Can Acoustic Trauma Cause PET (Patulous Eustachian Tube)?

[Lchops]

Hello,

I am fairly new to Tinnitus Talk. I got an MRI scan for my lumbar spine 9 weeks ago and it was extremely loud in there. In addition the headphones they provided as protection had music playing and, because I'm claustrophobic, I thought nothing of the loud music through the headphones, I just wanted the 12 minutes to be over with.

Well that was very stupid of me and I'll regret it for the rest of my life. But I can't go back in time. About 39 minutes later the ringing in my ears started. It is actually hissing/static noise.

I was already in pain from my herniated lumbar disc, so after the tinnitus, I went into panic mode. I didn't sleep, eat and I started clenching my teeth.

A week later I developed a sore jaw and clicking and popping in my ears while swallowing, eating, talking and even while doing nothing.

I feel like this could be Patulous Eustachian Tube but how would this be a result of the acoustic trauma?

I know I definitely have popping and clicking in my jaw from all the stress this is causing.

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. I haven't slept in 9 weeks now and I'm sure that only makes things worse.

Thank you, merci.

 

[John Joseph]

Very interesting. I recently experienced an acoustic trauma as a result of next to no protection during a very loud MRI. The earplugs they gave me were garbage and kept falling out and I had no clue about the loudness beforehand.

I've had some on and off Eustachian tube issues beforehand, but they hadn't bothered me in a while. After the acoustic trauma, they have been off the charts terrible. Awful ear pressure/fullness, constant clicking/popping.

I've spent hours trying to figure out the connection. There seems to be a correlation sometimes (some threads on here), but I'm not sure if these symptoms that appear on the surface to be some form of ETD, could in fact be related to some other source caused by the noise or not. I wish it were simple to figure out.

I'll be following this thread though and will post if I find anything out definitively. Hope you're able to improve your issues.

 

[Lchops]

@John Joseph, oh no, I'm sorry to hear they gave you lousy ear protection! How long was your scan? Did you also develop tinnitus as a result?

The ETD must certainly be a result of the loud noise exposure then. Interesting that there isn't much literature about this connection. I see an ENT next week so I can keep you posted. The popping and clicking is driving me more crazy than the actual tinnitus and hyperacusis.

I hope that this is something that can heal with time. I tried Flonase for a couple weeks and it helped with the inflammation but not more than that. I've tried lots of saline sprays now.

Let's hope we can get some feedback from others on here. Hang in there!

 

[John Joseph]

Scan was pretty long. 30-40 minutes. And yes, I definitely developed tinnitus afterwards with my other symptoms. It comes and goes though. It seems better now than when it started at least.

Do you have ear fullness/pressure along with the clicking and popping?

 

[Lchops]

How are things going for you? Any progress?

 

[tenforce]

Hello @Lchops,

I'm sorry about what you are experiencing.

First and foremost, don't be mad at yourself or blame yourself for making the mistake, it makes it even worse do deal with it, I can tell you!

I'm very interested in your special case, since I see myself in a somewhat similar situation:

1. Two years ago: acoustic trauma (gunshot), no immediate symptoms.

2. A few weeks later: first realization of reduced hearing and distortions, clogged-ear-feeling (all one sided). These symptoms are subtle but permanent (they still drive me crazy).

3. A few months later: clicking sounds while speaking, hyperacusis, autophony, and ear pressure. These symptoms are fluctuating (I have some rare, good weeks).

I went to see several doctors where I had hearing tests and an MRI, but without clear indication or findings. I saw a chiropractor, a physical therapist (massaging neck and jaw), and a dentist (prescribing bite-guard splint) but without any reproducible long-term effects. As a result of my own research, I suspect either (i) hidden hearing loss, (ii) patulous Eustachian tube, and/or (iii) Eustachian tube dysfunction.

I'm still groping pretty much in the dark. Here are my hypotheses:

(A) The acoustic trauma damaged my ear (HHL), causing symptoms such as the distortions, autophony, and hyperacusis. The latter made me more susceptible to PET symptoms, which I only started to notice then.

(B) The clogged-ear-feeling caused by the HHL made me pressurize my ears excessively, which induced/increased the other symptoms.

(C) The gunshot is not related at all, and a PET or tube dysfunction are causing all symptoms.

(D) The gunshot is not related at all, and all symptoms are psychosomatic and stress related.

Either way, I'm getting to the point where I fail to cope with the symptoms and really start questioning how I can live on with this condition, especially the clicking, autophony, and hyperacusis. Next station will be a psychotherapist or similar, I guess.

@Lchops, how are you doing now? I'm really interested on what you think about my hypothesis. Maybe some of my ideas and thoughts are useful to you. Please keep me updated with any thoughts or progress!

Best and greetings from Germany,
- M