New Vibrating Eardrum Sensation on Top of 'Old' Tinnitus

I have had tinnitus (pulsatile and a constant high pitched ringing/hissing) for many years now, after losing the hearing in my right ear when I was around 11. I also suffered severe otalgia for many years, so severe I couldn't tolerate anything touching the ear canal and hyperacusis (loud noises feel like an electric shock going through my head).

However, a completely new kind of tinnitus started some months ago, a rhythmic or continuous deep buzzing, vibrating noise. At first I assumed it was some kind of wax build up touching ear drum, causing dulled hearing and some kind of irritation of the ear drum but when I went to have wax removed the audiologist said there wasn't any trace of wax at all (with no abnormal loss of hearing in that ear either). The sensation is as if a small wasp were buzzing in the ear canal i.e. not just a rumbling/buzzing sound but a palpable vibration. Over the same time frame I've been suffering some severe vertigo attacks (room spinning sensation). I think my eustachian tube is blocked, as when I hold my nose and blow, I can feel the build up of pressure in one ear, but not the one affected by the buzzing. This buzzing disappears if I talk, and becomes intermittent if I chew gum and the vibration is sometimes t so strong I think I can feel it in my little finger if I press it into the canal (when I perform exercises to try to open the eustachian tube). There isn't any clicking, only the sound of buzzing and sensation of the eardrum vibrating.

At the same time that this started, I've been suffering a worsening flare of oral sores that my dentist said might be lichen planus, which went away with a week of prednisone (50 mg tapered). Curiously, the buzzing disappeared whilst I was taking the prednisone but reappeared again the day I stopped. In addition to the very severe tinnitus in my deaf ear this additional sensation/tinnutis (which was made worse by the steroids) and dulled hearing quality in my good ear is really driving me to distraction.

I also have constant globus sensation on the same side that seems to 'connect' to the abnormal ear sensation, but when I try exercises to relax this it a) has no effect on the globus and b) actually makes the ear buzzing worse.

I saw ENT last week, largely to check out that the persistent sores on my palate and throat weren't potentially pre-malignant, but there wasn't anything to see by time of the appointment. They were dismissive of the new tinnitus even though I tried to explain it's very different in quality and volume from the kind that seems related to actual hearing loss.

My suspicion is that the buzzing is stapes's myoclonus, or spasming of the tiny eustachian tube muscles, perhaps related to whatever the inflammatory issue causing the oral stomatitis and the long-term blockage of the eustachian tube. I don't really want to try another pulse of prednisone because it's worsened the 'ordinary' tinnitus in my deaf ear to the extent I can't hear people talking because the hissing is so loud, diazepam may help damp it down a little. It's impossible to 'block' it with noise as you might do with other kinds of tinnitus because this doesn't affect the 'buzzing insect' sensation in the ear drum, which is what I find unbearable.

 

Hello Elizabeth I am new to the World of T., so while I desire to give you insight about do this, this med. can go with this, and this is caused by this, I can not due to my newness to this world. So all I can offer is my support and best wishes. There are others on this site who are quite informed when it comes to the casues and impacts upon your tinnitus and I believe you will hear from them. Please remember though that this is a world wide site and so it may take time before people respond owing to the fact that they are on another continent.
I hope your hearing mends in the future. Have you ever gone to an audiologist? From what I have learned on this site, and from experience, is that they are a lot better at helping people with T.
Best of luck,
JohnCC

 

Yep, sounds like middle ear myoclonus.

I also had pulsatile tinnitus for many ears, but developed constant ringing in my ears 2 months ago, and myoclonus.

When searching the internet, I have noticed that many people who have pulsatile tinnitus, seem to develop ear myoclonus! There might be a connection. My pulsatile tinnitus is of unknown cause, no abnormalities in my MRI scan a year ago. But it might have something to do with eustachian tube dysfunction and patulous eustachian tubes. I'm sure the inflamed eustachian tubes cause the muscles to go into spasms.

 

The same happened to me. I was prescribed Prednisone for eustachian tube inflammation, but it made my tinnitus louder, from ringing to louder hissing that can't be masked by other sounds

 

Yes, I had a hearing test at the hospital last week ( I insisted on seeing the emergency clinic because of the sores) but they were fairly dismissive of tinnitus, even when I told them the buzzing seemed to have a mechanical aspect, and that was impossible to equalise the pressure in both ears i.e. eustachian tube blockage.

I spent Sunday using all the techniques for unblocking the eustachian tube and finally it popped! I've found since then that I can stop the fluttering by clicking open the tube (twitching palatal muscles works best for me). It works to stop the buzzing ok whilst upright, but at night or lying down it tends to come back. My hearing is a lot clearer, but the ear doesn't feel right, it still has the fullness sensation even when I click it open. I did swallow a lot of nasty tasting stuff after spraying it with some saline at the same time as keeping it open, I hope that means that some of the blockage is emptying.

I'm hoping that if I keep on doing this that the pressure will normalise and stop putting stress on the tensor tympani/stapedius muscles (or whatever is going into spasm). I ended up taking diazepam to dampen the 'normal' tinnitus overnight, but I find that holding/blowing my nose/valsava manoeuvre etc the next day to clear ears seems to make it worse again (I guess anything that raises adrenalin levels raises the volume).

 

Been religiously trying to keep the eustachian tube open and taking nasal steroid spray and finally the booming noise and the fluttering/spasming sensation are a lot better (sometime I can't even get the tube to 'click' now, so some of the sticky stuff in there must be draining). However, I'd still say my quality of hearing is still 'dull' in my good ear (which previously had above-average hearing).

However it's now very clear that the horrific 'hissing' tinnitus I suffer in my totally deaf ear is also now affecting the good one, as I can feel a distinct 'echo' effect between the ears. Also, it's almost like the hissing is combined with a sort tickling sensation in both ears, and I can feel it as well as hear the peaks intermittently. I've suspected it for a while, but the hissing is so loud on the deaf side it's hard to hear what's going on in the 'good' side.

Also I'm noticing 'sudden ringing tones' in good ear, something that never suffered before. I'm very worried now that my hearing on my good side is also doomed and it's making me seriously depressed.

 

Any update on the whole vibrating portion? I also have this and recently got worse. I believe we're similar as in, I can feel either the eardrum or the muscle in the ear, contracting constantly every half second. It creates a echo like bass effect. It's been basically 24/7 for last 2 weeks. What type of things were you doing to alleviate this?

As to your other ear now being affected by the tinnitus from good ear, could the medication be making it worse?

 

I have a question, for those of you diagnosed with MEM, what type of doctor did you see and how did they make the diagnosis? I have all these symptoms but may be close to getting help, just need to know more. Sorry I don't have a reply.