New at This. Tinnitus due to an Ear Infection.

Hi there!

My name is Adrian, I am from Spain and I live in Japan. It is great to have found this site because the Internet is full of crap about T.

I am really scared about this neverending ringing sound. This is my case:

I got a middle ear infection a month ago. I went to the Dr. and he told me not to worry about it.

Then, I went to the ENT ten days ago because I started having T in the infected ear. He gave me antibiotics for a week.

The ear seems better now, I do not have it clogged anymore. However, the ringing remains so I went back to the Dr.

He said that there is still some liquid behind my eardrum and I have to wait until it is all cleared. The ENT gave me antibiotics for 15 days.

He said that the Tinnitus is caused by the middle ear infection and the noise will resume once it is cleared. He did not seem to worry much about my T though, as if he was taking for granted that I will fully recover. But I am terrified because of the uncertainty regarding this issue. I have some questions for you guys

Has anybody experienced a similar situation?

Can T from a middle ear infection become permanent?

How long does it take for a middle ear infection to be cleared?

There is no liquid coming out from my ear or nose. Is my body removing it anyway?

THANKS A LOT

 

Hi Adrian welcome to the forum, sorry to hear about your Tinnitus.

Which antibiotic did your doctor prescribe you. Some are not good for T.

 

I do not know It is in Japanese. I will ask my girlfriend who speaks the language.

 

Ok Adrian. As its just been about a month or so since your T started, there's a good chance you will recover from the T, but you have to be very careful now as the ears are in a weak state.

 

Ok,

Thanks a lot! I had the infection for a month but T did not start until 10 days ago.

What should I do?

 

My medicines:

Antibiotics is Rulid 150

Mucodyne 250

Kipres 10Mg

 

You're welcome, Adrian.

I'm not quite sure because this T is such a confusing thing but looking back at my own T which began
In March this year......I feel that if my doctors had told me and if I had enough knowledge at the time, I should have
At once started taking Zinc, Magnesium, Niacin, Ginkgo Biloba ( maybe not all on the same day ) so as to provide
The right nutrition to the ears. Also I should have protected my ears from any loud sounds by wearing ear plugs,
Plus I shoul not have traveled so much specially on small planes with loud engine noise in bigger planes
Don't ever sit in the very back of the plane, engine noise is very loud there.

If you're having trouble sleeping keep a soft white noise on , I keep an air purifier on and if I'm having a spike I also keep the "water sound for tinnitus " video on from YouTube.

Decrease salt intake , avoid caffeine, sugar, spicy food.

As mine didnt start due to infection, mine started due to aspirin....I don't know much about ear infections.
Some others who's T started due to infection may write soon and advise.

 

Hello Adrian-

I had a similar situation as I got a ear infection from a airplane descending ( barotrauma I think ). I like you had fluid in my ear and was put on a antibiotic for about a week. I seen my primary physician and he said he could see the fluid thru my eardrum--about two thirds full. I asked him if he could drain it, but he said that could cause more problems and it was the best to let it drain on its own. It did drain over the course of a month.

My tinnitus started that year and I also wondered if it was caused by the ear infection or the fluid in my ear. Most of the ENT docs thought it was coincidental and more likely caused by noise exposure. Advice is hard in your situation, but I would say to see the best ENT doc that is familiar with tinnitus as soon as possible for another opinion. Also, others here at TT may have better advice for you in your current time frame of your T. @Sherri786 advice is very good.

 

Hey guys.

Thanks! @Sherri786 I will immediately start increasing my magnesium and zinc intake.

I have just bought earplugs. I think they will help because I have noticed that my T is louder when I get home after being exposed to noisy places.

Thanks @just1morething I will try to go to an ENT specialized on tinnitus this week to get more advice.

When the fluid in your ear drained, did you see how it came out from your ears or nose? I haven´t seen any fluid yet. I have never had an ear infection before and I do not know if its draining or not.

I personally believe that I will recover because I have not found anyone who has got permanent tinnitus after a middle ear infection.

 

Adrian- Your drainage comes at the back of your mouth and down your throat. I would have to look at a diagram of the eustachian tubes to know exactly where they drain. By swallowing you may be able to make the fluid drain faster.

 

@epin3m Hello! Looks like you've gotten some good advice. Besides getting sleep--which is really important--I would add that you need to keep your environment full of soothing sounds. There are a few studies that suggest tinnitus may be prevented in its earliest stages by keeping your auditory system in a sound enriched environment. Of course, I don't mean loud noise. I mean something soft but constant (24/7) for a month or more. You could play sounds of rain or waterfalls or birds chirping. Anything that relaxes you, keeps you distracted, and, most importantly, keeps your mind occupied so it is not focusing on your tinnitus. Because your tinnitus is so new, you have an excellent chance of it going away. So don't panic. Just think of it as a temporary thing. (I know this isn't easy, but it's important not to panic. Negative emotions are not good for people with tinnitus.)

If you can't sleep, try something like melatonin. I take 3 mg, time released, nightly and listen to water sounds on my iPod to help me sleep. If you want to take melatonin or any other drug, you'll probably want to check with your doctor.

Here are some articles of interest. The first is about the importance of staying in a noise enriched environment to prevent the development of tinnitus:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16603911​

The second two are about melatonin and tinnitus. Please note you probably should take melatonin if you are taking an antidepressant. In addition, there is some controversy about taking this drug long term as its an important neurohormone. But short term it should help with your tinnitus:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21859051
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20207491​

 

@epin3m You might also ask for prednisone. When I had an ear infection, my physician prescribed it along with antibiotics. Prednisone will help with any swelling you have in your ear. That swelling could also contribute to your tinnitus.

jazz

 

@jazz Thanks a lot!

I do not have troubles falling sleep. I just try not to pay attention to it and it works.

However, I have just taken my first nap with a rain forest environment noise and it has been great Altough my T is higher too.

I will try to have always this kind of atmosphere sounds that allow me not to focus in my T.

Best,
ADrian

 

Interesting the study showed high frequency sounds were effective but not so much low frequency ones. Maybe I need to change what I listen to. Lower frequencies (brown noise) are more comfortable for me.

Of course, makes me sad that cats had to suffer with tinnitus for this research to happen...:-(

Thanks for the info Jazz.

 

Yo Adrian. Did your T ever subside?