Tinnitus Caused by DIY Ear Irrigation: It's Now Been Two Months

Hello everyone,

Just discovered this forum while googling about tinnitus. I've had mine since early October and it was brought on by an amateur attempt at ear irrigation. I had an impacted earwax and could barely hear anything in my right ear so I searched up remedies on YouTube and followed a guide on ear irrigation to get rid of the impacted earwax but I did used the water too forcibly which I assume aggravated my eardrum and caused tinnitus.

I went to an ENT who did microsuction to get rid of the earwax in both ears which was years of buildup. My hearing became so clear and I felt like I gained superhuman hearing because of the improvement. I did a hearing test and it was perfect in both ears, no hearing loss to worry about but the tinnitus is still there. The ENT told me it was likely a result of trauma and should eventually go away on its own. I've only had this for a very short while so I'm happening it goes away eventually but I'm preparing myself for the fact it might be a permanent thing.

I know I only have myself to blame but I wish there was a disclaimer or something on these videos. If I knew I had a risk of getting tinnitus I would've just went to the ENT to get it done safely. It's crazy how much potentially permanently damaging remedies are available on sites like YouTube.

Thanks for reading!

 

Welcome to the forum. It is unfortunate that your DIY effort ended up in a wrong way. But if the ENT didn't see major problem in the ears and that your hearing is very good, then it is likely time will slowly heal the trauma you have done to the ears. At least your ear drums have not been damaged. Good luck to your recovery. All the best. God bless.

 

It's very frustrating that in the UK, ear syringing is no longer available on the NHS and I suspect this will lead to a vast increase in the number of people suffering ear trauma like this, as a private solution is £70+

If it helps the OP, my tinnitus took quite a while to settle.