Tinnitus for 6 Days

Hi all. My name is Holly and I'm 24 years old. This is my first time here and I am quite anxious. I have already been reading up on things here for the past few days. Initially I was panicked, but I am trying to remain calm now.

On Friday (6th April), as I got home from being outside, I came home and sat on my couch, and it was very silent in the room compared to outside, I was letting my hearing adjust. I was distracted by a very loud high pitch ringing in my right ear. I was startled and shocked as I have never heard anything this loud inside my ear before, and at first I actually thought it was the TV! Then I plugged my ear with my finger and realised it was in fact coming from ME. I am almost certain I have always had a slight ring there, but I thought it was the normal sound of silence. If I did have a ring beforehand, it was so low that it was barely even there, I did not hear it at all and it did not bother me. I am certain I always had this ringing, but I could just be wrong about that.

Anyhow, I was stressed and worried the T was permanent, and I noticed my ear was blocked; but not so much as to cause any deafness or major hearing loss. I also noticed in the shower the water would get stuck in my right ear, and flow out my left as normal. This was very unusual, it was as though something sticky was inside my ear. I figured it was the start of an infection.

I saw my GP yesterday, I told him my symptoms (VERY loud ringing in my right ear, slightly muffled) and he took his otoscope and checked both of my ears. He says my left is clear as a bell, and he cannot even see down my right as it is completely filled with wax. I have never had earwax issues or ear problems until now. He gave me olive oil to soften it and help the wax come out of my ear and said to come back in 10 days if my symptoms persist.

I have a few questions:

• Can an ear was blockage cause this much of a problem? I barely wear earphones and never stick anything down my ear canal, so not sure how the wax has become so severe. I also have not damaged my ears with acoustic trauma to my knowledge.
• Can ear wax blockages heighten minor tinnitus or even solely cause the ringing due to it pressing on the eardrum and causing sound to be perceived differently?
• Will olive oil help or am I wasting my time?
• How can I remove this wax safely? I notice a sensation of blockage when I swallow so there must be a good amount of wax in there. I have heard many horror stories about water irrigation and micro-suction, I'm pretty reluctant to go through with these, in case it makes the T worse.
• Will the removal of this wax solve my issue completely? I cannot see any other cause for this sudden T, other than the fact this wax has built up considerably.

If you have read all of this, thank you so much! It is very much appreciated

Many thanks,
Holly

 

I developed tinnitus about a month ago due to ear wax build up and likely stuck myself with it due to a series of stupid decisions.

Ear wax can certainly cause/amplify tinnitus. In your case there's a likelihood that once you have the ear wax removed you'll be able to get rid of the ringing/lessen it at least. As you've said, be wary about the procedures that can remove ear wax. I had my bad ear done with hydrogen peroxide for 20 min and then got it irrigated, which did remove most of the wax and change the ringing from a ring to more of a hiss/cicada noise. From what I've heard on this website one of the best things is to soften with olive oil or mineral drops or whatever for 10 days and then have it removed with a manual tool. At an ENT I believe they would have more sophisticated tools to see in your ear while doing this and reduce any chance of perforation.

Just don't harm your ears further while you wait to get the ear wax out, avoid loud noises, perhaps invest in ear plugs if you go anywhere like the movies or a concert or a club or whatever.

 

Thanks for your help astaff, I have been very wary regarding the best method. I'm so sorry you're suffering with this too is your tinnitus still loud? I'm glad yours got a little lower after the the wax was removed! I actually am trying to stay hopeful that it'll go away. I plan on using the curette method and contacting an ENT. I am so wary of suction or irrigation.

I just want it over with. I haven't felt this panicked in a long while. I am worried about using my blender as well. Today I had to go to the hospital as my cousin is on life support and it did put life into perspective. I could be worse off or dead, but honestly this T is still awfully stressful to cope with.

Thanks for your help!

 

I'm going to say this for your own good. If you want to get your way removed have them use a metal scoop. NOT A SYRINGE OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF WAX REMOVAL. If you use any other wax removal (especially syringing) you could be risking having worsening Tinnitus. Or maybe hyperacusis (unlikely).

Your hearing is likely muffled from the wax. If you only have Tinnitus in one ear you should not worry it's likely the wax. But even then if it doesn't go away, don't worry. It's very traumatic at first but unless can be heard in the background all the time it isn't problematic.

Right now I'm sitting here watching the news with a fan on and I still hear a little ringing. It doesn't bother me one bit. It always gets better in time.