Eardrum Hum and Vibration

Hi Everyone..

Since January i've started having this problem with my left ear.
Started after a cold, when I was about 30weeks pregnant.. My ear would pop and I could hear my own voice loud, back at myself.. no amount of ear popping would bring it back to normal.. seemed to last for about 10mins then go back to normal by its self. This went on for a few weeks, with it doing this for 10 mins a day or every other day.
I did try rinsing my ear out in the shower a few times, thinking it could be ear wax, not sure now that that was very wise of me!!
Then beginning of February, I got another cold.. worse than before, and being pregnant you cant take anything other than paracetamol.
For the rest of my pregnancy, at bed time, one of my nostrils would completely block up, even though I wasn't ill. I had to use a bit of vicks sinex every night so I could sleep. It was around this time that my left ear kicked off.

I could hear a low power hum and was convinced that it was in the house, then if I had been in a quiet room for too long, a second louder hum in my left ear would switch on, feels right on the ear drum and would instantly stop if I moved my head or there was a noise in the room, soon as that noise had stop, the second vibrating hum would come straight back.
Ive had this for around 5 months now and it has slowly got worse, but since yesterday its got a lot worse.
I now have pressure and fullness in my left ear, constant low power hum, I can feel my ear drum is now sensitive to like a passing car outside or some other thudding background noise and the loud vibrating hum is lurking, waiting to strike, as soon as any noise in the room stops!
My left ear feels so uncomfortable as well with fullness and pressure, and I am getting slight pain every so often too from the ear drum area.
I dread night time as at the moment I have to sleep with my ipad right next to my left ear playing white noise or rain sound effects, so the vibrating hum doesn't switch on.
I have seen two drs so far, one didn't even bother looking in my ears.. just went its tinnitus,I have got another appointment Monday to see a different dr in the hope to be referred to a ENT.
This is just awful.

Ive always had slight ringing in my ears since I can remember and thats never really been loud enough to bother me.. but this is just the worse ever.
I should also add that a couple times a month I get like a painful throat, I have it today actually.. its not overly painful but can feel it there, also my head feels a bit dizzy today, not something I have had before.. but not sure if thats down to 4 month of lack of sleep!

Anyone else suffering from this??

 

Hi Lian
Seeing your post has made me sign up and post a reply! I have been silent on this website forum for about 2 years!

My vibrating hum started just like yours. I had fullness in both my ears, although can't remember having a cold. I was having a really stressful time, my work involves lots of deadlines and I remember having a bad argument with my husband. I went to bed, really wound up and could hear this intermittent hum that sounded in the distant. This got worse over the next few days. The fullness also remained.

Doctor was not much good. Got refered to ENT, but while waiting the 3 months for appointment, went to see an osteopath. I had used one a few times before. I carry a lot of tension in my neck and jaw (clenching). I had a tension headache previously and the malipulation of my neck helped this. The osteopath worked on my jaw this time and just one visit resolved the fullness. But still left the hum.

I saw ENT - hearing test was fine. Told I have tinnitus and 'will have to learn to live with it'. Which is not the best advise to give someone who is already very stressed. So got refered to a tinnitus counsellor. She was very good. She could see I was very 'highly strung'. Suggested relaxation techniques - Yoga, Ti chi, Alexander Technique. I have tried them all. I found massage helped as well.

But although the hum quitened down, went away, it has always come back!

I paid privately to see another ENT, Mr Nigel Padgham. (He is Kent based). He is very knowledgeable on tinnitus and has written a few papers on it. He felt my symtoms where those of a flow murmur. Basically, how I understand it is that at times of stress and tension, muscle tightening in my body is causing a blood vessel to put pressure on my eardrum, causing it to vibrate. As soon as he explained that I thought yes, that is what it feels like. He did expect it to improve with time.

It has...and then it comes back.

I am aware that I have a lot of tension in my right upper chest and shoulder. (My vibration/hum is just in my right ear). The Alexander Teacher made me aware that I even tense my shoulder when I talk. So I am still working on this. Although can't afford any more lessons!

So Lian, I replied to you as I thought that with recently having a baby, you to may be a 'little' stressed and if you think that stress is the cause of your feeling of fullness in the ear and the vibration then this is what I found has helped me cope.

Massage jaw - if you feel you clench or there is tension there. You can do this yourself, lots of info on web or visit an oestopath. Mine is around £40.
Alexander Techique - one private lesson is around £35. Group classes are cheaper, but there is lot on the web that is free. I also got a few books on it.
Yoga - made me realise how tight my chest was. Hunched over a computer does it, as does a lot of driving. Make sure you fine the right class for you. There is different types of yoga, mine is quite energetic. Can't believe that I learnt to do a handstand at the age of 49.
Mindfulness - currently reading a book - mindfulness, finding peace in a frantic world.
Masking the sound - when it is bad, I've learnt that by stressing over it and not sleeping makes it worse. The best sound I found that stopped the vibration is on this website. (Sorry don't know how to do a link). It was posted by Eric N in his post Eardrum Vibration? It's the Star Trek Ambient Engine noise. It's a 24 hour recording - so gets me though the night.

Hope this will be of some use to you. I wish you all the best, take care
Karen x