Earplug Got Stuck in Ear — Huge Tinnitus Spike After Removing It (Vibrational Noise)

Hello,

I'm not sure what to do now after an earplug got stuck in my left ear. My left ear canal is very small so, after taking a shower, when I tried to remove the earplug in my ear, it took me five minutes of fighting with it and continuously mushing it just to pry it out. I saw some dried blood on it maybe from trying to force it out. I tried to be as gentle as possible but still ended up making a huge amount of vibrational noise since I had to force it out.

This all happened 24 hours ago last night. Since then my left ear is screaming loud and hurting a lot. It's a huge spike. I took NAC, Magnesium and a multivitamin. I also took 15 mg Methylprednisolone last night.

Currently I have 28 mg of Methylprednisolone left. Should I take it? I'm not sure if I should because this is the last Prednisone I have and I don't think I will be able to convince a doctor to prescribe any more for me (the doctors I see don't like to give it at all). I'm just not sure if using it right now is the smart thing or to save it for a future potential worse event. This spike is really terrible.

Thanks.

 

Do you think the noise caused by the vibration is loud enough to warrant steroids? I thought steroids are mainly only good for sudden hearing loss?

I think it should go away imo.

 

You're in your early days of tinnitus, thus super heightened reactivity and susceptibility to spikes.

This was my life for the first three years.

@Wrfortiscue is right, try not to panic, it will go down. (All my spikes used to feel like the end of the world also..)

My opinion: I don't think the Prednisone is necessary. But do take your NAC, Turmeric/Curcumin, Zinc, Magnesium and B Vitamins etc.

For future reference: I too have had (foam) ear plugs get stuck in my ear canals (after going to the gym). When this happens, get a pair of tweezers (best if you can get another person to do it, but if not don't worry; I've had to do it myself every time), tweeze the centre of the ear plug, then twist and pull very gently.

I too have had spikes from the same thing, and none of them were permanent.

Also: try not to touch your ear canal now unless you've disinfected your hands. The fact that you've found blood means you could infect the outer ear; so just leave it alone for a while. No more earplugs (for about 2 or 3 days), and use ear defenders/muffs when you need protection.

 

Thanks @Damocles for the tip when it gets stuck. I ended up not taking the Prednisone. I am using ear defenders now so I don't hurt anything further.