Hello Everyone — Eustachian Tube to Blame?

Hi everyone

My name is Jess and I'm 22 years old. What a relief to discover this site, though it's caused me mixed emotions seeing the negative and positive stories, it gives me great comfort to know that I'm not alone.

Around 2 years ago, I completely randomly woke up with T. I hadn't had a cold, been to a loud concert, hit my head, I just woke up with a mild fizzing ringing in my left ear.

However, up until about 3 weeks ago i never really noticed it unless I focused on it or was in a particularly dark and quiet room and it certainly didn't affect my daily life.

Then, just before Christmas I woke up with a feeling of deafness and fullness in my left ear with very loud T, I immediately went to my GP who had a good look at my ears and throat and ruled out wax or fluid, but said my tonsils were slightly swollen and my Eustachian tube was probably blocked, he said I probably had a cold on the way and to just wait for it to unblock naturally.

I should also add that I suffer (and always have suffered with) generalised anxiety disorder.

My ear has been blocking and unblocking since the day I went to my GP and at first the T wasn't so bad. Since last Thursday however, it feels like someone turned up the T volume to maximum. I have hardly slept a wink, I'm shakey, have very little appetite and feelings of constant butterflies. My trouble is, I don't know whether it's my anxiety causing my T or whether I do actually have an ear dysfunction of some sort.

I am seeing a GP again this afternoon, (although I got the usual disgruntled tone when I mentioned tinnitus), she said on the phone that she reckons a course of nasal steroids might work in opening up the tube, but I am sceptical. My T consists of a very high pitched ring/hiss that is most prominent in my left ear but partly present in my right ear over the past few days.

I am very open to the idea of habituation as I believe I subconciously did it before, but I'm feeling very alone and scared at the moment.

My parents live abroad, my boyfriend is in the military and is currently deployed (non hostile) and I live alone, so I'm sure that's not helping with the feeling a of isolation.

Plus, trying to explain this condition to anyone and explain how uncomfortable it is, is impossible.

Any advice, similar experiences or just a general chat would be very appreciated.

Thanks
Jess

 

I should also add im experiencing slight aches and pressure in my sinus area, not sure if this is related?

 

Hi Jessica ,your not alone dealing with this ,glad you've joined up ,it's not a cure but you get some really good support here ,lots of answered questions that you may have already wondered about .
I to have ear fullness and Rhinitis problem ,plus it affects my balance ,are you in UK ?
Stay on site they will help ,best site ever your find that out for yourself .

 

Hi Marlene, thank you for your reply!

Yes I am based in South West UK.

I find the stories of success very comforting, especially ones that are based on using CBT and brain re-training techniques to tune out or habituate to the T. There is so much negativity in the media about T which can really get you down if you focus on it.

 

I am right there with you! My T had started in the past two weeks because of a cold/sinusitis/eustachian tube block. I'm on a nasal steroid spray, but no help so far after a week. I am so sorry to hear that you are dealing with this alone! Sending hugs from the U.S. because I understand what you are going through. Wish I had advice to give.

 

Hi LovesToTeach

Sorry to hear you've had no relief. I knew I was right to be sceptical about the nasal spray but I'll give it a try anyway :\

I find my ear will unblock for a few hours, often after a shower which I believe is due to the warm steam in the nasal passages. But will soon block again.

Seems like its the cursed Eustachian tube truly is to blame for our T!

Are you finding other ways to manage and deal with your T?

 

Jessica ,your not in Plymouth ? Said your fella in the service .
Like all things in life there's the Negs and Pos to everything ,but bear with the ones who come across as Neg ,some have it really bad and I mean really bad ,it happens .T doesent give anyone good vibes ,we all get up ,down days .How T reacts on individuals no matter where you look .
There are some good stories on TT ,that's always encouraging .Threads go back a fair way to this .
Good advice what not to do with your ears ,so not to makeing problems worse ,mistake those on here have made in the past ,and wish they hadn't .they will never put you on the wrong track ,got your interest at heart everytime .
There's no cure so I don't look ,just look for the ways to cope ,ie treatments etc Some have had CBT and had it's benifits ,if you don't try it you will never know I say .Mindfulness is yet another .Go look into that ,all spoken about on TT .

 

@Marlene Yeap I'm in Plymouth! My chap is a Royal Marine based at 42 CDO.

Oh I'm not at all in anyway criticising the negative stories, I do understand so many have it so much worse and are still in the early stages of coming to terms with T. I may sound upbeat and positive, but I'm feeling pretty negative in myself at the moment and have been randomly bursting in to tears over the past few days, I had to go and stay at my grandmothers last night just because I was dying for some comfort and the presence of another person (typical anxiety symptom).

As I said, I'm still early in determining the cause of my T (if any!). Today will only be my second visit to the GP, by what I've read and been told I'm very much expecting a 'deal with it' response from her but feel I should be persistent in this, if it doesn't improve I'm keen to see an ENT specialist to rule out any hearing loss or actual damage to my ear. Or possibly begin a course of CBT to start re-training my brain.

I'll let you know how my appointment this afternoon goes.

 

Yes let me know how you got on ,different area ,lots different countries ,all seeing various medical people , it's now seeing what can be done to help you .
We all get those scary days with this ,read these stories every day of any given week .Its the skills one needs to keeping the anxiety and depression down ,aslow as you can ,that's a learned skill not easy to do ,but lots have done it .Mine is depending on the T and allergy and balance day ,is to how it pans my day out .Never know but I never think at tomorrow ,next week ,next month ,think that would depress you more ,so it don't go there .hey could be a cure tomorrow so the worrying would have been for nothing hey ,thinking to far ahead .Maybe that's why I've never had the depression .well that's my thinking .
I was right then Plymouth ,if you look at my Profile ,I was a Royal Marine wife for close on 18 yrs .My husband finished his 24 yrs at 42 CDO ,Bickleigh .WO 2 ,spent last 3 months as stand in RSM ,as they were out in Norway .
Hope you get good appointment at Drs .Push for whatever is offerered up with both hands .X

 

Hi Jessica - I have messaged my GP about the non-improvement... I'll see what she says. But I feel like "we who Google" often have more knowledge than the docs do sometimes, so i'm not anticipating anything new or helpful. But if there is something earth-shattering, I will let you know!

 

So I have just returned from seeing my GP, mixed emotions about it really!

I sat down, explained the worsening T, feeling of blocked/fullness in left ear, slight hearing loss. She looked in both ears, my right (less troublesome) one first and all seemed OK, she then took at look my left and said 'Aha! You have a layer of wax covering your ear drum'. She then told me to buy some Olive Oil drops from the chemist and apply tonight and tomorrow, she seemed uninterested in my T and said it 'probably seemed louder because of the wax on the ear drum'. Whether this is true I'm not sure... She's booked me in for a follow up appointment on Wednesday in which if there is no improvement she will arrange a syringing and hearing test.

But I suppose it can't hurt to try so I'm sat with my bottle of olive oil and dropper reading the instructions...

 

Hi @jessicabee, welcome to you. I am glad you posted the details about your tinnitus onset. Our cases are somewhat similar:

I have had slight problems with minor ETD on and off over the years. I believe (not all of my doctors agree, but most do) my tinnitus was caused by barotrauma from a long flight in May 2013. I flew with a sinus infection; my ENT at the time (bastard) said it was fine. Note to all here: NEVER fly with a sinus infection or serious cold!! Anyway, I had terrible ear pain on descent, my middle ear filled with fluid. I lost upper range hearing and my tinnitus began immediately. Within a couple weeks, my T triggered my limbic and automatic nervous system. While I had no prior history of anxiety, rolling panic attacks began. It was shear hell.

Having said all this: I believe now that I probably had undiagnosed anxiety prior to my tinnitus. My brain chemistry may always have made me susceptible to it but I had no symptoms throughout my life. Then came three awful years at work (2010-2013) where we constantly were afraid of losing our jobs out of the blue and I watched many friends lose theirs. I think that experience might have laid the groundwork for my tinnitus. I might have taken that flight a decade earlier and, while I would have had the ear trauma, my neurological system would have adjusted. But... I will never know for sure. Just as many people with tinnitus never know the cause.

You may know research shows there appears to be a connection between anxiety, stress and tinnitus. It is not known if anxiety alone can cause tinnitus. But it is agreed that tinnitus can trigger anxiety and panic.

My advice: If you have ruled out those few detectible tinnitus causes (like a tumor or TMJ), don't spend a bunch of time and energy searching for a cause. It will just make you more anxious. And at the end, there is no cure anyway. Instead, work on managing your symptoms and regaining your life. It can be done! Your butterfly and appetite symptoms sound like anxiety. If the ways you have controlled your anxiety in the past aren't working, find a good doctor who can help build a new strategy and skills. Short-term meds, if necessary, can get you over the hump. Also, find ways to ease your insomnia. Search Tinnitus Talk and you will find many threads on sleep. Many of us here have dealt with sleep problems.

And personally: I found cognitive behavioral therapy, coupled with meditation on my own, tremendously helpful. This is just my personal experience and it is not a guarantee for all. But while my first six months were very, very rough, I came through and am so much better today. You will be, too. Come back to TT as often as you need to.

Hugs and best wishes.

 

Oh, and @jessicabee, I just read your above post. My ears are big wax producers (thank you, ears) so I go to my ENT two, three times yearly specifically for wax removal. I really don't recommend syringing your ears on your own and I would ask you ENT very specific questions about how she plans to do it. The below might be helpful.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Earwax/Pages/Treatment.aspx

 

Hiya Lady Di ,you sound up beat ? You explained it well to Jessica .Ive got eczema but deep in ears from this Rhinitis ,my husband said to try the olive oil again ,often wonder if that's root problem to my balance ,particles in to deep ,as when I've laid on worst eczema ear it feels soft white stuff I seem to get out ,someone think maybe couple weeks back ,said they had same thing ,so like we do I wonder is that cause .
My husband has Glue ear ,like a taps turned on some days ,he's got drops for that from his dr .
Will look up what you've placed ,all info good on here as Jessica and new ones joining will find .
PS any word on your dog ,hope you get pic sent you ,you supporting another yet,no doubt it will be a yes xxx

 

Hey @Marlene, happy new year! Did you PM me the photo? Or is it on another thread? I will look around, somehow missed it. I have heard about "glue ear," fortunately I don't have that. Just require a bit of professional ear cleaning a few times annually.

So I did see your nice post about my sponsor dog, Sapphire, thanks for your comments. I am so happy for that sweet girl. My latest adventure is I want to try to permanently take in a dog for us. This weekend, we met Fergus. He is about 4, a Jack Russell but very mellow. I loved him on his foster home visit but my hubby, sigh, really is digging in his heals. Says it will be chaos with two cats and a small house. We are doing an expansion this year and says we can have a dog after that... I seem doomed to never get one of my own.

Fergus doesn't need a sponsor as he has a nice foster family, with another dog that he loves. He actually probably would miss his dog pal if we adopted. Anyway, will see what happens. Here is his holiday photo.

 

Jessica that's the norm from Drs ,give it a try ,but don't over load ears with it .Im going to try that avenue again ,not messed with my ears since T got worse 9 years ago ,only ever had syringed once 2years ago this March ,only for me to have a neck op ,not for the T .A local chap I know gets his done syringed 3/4 times a year as they're blocked ,I told him not for me ,blocked as they feel right now ,just going to read up on Lady Di placed piece to you .

 

What a dog Di ,don't you just love that face .understand about his having his mate .they would miss each other ,as did Dylan ,when Morgan died .
I need a chat with your better half Ha Ha
Get the extension done ,then pressure goes on hey ,we ladies are pretty good at that .No excuses
I miss not having one around us ,but got daughters Cockers here today all day ,just here now to collect them .
There no trouble .plod around get treats ,everyone's Happy .
Ferguson. Nice doggy name .
Wonder how Karens is doing ? Were same age ,so another dog not on cards sad to say .But we've got Henry and Katie around us fair bit .
These ears are A right pain ,in more ways than one ,anxiety up since I got up ,bad ears today screaming .its what it is hey .
Takecare Di things can only get better as the song goes .Happy New Year Hugs ,xxx

 

@jessicabee, welcome to Tinnitus Talk! And, welcome also to the "Eustachian" Club. I'm relatively new to TT - having joined, like many others, during my initial onset of persistent Tinnitus 9 weeks ago, but I have found Tinnitus Talk to be an incredibly supportive, nurturing, and caring environment. With the treatment and support-focused culture here, I've been able to turn what started out being a very helpless and agonizing situation into an empowering opportunity to treat myself better and improve my condition. And, best of all, I'm making progress.

Firstly, please do not let the negative stories keep you down -- Tinnitus is a very isolating, lonely condition that virtually no one really understands. Medical practitioners, even established ENT specialists and otolaryngologists, have only a very basic understanding of Tinnitus -- and worse, there's disagreement between the otolaryngological community and the neurological community about the origins, causes, and circumstances behind Tinnitus. (The science that I have read published by organizations like the American Tinnitus Association on Tinnitus Today show that Tinnitus has vestibular/cochlear causes, but manifests as a neurological response to auditory insufficiency or error. This appears to be bearing out with current research trends.) Additionally, in my experience for these past couple of months, those who have been "afflicted" by Tinnitus can generally go down one of two paths: "suffering" and in desperate search for a cure, or "enduring" and learning how to treat or manage their condition to live better lives. Sometimes, a complete cure is possible - but most often, managing the condition and learning to live with it provides the same level of relief since, after all, once you've been able to habituate, it's not really impacting your daily life anymore and just fades into the background. It's very discouraging, however, to read stories of people who are paralyzed by the suffering nature of Tinnitus and are unable to move forward -- and in some of these cases, the Tinnitus is either so debilitating and severe or has other medical conditions associated with it that habituation becomes challenging.

Secondly, based upon what you have posted here, it sounds to me like your Tinnitus is being caused, or at the very least exacerbated, by Eustachian inflammation. There's good news in this, because it's one of the causes of Tinnitus that can be treated and managed very effectively, once you learn what is causing the inflammation. (See @Fish's diagram of typical Tinnitus symptoms and causes here on this thread.) I've got a lot of personal experience with this phenomenon, as it's something I've been dealing with - and that's largely fueled my search for my own ways to manage and treat my Tinnitus. In the past few days, I have started to respond very positively to amoxicillin and prednisone (to fight a suspected inner ear or lower middle ear infection, and to reduce the inflammation across my body systemically, respectively). A fellow TinnitusTalk user, @engineerLA, actually first really pushed the idea of inflammation and infection as a likely cause and shared his findings (and cure!) right around the time I started experiencing my Tinnitus. What we learned was that the following are signs of inflammation in or around the ear:

• Moving your lower jaw to the left or the right changes the volume and/or pitch of your Tinnitus in at least one of the ears.
  
  
• Steam helps alleviate both/either the Tinnitus and/or the sense of "fullness." But in all cases, that congestion generally returns.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatory medication helps reduce the volume of the Tinnitus.
  
  
• Secondary side-effects from Eustachian tube blockages/inflammation include dizziness, nausea, headaches, sinus headaches, sore throats, and even neurological phenomena associated with the general inflammation, because of how the vestibular centers of the ears are responsible for balance. These secondary side effects wax and wane (generally wane) with time because the brain learns to compensate for deficiencies of the vestibular system, but the auditory nerve (where Tinnitus is thought to manifest) does not cease performing its rogue behavior until underlying causes re-"train" it to realize that there are no rogue causes.

There is a detailed thread that engineerLA started about chronic Eustachian inflammation that I strongly recommend you check out. For me, his "water method" (applied very gently - see my responses several pages in) was the "smoking gun" that gave me relief and proved to me that my Tinnitus is at least being exacerbated, if not outright caused, by Eustachian inflammation. In meeting with your GP, suggest to him/her that your research has shown that antibiotics + steroids might be an effective treatment in reducing inflammation and combating whatever infection is causing your symptoms. Most doctors, even those connected with the UK's bureaucratic NHS, should be swayed to at least give it a shot -- though it's worth you knowing personally that there really isn't established science (except in cases of acute hearing loss) that show that prednisone is a proper treatment for Tinnitus in the classic sense. It can, nevertheless, provide you with considerable relief.

On a final note, I want to just welcome you again quite warmly to this community. Even though I am new to both it and to Tinnitus as a whole, I find that we are all our best advocates and, those of us who are afflicted with Tinnitus tend to have the best insights into what has worked (for us) and what might work (for you). I know in my case, no one in my professional or personal life really understands what I am going through -- but in searching for treatments here on this site, I found a link that allowed me to play back to people the sounds that I constantly hear on a 24/7 basis, and some of them finally "got it" -- and so the empathy and nurturing that you get from a place like Tinnitus Talk just can't be found in most places.

Because you habituated previously to Tinnitus, I would absolutely encourage you to try and do the same again. Chronic eustachian inflammation, like the type from which you and I both seem to suffer, is a long-term and recurring condition and needs to be managed with anti-hystemines, anti-inflammatories, proper nutrition and supplements, and habituation/re-training. I have had some success in starting to re-train my mind using Acoustic Coordinated Reset Neuromodulation -- also found via a do-it-yourself guide on this site on this thread -- and had immediate results after just ~10-15 mins (though for some people, it takes several hours a day for several weeks/months to start noticing a dramatic reduction). Your mileage may vary with methods like these, but because habituation came to you previously, there's no reason it cannot happen again and hopefully very quickly.

Best always,
Kaelon / Juan

 

Thank you everyone for your responses, there is some great tips and advice here. @Kaelon @Marlene @LadyDi

After feeling generally OK most of today, I'm currently in the grips of panic right now, I don't know why but my T and anxiety are so much worse in the evening.

I applied the olive oil to my ear earlier as per my doctors instruction, but this has just made the feeling of fullness worse which I know will probably subside when the oil has got to work.

I have just tried eating and could barely swallow, I'm shakey, tense, feel dizzy and as expected my T is louder than ever.

 

Hi @jessicabee,

It wasn't until I started getting T back on Nov. 2nd that I realized that I suffered from some sort of anxiety disorder (what I usually attributed to as just "excitement" or "energy" is in fact panic), and so I am very sensitive to how Tinnitus exacerbates my anxiety (and have read that the opposite is also possible - being anxious causes us to notice our Tinnitus more). It's a vicious cycle.

T generally gets worse as the day progresses, especially when it's Eustachian tube related. Inflammation and infection require healing, which I was told by my doctors, happens mostly at night during sleep. Of course, if you don't get enough good sleep (due to the anxiety, for example), this will rob you of the opportunity to heal and can actually lead to more inflammation. I had the best success when I did some anti-inflammatory exercises a couple of hours before going to sleep -- namely, using the "water method" that @engineerLA describes in the post I linked; and, taking a hot shower before bed -- and then sleeping at least a full 8 hours. When I awoke, I found myself much relieved.

I'm curious as to why your doctor asked you to apply olive oil. Oil, especially heated oil, is an old home remedy that I haven't fully understood, but many years ago when I had some waxy buildup in my outer ear, my dad applied some olive oil there and it did nothing other than just clog me up even more. It passed a few days later. I found diluted hydrogen peroxide (3% solution, with 50/50 mixed with distilled water at lukewarm temperature) applied and held to each ear for ~30 seconds provided some good relief.

Feel better soon!

 

Short and sweet, get a CT scan to see how your sinuses are, MRI of your brain, stay a calm as you can, don't be afraid to use prescribed medications , and don't be alone if possible(just having someone there helps a lot. I hope you discover you don't have the condition.

 

Kaelon ,
I'm exactly with you on your experience with olive oil ,I'm talking 9 years ago. I was told to fill ears up with oil ,I think it caused me heck lot of problems ,and it did zilch ,think just added more blockage , I've never used it since but husband did say today to just put a bit in like a drip .So Do I ,Don't I .Decisions hey ,to this T .

 

@Marlene, yeah, I would be very skeptical about adding oil into your outer ear. If you have waxy buildup there, applying some hydrogen peroxide (3% solution) diluted 50/50 with distilled water (absolutely use only distilled water!) should be your first step, and you can do this a couple of times a day for a maximum of 2-3 days. Holding it in there for ~30 seconds, and then letting the wax drain out will help.

I'm not sure what the science or thinking behind adding oil is -- whether it passes through the eardrum somehow and manages to help the middle ear, or it has some sort of other vestibular effect. Perhaps someone else on the forum can discuss the intra-tympanic applications, though the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary both state that application of medicines intratympanically don't seem to make a substantial difference, yet. (This makes some pioneering work, like the work being done with AM-101, somewhat suspect.)

 

Yes will go along with you ,will get both tomorrow ,husbands just said give it a go ,he's had this T for 30 years himself .Maybe the new ones on site aught to give this a go ,think it's better than giving out the probs that olive oil caused me ,why don't Drs give this out first to patients ,instead of oil ,or this home trying Valsalva thing they tell you to do ,that said I can't do that anyway glad I can't after what Tellis said on previous post to doing it .
I thought Engineer put up a good postings to T and what to do I agree .
Will keep watch on thread Thanks again

 

Oh @jessicabee, I feel for you. I have been in your shoes. I had terrible panic attacks in the beginning, one after another. I lost a lot of weight because I couldn't eat anything, was dizzy and shaky constantly. I am not a fan of medications but with panic, they can really help (as I assume you know, if you have dealt with anxiety before). I also found relief listening to guided meditations aimed at panic, this one in particular, by Bella Naparstek:
http://www.healthjourneys.com/Store/Anxiety-Relief/29

I also found my anxiety was (and still is) worse at night. My doctor said that in part comes with the insomnia; we get anxious about going to bed because we fear we won't be able to sleep. I no longer have to take anxiety meds during the day (except for a few rare cases) but do at night right before I go to sleep.

 

I really feel like I have a similar issue to you, Jessica.

Lately my right ear has felt really full (and has louder ringing in it) and I've had lots of issues with sinus infections on my right-hand side over the past five years or so.

Incidentally, the audiologist I saw on Tuesday said I have "wax on my ear drum" and that maybe if I got that taken care of, the ringing might subside. Here's hoping, I guess.

 

Hi Jess, I'm also from the South West and 22 as well!

I have had T for a year now which never really bothered me & could only hear it in complete silence but since the new year it is louder in my left ear..I went to the doc & he said I have fluid in my left ear that would go on it's own. This happening made me very anxious about my T but it seems to be going down to a less noticeable level again so hopefully I will habituate again soon & I'm sure you will too!

 

Hi everyone

I thought Id give you an update.

As you all know I woke up with a blocked left ear in December which was put down to a blocked Eustachian tube, this persisted until beginning of January when it finally reopened and was relieved of the fullness/blocked feeling. T was still there but by this point I was beginning to just make peace with it.

Shortly after this, I caught a cold (usual symptoms, sore throat, blocked nose, achey), after a week or so the cold cleared up but was left with the peculiar sensation of being on a boat, not that the room around me was spinning but just a feeling of unsteadiness on my feet and general inbalance. I left it for a few days thinking it was just the tail end of the cold. However it persisted for 9 days so I visited my GP on Thursday, he diagnosed me with Labrynthitis (an inflammation of the Labrynth mechanisms in your inner ear usually the result of a viral or bacterial infection). Recovery time is 2 weeks - 6 months, and in some cases years. He prescribed me Betahistines but as yet this has not provided any relief. Yesterday was the worst day I've had with it as the nausea was very unpleasant, couldn't eat much at all.

Was just wondering if anyone else has had this? The T is still very much there but I don't let it get to me too much. I should add that I don't have any hearing loss (noticeable anyway) and I can generally go about my daily life, from what I've read some sufferers of Labrynthitis have such intense vertigo that they are vomiting and can't get out of bed.

Hope you are all well.

 

@jessicabee, so sorry to hear that you have this! When I went to my first ENT appt I was worried about this diagnosis since I'd also had some dizziness, but she did the chair rotation test thing and ruled it out. From what I understand, long-term labyrinthitis is very uncommon. I hope your dizziness stops soon! Did your GP give you any vestibular exercises to do?