Will Fluid in the Ear Go Away by Itself?

So these past few nights I have been sleeping, and I turn over on my other side and I can hear this swooshing noise in my ear. I listened and I realised I could hear fluid in my ear. It sounded like water moving around - if any of you have ever tried to soften hard wax, it's like that sound only I feel a lot deeper in my ear. Last night I heard it in the other ear too.

The sound isn't actually that bad - it is a lot more soothing than the ringing. But I have a few questions:

1) The doctor said she could see mucus - or rather, that my ears looked "mucus-y". Should she have been able to see something? Or did she mean the same thing by that?

2) Does everyone with T hear fluid in the ear - like a lot of people have crackling in ears when they swallow/yawn. Is fluid in the ear heard by a lot of people with T?

3) Once it goes is it likely the T will go too?

4) Will the fluid go by itself or do I need to see a doctor?

Thank you in advance for responses!

 

I have gotten this before a couple of times.. It will typically drain by itself. It all depends on your eustachian tubes opening up. If you have allergies or a cold and the sinuses are wet it will talk longer because the tubes are glued shut. Opening the tubes with antihistimes, Flonase and Afrin can help but it is a marathon. Your T is amplified because the fluid is dulling sound and pushing against the eardrum impeding the vibrations to the inner ear. For my last episode it took 6 weeks! As long as it does not get infected you will be ok.

 

Here's my fluid case https://www.tinnitustalk.com/index....dle-ear-after-neti-pot;-louder-tinnitus.3627/

 

The water is loose now lol I can feel cold fluid moving, hopefully on its way down the eustachian tube

 

Since we are on this topic, I'd like to hear what those of you who have had fluid behind the ear or in the eustacian tube have done to open up the ear and let the fluid drain. Should you try antihistimes or decongestants or both. I'm having this problem now and I think it's because of allergies.

 

@citigirl13 - I know how horribly frustrating this is I am so sorry you are going through it also :c

@sgal - I have been using a face steamer /every/ night for weeks as well as an anti allergy med to help shift it all, and for two days or so the noise in my ears actually stopped. Although the Dr said my ears looked fine after a follow up appointment the noise is back and as loud as ever as well as the deep aching pain in my ears.

I used Sudafed for a week also (not at the same time as the anti allergy med) and the pain subsided so I stopped, but the noise started up MUCH louder after so I have been afraid to try it again since.

 

Hi Kys.

I think my problem is that I am still congested after the cold (I hope). I have tried breathing in methyl crystals (I think that's what you call them) and that does seem to ease the pressure in my ears and head, though it makes my ears rumble and sometimes my T screeches. But it seems to be doing some good and since my ears rumble I know something is wrong (I did this when I first noticed my T and they didn't rumble) so I am going to continue for the foreseeable future. I took Sudafed also, one tablet a day for five days (I have had a bad experience with meds so I try not to use them) and it did seem to calm it down. It didn't come back louder for me, but I don't want to overdo using it. I have a nasal spray and that seems to lower it too. While all these help, my T still manages to bug me.

If anyone is congested/has allergies, I do have a piece of advice: in the UK we have this thing called Olbas Oil, and I put four drops and two tissues and stuffed them in my pillow case. You can still smell it through the pillow case. This keeps you from getting congested in the night. My T is usually quite loud in the morning, and in a way it still was, but definitely not as bad as normal. Sometimes this does happen, but I believe that the oil helped. I have only done it for one night so will have to see how it goes, but I thought it was better. I like doing this has it isn't putting anything in your body so it's unlikely to do any damage.

How are you doing with your T Kys? It's good news yours has stopped for two days - keep up hope! I reckon that is a sign yours will go. I have had periods of what I believe is silence, though I am worried that I have just imagined these. My T at least lowers when I use some of the items I have suggested, which I suppose it a good sign.

 

Hey sgal how are you doing? Are you sleeping better?

 

Hi citigirl and yes I'm sleeping much better. Last night I tried sleeping without pills again and did pretty well this time. I've decided that for the time being though, if I need a klonopin to sleep, so be it. I've been doing better overall. The biggest change has been to get out and do things. I've also been relying on my faith a lot more which has helped a lot. I still have feeling in the back of my mind that there's something wrong which is really just worry and anxiety that I haven't let go of yet. I also find myself still listening for the T which is really hard to stop. The sound at night is no longer so distressing for me and I think it actually is quieter. I have a lot of allergies and that is bothering my plugged up feeling ear right now. I feel like if I could get that eustacian tube to open up that would help things also. Thank you for asking. How are you doing?

 

Chew gum

 

That's good news sgal. I think that once we stop focussing on our T we do a lot better, even if it actually doesn't go down. The first week of my T was absolutely horrible, I barely got any sleep and ate, but I still went to work (though I was a zombie). Once we get back to normal hopefully our hearing will do the same.

I think if you need to pills to sleep then keep up with them, even though you were alright without them. Usually it is more anxiety instead of the noise keeping us up. I know how hard it is to stop looking for it. My T can change volume so sometimes I actually think, "I can't find it" and search for it again I realise it is there. The best thing would be not to look for it, but to be honest I can't see myself not looking for it at the moment, particularly as the sound of mine can change. But the best thing is when you hear the noise and aren't terrified about it. That's the first step to achieving habituation.

My T is not too bad at the moment. This morning I woke up after putting Olbus oil underneath my pillow case, and once again my T was lower than it usually is when I wake up. Usually my T is so loud in the morning it is like someone is in my eye cheerfully whistling. But for the past two days I have woken up and there is a sound, but it is almost like a tinkling: like a ringing that being interfered with. Also last night I felt my ear pop (my better ear) and a second later I could hear fluid moving round in my ear, and I hadn't even tried to do anything. SOMETHING is going on in there, so I am keeping faith that my T could go once my ears get better. You never know.

I wish things with ears weren't so complex. You would think getting the Eustachian tubes open would not be hard, but when we get cold/allergies it makes it so difficult. Doctors seem useless on this subject. Hopefully one day T can be solved easily.

How long have you had T sgal?

 

I have tried sucking sweets/chocolate and occasionally I might feel pain in my ear. Is that a good sign?

 

Okay there has been a positive development, though you might not want to read if you're easily grossed out. I touched my ear and felt something on the outside of it. Looking in the mirror there was..."gunk" on part of my ear called the tragus. If like me you don't know what that is I have attached a link to a diagram:

http://www.healthhype.com/wp-content/uploads/ear_diagram.jpg

I take it this is the fluid coming out of my ear? It was pretty gross but I have to admit I am relieved. I believe this is a good sign that my ear is finally sorting itself out. T still presence but I think even after you are decongested the T can take a while to go. Also this has FINALLY stopped all my niggling little worries that I could have this because of hearing loss. This has to be from decongested. Hopefully this means my Eustachian tubes are opening up and clearing all of this gunk out my ear. Fingers crossed!

 

Hi, I first got T around 9 years ago. It took me 6 months to a year to adjust to it and move on in my life. I had totally habituated years ago and then, this year on January 10, I woke up with T in my left ear for the first time. In the week that followed, the T in my right ear changed it's normal sound and got louder. Mornings were off the chart loud and insane. I've been going through what I went through 9 years ago once again. I got sick before Christmas with a bad cold or flu and allergies. My left ear was plugged and hurt and my sinuses were going nuts. I was on 2 different anitbiotics and taking Nasalnex through this crazy nebulizer contraption. I think it was the meds that sent my T into orbit but that's a long story. My left eustachian tube keeps closing everytime I get exposed to too much dust or mold. I think it's never had a chance to get well from the holidays. I hope I never have to go through anything like this again. Having a hearing loss is enough to deal with on its own! I hope you get better and better citigirl.

 

Thanks. I hope the same for you too. Who knows - your T could go down again! To be honest it sounds like you are just plugged up because of your sinuses and the meds haven't help. I am really against taking drugs at this point in my life, not just because of my T but other reasons too (though sometimes we have to), and they have probably caused your T to go a bit mad. Good news is usually the affect from meds on T does die down, so fingers crossed! I really hope you get better. My started on the 17th Jan and I am only really now starting to see signs that my ears are getting better, which proves that it does take a lot of time. My mum is convinced that my T won't go completely until a few months have gone by. Sometimes I feel like I can't stand another minute, let alone a few months. But the fluid leaving my ear has made me feel a lot more positive now, and though the T is still there, it has not been very loud yet. Try to keep decongesting yourself, though I think it does take a lot of time before the T wears off.

A bit of hope: there was a woman where I work that said that she had T after a virus. She said she has ringing and whoosing sounds that lasted for months - BUT IT WENT AWAY. And she didn't even go to the doctor about it! It does go for people. I hope for you it will go back down to your usual level again