a lot of posts on this forum it seems that answers aren’t always so easy to find.

 

Fluid in your inner ear? Has this ever happened to you before?

 

Check out:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/

It can get better, but it takes months or even years. You might consider staying away from all of the noises that you suspect might have been causing your tinnitus to spike.

 

Thank you for your encouragement. I'm having a very difficult time right now. I've had tinnitus for years but it spikes so bad when I get around loud music and I had been around loud music in the past couple months. On top of that I had a eardrum rupture in June. My tinnitus is so loud right now and I've developed a loud hum in my right ear along with the ringing. I assume its damage from the rupture even though my nurse said it had healed. So anxious. I had been sleeping some but this week has been rough. Can't rest and if I drift off my anxiety jerks me awake. I have an appointment Tuesday with a ENT, but I don't think they'll be able to do much for me.

But thank you so much for saying it can get better. I have had it calm down in the past but I've never had a ruptured eardrum before so I don't know if this will ever calm down.

 

Head feels completely stopped up. My tinnitus is so so loud right now. Also have sinus draining and pressure. Only slept an hour last night. I don't know if the clogged ear is from tinnitus or from middle ear fluid. I've tried all the allergy meds and home remedies. I see an ENT next Tuesday. Don't know how I will make it until then and I'm worried he won't be able to do anything for me if it's nerve damage. Any advice is appreciated.

 

yes and I'd like to know if you've had a history of over exposure to loud noise? Even concerts from decades ago count.

Please keep following up on treatment for infections with your doctors, but please be open minded to the possibility that noise can literally injure the inner ear and that is still a relatively new concept to medical science.