Would a Myringotomy Be Helpful for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus If You Have ETD?

Hi!

I’ve had tinnitus since 1/11/21. I’ve tried Afrin, Flonase, Prednisone, and Antibiotics.

There is fluid behind my ear drum due to Eustachian Tube Dysfunction.

Would a Myringotomy be helpful for my hearing loss and tinnitus?

Thank you.

 

Have you seen an ENT? Did they suggest Myringotomy?

 

Yes, I’ve been to the ENT four times, Urgent Care once, and my general practitioner once. The ENT is recommending a Myringotomy. I never had any surgery before of any kind, so I’m nervous my tinnitus could get worse. What’s your advice?

 

Would a tympanostomy tube aka grommet also be inserted? Without the grommet, the incision caused by the Myringotomy will close up in a week or two and relief from ETD will be short-lived.

If you think your troubles are caused by ETD, maybe you should follow your ENT's advice. This surgery is very common and if it commonly caused or worsened tinnitus, we'd know about it... but there are no guarantees in this life! Maybe someone who has had the procedure done can share how it went for them. I guess you also need to ask yourself if you can live with your current situation. If you can, then maybe you want to avoid the surgery.

 

Thank you for your response. The ENT does not want to insert grommets. I’m not sure why. I wish I knew any adult that’s had it done. Unfortunately, I only know children that have had the surgery. They are too young to communicate what it was like.

Can I deal with the hearing loss and tinnitus? Yes, but it’s becoming more difficult. My oldest son needs medical help, so I’m constantly meeting with medical experts weekly. My youngest son is only a few months old, so he has needs of his own. I would love to gain some hearing back. I can barely hear at all out of my affected ear. I try everyday to tune out the ringing, and because I’m busy juggling the boys, I have convince myself to not focus on the ringing until I’m in any quiet room. There’s so much to think about if I do have the surgery.

Also, whenever I try to pop my ears, the ringing gets louder... is this from the negative pressure?

 

Pop your ears by Valsalva maneuver? Close your nose tightly and blow out with short and weak bursts of air blowing into your tubes. Stop after a few short bursts and then repeat if necessary to get the air to pass through your Eustachian tubes. The weak and repeated bursts will more gently open up your tubes by slowly stretching the tissue until it pops.

If your Eustachian Tube Dysfunction is due to allergies, you can try a quality air purifier in your bedroom to reduce your pollen exposure. Most HEPA purifiers will work, but some only filter pollen well when they are on a high setting.

 

My ETD is due to allergies I recently developed. It’s funny you say that because I have an air purifier right by my bedside now. It’s one I found at Costco. I have it on the medium setting, but I could try the high setting. When I woke up this morning, my throat was very dry and itchy. I wish there was a way to end this madness. My house is near a lot of trees that have a lot of pollen. Since my house was built in the 50s, the windows are not insulated the greatest. My next appointment at the ENT is on Monday. I really hope if I go through with the surgery that the tinnitus does not get louder. Fingers crossed!

Oh! And I’ve been doing the Valsalva maneuver for the longest, but it seems to hurt my ears when I try to pop them now. I like how you described how to pop them, but weakly. I could give it a go. I’m just nervous that this fluid will never dissipate.

 

Do mucus thinning drugs like Mucinex help at all?

I have been taking Ambroxol and it helps me (also helps with my facial nerve pain):

Multicenter study on the treatment of secretory otitis media with ambroxol. Importance of a surface-tension-lowering substance

You could try that first. I personally wouldn't do the Valsalva if it hurts, it may add to the ET inflammation.

 

I would absolutely 100% consider doing that or even Zyrtec... but since I’m nursing the baby it’ll hurt my milk supply. :’-(

 

Hey,

We have very similar treatment option use, did you see any effect on your tinnitus when you used Afrin, Prednisone, and Flonase?

I’m on a long Prednisone taper which has helped bring my tinnitus down to a 1/10 and was told I could use Afrin at the same time (the 3 day use) which basically made it disappear. I also think I have ETD as well. How did your tinnitus react when you got off Prednisone? I am terrified of tapering off the drug and the tinnitus getting worse.

Also, I think if you’re certain your tinnitus is being caused by the fluid I think you should do the procedure.

Thanks.

 

I loved the Prednisone because it allowed me to actually pop my ears. I couldn’t prior. Afrin and Flonase did nothing for me. The only thing that helps my tinnitus decrease in volume is my prenatal, but it’s so incredibly loud at night and when I try to sleep. Most of the time, other than that, I can tune it out. It’s definitely there, and ringing away. I’m really considering the procedure. My next ENT appointment is this coming Monday.

 

If your tinnitus is truly caused by ETD then @FGG has given you some good advice with using Mucinex and/or Ambroxol. I would also suggest looking up @engineerLA’s posts on what he did to resolve his ETD and tinnitus. It’s an anti-inflammatory regimen followed by, eventually, pushing saline solution and nasal decongestant into the ETs. I think it might be a bit risky but you can start with the anti-inflammatory part and the nasal spray rinse and move on from there if you feel comfortable.

I guess it tough because you are also nursing and that will limit treatment options. I would also look into Singulair (Montelukast) as I have seen many posts now attributing success to using it for ETD, including @engineerLA. You are probably already sensitive to allergies and your hormones may be contributing to inflammation after pregnancy. It’s pretty common for new mothers to have ongoing inflammation after birthing, maybe talk to your OB about it?

 

Wow! This is so helpful! Thank you! I will call my OB.

 

So, I just called the obgyn office, and she said she can’t help me, and to talk to the ENT. Well, that office isn’t great at helping people.

 

Could you get second opinion from some other ENT?

 

I actually tried to when I called the ENT office, but they said well your reports will start from scratch, so it's best to keep the same doctor...

Do you think I should wait on getting the Myringotomy? I went to my son's hearing appointment this past Monday (pediatric doctor). Thankfully, no fluid behind his ear drums. His doctor said to me that if I have the fluid behind my ear drum removed, it could lessen the amplification of the tinnitus. If she's correct, I won't know unless I go through with the procedure.

 

Hi guys! Just giving an update. I did not go to the ENT this past Monday. Instead, I went to a chiropractor. He ran some scans, and I’ll be seeing him again this Friday for treatment. I’m hoping he can help get my Eustachian Tube to function properly. If not, I have an appointment set up for May 10th with an ENT for the Myringotomy.

 

I honestly don't see how a chiropractor can help you with ETD. I think you might be better of trying long term use of steroid nasal spray and making sure it goes to your eustachian tubes. I have seen some people on this forum report success after using the spray for multiple weeks, however I can see how it can be frustrating see an ENT that actually knows what they are talking about. It might be worth it for looking for the best ENT in your area and asking for a second opinion although that may be difficult.

 

Do you know if Atrovent is a good spray? The primary doctor prescribed it.

 

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I cannot offer advice, but support. I too have a young son. I know it is so hard to take care of others when you need help yourself.

Hang in there, I'll be praying for you. I hope things improve very soon.

twa

 

I’m going through something similar I think. A chiropractor or PT can help with ETD depending on the underlying cause so I guess it’s worth a try. I would also try Xlear nasal spray, you can use it as often as you like and seems to help me about 15 minutes after I take it.

 

Thank you so much! I appreciate your prayers!

 

Yes, he did a scan on me, and even though I didn’t quite understand the scan fully, he did say he could help me, so I have some hope. *fingers crossed*

My only theory is maybe when I had the failed epidural, I had some damage done to my nervous system? My anesthesiologist tried putting the epidural in my back three times and failed. She called an MD over, and had him try, but he also failed. Then, maybe inflammation just crept it and now here I am. I won’t know for sure if this theory is true until I try a few chiropractic sessions to see. Never hurts to try. I can also try the spray along with treatment. It’s hard because my firstborn has medical issues, so it’s hard to even remember Mama has to take care of herself too.

 

Sorry to hear your troubles. I was thinking, is it possible that during labor you caused damaged to to your neck? It’s not uncommon for neck injuries to lead to tinnitus but also to ETD because of inflammation in the muscles impacting on the Eustachian tubes. Also, two other scenarios to consider: weight gain/weight loss. If you gained a lot of weight during your pregnancy, or just lost a lot of weight after, this could affect your ET function. It’s very common during significant weight loss to have ET problems though I believe it’s usually patulous Eustachian tube, but I could be wrong.

Also, given stress (hormonal and/or otherwise), is it possible you have developed/exacerbated silent reflux (commonly known as LPR). LPR can cause ETD and it’s somewhat common amongst people with GERD or LPR. The good news is, that’s easily fixable with some PPIs or diet adjustment.

 

Could be all three. I had a terrible epidural experience. I definitely did gain a lot of weight. I couldn’t wear my rings. It took five weeks to wear my rings again, but I went a size up. I even went up two pant sizes. I started Weight Watchers on February 1st, and have lost 14 pounds since then. I’m smaller than my pre-pregnancy weight. In regards to GERD, I had acid reflux my whole entire pregnancy, and took medication everyday to help with it. Otherwise, I’d vomit anytime I was laying down since that’s when the acid tended to bother me the most. Immediately after I gave birth, my acid reflux went away. I could eat again. I could eat anything. I looked up Xlear. I see it’s a saline spray. It’s at my Target, so I can pick it up.

 

Look into LPR. If you had GERD, it’s possible you have LPR. It’s called silent reflux because you don’t get the traditional symptoms aka heartburn. LPR is much more toxic to your ETs in my opinion because of the pepsin gas flowing up.

Do you notice constant coughing especially after eating? How about shortness of breath? These are symptoms of LPR.

 

I mostly have dry throat when I wake up and have the need to cough. No shortness of breath.

 

Tinnitus during or after pregnancy is not entirely unusual, thought to have something to do with the increased blood flow during pregnancy. Or even just the hormones or excessive fluid. I know this is not something an obgyn can help resolve, but I am so surprised your doctor did not mention pregnancy/post pregnancy could be a possible cause. When I lost my hearing, I was discussing it months later with my doctor and she mentioned having patients develop tinnitus with pregnancy.

Hopefully you get some relief from the ETD. It is hard balancing your own health needs with the needs of your children. Don’t forget to take care of yourself! Do you have a therapist? I found it very helpful to have someone I could vent to, sort of release my frustrations and worries so I could shift my focus and be present for my kids.

 

Did you ever get your hearing back?

Thankfully, I do have a therapist. She’s pretty awesome! Yes, I hope that this ETD will get resolved.

 

Unfortunately no. Severe hearing loss is difficult to recover, my audiogram is perfect until it makes a straight drop down. It was from a virus, and as difficult as it was to accept, my doctors were right when they said I was fortunate to not have total loss and that it did not continue to decline in the months after my initial loss.

Glad to hear you have a therapist! I know mine cannot cure my hearing loss, but it’s still comforting to have someone to help me work through all the irrational worries that come along with this condition.