Rapid On/Off Thumping in Left Ear... Going Nuts.

So back in Febuary, shortly after my 36th birthday, I randomly started feeling thumps in my left ear... on and off. I sort of regarded it as a nervous tick, etc. Long story short, it's now almost May and I'm dealing with this still. Visiting an ENT and still in that process, he thinks it's a tensor tympani myoclonus.

It's frustrating to say the least. For example me and my family just recently went through like a mega cold and flu, one right after the other. When I was sick, the thumping went away. Got better and it returned. I don't get it at all and it's driving me nuts at this point. I had my hearing checked and all came back positive.

I also can sometimes pinch my nose, and sort of do an inward breathing, and hear both my ears pop air into them, which sometimes makes the thumping go away temporarily, but once I yawn or whatnot, it comes back. I'm sort of at my wits' end. I've tried taking magnesium, eating potassium, etc and nothing seem to work. I've got another ENT appointment tomorrow but doubt I'll get further results wise.

 

Hmm.... still too early to panic. Your description of it makes it sound like some congestion or something in the middle or inner ear. Most "Tinnitus" is the result of some degree of hearing loss due to noise exposure. Do you have a history of being around constant loud noise? Do you use headphones to listen to music? Anyway, it's early. Hope your ENT can find the answer.

 

I did do a contractor tour over in Afghanistan and I do wear headphones a lot. I also have gotten odd ringing in the ears on and off that subsets fairly quickly. The odd thing with this issue is it can thump for hours, If I go on a walk for 30 minutes, that usually calms it down, which I have no idea what that even means or how it would relate. Now that I'm sitting back down it's sort of starting back up again.

 

Well just got back from a ENT apt and they are going to get a MRI done. Baby steps I suppose.

 

Yea, I had an MRI done too that came back negative. All in all, it is my guess that you have a form of Tinnitus, and that it is caused by noise trauma. If you google "Tinnitus sounds" you will find examples of a whole bevy of different sounds that are related to Tinnitus, of which a "thumping sound" is among them. Sorry you are also dealing with this nuisance.

 

Agree - myogenic or peritubal myogenic tinnitus.

Too much potassium can cause thumping, boom sounds or an airplane sound off in the distance to increase.
Magnesium is not a problem, just a full regular regiment needs to be taken over a course of a day. If not spasms of ears, mouth or neck - any process may be asking for more.

Research links discussing your problem do not work. Will try again.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3629860/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30085597