Episodes of Sudden Hearing Loss Followed by Pulsatile Tinnitus, Intense Pressure and Ringing Ear

Starting in my mid teens, I started to have these episodes where my hearing would suddenly drop in either ear (usually the left one). Then within a minute, I would get intense pressure, pulsatile tinnitus/rhythmic whooshing and ringing in the same ear that my hearing dropped in. My symptoms would last minimum of one hour before gradually clearing up. Sometimes I would have hearing distortion and ear pressure for up to a couple of days but the ringing and the pulsatile tinnitus would be gone.

These episodes started happening nearly twenty years ago. They happen anywhere from once per year to twice per week. They happen very randomly. I could be sleeping, watching TV or walking and my hearing will suddenly drop and then be followed by these other symptoms (they have woken me up when they happen in my sleep).

I went to the ER during one of these episodes in the fall of 2020. The doctor there told me that I was too young for it to be anything serious and wouldn't do any testing.

I don't know what could be causing these episodes but I find it terrifying when they do happen.

 

Sounds like you have fleeting tinnitus, which I just found out I have through members on this forum. You described my recent experience that I had, but for me the tinnitus stopped in my right after the sudden hearing loss and then the tinnitus returned to its normal catastrophic level the next day; hearing returned to its normal diminished level as well. Back to hell.

Sorry you have this condition. Hopefully you can live with it and carry on as you've done for the past twenty years. For me, acceptance of this awful condition has helped me to overcome the anxiety it creates and to realize that tinnitus can and will always throw you a curve ball when you're expecting anything else.

 

@BeMagnified, you say it has been 20 years. Have you gone to many ENTs?

 

@Jammer, these episodes do actually start off like fleeting tinnitus. The difference is that instead of my hearing coming back and the ringing and the pressure disappearing within a minute, my symptoms persist for hours and I also develop pulsatile tinnitus on top.

@Ken219, I have consulted with four ENTs but they haven't been able to give me any answers. One of the ENTs told me to call his office when one of these episodes was happening. So I did and they booked me an appointment for two weeks away (my symptoms usually last a maximum of two days).

 

About an hour after going to bed last night, I realized I could hear this loud ringing but I couldn't tell which ear it was coming from. Soon I realized that the hearing in my left ear was muffled and that I could hear this rhythmic whooshing in it. I then ran a hearing test through an app on my phone and it showed a 20 decibel loss in the two highest frequencies compared to a test that I did 5 days ago (my right ear has been really acting up for the last couple weeks).

I stayed up the rest of the night and had an appointment made to see a doctor in the morning.

This was the first time in my life seeing this doctor. I explained what was going but I don't think he could understand. He looked into both of my ears and said that he couldn't see anything wrong. He said that he would refer me to an ENT and that it'll probably be a couple of weeks before I hear back from them.

The ringing and the whooshing went away throughout the day. My hearing also seemed to get better (although I haven't tested again).

I have felt anxious and sleep deprived all day (at this point, I have been awake for 33 hours straight).

I have a fear that these episodes will lead to permanent damage or tinnitus in my left ear. I already have chronic tinnitus in my right ear that's hard enough to deal with and I don't want the same for my left ear.

 

I just suddenly lost my hearing in my left ear again (my hearing recovered on its own within a few days the last time). As I write this, I'm experiencing ringing, sound distortion, rhythmic whooshing and pressure in my left ear.

I just did a hearing test through an app on my phone and it's showing a 30 dB loss on a couple of the highest frequencies.

I have an appointment with an ENT in less than a week. I'm not feeling hopeful because I have already seen 4 ENTs in the past and they weren't helpful.

 

I just had another sudden hearing loss episode tonight. I was watching a movie when I suddenly noticed that my left ear was ringing. The ringing faded away and so I didn't think much of it at first. About 15 minutes later, my hearing became muffled and I started to get this reactive ring. I also started to get pressure and the pulsatile tinnitus. I didn't do a hearing test through my phone this time. Instead, I took my blood pressure and it was in the hypertension range (my blood pressure is usually normal).

It's been about two hours since my symptoms began. The reactive ring and rhythmic whooshing have gone away. My hearing is still a bit muffled and I still have some pressure.

Even though these episodes do clear up on their own, I still experience a lot of anxiety when they do happen. My left ear is my good ear and I fear that the symptoms from these episodes will become permanent one of these times.

 

I think I have something similar, although it's really rare. It's happened 3 times since getting tinnitus in last May. All of them at night while watching TV. Really freaks me the fuck out. They always subside when I go to bed and wake up. First 2 times I had to take Valium to calm down (because you feel as if it's permanent, and the mind starts racing). But the third time I realised what it was and managed to tell myself that I'll wake up and it will be back to normal. Not pulsatile tinnitus however, and maybe a different form of pressure in the ear. My ears just feel different.

 

I get this shit and it terrifies me always.

Honestly? if you're losing hearing like that with legit hearing loss, you need some way to prove it isn't just a blockage. It'd be good if you could call a hearing place and get in for a bone conduction test to prove it's sudden hearing loss. If it lasts for hours, they should be able to emergency you in for a hearing test (with sudden hearing loss, they drop other appointments for you).

No ER takes you seriously otherwise from experience.

It's ridiculous that Step 1 of sudden hearing loss is "get a hearing test," not go to the ER.

Even if it comes back you'd be taken more seriously, usually people go on steroids for that. For all you know you have atypical hydrops, etc, who the hell knows. But all have things you can do something about.

I get this as well so I can relate, but from the sound of it, your sudden hearing loss happen waaaaaaaay more frequently than mine. Mine tend to be brought on the most by literally anything that increases head pressure.

If you think it's blood pressure related, why not "try" a mild diuretic (not a loop diuretic) with extra water through the day or some other medication to lower your blood pressure?

If it's gone on this long, it will keep on occuring, and I'd argue it's just going to get worse and more risky each time vs. the lameduck doctors that will say oh, it's been this long, it probably isn't serious.

If you think it's sudden hearing loss that comes back, you NEED an official audiogram when it happens. You may NEED steroids. You NEED follow up.

Is it just ENTs in Canada who FUCKING suck at giving a shit about this unless it's already WAY too late?

 

My left ear was pretty stable over the summer. I experienced no sudden hearing loss episodes since last spring. That is until tonight.

Tonight I was watching TV when my hearing in my left ear suddenly dropped. I experienced loud ringing right away. A minute later, I started to hear rhythmic whooshing in that ear. My ear also started to feel really full.

It's now been a half hour since my symptoms began. My nose has been really congested and so I used a decongestant nasal spray, which has provided relief for my nasal congestion but not for my ear. I have tried popping my ear but that hasn't helped with any of my symptoms either. I'm still experiencing hearing loss, pressure, ringing and rhythmic whooshing.

I'm not sure what to do next. It's after 2 am on a Saturday and my doctor's office won't be open until Monday. My anxiety is going sky high.

I'm tempted to go to the ER.

I just wish something could be done. I wish I could get answers as to what causes these episodes as they terrify me.

 

Could you explain this more?

What type of a result from a bone conduction test would prove sudden hearing loss?

 

I feel stuck. I also feel terrified since the hearing loss, pressure and ringing is still persisting after 15 hours. My left ear normally feels at least a little better by now.

I talked to a nurse over the phone this morning and she suggested that I see a doctor. Unfortunately my only option is the ER. My local ER often has very long wait times. Also when I've gone to the ER in the past, they have only prescribed me steroid nasal spray due to the chronic fluid behind both eardrums.

In some ways, it feels useless to go to the ER since they haven't been helpful in the past. At the same time, I feel like I need to do something.

 

So I took a chance and checked out another town's ER. The doctor there looked at my left ear. He said that there is some fluid in there and that my eardrum is slightly retracted. He couldn't see any middle ear inflammation and so he wondered if I was experiencing inner ear inflammation. He prescribed me Prednisone. He also told me to get a hearing test done as soon as possible.

 

Bone conduction would be very close with 7ish dB of earphone levels.

That'd be distinctive of cochlear hearing loss vs. some middle ear issue.

 

I was washing the dishes tonight. When I was nearly finished with them, my hearing in my left ear suddenly dropped and I got some ringing. A few minutes later, I started to hear rhythmic whooshing and buzzing in my left ear. I also had a slight sense of pressure and muffled hearing.

In the last couple of weeks, I have acquired a lot of other symptoms. I sometimes hear loud rhythmic thumping in both ears. I'm also getting rumbling, random thumping and typewriter tinnitus in both ears. The left side of my neck pulsates or constantly twitches, even when I'm trying to sleep. My left shoulder also constantly vibrates or trembles.

I saw my PCP the other day. She thinks I'm having muscle spasms and so she prescribed me a muscle relaxer. So far, the muscle relaxer isn't making a difference for my ear rumbling, thumping, twitching neck or trembling shoulder.