Can I Really Develop Chronic Tinnitus Just From Having Fluid in My Ears?

[daman558]

2 MONTHS ago when I had a cold to the day both my ears suddenly filled up with fluid. soon thereafter, a loud roaring sound ensued and tho the fluid cleared out in a few weeks the ringing in both ears never went away, though it's not as loud as it was, it's been at a constant level since the fluid cleared out. accompanying this is a bit of dizziness and intermittent mild pain in my ears. I went to see an ent while back and she told me it's from inflammation and should self resolve, but it hasn't. unfortunately my job doesn't offer health insurance and I can't afford another visit so that's about it in regards to medical treatment, I don't think she would do anything but give me a hearing test anyways which hasn't been a problem(I gave myself an online one ) I guess my question is simply this, I havent done as much research as you guys so I figured I'd ask my better informed peers. can I really develop chronic tinnitus just from having fluid in my ears? as far as symptoms go all I had was the fluid and muted hearing that went along with it and some mild pain and dizziness and crackling ears(which they still kinda do). no vertigo or sever pain or high fever.
here's wishing you all the best and hoping that this thread finds you in good spirits. it's a hard road keeping our heads above water at times.

 

[Karen]

Hi, Daman,
Yes, it is possible to develop tinnitus from inflammation in the ears. I don't know, however, if it would be considered chronic tinnitus. I haven't experienced this situation myself. It's possible that your tinnitus will subside after the inflammation subsides, or after the fluid finally drains, which may take awhile.

I believe the usual treatment is to prescribe a steroid nasal spray and/or a course of steroids for 5 - 10 days. Sometimes an antibiotic may be prescribed, too.

Has anyone else had first-hand experience with tinnitus developing after fluid build-up in the inner ear?

 

[Miss lavender]

Hi Daman and Karen,
I have a similar story to tell. I was pregnant and developed a horrible cold probably the worst I have had in my lifetime.
Being pregnant I could not take anything. However I was bedridden and vomiting for days on end and ended up also loosing
my voice and developing a terrible chest infection. I then developed fluid in my ear and then not long after I started to
feel that my ears were constantly blocked. Not long after that I started to hear my voice echo frequently.

I then decided to pay a visit to the doctor. He checked my ears thoroughly and said no sign of infection or fluid. I should
have continued my search foe answers, because I was pregnant I just focused on my baby. Not long after having my baby
I started to have fluid in the ears again/echo in the ears and this time also terrible vertigo. Anyhow to this day I have
hissing in my ears and that was two years ago
I am sure you will be fine and not have these issues. I only wish you all the best.
By the way I still feel that I have fluid in the ears. I wish I had more answers for you. Just sharing my experience as Karen
asked.

 

[LadyDi]

Hey Daman... I believe my T came from barotrauma due to an undetected sinus infection during a transatlantic flight, although three docs so far cant agree on this. When I landed, I had acute pain...and could hear fluid sloshing around in my left ear. They forced my left eustachion tube open and it felt like it drained. Bu have had T in both ears since (three months ago)
I also had no hearing loss or ear drum puncture.

But...If yours did involve inflammation it may indeed go away when that clears up. Is there anyway you can cobble together some money and get to a doc to make sure there is no more infection?

 

[daman558]

how would the doc be sure there is no more infection? better yet how can one tell if there is still inflammation present? the ent said it all looked good few weeks back, but it's weird cuz I still have some mild pain and cracklin. thanks for sharing your stories all, it really helps to be able to chat with compatriots that know how much this can suck. whenever I try n talk with others about it they just pretty much shrug it off.

 

[Markku]

how would the doc be sure there is no more infection?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ear-infections/DS00303/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

Pneumatic otoscope
An instrument called a pneumatic otoscope is often the only specialized tool a doctor needs to make a diagnosis of an ear infection. This instrument enables the doctor to look in the ear and judge how much fluid may be behind the eardrum. With the pneumatic otoscope, the doctor gently puffs air against the eardrum. Normally, this puff of air would cause the eardrum to move. If the middle ear is filled with fluid, your doctor will observe little to no movement of the eardrum.

Additional tests
Your doctor may perform other diagnostic tests if there is any doubt about a diagnosis, if the condition hasn't responded to previous treatments, or if there are other persistent or serious problems.

• Tympanometry. This test measures the movement of the eardrum. The device, which seals off the ear canal, adjusts air pressure in the canal, thereby causing the eardrum to move. The device quantifies how well the eardrum moves and provides an indirect measure of pressure within the middle ear.
• Acoustic reflectometry. This test measures how much sound emitted from a device is reflected back from the eardrum — an indirect measure of fluids in the middle ear. Normally, the eardrum absorbs most of the sound. However, the more pressure there is from fluid in the middle ear, the more sound the eardrum will reflect.
• Tympanocentesis. Rarely, a doctor may use a tiny tube that pierces the eardrum to drain fluid from the middle ear — a procedure called tympanocentesis. Tests to determine the infectious agent in the fluid may be beneficial if an infection hasn't responded well to previous treatments.
• Other tests. If your child has had persistent ear infections or persistent fluid buildup in the middle ear, your doctor may refer you to a hearing specialist (audiologist), speech therapist or developmental therapist for tests of hearing, speech skills, language comprehension or developmental abilities.

 

[daman558]

thx guys for sharing. Hope this post finds you in good mental health. I'm still trying to cope with the fact this might be permanent but just reading the threads on the board has really helped me to get through this abit. if I can't hope for it to go away, it might at least settle down a bit cuz it's loud enough to hear it over any masking noise when I try n sleep... which is really the worst part. and thx markku, I've seen your other posts around the forums and your awesome bro . Cheers

 

[Paint girl]

I also developed mild tinnitus after a chronic sinus infection. It never went away completely, I did a few cleansing diets for months (no gluten no dairy) lots of vegetables and fruit. I believe that enabled my ears to clear and the tinnitus subsided as my ears cleared.

 

[Erlend]

I have fluid in my ear after i blew with one nostil using a neti pot. So the fluid I have there is a saline solution I made myself. My tinnitus is louder in that ear, now that there is fluid there. My doctor said that there was indeed fluid, and a little red in that ear. It was not like this in my other ear, which corresponds with what I feel.

What are the odds of this T amplification going away when the fluid drains? All doctors and ENTs say "almost always" etc, but reading this forum I get the feeling that being unlucky isn't that uncommon...

 

[Leonardp]

I am 16 years old and I have a ear infection that caused tinnitus do you think it will go away

 

[ring a ding]

2 MONTHS ago when I had a cold to the day both my ears suddenly filled up with fluid. soon thereafter, a loud roaring sound ensued and tho the fluid cleared out in a few weeks the ringing in both ears never went away, though it's not as loud as it was, it's been at a constant level since the fluid cleared out. accompanying this is a bit of dizziness and intermittent mild pain in my ears. I went to see an ent while back and she told me it's from inflammation and should self resolve, but it hasn't. unfortunately my job doesn't offer health insurance and I can't afford another visit so that's about it in regards to medical treatment, I don't think she would do anything but give me a hearing test anyways which hasn't been a problem(I gave myself an online one ) I guess my question is simply this, I havent done as much research as you guys so I figured I'd ask my better informed peers. can I really develop chronic tinnitus just from having fluid in my ears? as far as symptoms go all I had was the fluid and muted hearing that went along with it and some mild pain and dizziness and crackling ears(which they still kinda do). no vertigo or sever pain or high fever.
here's wishing you all the best and hoping that this thread finds you in good spirits. it's a hard road keeping our heads above water at times.

I have a similar experience. Two years ago I developed an ear infection in my left ear. Literally overnight I developed tinnitus in my left ear. It is intermittent, it comes for one or two days and then it disappears for one or two days. But it always comes back in this very annoying cycle. If I flex the muscles at the back of my jaw I can hear all kinds of popping, cracking, and crunching in my left ear. I have been told that this is due to excessive fluid in my inner ear. The doctor put me on an antibiotic called AMOX but it had zero effect so its probably not due to an infection. Is it possible to remove excessive fluid from my inner ear?

 

[Kdt]

I know this is a super old post but just wondering if anyone ever found relief from tinnitus?

 

[GregCA]

I know this is a super old post but just wondering if anyone ever found relief from tinnitus?

Yes, for many, T has subsided.