Tinnitus After Sinus/Ear Infection

Hey all,

Here's my story regarding tinnitus. About three weeks ago I got a cold that turned into a sinus infection that then traveled to my ears. Before the tinnitus started, I went to the doctor and got a prescription for Augmentin (I think the dosage was 875 mg 2x a day for 10 days). The tinnitus itself started about two weeks ago at about 11 pm seemingly out of nowhere; it also started before I started taking the Augmentin. I think this was the transition period between sinuses and ears, because the next day, I noticed some ear pain along with it. The tinnitus slowly got better from there and it started in both ears, but my left ear seemed to clear up quite quickly, as the T is now primarily in my right ear. Overall, I would say that my tinnitus has been relatively mild compared to some of the other users' experiences.

I saw my ENT nurse practitioner last week on the 6th to go through everything and I also had a baseline hearing test done. My hearing is completely normal (or so I'm told), and the conclusion of the visit was that the NP thought my T would get better with time.

Last Friday, I mowed the lawn and used ear protection, but I think it may have made my T a little bit worse; it's also hard to get away from loud noises when your house is being renovated. I'm still trying to figure out what makes it tick and what doesn't, however I think it has gotten somewhat better since then.

In the past day or so, I've been noticing a lot of popping or crackling when I yawn or blow my nose. It happens in both ears, but more so in the right, where the T is worse. This is starting to lead me to suspect Eustachian tube dysfunction as a result of the infections.

I don't think the Augmentin has adversely affected me, as I've taken it once or twice before and had no side effect except for maybe an upset stomach, and I generally don't major side effects from drugs. But I know for a few people, it can actually make tinnitus worse.

What do you all think? Do I stand a chance of recovering? If not, what are the ways I should prepare myself to live with this? Thank you all so much for your help and advice!

 

No matter what you will be able to live with this. Especially if it’s mild. I got my T from an ENT infection 3+ months ago. If it’s already left one ear I’d say you’re doing well!

 

Just an update: the tinnitus seems to be subsiding somewhat since I aggravated it with mowing the lawn. I've had two instances where, for the briefest of moments, I've heard silence, so I'm taking that as a good thing. I've also woken up a couple of times in the morning to reduced T and silence, so I'm cautiously hopeful. I think I've gotten very mild hyperacusis too, so I carry around pair of earplugs with me just in case I encounter a really loud environment, and I've been trying to limit my exposure to loud noises where I can. The T fluctuates between ears sometimes, but it's still mostly focused in the right ear, along with a sense of fullness on occasion.

Stay strong, my fellow sufferers, and I hope you all find relief soon.

 

Just an update.

I still have T, but the days where I don't seem to notice it are increasing in frequency. I'm really hoping it's due to my ETD and that hopefully both conditions will be alleviated soon. I recently decided to try the Toynbee maneuver for my ETD, which seemed to work, because a few seconds after I had this absolutely bizarre sensation in the back of my throat. I can only take that to mean the Toynbee maneuver was successful in draining at least some of the fluid from my ears. After reading through some of the posts on this site, it seems the Valsalva maneuver isn't as successful as the Toynbee in producing the desired effect because it doesn't actually engage the muscles that open and close the Eustachian tubes.

I've also wondered if I should see a doctor and get some prednisone. Does anyone think that would help? I tried ibuprofen once, but that didn't seem to do anything for my Eustachian tubes.

All thoughts welcome.