New Here and Frustrated

Hello everyone, I am new here and new to posting in forums in general. It's just not something I do but feeling quite low so any advice or support would be helpful.

Basically I get a popping/thumping feeling and noise in my right ear which I’ve had on and off for three months after a bad cold. I’ve had these episodes on and off since 2010 (not necessarily after a cold but usually starts during the winter). Had it from Sep 2010 to Nov 2010, Sep 2011 to Nov 2011, Feb 2014 to May 2015, August 2016 to April 2017, and now again since Nov 2017. It’s been predominantly been in my right ear although in 2016-2017 it was my left ear. It’s not all the time. Can last for a few minutes or hours then stops, then maybe starts again later in the day or a few days later just randomly.

In the past, it mainly happened from yawning or hiccuping or an internal burp. Now and when it started all those years ago, it happens quite randomly. It can be quite loud sometimes.

Went to an ENT here in London in 2014 who ran tests and saw there was inefficient tubal function in the right ear and suggested grommets which I didn’t get due to the cost and no guarantee of it working. He also suggested it could be ear myoclonus so I tried clonazepam which didn’t help.

In the past it seems different things have helped to make it go away, from gargling salt water to using steam and using an ear popper.

Today I really reached a low point. On my way to work, it started happening randomly on the train and I just decided I didn’t want to deal with it at work so just went home. People keep telling me I need to get it sorted and go see a doctor but I’ve never felt any good comes out of seeing doctors as the ENTs I see including the one today are so arrogant so I just give up. Today I went to see an ENT and paid a lot to see him for what it was worth and he said it could be either myoclonus or eustachian tube dysfunction but it’s hard to diagnose. He said I could get a grommet but it would obviously cost a lot of money and was a “punt” as it was not guaranteed to help with my symptoms. The alternative is to go through the NHS but he said the problem was it was unlikely that anyone would have the will to spend time trying to resolve my symptoms. I went through the NHS in 2011 and they just said it was tinnitus and there’s nothing you can do about it. The ENT today said it is not necessarily typical tinnitus.

The ENT today said I could just keep doing what I’ve been trying to do for the past three months which is using steam and ear popper and steroid spray. I did admit I have not been doing it consistently. Maybe a few days a week I’ve been doing it but he said it was important with things like this to be consistent.

Anyway that's my long rant over. I just hope that people may be able to offer me their advice and thoughts about what I should do. It’s just been affecting my life in terms of taking time off work like today. I suppose the only consoloation is that it distracts me from the anxiety I already have. Guess I will just carry on doing steam/ear popper/steroid spray more consistently (he suggested every morning and evening... I’ll have to wake up even earlier).

Please any thoughts will be welcome. Thanks for reading.

 

@Tony1987,
Welcome to Tinnitus Talk.
You could try antihistamines to reduce mucous and Sudafed to clear mucous.
Im havìng big problems with my sinuses and eustation tubes and waiting for an ENT appointment .
Love glynis

 

I'm sorry to heat you are feeling so low. I know how that goes.

2 things come to mind. Only suggestions.

1. are you mg deficient? If you want to have your mg levels checked, don't bother with a serum mg. You need to ask for an intracellular mg level (red blood cell magnesium level), because most of your mg lives inside the cells. Have you tried some mg to see if you can relax the muscles in your ear? Mg will help relax you too. Don't bother with mg oxide as it isn't well absorbed. I avoid mg citrate and aspartate because I believe these to be neuroexcitatory. Currently, I am using mg sulphate IV for my current drama dealing with lyme disease. It relaxes me a great deal.

2. Have you tried a benzo eg diazepam to see if this relaxes the muscles in your ear?

3. Since your symptoms followed a cold, I wonder if you have a lingering infection? Why not try some olive leaf extract and steam inhale a few drops of red thyme oil. You could consider a nasopharyngeal swab to ascertain if have an infection. Have you had a ct of your sinuses? Steroids will escalate an infection by suppressing infection. Have another chat with your dr about the above. Let me know how you go.

 

Thanks both for your responses. Rough day yesterday trying to do something positive by paying lots of money to an arrogant ENT to get limited advice and taking a day off in the process, but I’m sure a lot of us have been there! I feel bad now having taken another day off work especially since we are always busy but I just want this to be sorted somehow!

Unfortunately I’ve tried all of the above over the years whenever I have had episodes: sudafed, antihistamines, clonazepam (not diazepam but also a benzo), magnesium...

I’m going to commit to a daily routine every morning and every evening of steam inhalation, ear popper and beconase as per ENT’s most helpful suggestion (his alternative was to risk paying lots of money on surgery to see what might work which I cannot afford...)

I use steam with menthol crystals and eucalyptus oil, but I can try it with olive leaf extract and red thyme oil as per your suggestion. I guess if I’m consistent I might have some benefit. I’m also going to add a nasal rinse as that could help maybe if it is a sinus issue. I’m lucky in the sense that I only have an episode every few days, so I get lazy with self treatment and think I’m ok then it takes me unaware with the random thumping/popping just like yesterday and I think here we go again, another day ruined!

I have been taking multivitamin and magnesium oxide for a while but don't seem to have benefited. If I get back to a GP to pursue the ENT route again via NHS I could mention magnesium levels. I hate the thought of going back to a doctor just to get the same type of responses that I’ve had for years.... How do I take magnesium suplhate?

 

Just wanted to update on this... it seems that the loudness of the popping/thumping has decreased. It’s more like a feeling rather than a noise if that makes sense. It's popping like crazy and I know it’s there but because I can’t really hear it, feels much more normal. I do remember this happening in 2015 when I started to get better after maxing out the earpopper.

Might turn out that ENT wasn’t so useless after all with his suggestion. Hopefully I’m not getting too carried away. Will just keep up the morning and evening routine of gargling salt water, steam inhalation, ear popper, Beconase spray followed by Valsalva (if anyone is having similar symptoms, maybe this could also provide relief). It’s frustrating not knowing what something is, but maybe it is just eustachian tube dysfunction. Would much rather it be that than ear myoclonus.