My Experience with Tinnitus and Ear Cleaning

I noticed some older threads about cleaning ears, but I wanted to add to it with my own experience, in case anyone else has a similar concern regarding ear cleaning. ---

--- Just to give you some background on my T, Back in 2015 I experienced some severe acoustic trauma, that caused chirping in my right ear for months, I thought it would never go away, and it finally did. I've also experienced the wooshing, high-pitched hissing, and light tones, even pressure building sometimes, popping and ringing. I went to an ENT when it first started, my hearing was fairly normal, and he didn't seem to think I had any real cause for concern, and prescribed me allergy medication. The medication helped some, but I read that over-use can cause T, so I didn't feel I had allergies anyway, so I quit taking it. As a child I was exposed to gun blasts without hearing protection, fireworks, monster trucks and drag racing (not in excess) but I've considered my experiences growing up a possible link to the T that I've developed in the last couple years. ---

--- So anyway, in the past I always cleaned my ears (gently) with peroxide and warm water, before I had problems with T all the time. I would allow the peroxide to soak in my ear for a couple minutes, then tilting my head to drain and flushing with the warm water, and only suffered some mild T if any sometimes, and it was always temporary.

--- Fast forward to September 2016, I had ear wax impacted in my left ear, and it was definitely causing T, and I hardly ever have problems with my left ear, so I went to have them cleaned at my PCP, and a nurse performed the cleaning using an electronic syringe and a mixture of warm water and peroxide. When she finished my left ear felt great, the pressure was gone, the ringing was gone, and she started on my right ear. I warned her, that I had T in my right ear (and it had actually been really good for months up to this point) and I asked her to be very gentle. She proceeds to jam the syringe into my eardrum, immediately I ask her to stop that she was hurting me, so she did after doing it 2 more times ( I could have smacked her) I suspect my right ear canal is much more shallow than my left, and may also be contributing to the cause of my T, and the reason the nurse hit my ear drum with the syringe. ---

--- After the cleaning, the first few days I felt a sense of fullness in my right ear, it slowly went away over the next week. It took about 4-6 weeks for me to notice my T starting to get better again. Then I got a cold recently, after I couple of weeks I felt some fullness in my right ear again, probably just from the cold, but foolishly I tried to gently clean my ears, like I had done in the past (I made my mind up I would never go back to the PCP). I made sure I was as gentle as possible with the flushing, not to apply too much pressure. I thought I was okay, but over the last few days I've noticed the light wooshing, and high pitched hissing and light steady tone. ---

--- So to anyone who reads this, and is worried about their T, because they had a similar experience, all I can say is just hang in there. I know how you feel, I know the depression and the anxiety, and sleepless nights. But I've been through good and bad periods of T in the last year and a half, and just when I thought it would never get better, it finally did, and if you think it can't get any worse, it can, so be careful, and definitely goto an ENT and consult with a specialist before taking matters into your own hands with cleaning. Drops are probably the safest way to go, without flushing, at least from what I have read on these forums, and I imagine people on here know much more than most average doctors. They've all spent more time researching it, and experiencing it first hand. Thanks to all of you who provide the answers and info so many of us seek. And sorry for typing so much. I mostly read, and don't respond, so I had a lot to share there.

 

What was the acoustic trauma in 2015??

I was exposed to a very loud alarm and have chirping tinnitus as a result.