Can Mucus in Eustachian Tube Cause Tinnitus That Sounds Like Ocean Waves on the Shore?

Hi everyone,

I want to share my experience with tinnitus since it first appeared in 2016.

(I'm using a translator program, as English is not my native language, and I hope everything is understandable.)

I woke up on February 18, 2016, with a buzzing sound similar to old CRT TVs' noise when tuned to an unsynchronized channel. At work, I often used headphones. Though I didn't think the volume was high, I assumed they were the problem. However, almost two weeks before, I had a severe cold that I couldn’t manage properly because I wasn’t at home.

Of course, I visited many ENT specialists. The last one I saw suggested I buy a soundbar to place next to my bed and learn strategies to live with tinnitus. I also tried a dental bite since my tinnitus changes when I move my head, but that was a dead end.

After six months, I was almost used to this symptom. I still slept with a sound next to my bedside.

Until December 2023, I was fine, but on December 20, I felt my existing tinnitus increase.

Again, I searched for ENT specialists, but mostly without success. On Facebook, I found a doctor who interviewed people whose tinnitus was cured through his therapy. I decided to visit him: the therapy was based on dietary supplements, mood stabilizers, an antithrombotic, and a microcirculation drug. Although it seemed minimal, my tinnitus returned to previous levels. However, it fluctuates, so some days it’s harmless, and others it’s loud, especially when trying to sleep.

I found strength and accepted this rollercoaster of fluctuations.

On Thursday, June 20, after turning on the air conditioning, I started feeling pressure in the same ear with my existing tinnitus. This pressure was new and had never happened before. It didn't go away even if I unblocked my ear, and certain sounds, like the toilet flush, were bothering me. The next morning, this pressure continued (of course, I didn't sleep), but I had to go to the hospital for my wife. While waiting for her admission, the room was full of air conditioners, and I was there for about three hours. So, I tried going to the ER to understand this pressure. On my way there, I realized I was hearing a new, deeper but quite loud tinnitus, at least by my perception. This tinnitus sounds like ocean waves on the shore. They cleaned my ears, did an audiometric test, a tympanometry, and an exam that made sounds through the skull—I've never seen that before. Everything was normal, though there were slight dips in low frequencies that I never had before. They said I might have mucus, which would clear up in a week or ten days. My ENT also agreed it was a mucus issue and recommended an aerosol treatment and cortisone for six days. I’m amazed that these medical conditions can happen so quickly.

This is my story from February 18, 2016, to today.

Can mucus in the Eustachian tube cause this kind of tinnitus?

I want to know if I should make peace with this new sound and re-habituate again, or hope it’s one of those tinnitus cases that can be resolved.

Thank you all.

 

Yes, mucus can cause a tinnitus spike, making it louder when sleeping at night. I deal with it every day because I have bad ETD.

I'm considering undergoing a balloon dilation. If it alleviates my tinnitus, I'll regret not doing it nine years ago.