Tinnitus, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, Fullness... Which Came First?

Hi.


Looking for any advice if you please as this whole thing is very confusing.


Mid July I had a little cold…nothing too bad, more of cough then anything.


So, noticed T in my right ear at the start of Aug. Was fine for the first week, before freeking out a little in the second. Saw my GP (I’m based in the UK), who said everything was fine in my ears (a little redness). Obviously by that point I was reading horrors stories on the web, and went to see a private audiologist that same week.


At this point I must have noticed “fullness” in my ears as I mentioned it to her (like someone has put a thin glove over it or something) as she said it could be stress causing the muscles to tighten up (I agreed).


I had a hearing test = best she’d ever had, esp. high range. Had a Tympanometry test = normal. She looked in my ears = normal. Everything normal. She might have also mentioned Eustachian tube dysfunction at this point as she said “there’s little that can be done about that”.


I also hear a “disturbance” over certain things such as the radio, TV esp. clapping, the shower, even a fan or white noise app….they sounds like there a small high pitch sound attached to them.


A few weeks after I noticed the pressure easing in my ears and now it felt like bubbles behind where my nose connects to my mouth.


A few weeks after that I started to get ear ache, sometimes a dull ache, sometimes a sharper heat/prickle….this has settled a little again.


A week after, more pressure in my ears, and just below my ears. A week later, a cold. Now the cold has gone, it’s back to the slight fullness.


The fullness is normally in one ear for a few days then into the other. For example, all yesterday it was my right ear. This morning when brushing my teeth in went to left, then back to right, now its left again, but moving between the two a lot.


I can hear clicking when I swallow, mainly right side (the currently “better” of the two ears). I can also cause the click by trying to wiggle my ears!!


Interestingly, a few years ago I got a new dentist, who said I had small teeth. She suggested silent acid reflux was the cause and got the Dr to prescribe omeprazole. I had just restarted taking omeprazole when my T started, so stopped again, but no real change. I have recently read that acid reflux could cause ETD…so started omeprazole again….no change in anything.


One more thing, sometimes, mainly my left ear goes all quiet and the T really ramps up. The best way to describe it is that you’re wearing headphones and one suddenly goes quiet…you can still hear, but it feels odd, like there’s a pressure change too. This only lasts a few seconds (fleeting T). But has happened x3 times in the last 2 days (where before I might have been once every other week).


Doing the valsalva manoeuvre, nasal spray etc. all have no effect.


So, having no vertigo (thankfully) or hearing loss, I’m pretty sure it’s ETD and nothing “more sinister”. However, a few questions if anyone can help.

1. If it’s ETD why did I notice my T before any fullness?
   
   
2. If there’s no fullness in the ear why is there still T
   
   
3. If there pressure issues to do with ETD or anything else, why didn’t that get picked up during assessment.
   

I’m in good health, always have been. I thought id done this to myself through headphone use (maybe I have silent hearing loss!!) so it confuses me that this might be my body letting me down.


p.s. stress levels are okay. I’m living my life as normal (although you think about it a lot esp. as I can feel it). It’s taken me a week to post it as it just keep living with it…but I don’t want to keep living with it if there’s something I can do about it of course.

 

Hello, I can't help much, but the ENT specialist I went to said I might have ETD too, which could affect the loud high pitched noises I hear. Mine isn't even confirmed to be T yet, it's not a week old. I too have that 'full' feeling in my affected ear. I want to ask you something too, you mentioned vertigo. What does that have to do with T?

 

it would be another symptom that Dr's would use to help diagnosis

 

I didn't have any ETD problems when I first got T but now I think I do. Not sure how but it happened after a night out with loud noise. I woke up and have the same clicking/crackling problem when I swallow etc. Coincidence? Maybe, but I doubt it. Hopefully a doc will be able to do something about it.

 

I had ETD about a week before my tinnitus onset.

Interestingly enough, the T didn't start until 2 things occurred

1) I had just dropped some Debrox into my ear, assuming I had blockage (ETD feels like blockage)
2 Immediately after, I listened to a TV show at very high volume with headphones

Right after the show ended, tinnitus was there in full force.

 

Hello, my symptoms sound very much alike and I was wondering if you ever found any relief? Let me know, thanks!