Tinnitus After Ear Lavage

[Rudy]

Hello All

So 4 months ago I saw my GP for a yearly physical and ended up having an ear lavage performed due to wax build up that he had noticed. A few days after I had the ear lavage I noticed a slight ringing in my ear, which has gotten worse over the months to the point where it gives me headaches and is almost unbearable at times. I am very concerned and nervous as to what is going on. I'm thinking maybe when the lavage was performed it pushed back some wax up against my ear drum that has become impacted. I will be calling my GP for an ENT, its all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks for all the reads/comments, it is very much appreciated.

-Rudy

 

[Kaelon]

Hi Rudy,

Definitely see an ENT; they will conduct an audiological exam to determine if your hearing has been impacted, and the ENT will then perform a physical examination including, if appropriate, removing any wax or buildup that could be impairing your hearing and triggering the Tinnitus. A few words of caution, based upon what others have said here:

1. A qualified ENT will only manually remove wax with a scope and removal tool; avoid syringing, as the water pressure is known to cause inflammation and injury to the ears (and others have reported that it is a cause of Tinnitus).
   
   
2. Be patient but persistent in finding information about your Tinnitus. An accurate diagnosis is one of those elusive things that will evolve with time. If there's no immediate physical indication that something is wrong, your doctor may diagnose you with a peripheral condition that might likely explain the inflammation, neurological, or circulatory conditions that aggravate Tinnitus, but may not fundamentally be the cause.

Finally, a few questions -- Can you describe the quality of your tinnitus? Is it constant or pulsating? Is it a tone or a hiss? Is it a whooshing, clicking, or thumping sound? Or is it a high-pitched beep?

I wish you the best of luck in treating your condition and hope you feel better!

 

[Rudy]

Its constant but fluctuates in volume, more of a high frequency tone. Loud noises are very bothersome, I cant even listen to music in my car anymore or wear headphones.

 

[tomm]

Sounds like you have a bit of hyperacusis, where normal noises are painful, as well. Has that gotten any better over the 4 months?

 

[Rudy]

Sounds like you have a bit of hyperacusis, where normal noises are painful, as well. Has that gotten any better over the 4 months?

Thats exactly what it feels like, normal noises are very bothersome. The loud/painful irritation didn't start till about 2 weeks ago, however the ringing started off faint in august and has gotten worse...I saw the ENT today he said my ear drum looks normal and everything else looked good. I had a hearing test which came out normal but he wants me to have a ABR test?

What causes hyperacusis and how is it treated?

 

[Rudy]

I prob should have mentioned this earlier but I'm pretty sure me going to a bar with loud music caused the painful hearing and worsened the tinnitus. (2 weeks ago)

 

[Rudy]

I also noticed right after the ear lavage when the T was very faint, that my hearing was suuuuuuuuuuuper better and that the GP was amazed with how much wax they took out. Maybe my hearing was just so good after that all the noise caused some hyperacusis? sorry for the multiple posts im just freaking out

 

[tomm]

Hey Rudy,
The hyperacusis support threads are here. I don't know a lot about it myself, my T is still the bigger problem for me personally. It's gone down - I use ear plugs whenever I'm out and certainly don't go to loud bars!

Don't worry about the multiple posts - this is your thread

 

[Rudy]

Thanks I'll check out the threads. I saw 2 ENT's and they both said everything looks good and the hearing tests were normal. I guess time will have to take its course? :/