hey everyone...
i've been suffering from T for the better part of ten years. mine is caused by years of playing drums in loud rock bands without wearing hearing protection. for the most part, i'm able to tune it out. it's only ever really noticeable when my surroundings are extremely quit. occasionally, i get loud ringing, usually out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. this tends to come and go rather quickly but can be pretty distracting. luckily it doesn't happen too often.
for (at least) the last six months, i've noticed a strange sensation in my right ear. the best way to describe it is that it sounds like i have a sea shell up to my ear. it's not constant and only seems to happen when i bend over (but only if i bend over to the right - bending to the left or bending straight down does not cause the sensation) or when my neck is at a very drastic angle - for example, bending at the waist to look at something on a low shelf or holding a phone to your left ear by tilting your head and wedging it between your head and shoulder.
a few other characteristics i've noticed:
some days are worse than others.
the sensation will eventually stop if i stay in one of these positions long enough.
sometimes i feel like pressing on my carotid helps, other times it doesn't do anything.
initially, i thought nothing of it until one dreaded day i decided to google my concerns.
i made an appointment with my general physician who said my ear drum was red and it looked like i had some fluid in my ear. he gave me a nasal spray, told me to take an OTC allergy med and sent me on my way. i followed his instructions but after three weeks, it didn't seem to do much.
at this point i returned to my general physician. this time he said my ears "looked fine." i was given a script for a steroid as well as antibiotics for a lingering cough stemming from a really crappy cold. after a few days on both, it seemed like the problem had disappeared. within a day or two of completing both meds, i started hearing the dreaded noise again.
fed up, i made an appointment with an ENT. he was friendly and knowledgeable and the first question he asked me was whether the noise matched my pulse. i told him i didn't think so but at times it was hard to tell. he looked in my ears, sent me for a hearing test and told me he felt that while my hearing was "good considering what i do for a living" the hairs in my ears were damaged and that was causing it. he didn't feel i "had a tumor or anything" and didn't think further testing was warranted though he told me to return if it got worse.
initially, i was satisfied with his answer and my anxiety diminished, but it soon came back with a vengeance. not wanting to deal with the wait or expense of a specialist i returned to my general practitioner, explained what i thought the issue was and that it was causing me a lot of anxiety and asked if he would be willing to schedule a carotid ultrasound for me which he did. otherwise he didn't ask me any questions about it or investigate it further.
that was done on wednesday and while i'm still waiting for the official results, the tech that completed the ultrasound was nice enough to tell me at the end of it that "at this point, if i saw anything of concern i would go find a doctor... but i'm going to let you go home now..."
my questions are... does this sound like PT? how accurate is an ultrasound? if the results show nothing of concern, is it worth pressing forward or will i just be wasting time in money and annoying my doctor by demanding more testing?
if it matters, i don't think i have a brain tumor. i'm more concerned with blockages in my carotid.
i suppose it would help to say that i'm male, 37, pretty overweight due to back injuries that prevent me from being as active as i use to be and depression that my stupid brain tries to treat by eating. i also suffer from "health anxiety" and generalized anxiety. i'm currently on meds for severe acid reflux as well as high blood pressure (which is under control with meds.) as of my labs last year, i don't have high cholesterol though my "good" cholesterol was a bit low.
i'd love to hear what others had to say... and sorry for the length!
i've been suffering from T for the better part of ten years. mine is caused by years of playing drums in loud rock bands without wearing hearing protection. for the most part, i'm able to tune it out. it's only ever really noticeable when my surroundings are extremely quit. occasionally, i get loud ringing, usually out of nowhere and for no apparent reason. this tends to come and go rather quickly but can be pretty distracting. luckily it doesn't happen too often.
for (at least) the last six months, i've noticed a strange sensation in my right ear. the best way to describe it is that it sounds like i have a sea shell up to my ear. it's not constant and only seems to happen when i bend over (but only if i bend over to the right - bending to the left or bending straight down does not cause the sensation) or when my neck is at a very drastic angle - for example, bending at the waist to look at something on a low shelf or holding a phone to your left ear by tilting your head and wedging it between your head and shoulder.
a few other characteristics i've noticed:
some days are worse than others.
the sensation will eventually stop if i stay in one of these positions long enough.
sometimes i feel like pressing on my carotid helps, other times it doesn't do anything.
initially, i thought nothing of it until one dreaded day i decided to google my concerns.
i made an appointment with my general physician who said my ear drum was red and it looked like i had some fluid in my ear. he gave me a nasal spray, told me to take an OTC allergy med and sent me on my way. i followed his instructions but after three weeks, it didn't seem to do much.
at this point i returned to my general physician. this time he said my ears "looked fine." i was given a script for a steroid as well as antibiotics for a lingering cough stemming from a really crappy cold. after a few days on both, it seemed like the problem had disappeared. within a day or two of completing both meds, i started hearing the dreaded noise again.
fed up, i made an appointment with an ENT. he was friendly and knowledgeable and the first question he asked me was whether the noise matched my pulse. i told him i didn't think so but at times it was hard to tell. he looked in my ears, sent me for a hearing test and told me he felt that while my hearing was "good considering what i do for a living" the hairs in my ears were damaged and that was causing it. he didn't feel i "had a tumor or anything" and didn't think further testing was warranted though he told me to return if it got worse.
initially, i was satisfied with his answer and my anxiety diminished, but it soon came back with a vengeance. not wanting to deal with the wait or expense of a specialist i returned to my general practitioner, explained what i thought the issue was and that it was causing me a lot of anxiety and asked if he would be willing to schedule a carotid ultrasound for me which he did. otherwise he didn't ask me any questions about it or investigate it further.
that was done on wednesday and while i'm still waiting for the official results, the tech that completed the ultrasound was nice enough to tell me at the end of it that "at this point, if i saw anything of concern i would go find a doctor... but i'm going to let you go home now..."
my questions are... does this sound like PT? how accurate is an ultrasound? if the results show nothing of concern, is it worth pressing forward or will i just be wasting time in money and annoying my doctor by demanding more testing?
if it matters, i don't think i have a brain tumor. i'm more concerned with blockages in my carotid.
i suppose it would help to say that i'm male, 37, pretty overweight due to back injuries that prevent me from being as active as i use to be and depression that my stupid brain tries to treat by eating. i also suffer from "health anxiety" and generalized anxiety. i'm currently on meds for severe acid reflux as well as high blood pressure (which is under control with meds.) as of my labs last year, i don't have high cholesterol though my "good" cholesterol was a bit low.
i'd love to hear what others had to say... and sorry for the length!
Manager
