Severe Tinnitus from Ear Infection — Ear Drops Provide Relief: What's Causing This?

Hello,

Let me give a brief description of my tinnitus hell. At the beginning of July, I felt a sinus infection coming back and felt really congested. I was prescribed the norm antibiotics for this, took it for 7 days but I didn't feel much relief. About a day later, I felt my right ear clogged so I thought I had impacted earwax (this happens and yes there was). So I irrigated it with a ear wax removal kit and flushed it with water. The next day I thought I still had wax in there so flushed several times. Worst day of my life. I woke up to this screeching sound in my ear. It wouldn't stop. The next day I go see an ENT and he prescribed Flonase, and Singulair. He told me I had fluid behind my eardrum. I went for audiological tests. My hearing was fine. The Flonase helped but I'd get so sick I'd stop taking it because of the nausea. The flonase would calm the tinnitus down but then it'd screech all over again.

At around month 2, I gave up on the ENT because he'd tell me nothing. And I felt there has to be some kind of infection going on inside my ear because the tinnitus does calm down. Especially in the mornings. I usually wake up to practically no ringing. It won't start making noise until I eat something. That's another thing, I've cut salt, sugar, alcohol, almost everything to calm this down. I'm taking NAC, Cat's Claw, Lysine and Garlic, Quercetin and Bromelain. Not sure if it's helped to be honest.

Two months into this, I get on TeleDoc to consult with a doctor on my situation. He prescribes ear drops. The ones for swimmer's ear and they help! To where the tinnitus is down to a 2/10 or 3/10 where it was a 9/10 before (I seriously thought I'd go crazy) . So I put drops for the 10 days they recommended although I'd forget doses.

I finish the dose and like 2 days later, the ringing started to get louder again. I go see another ENT and he tells me my ear looks healthy, no inflammation and there's nothing wrong. He says I may have TMJ. Whaaat? I ask, and the tinnitus? He dismisses me with a wave and says oh that's just something you have to get used to. WHAT?

3 days after seeing this ENT, the noise is getting louder and louder and my ear feels clogged AGAIN so I start having severe anxiety and crying uncontrollably.

I decide to try the drops again. And sure enough, as soon as I started taking them again, boom! It calms it down to practically a 1/10 or 2/10. The fullness is gone, I just have sensitivity to loud noises.

So tell me, is my tinnitus saying I still have some kind of infection in my middle ear? I don't have any dizziness or vertigo so I don't think it's in my inner ear?? Has this happened to anyone?? What did you do?

I think I have an ear infection but no Dr will tell me squat, I'm so frustrated.

 

What exactly was the ear drop prescription?

 

Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfates and Hydrocortisone Otis Solution.

 

I would call your ENT and tell them what you discovered with taking the ear drops. Maybe you still have a slight infection and inflammation.

 

I think you should investigate the antibiotic you took. Many of these antibiotics are POISON to the ears and are highly toxic to your hearing as well.

 

Well, I went to another doctor and now I have an answer to my mystery. My ear situation has been caused by COVID-19. I got it 3 months ago when my "sinus infection" and tinnitus/ear infection started. Since I didn't have the usual symptoms associated with COVID-19, no one bothered to run a test on me. At least now I know what's been happening to me and why I didn't seem to be getting any better. I no longer have it, but the aftermath and symptoms seem to be taking months for people to recover from.

This doctor says like the doctors before him say that yes, my ear does looks healthy as in I didn't lose any hearing and the ETD is no longer an issue. But what COVID-19 did seem to do, is cause neurological damage. Will my tinnitus and damage get better? No one knows at this point because this is all so new. Right now there is still a lot of inflammation in my ear so that's what we'll need to control. When the inflammation goes down, the tinnitus and other symptoms go down. Mornings are the best because I can barely hear it. It starts to act up once the day goes by and by the evening, it's loud enough to where it's bothersome (anxiety kicks in ugh).

Only time will tell

 

How did your doctor figure out you had COVID-19?

 

I had occasional tinnitus, got double ear infection, went thru a bottle of Neomycin based ear drops, the infection was cleaned up then all a sudden this high pitched piercing sound lance from hell shot through my head in one ear and out the other. It has never left for 4 years. 7800 Hz a slight wobble, otherwise a steady high pitched scream. It is maddening.