Right Ear Tinnitus/Cholesteatoma

In March 2013 I was complaining to my ENT of a buzzing sound in my right ear whenever I heard a sharp noise, and constant fullness in ear. I had been sent to the ENT by my GP after a series of 3 ear infections in a 4 month span.

My ENT discovered a cholesteatoma that had been hard for him to identify because it started at the very top of my ear drum. I had a CAT-scan and sure enough it had started there and wrapped all the way around my attic of the midde ear. So I had surgery in April 2013 to remove the cholesteatoma in my right ear. It had destroyed my 3/4 of my fist two ossicle bones (The whole malleus and half of the incus). My stapes was stll intact. The procedure was where he drilled through my Mastoid and now he has direct access to my attic of middle ear and the ear drum was rebuilt and goes from the bottom of where it used to be across the midde ear cavity and connects right above the stapes.

After the surgery the only issues I have been having from April 2013 to January 2014 is the skin graft he used with skin from my thigh has not taken and refuses to heal. A couple of times I complained of whooshing sound but it would always go away. I have taken tons of Cipro ear drops over this time span becaue it calms down the bleeding from the granulaton tissue still healing in my mastoid cavity.

We finally started to heal the granulation patch with a step-by-step approach of silver nitrate. Then in February I came in complaining of more pulsating whooshing then ever before, but the silver nitrate was working. More on and off whooshing then back again before my next appointment on March 3rd 2014. He said I see what may be causing our problem you have a recurrent cholesteatoma on the back wall of the middle ear above the new ear drum. He proceded to pull he entire thing out there in the office and said a piece of skin has dug itself into the wall and then sucked out over time into a sac.

The next morning I called him complining that the whooshing had gotte to its worst ever and he said it's likely blood left over from the in-office removal. He wants me to go twice a day on the drops, until he gets back from vacation and I see him again on the 17th. He calls to chec in on all patients everyday on vacation and if he hears I'm still having trouble to see his new college grad understudy. He thinks it may also be an auditory problem.

Anyways this is my story behind my pulsating whooshing sound. Listening to music seems to make it better. Yawning pops my right ear and makes it better for like 5 seconds. Bending forward makes it worse. It is also pretty bad in the evening when I sit and try to work on my blogs online in the quiet. I also have a low sounding "ringing" but more of a sea shell sound but it's low and constant and I have learned to deal with this one since the surgery in 2013 but not this newer whooshing.