High Pitched Ringing After Stapedectomy

I had a stapedectomy done on my left ear 3 days ago (4/26/18). The doctor said it went very well. Since Friday (4/27) I have had this constant high pitched ringing in my left ear that has not stopped. It may have been there on Thursday but don't remember because of the vertigo and nausea I was dealing with. I rarely ever had any ringing in my ear prior to the surgery, maybe after a concert or something. This ringing is driving me bananas, is there any hope this will go away in time or something I can do to eliminate it? I can't imagine going through life with this noise in my head.

 

It is quite possible that the noise will settle down in time. You should know that your ear will take months (yes, not days or weeks) to get "back to optimal shape" after your surgery.

In a few weeks you'll probably be doing a post-op hearing test and from that you'll learn how much of your air-bone gap was recovered, but also if you have sensorineural losses, which could be responsible for your T.

Some sensorineural losses are known to be possible unwanted side-effects of a stapedotomy. They were in my case: my air-bone gap closed, but my high frequencies got a bit worse. I did have severe T before surgery, and I still do now, but the pre-op hyperacusis is mostly gone, however, and I can hear better in the low frequencies of course.

Give it time.

 

@Jeffc1968x
You have had excellent advice off @GregCA,
Your ear will still have packing in and swelling.
Keep relaxing music on around you and see your doctor if you have trouble sleeping as he can help you.
Keep posting for support...love glynis

 

Hi Jeff. Just wondering how you are getting on since your Stapedectomy? I'm in the same position 3weeks after my op. Any change or improvement? I undrsunder this surgery takes a lot of patience!

 

It does... did you do a post-op hearing test yet (you're still early, so perhaps just a simple fork test)?

 

Thanks for all of the feedback. I just hit 4 weeks today. I still have a constant ringing g in my ear, the volume is lower than it was in the beginning but it never stops ringing. I didn't have any of that before the surgery. At my one week, packing came out and told all looked like it was supposed to. I can hear better than before the surgery but still not as good as the right ear. There is still a plugged feeling in my ear like being on an airplane. I'm hoping that goes away too. I have my hearing and pressure test next week on 5/31. Will keep you posted.

 

Thanks for replying Jeff. Yeah I've been speaking to somebody else who is reporting the same (it's still there but less intense). She said that her T peaked at around week 5 or 6 so I would give it a bit more time. I also definitely have that plugged feel and at the moment my hearing improvements come and go pretty randomly. Will be interested to hear the results of your test and an update on your T at that point. Likewise I'll try and remember to post!

@GregCA - no I had my packing removed earlier this week so it'll be another 4 weeks before they test. I had virtually no hearing in that ear before so what I've gained already is a vast improvement - although like you have reported I feel my gains have been made in the lower frequencies more than the higher ones (albeit this could improve with the healing) .Tuning fork (and scratching my earlobe test) confirm that all is normal. Now it's the waiting game

 

Hi @Jeffc1968x,

I hope things are improving for you since your surgery. Could you explain why you had the stapedectomy to begin with? -- Thanks.​

 

I originally went in to my doctor to have my ears flushed to clean the wax out. I noticed reduced hearing and thought that was the issue. They cleaned my ear but there was no hearing improvement. I was referred to an ENT who did some tests that could tell my stapes bone wasn't vibrating like it should. I had my post surgery follow up test and the results were remarkable compared to prior. I knew I was hearing better but the tests confirmed it. Definitely recommend the surgery.

 

Hi @Jeffc1968x, thanks for your reply. Just to double check, are you saying you'd recommend the surgery even though it gave you tinnitus? ​

 

Hi All. Just thought I'd give an update on where I am post-stapedectomy as Jeff and I were in similar positions. I'm pleased to say that my tinnitus has largely cleared up 4 weeks post-surgery (important to note that T wasn't an issue before surgery). There is a very minor ringing there, but not really enough to complain about and easily drowned out by background noise. I'm still only at 4 weeks so there's time for T to strike again. I'm going to wait 6 months before I make any firm statements on my hearing. As for the hearing itself, I've gone from being virtually deaf to making what I perceive to be big gains in the bass and mid frequencies. There are some interesting analysis of stapedectomy outcomes on the web. In relation to T one study has suggested that the operation will (in most cases) reduce tinnitus if you experienced it prior to the operation. Conversely if you didn't have tinnitus then there seems to be an increased risk of developing it. Do a google search to see for yourself. Best, Jake

 

Hi, sorry wasn't more clear on that. Like Jake said my results were similar. The ringing has virtually disappeared. There is a slight ringing that I have to stop and listen for because in my everyday routine I don't even notice it. I hear it at night when I'm laying down but it doesn't stop me from sleeping at all. Doc said it should be totally gone within 6 months as I'm still healing.

 

I sincerely hope your doctor is correct. And congratulations on your improved hearing!​

 

I just have to add my experience here, since I’m going through a very similar tinnitus experience as Jeffc1968x (except mine isn’t getting any better). I had a stapedectomy on 4-12-18 due to hearing loss in my left ear. I bled a lot after the surgery, including several days afterwards. My ENT said he had never had a patient bleed so much and said he had trouble trying to get it under control in the operating room. I also had some severe vertigo & nausea, which thankfully was under control by about 3 weeks after the surgery.

After a few days at home, we finally got the bleeding under control and was able to take the packing out. Since then, though, my hearing appears to be even worse than it was before surgery; it feels like my ear is “full,” or the way it sounds/feels when you get water trapped in it. But the tinnitus is what has been so bad! I’m sitting here now while I write this with a high pitched ringing sound and it’s driving my crazy! I just want to rip my ear off, it’s so annoying. I didn’t have this before the surgery, either. It seems to get worse as the day goes on; usually when I get up in the morning, it’s not quite as bad. The doctor has given me Xanax for it, which helps by the mere fact that I don’t care as much about it after I take one. But Xanax isn’t the answer. There’s got to be A) some reason why this is going on and B) some other way to deal with it other than Xanax. After doing some research online, it looks like ginkgo biloba is a possible herbal remedy, but it takes several months of trying that before you know whether it works, along with meditation and possibly acupuncture.

My ENT says the surgery was successful. I’ve been in several times since the surgery for checkups, and he said everything is healing ok. I’m hoping someone can give me some hope or suggestions on how to handle this tinnitus, because I’m struggling trying to deal with it. I have a hearing test scheduled July 23rd. Thanks so much.

 

You will know more after your hearing test, so you can compare before & after.

It's a risky surgery and there are times when things don't go perfectly. I suffered some sensorineural losses in the high frequencies post surgery, but got improvements in the low frequencies. T didn't get any better unfortunately.

The ear is a very delicate apparatus, and things can go sideways quickly. Before looking for random remedies, I suggest you try to pinpoint what is going on first. You can make things worse even with "natural remedies".

Good luck.