Feels Like a Bug Is Crawling Out of My Ear

Anyone else get this occasionally? I've been having bouts of it the last few days. It usually occurs when my TTS is acting up so I think it could be related to that. My T ear also sometimes feels wet or warm for no apparent reason.

 

I know this feeling all too well it's caused by the muscles in your inner ear spasming.

 

Had this twice now. Just for a second. Like a buzzing sound.

 

I have stapedial myoclonus and it feels like a bug is in my ear and then my ear feels warm and wet. The sound it makes it's more like a tick sound.

 

Yes maybe I have stapedial myoclonus and not TTS then. But I think I have mild TTS also, it's the sound that resembles a flapping flag.

 

Hi Chelles, did you get this diagnosis from a doctor? I feel like something is poking into my eardrum but it could be a muscle spasm, a 5 month long muscle spasm. I was reading about the surgery for this and it doesn't sound too pleasant. I'm doing physio and acupuncture right now. I'm thinking a heavy dose of muscle relaxants might also be worth a try. There has to be a way to relax those tiny muscles. What are you doing to treat your self?

 

@Kevin08 yes I was diagnosed with stapedial myoclonus I've tried muscle relaxers but didn't seem to make a difference ( granted I tried a low dose and only for about 4 days) I found that magnesium has helped I've had it for 4.5 months.

 

I was riding my bike years ago and all of a sudden it felt like a bug flew into my ear. I freaked out and went to the ER. The doctor said I had a little wax and cleaned it out. Boy did I feel stupid.

 

@canyonero
I read all these posts (and they may be on the right track) but have you looked into eustachian tube issues? I'm sure your ENT could address all these issues quite well; I'd start there.

Mark

 

I have no wax, I thought I had ETD but both ENTs I saw say no. I was reading a fair bit about stapedial myoclonus last night, looks like it could mimic a lot of other things. I read about one person who had the procedure to cut the muscle. Once it was cut they no longer had the flutter / safety response to loud sounds so they seemed even louder.

 

@Kevin08 is the noise that you hear 24/7?

 

I had this 'bug-crawling-in-my-middle-ear' plus severe itiching and draining (down the Eustachian tube) in the second week of my SSHL. I had been completely deaf on my left ear for about ~9 days. It's part of the healing process. Step by step my hearing came back. Though plenty of high-freqencies did not recover; yet.

~

That might interst you Chelles,

CASE REPORTS

We present three cases of bilateral tinnitus caused by middle-ear myoclonus. In two cases, the etiology might have been exposure to intense sudden noise or a stress reaction to this exposure. In one case, the cause could not be determined.

Patient 1

A 14-year-old boy presented with complaints of a continuous clicking tinnitus in both his ears after exposure to a firecracker. The tinnitus had been continuous for 5 months and did not respond to a number of medications, including antispasmodics, muscle relaxants, and anticonvulsive medication. The tinnitus could easily be heard at 10-15 cm distant from the patient's ears. Examination of the tympanic membrane under the operating microscope revealed a clear movement of the membrane in synchrony with the patient's tinnitus. The rest of the physical examination was unremarkable. Puretone audiometry demonstrated normal hearing in both ears. Tympanometry results were normal, but a small cogwheel effect was seen on the recordings of both ears.

As the patient's complaints were not improved by the various treatments, a simultaneous bilateral tympanotomy under general anesthesia was performed, with bilateral sectioning of the tensor tympani and stapedial tendons. Surgery was uneventful and rendered the patient asymptomatic immediately postoperatively, thus confirming the diagnosis of middle-ear myoclonus. After 1 year of follow-up, the tinnitus did not recur, and the patient is completely symptom-free.

Patient 2

A 20-year-old, healthy male soldier was exposed to intense artillery noises during a fierce battle. Immediately after the battle, the patient complained of a continuous noise in both his ears and was referred with the diagnosis of acute phonal trauma.

On physical examination, a continuous low-pitched buzzing noise of a frequency of 90-100 times per minute was easily heard from a distance of 10-20 cm. It emanated from both the patient's ears and was not synchronous with his pulse rate. Otoscopic examination demonstrated rhythmical movement of both the tympanic membranes, which coincided with the tinnitus. The remainder of the ear, nose, and throat examination was normal. Pure-tone audiometry demonstrated a normal hearing threshold in all frequencies. Tympanometry results were normal, but a fine cogwheel effect was seen on the recording, similar to the effect that was seen in patient 1. Direct examination and fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy showed no signs of palatal myoclonus; thus, the diagnosis of middle-ear myoclonus was made. Medical management with tranquilizers and sedatives was unsuccessful. The patient was so disrupted by his problem that surgery was planned. The patient was operated on under local anesthesia. First the right ear was explored. After exposure of the tympanic cavity through the external auditory canal, the stapes and the tendon of the stapedial muscle were observed under high magnification of the operating microscope. The contraction of the stapedial muscle was found to be synchronous with the tinnitus. The tendon of the muscle was cut, and the tinnitus ceased immediately. This cessation was confirmed by both the patient and the surgeon. No attempt was made additionally to section the tendon of the tensor tympani muscle. The same procedure then was performed on the left ear, with the same findings and results. No complications were encountered during surgery or postoperatively. The patient has been followed up for a lO-month period and has not complained of recurrence of the tinnitus, hyperacusis, or hearing loss.

Patient 3

A 45-year-old woman noted in both ears a clicking tinnitus of more than 1 year's duration, with no change in her hearing. She denied any exposure to intense noise or other precipitating factors. The tinnitus was not alleviated by various medications given to her by her general practitioner, and she did not experience any relief by biofeedback and acupuncture treatments. She was finally referred to our department by her new general practitioner who, while performing a routine otoscopic examination (which had not been done by her former doctor), was able to hear a clicking noise that emanated from both the patient's ears.

The clicking noise was easily heard emanating from the patient's external auditory canals during our otoscopic examination. In addition, rhythmical movements of the tympanic membranes were seen very clearly, synchronous with the patient's complaint of clicking. Fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy confirmed the absence of palatal myoclonic movements. Pure-tone audiometry demonstrated a mild, bilateral high-tone sensorineural hearing loss. A cogwheel effect, similar to the effect that was seen in the two previous patients, was seen on a type A tympanogram in both ears.

After a diagnosis of middle-ear myoclonus was made, the option of stapedius and tensor tympani tendon section was suggested. A bilateral tympanotomy was performed under local anesthesia, with sectioning of the tendons of the middle-ear muscles. The patient reported complete alleviation of the tinnitus even during the operation. She has been free of any tinnitus to date and has been seen in follow-up for almost 1 year.

 

Yes, I hear it all the time though it seems to change as the fullness and pain in the ear increases, quite the mystery.

 

@Kevin08 mine isn't constant it's usually set off by yawns burps hiccups but it can also start on it's own. If yours is constant your ENT should be able to see the spasm by checking your ears.

 

@NiNyu thanks for the info I've read it before the surgery scares me because there's so many cases where it hasn't worked. I don't know if I'm willing to take that risk and maybe make things worse.