My Tinnitus Might Have Been Caused by the Tympanometry Test

It all has to do with how are your eustachian tubes are (open or closed) and the ear pressure its creating (you can combine it also with how each nostril works). In my worst ear (most ear pressure) I can't hear well because my et stays closed all the time (it's like I have an earplug constantly in my ear and my tympanum doesn't respond to sound as it should to protect its self from the enormous amount of pressure). In the ear with the most ear pressure I hear sounds as a bit quieter ~10db. If I yawn I can hear normal (which is when the pressure equalizes because my et opens). In the other ear I have increased ear pressure its less than the ear pressure of the right. The et is also closed but the ear pressure is not enough to make the tympanum to tense up completely. In the ear with the increased pressure I hear sounds louder ~10db because I have increased ear pressure and the tympanum still responds to sounds.

I concluded the above from my own experience with my ear issues and from what the 4th ent said about ear pressure. The last ent said that increased ear pressure causes sounds to sound louder to the person. I have thought the rest based on my experience with my most pressurized ear.

Unfortunately, I don't have any link to prove this increase in sounds but I will give you a link which explains eustachian tube issues and what someone hears when they are open/closed: https://www.raleighcapitolent.com/blog/eustachian-tube-problems?entryid=13&tabid=89

 

Did you ever confirm this test was the cause? Or did it just spike it and go down?

I just wen't in yesterday and got this test. Had to be re-done 3 times in my left ear. The tone wasn't an odd frequency and I can't place the loudness. It didn't make me squirm so I'd say it had to be under 85db for sure. Yet, my T is objectively worse the following night and today. An actual change in loudness and even pitch.

Very concerned.

 

@Bill Bauer where the heck have you been bruh

 

I don't know if you are still active in n this website but this is exactly what happened to me. I am positive I got tinnitus after having the hearing test/tympanogram. It was loud and strong right after I left that appt in July 2019 and it hasn't gotten any better and it it now Sept 2019. Judy

 

I am sorry to hear that you haven't experienced any improvement.

Have you felt any discomfort during the test? I don't remember being exposed to any loud noises during that test. I have had an acoustic trauma about a week before my test. That trauma caused ear fullness.

Have you had an acoustic trauma before your test?

 

you wouldn't have given it to yourself, the doctor/nurse did.

 

I guess if I am being real my first exposure to tinnitus as a low volume sound was in May but it was ever so infrequent, barely noticeable and only a handful of brief incidents occured between May and my ENT appt in July. Sometimes I would think, am I hearing something. I actually thought it could be earwax. In fact I flew to Costa Rica the last week in May... after first noticing this odd low volume hissing coming on occasion. Never once while flying or being there did I hear a thing. I had already called to schedule the ENT appt before leaving and couldn't get it scheduled until July. The month prior to my appt (after the trip) I remember the feeling of fullness in my ears on occasion but nothing much significant, and nothing that was effecting life or sleep (intermittent). Well, everything changed after seeing the ENT at which time I also had the hearing test (first one ever). That same evening of the ENT appt I suddenly was hearing a loud relentless noise (sound was like a flourescent light ballast going out). That sound continues to this day. So...that test they did that day may not have been the beginning of tinnitus for me but it definitely was the cause of this loud constant sound I am hearing to this day.

 

Tympanometry Test is the only test for ETD, correct?

 

That's messed up...

Did the test involve loud noises? Do you remember feeling any discomfort during the test?!

 

@JudyM Have you been exposed to moderate noises (e.g., the subway, hairdrier, vacuum cleaner, food processor, lawn mower) on a regular basis over the past couple of months?

 

Agree. You know I do not remember feeling any particular discomfort during the test and didn't even know a tympanogram had been done nor did I really know what it was..
I had never had a hearing test before and didn't really think I had a hearing problem so didn't think it necessary. The ENT told me tinnitus was usually due to hearing loss and wanted me to have the test. Yes, I have been exposed to moderate noise over the last couple months a few times but have actually been trying to avoid them as I realize they increase this noise in my head. The worst noise I have not been able to avoid is my dog..a Shih Tzu who likes to bark, and has a shrill bark that has really been bothering me a lot.

 

There were loud tones to identify but again they were not hurting my ears at the time of the test I did not think.

 

I guess our experiences prove that we really did get tinnitus as a result of having a tympanogram, despite us not experiencing any discomfort during the test. I had been refusing to believe this for a very long time, mainly because I couldn't imagine harm being done causing any bad sensations.

Shocking........

 

I don't remember the tones being particularly loud...

You haven't answered my question about moderately loud noises. I am trying to figure out why you haven't experienced any fading.

 

I tried to answer this as best I can. You know there are always loud noises I can't avoid like the screeching noise of my dog barking...maybe you have never heard a Shih Tzu bark...it is a high pitched shrill sound. I do not have to listen to a vacuum, food processor, any hair dryers or any such noises on a regular basis. I have been able to control noises I am around for the most part. I am aware they tend to make the noise I am hearing in my head louder. I especially noticed it when I was at Walmart enduring a light ballast going out in the produce dept. That is when I noticed the sound I was hearing at Walmart sounded very much like that same sound I was hearing in my head. Curious, did you experience fading soon after your first experience with the hearing test?

 

You might consider getting one of those dog collars that train dogs to bark less.

 

Hi @JudyM

I was reading your and @TBH posts about louder tinnitus and now having hyperacusis after a tympanogram. I am pretty certain this occurred to me too. I had two last month. I really miscalculated. It's so hard to think some pressure test could do this much harm. However we are here, aren't we? Judy, I see you have sensitivity to loud sounds now. I have them to certain frequencies - like the refrigerators at the grocery. These seem especially loud. It seems TBH has this too. These noises cause my tinnitus to react and become louder for some hours later.

Judy - do you ever have your tinnitus ramp up/become louder after hearing any certain noises like the TV/road noise/etc?

I hope you are feeling better.

Edit: I just found this post Judy -

Perhaps the answer is yes, your tinnitus is more reactive now? If so, do you have any sounds the really affect your Tinnitus more than others?

Btw, the sound I hear is very similar to the light ballast of fluorescent bulbs too. It's really annoying!

James