My ENT Experience for Unique Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

My onset of tinnitus was somewhat gradual. It began about 5 months ago and would only appear during and after cardio exercise (basketball) in left ear. It would go away at about an hour after the exercise and would gradually get worse until finally it happened really bad during and after one of these sessions. This time it was accompanied by intense ear fullness and a lot of initial hearing loss. This was a little over 3 months now. The tinnitus has gotten better gradually but I am still living with it to this day.

After seeing my general practice doctor and receiving a hearing test showing mild hearing loss at high frequencies in my left ear, I saw an ENT and audiologist from the highly acclaimed UC Davis medical center after waiting over a month for my appointment. The hearing test showed the same results as my GP. During my exam with the ENT, a camera was used to look inside of my ear along with a pressure test in each ear. I was told everything looked perfect. The doctor was completely puzzled and said there is no reason cardio activity should cause any problems. He stood in the corner with his hand to his chin in deep thought but offered no real possibilities of what could be going on. He offered an MRI, but I decided not to because of the cost and the fact that my insurance is most likely tapped out after covering these multiple office visits. I now regret this decision, as I would probably have to wait months and be charged for another evaluation on top of the MRI if I were to set up an appointment now.

I feel like going to a "good" ENT was really a waste of money and all they can really do is refer me to get an MRI. I haven't done any cardio exercise in months in fear of more tinnitus and hearing loss and am wondering if I should just set up an appointment for an MRI at this point.

 

Did this "good" ENT listen to your ear himself to rule out objective tinnitus, and did he consider that the workout factor could suggest there is a blood flow issue which should be ruled in or out?

Its OK, none of them do these things, even though they are important baseline considerations.

 

Yes, I asked him about blood flow issues, but he said since my tinnitus is not putative and I have no high blood pressure, it is unlikely. I'm starting to believe it has to do with fluid build up or pressure in the ear as described by this article https://www.livestrong.com/article/115677-causes-auditory-nerve-damage/