Ringing in Right Ear (No Hearing Loss) — Freaked Out I May Have Acoustic Neuroma?

Hey all -

So, a few weeks back I FINALLY had an ENT figure out why my ear was blocked up... earwax. I guess it was smushed up a bit on my eardrum and it took some drops in my ears to lift it a bit so that he could pull it out.

Was relief! Sweet relief... until the ringing started in that ear a few days later.

It's been a few weeks now and two different ENTs are a bit stumped. I'm scheduled for an MRI tomorrow to help rule out some stuff, I guess.

All this noise in my ear has caused me to have anxiety like I've never had it. I just started the generic version of Lexapro to try and deal. I feel ridiculous... but it's the constant noise that drives me nuts.

The hardest thing is that I'm a side sleeper. When I sleep on my "good ear"... I get the WORST ringing ever and it wakes me up. Ironically if I sit up a bit, it calms down quickly.

Only other thing is it gets worse if I'm on the treadmill or being active in general. It calms down a bit when stationary.

Reading the Internet... I'm ALL freaked out I have an acoustic neuroma. I had two tests from two different ENTs and I have no hearing loss. So, I guess that's one of the only things making me feel like it's not the worst.

But anyone have ringing in just one ear that isn't some sorta of tumor?

 

Only 90% of the people on this forum.

Please use ear protection if you don't want to have 2 ringing ears. MRI is LOUD.

Good luck and keep us posted. Maybe your ringing has something to do with your earwax removal.

 

Ha... I guess my paranoia is mostly about the fact it's in one ear. I also suspect the fact I had a ton of earwax removed where I had some hearing loss for a while in that ear. My hope is that my ear is over-reacting or doing something crazy.

The odd part is the sleeping part. It rattles my nerves when I wake up with it shrieking so much and it's so odd that it just 'stops' when I sit up. I get my mind all worked up about what crazy is going on inside my head.

And again, you read the Internet and you are like... THERE IT IS... I MUST have a tumor.

But really hoping to see others on here that have single-sided ringing which wasn't something crazy like a tumor. If that's like 90% of the folks on here... I'm feeling a whole lot better. I don't know what percentage of folks have this in both or just one ear.

 

I was joking with that, just trying to make you feel better

I guess many of us went through the "maybe I have a tumor" phase. It's the first thing that comes to your mind.

But the truth is most of us don't have any kind of tumor. I only had it in one ear at first, but now is on both sides. I also feel it in my brain/head sometimes.

 

It is unlikely you have a tumor. I have all the same symptoms you have and have seen six different doctors over the last 12 months. Of the six doctors, one came up with the idea that it was caused by COVID-19 virus and I am now a long hauler. That is actually my same thoughts since I had COVID-19 back in March 2020, the ringing started April 20, 2020 and has been non-stop ever since.

I am taking Metoprolol Tartrate for high blood pressure and racing heart rate (thanks COVID-19) and hope to get off the pills someday.

Look up "Resetting Your Vagus Nerve" on YouTube and do the video. It may help.

Also, you may want to go on a low histamine diet, take some anti-histamine pills daily (Allegra or Claratin).

I have upped my intake of Zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, Magnesium as supplements with my doctor's approval. I just started all this about 2 weeks ago, but was told you need to do it for at least 60 days to notice improvement.

Also, monitor your blood sugar, blood pressure, oxygen levels and heart rate, an oximeter from Amazon is cheap, usually less than $30.00 and works great.

I hope all this helps!

 

@aura, appreciate your humor... and I can certainly use it right now with all the freakout going on in my head. Glad to hear folks on here have had no terrible outcome from having it in just one ear.

@Poopsy64, thank you for all of that... it's VERY much appreciated and I plan to follow in your footsteps. I'm willing to try anything and everything to knock down the sound a bit.

The oddest bit is if I sleep with my 'good ear' down on the pillow... waking up with screeching is the worst part so far.

 

@Tanis, use hearing protection at the MRI because it's loud as hell and probably long duration too. Maybe even double (earplugs + earmuffs), not just what they give you there. When I did that, they even put "some music" that of course was drowned out by the MRI and was just adding to the noise.

Those tumors are very rare, so it's unlikely you have it. I remember I was hoping that they found something, so that was treatable. Later I learnt (mainly from stories on this forum) that an acoustic neuroma IS NOT something you want to have, because it has many complications and no one can guarantee removal (or so) will fix anything.

Maybe it's something about the earwax, maybe not. Try some supplements out, explore some other specialties like jaw doctors, physiotherapists, neurologists etc. But, also, be prepared for "we found nothing, you need to learn to live with it". It's a waiting game, unfortunately.

 

I wish it was a tumor for me.

 

I hope the MRI went well and that you had earmuffs on.

I’ve read some cases like yours.

You might get lucky that after some weeks the ear will adapt to the new normal without all the wax.

Unless the wax removal procedure caused hearing loss or a trauma. Then it’s a gamble what will happen.

The symptoms you described going through the good ear while lying down is quite normal. And it can reduce or go completely away when sitting up/turning around.

When I get up it sometimes feels better instantly probably because the bed isn’t taking away ambiance sounds when you get the head up from it.

And I react badly to lying down so after half hour up it’s often a little better.

 

So, they had me stuff foam inserts in my ears (but wonder if that blocked out enough of the sound). On the drive back, my tinnitus started to flare a bit... so maybe not so much.

Thanks for the comment about the sleeping situation. That is one of the worst parts of this... just a horrible sound to wake up to and causes all kinds of anxiety. Certainly sleeping on the 'good ear' causes the more alarming wake-up screech. And even though I start to sleep on the better side... my stubborn unconscious self can't help but flip me around at night... hehe.

So, I guess now I wait for the results. They did both a brain scan and an IAC.

 

MRI results are back and it is NOT any sorta tumor. HURRAY!!!

Of course with the relief of that news, I wasn't as fixated about the fact that they really didn't see anything else. They said I had some minor sinus issues going on and said they'd give me steroids and an antibiotic. But I feel I've certainly gotten to the end of this doctor. He's good and he certainly tried... but this is where I guess I enter my next phase of trying some of the things I was reading on here earlier.

Accepting the noise in my ear has been tough and I guess with no real evidence pointing to the 'why'... it's really frustrating. But here we are now, I guess.

 

As an update, now that we are early in February, the ringing has almost all but stopped during the day. Is it the antibiotic I'm on now or the Clonazepam from my other doctor? Perhaps? But whatever it is, during the day... I'm sorta good (unless this is just a temporary relief week).

That said, like clockwork, EVERY night the ringing is bad and wakes me up. In the morning my tinnitus is going strong. And then like after I get up and walk around a bit, it fades away.

Anyone else experience this? I don't know what to make of it. I was so happy to not have to be dealing with it on high during the day... but the nightly thing is a bummer.

 

I've had tinnitus in my right ear since I had a blocked ear 'unblocked' by ear wax removal. For over a month now, it has different levels of volume and pitch.

Lately, it's super high pitched and is 'pulsing'... but not at the rate of my heart. It's much slower, fading in and out. That said, when I exercise... it does quicken up. But again, doesn't feel to exactly match my heartbeat... just the rate of fading in and out is affected by me increasing my heart rate.

Anyone have this the same way? Would this pulsing be considered pulsatile tinnitus?