Can Tinnitus Be Caused by Uneventful Microsuction?

[Rainer]

Early December last year, I went to an ENT because of a suspected ear infection, and, as an afterthought, asked about my tinnitus having become a tad louder than it was usually.

The ENT had a casual look into my ear and decreed that the tinnitus must be caused by ear wax which she was going to clean out. "There! Better now?"

Nope. I didn't perceive anything remarkable, one way or another. I also don't remember the procedure being shockingly loud.

However, a couple days later I woke up from a loud noise in both ears, the noise being entirely dissimilar to the tinnitus I already had and knew for years.

I didn't link this deterioration to the microsuction procedure because, like I said, I didn't notice anything remarkable at the time. Certainly not a noise level that would suggest acoustic trauma.

Then again, I just read @OptimusPrimed's thread about re-developing a nasty tinnitus after shooting with hearing protection, and apparently @OptimusPrimed didn't perceive the shooting noise as traumatizing either, originally.

Additionally, I would find it conceivable that I simply didn't register the acoustic trauma that happened since I have age-related hearing loss already, so I wouldn't hear everything nasty that's going on under any circumstances.

So I'm left to wonder whether the microsuction procedure could be at the root of the tinnitus that has been ruining most of my days for several months now, even though it didn't strike me as the obvious reason at the time?

 

[GBB]

Early December last year, I went to an ENT because of a suspected ear infection, and, as an afterthought, asked about my tinnitus having become a tad louder than it was usually.

The ENT had a casual look into my ear and decreed that the tinnitus must be caused by ear wax which she was going to clean out. "There! Better now?"

Nope. I didn't perceive anything remarkable, one way or another. I also don't remember the procedure being shockingly loud.

However, a couple days later I woke up from a loud noise in both ears, the noise being entirely dissimilar to the tinnitus I already had and knew for years.

I didn't link this deterioration to the microsuction procedure because, like I said, I didn't notice anything remarkable at the time. Certainly not a noise level that would suggest acoustic trauma.

Then again, I just read @OptimusPrimed's thread about re-developing a nasty tinnitus after shooting with hearing protection, and apparently @OptimusPrimed didn't perceive the shooting noise as traumatizing either, originally.

Additionally, I would find it conceivable that I simply didn't register the acoustic trauma that happened since I have age-related hearing loss already, so I wouldn't hear everything nasty that's going on under any circumstances.

So I'm left to wonder whether the microsuction procedure could be at the root of the tinnitus that has been ruining most of my days for several months now, even though it didn't strike me as the obvious reason at the time?

The answer is yes, though data suggests low probability for the general population, it is 100% possible.

 

[Rainer]

The answer is yes, though data suggests low probability for the general population, it is 100% possible.

Thanks.

BTW, it just came to my mind that "low probability for the general population" will not always be a good indicator for causal relationships. To wit:

1. There's an extremely low probability for any thirty-year old man that a meteor will hit him on the head and kill him.
   
2. Also and additionally, at any time there's an extremely low probability that a meteor will be reaching earth and kill anyone in the process. Most meteors are harmless because they hit nobody even if they do reach earth.
   
3. In spite of all this, if a meteor hits a thirty-year old man on his head, and this person is deceased shortly after, then it is pretty much certain that the meteor is to blame.

I have not entirely thought this through yet, but I suspect a similar argument might be made for microsuction and tinnitus.

 

[GBB]

Thanks.

BTW, it just came to my mind that "low probability for the general population" will not always be a good indicator for causal relationships. To wit:

1. There's an extremely low probability for any thirty-year old man that a meteor will hit him on the head and kill him.
   
2. Also and additionally, at any time there's an extremely low probability that a meteor will be reaching earth and kill anyone in the process. Most meteors are harmless because they hit nobody even if they do reach earth.
   
3. In spite of all this, if a meteor hits a thirty-year old man on his head, and this person is deceased shortly after, then it is pretty much certain that the meteor is to blame.

I have not entirely thought this through yet, but I suspect a similar argument might be made for microsuction and tinnitus.

Ya I am not trying to qualify my answer with a caveat - it happened to me and @musicblue.

 

[Rainer]

Ya I am not trying to qualify my answer with a caveat - it happened to me and @musicblue.

I noticed that below your avatar and wasn't imagining to contradict you.

Regardless of that I find the meteor argument interesting. I'm not yet sure whether there's a hole in it.

 

[john2507]

Ear flushing or microsuction (not sure which one as my doctor did both in the same visit) made my tinnitus a lot louder. It was pretty much the same situation too, I went in because I thought my tinnitus (that I could only hear in a quiet room back then) could be caused by ear wax, but it made no difference and after a couple of days when I woke up it was so loud I could hear it pretty much everywhere but the shower.

9 months later and here I am, it has since gotten even worse.

 

[Ken219]

Ear flushing or microsuction (not sure which one as my doctor did both in the same visit) made my tinnitus a lot louder.

Empirical data from this message board indicates microsuction is dangerous to your ears. I never had it done but it sounds like a vacuuming of your ear canal?

 

[Rainer]

Ear flushing or microsuction (not sure which one as my doctor did both in the same visit) made my tinnitus a lot louder. [...] 9 months later and here I am, it has since gotten even worse.

How horrible. I'm truly aghast that it turned out so life-changing to the worse for you.

Did you notice anything remarkable during your appointment, was the procedure annoyingly loud?

 

[Rainer]

I never had it done but it sounds like a vacuuming of your ear canal?

Not always. My previous ENT from my previous hometown used the instrument like vacuum-operated tweezers to fetch pieces of cerumen and dispose them into a wastebin: Very gentle, totally silent, and I never had any problem afterwards.

I never would have guessed that there might be a danger because ENT nincompoops use the same instrument like a hoover.

 

[Rainer]

Well, I believe I have the answer now, on account of a probably hare-brained attempt to check whether my hearing has worsened since the onset of my predicament:

Yesterday evening I executed my self-devised hearing test, trying out at which level I begin to hear different sine tones up to 10 kHz, at which time I called it a day. It felt harmless while I ran my little experiment, but today my tinnitus is worse than it has been in weeks.

I don't think this is a coincidence, and if I'm right about this: There you have it. Seemingly unremarkable events that don't feel uncomfortable at the time absolutely can trigger or cause tinnitus. Just because it doesn't feel dangerous doesn't mean you're safe.

 

[RonnieThailand]

I believe this is what caused mine. I was exposed to a loud sound through an earbud 4 days prior which only made my ear ache. I went to a doctor 4 days later to get it looked at as it was still aching, and they said to check the eardrum they would have to remove earwax. I stupidly agreed to this, trusting that they know it wouldn't be harmful, had microsuction and irrigation, a normal audiogram (I realize it didn't test frequencies higher than 8,000 Hz), and woke up the next morning at 4 am to a piercing loud tinnitus in my right (the aching one) which eventually turned into crickets and other sounds over the next few days and went to both ears/head. It's very reactive and I can't watch tv or keep a fan on. This was about 3 weeks ago.

It's become a bit milder as far as the crickets and everything lately, but I think it's simply because it's gotten cooler and I'm not using the fan, and watching silent movies as I've given up on regular tv. Turned the fan on earlier and it started ramping up, turned it off and went from a 7/10 to a 2/10 within 10 minutes. It's always there though, whether it's crickets, ringing, hissing, or computer frequency sounds.

 

[Rainer]

It's very reactive and I can't watch tv or keep a fan on. This was about 3 weeks ago.

Hello Ronnie,

The consensus in this forum seems to be that "ears take forever to heal," in other words: 3 weeks is literally nothing.

What you report might be a blessing in disguise. I think your ears are warning you that you are harming them with noise, at least for now. If I were you, I'd give my ears rest and quiet for an extended period of time, even if they feel okay-ish already.

I wish I had done what I'm telling you. I suspect I would not be still at square one.

 

[RonnieThailand]

Hello Ronnie,

The consensus in this forum seems to be that "ears take forever to heal," in other words: 3 weeks is literally nothing.

What you report might be a blessing in disguise. I think your ears are warning you that you are harming them with noise, at least for now. If I were you, I'd give my ears rest and quiet for an extended period of time, even if they feel okay-ish already.

I wish I had done what I'm telling you. I suspect I would not be still at square one.

Thank you, I appreciate that advice. This is what I thought, to protect since day 1, but then you hear others saying you need to slowly expose yourself to pink noise or other sounds to desensitize, but this doesn't seem to be rooted in any actual studies so I wish we knew for sure. I am afraid maybe I'm prolonging this by avoiding sound, but you're probably right and this is probably what I'll continue to do.

 

[Rainer]

ENT, looking at my audiogram: "Hmmm, this dip at 4000 Hz looks very much like noise trauma to me. Have you been exposed to any loud noises recently?"

Me: "Absolutely none. Except that microsuction I told you about."

ENT, startled: "Oh. Yes." (thinks about the ramifications) "I mean, no no no. I mean, microsuction is what I do all the time, and with my experience, no. That cannot be the reason, absolutely not." (invents new criterion on the fly) "Noise trauma requires 120 dB or higher, and this does not happen with microsuction!"

***

This could be a comedy skit, no? If only the joke weren't at my expense.

 

[Vicki14]

@Rainer, so sorry that you're going through this. I had microsuction 5 years ago and was absolutely assured it was the safest form of removal. My biggest regret ever. It definitely causes damage, my friend @Blue28 has experience of this too, sadly x

 

[Rainer]

@Rainer, so sorry that you're going through this.

Thank you.

 

[Mary97]

Jesus these ENTs are useless, worse than useless. Dangerous!

 

[Rainer]

Jesus these ENTs are useless, worse than useless. Dangerous!

It's difficult not to get agitated with these people.

In that situation I was under the impression she made that 120 dB figure up on the spot. But to be fair, Wikipedia does list 120 dB as the sound pressure carrying the risk of instantaneous hearing loss.

Now, if only there was a way to find out what sound pressures are generated by microsuction

 

[Blue28]

Hi @Rainer, as my friend @Vicki14 pointed out, I can definitely say without a word of doubt that an ENT doing microsuction caused my tinnitus, hearing loss, middle ear myoclonus and hyperacusis. It's a dangerous procedure which at best should be tighter regulated, at worst banned altogether. I'd prefer the latter. ENTs/audiologists will dismiss the idea it causes damage, but they're just covering up the facts to suit themselves. It's a disgrace. I've been existing (not living) with this for over 5 years now. So sorry you're suffering too because of this.