Ears Changing Pressure with Fleeting Tinnitus

[Natalie Roberts]

Since I've developed tinnitus I've also had increased "fleeting T" in addition to times when the pressure changes in one of ears (varies sides) and I will feel very muted in the affected side sometimes accompanied by increased T sound but not always. This usually only lasts about 30 seconds-1 minute or so.. I never had the ear pressure change with my fleeting T before my tinnitus onset. What's the deal? Do most people with chronic tinnitus tend to have the pressure changes and fleeting T increased over the general population and why dose it happen? Is the ear pressure/muted feeling something I need to see my ENT about since it doesn't last, just comes and goes? I usually have it happen every few days to every few weeks depending on how my overall T volume is.. Sometimes I think it my ears trying to "reset" themselves?

Just wondering if it was warning sign that my hearing is going to get worse in the future and if there is something else I can do about it now to help protect it. And, of course if anyone else is experiencing this. Helps to know you're not alone.

Thanks

 

[Natalie Roberts]

B

 

[The Red Viper]

I've had this happen a few times since T. I have never had it happen before T. It may be a sign that our T is pressure related. Do you find your ears popping for no reason sometimes? Or after you eat a meal? Or if you drive up a small (I mean really small) hill?

 

[Dana]

Just wondering if it was warning sign that my hearing is going to get worse in the future

I started to have big pressure problems in the ears some time after T onset. My hearing did not get worse, so pressure issues is not necessarily a sign of losing hearing.
I encountered a "benevolent" doctor who told me that I got tinnitus because I am going deaf. While talking to me she started to talk softer and softer (I realised that because I have almost perfect hearing in my left ear, which has T too), just to determine me to ask her to repeat what she said, and to prove her point in this way. Some doctors have no moral at all. According to audiograms my hearing stayed the same with all this T and pressure problems that I still have.
It's good to check your ear canals, for a beginning of a ear wax plug. It happened to me to have a relief of ear pressure and "fluid in the ears" sensation after my ear canals were carefully cleaned with a curette wrapped in coton, under powerfull lens. It may be a solution for you too.
ATEOS had a very good article with an explanation for the pressure in the ears, but that was for pressure in the ears felt right after an acoustic trauma (something to do with osmosis), not after a while after T onset. If I find the article I will post it here, it takes some digging.
I read an article that was saying that this pressure feeling may be not from a real increase in pressure (I read on this forum so many accounts from people who were complaining of pressure problems while having perfect typanogram, the test that sees if the pressure behind the eardrum is equal with the pressure outside the eardrum, as it should be), but from an increase of impedance (a resistence). Seems to be a problem that comes with T, God know why.
You may try steaming too, no harm in doing that and it may bring relief.
If somebody knows a solution for pressurised ears "I am all ears".
From all my years of T I have learned that REAL relaxation is the only thing that improves T and pressure symptoms. And for a T sufferer T and pressure come back or worsens once the stress hits again. This "real relaxation" can be substituted with "relaxation from a bottle", but that one lasts only until the pill wears off.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

I've had this happen a few times since T. I have never had it happen before T. It may be a sign that our T is pressure related. Do you find your ears popping for no reason sometimes? Or after you eat a meal? Or if you drive up a small (I mean really small) hill?

No I don't find them popping too much but I do have clicking in my jaw joint sometimes that's very loud in my ear.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

@Dana thanks for your reply! My ears really only do this for like 30 seconds-2 minutes usually then the pressure returns to normal and my hearing returns to normal. It's accompanied by a muted feeling in that ear also. It's very strange. I am going to see the tinnitus specialist again in a few weeks and see about a repeat hearing test to see if there's any change. I am also suffering with what I believe is intermittent hyperacusis so I am hoping she can offer some suggestions.

 

[ridgew]

I have this. I believe it is muscle spasm within middle ear. When this occurs, the conduction of sound from eardrum to cochlea is disrupted, hence the hearing becomes muted.
The T spike is then the consequence of the spasm itself or of the temporary loss of hearing.

 

[ofaisalo]

its normal happened to me b4
just use runny nose drugs and you will be fine in few weeks

 

[Natalie Roberts]

I have this. I believe it is muscle spasm within middle ear. When this occurs, the conduction of sound from eardrum to cochlea is disrupted, hence the hearing becomes muted.
The T spike is then the consequence of the spasm itself or of the temporary loss of hearing.

Agh.. Interesting though.. I Wonder what causes it? I always thought it was a way of our ears trying to reset themselves ! your explanation makes total sense to me.

 

[Sara_Bond]

Hi Nathalie

I do have it too and have the same sensations of muted hering like T was going from right to left than returns to normal.

Indeed I never search for any solutions as I thought it was a consequence of having T.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

Hi Nathalie

I do have it too and have the same sensations of muted hering like T was going from right to left than returns to normal.

Indeed I never search for any solutions as I thought it was a consequence of having T.

How long have you had you tinnitus and what caused it?

 

[Sara_Bond]

How long have you had you tinnitus and what caused it?

I think it's 10 months now, due to an acoustic shock. 1st time in a club but T gone. 2nd time, 3 days later, at the gym. Permanent T+H.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

I think it's 10 months now, due to an acoustic shock. 1st time in a club but T gone. 2nd time, 3 days later, at the gym. Permanent T+H.

I'm sorry that's awful :,( how would you describe your H?

 

[Dana]

I do have clicking in my jaw joint sometimes that's very loud in my ear.

I have this. I believe it is muscle spasm within middle ear.

I agree that clickings are from middle ear muscles spasms, the noises from the jaw joint sound differently. The jaw movement just triggers the spasms/clicking in the middle ear. (In my case the trigger is a little different, when my ears are pressurized the blinking provokes the spasms/clicking in the middle ear-a little variance)

Agh.. Interesting though.. I Wonder what causes it?

Since we won't get an answer as to why a T sufferer has also these symptoms from a doctor (T is not an interesting enough subject for them and we can go to hell), I will take a shot: in many cases, including me and you, T sufferers have the brain part of the auditory system damaged. That part of the brain controls also the muscles of the middle ear, therefore they do not behave as they should, which is to stay indiferent when other muscles in the near area are getting contracted and pull them a tiny bit (joint muscles in your case and eyelid muscles in my case). Not an explanation of great finesse, but that is the best I can do.

 

[Sara_Bond]

I'm sorry that's awful :,( how would you describe your H?

I think H is like T. Everyone has his own H but it seems we some common point btw sufferers.

My H before my last setback is painful and was only in my right ear. I did have some H in my left ear but that was minor. I could stand everyday sounds except high-pitched tones, dishes and shocks. I could handle a conversation but clearly not able to eat with someone who's clanging his fork and knife. When I had too much noise in a day, generally I wake up with "burning" ears inside but as the time went, it was less intense and generally when I take my breakfast, this sensation is gone. We called it delayed pain. You may not hurt at the moment but the morning after you are more sensitive (in my case I had pain). I was used to somewhat. And when there is too much noise, all I want is a quiet place to rest my ears.

I must admit that it causes in my case a lot of tiredness and sometimes migraines. Also on sensitive days, almost everything seems so loud. That's why I love now parks, nature and hates now the city, traffic, malls etc... (which I used to love). Nature calms me down.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

Are their any kinds of medications that we can take to minimize the H and from what we know do we have to be concerned about these pressure changes in the ear causing long term problems? I just want to get better, to see a decrease in t volume and sensitivity but it seems hopeless .. I have tried limiting my diet, restricting things and not monitoring diet, limiting caffeine and alcohol and not limiting it. I have tried so many things I cannot for the life of me explain the pattern of my H and T but it is exhausting and draining me slowly. It hasn't even been a year her and some days I just want to cry because I'm so overwhelmed by it all.

 

[MidnightOilAudio]

I know this post is old Natalie Roberts, and I hope it finds you fell, but I wanted to chime in with my experience with this, shall we say, phenomena.

I have had "weird" pressure issues in both my T (left) ear non-T ear since I first got it (just over 2 years ago). It waxes and wanes, seemingly with the cycle of the moon (sarcasm). I can find nothing that really triggers it, or makes it better. The only thing that makes it (seemingly) worse, is when I have a particularly bad episode and I panic about it.

I don't want to say that this increase in pressure is meaningless, because that undermines the suffering of the individual who is experiencing it, but as I haven't been able to definitively tie it to anything, I am at a loss. I have access to audiology grade tools every day, and have checked my hearing on "good" pressure days and "bad" pressure days, and it is exactly the same (and when I say exactly, I mean within test error). I have had episodes where my non-T ear feels like there is so much pressure that I am somewhat disoriented by it, yet my hearing remains unaffected. I either had zero issues like this before my permanent-T onset 2 years ago, or I wasn't so preoccupied with them that I dismissed them fairly quickly.

So to bring an end to this long, seemingly incoherent post, I just wanted to let you know as always, that you're not alone. To try and enjoy life and not to think this pressure-fluctuation sensation is a sign of impending doom.

 

[butterfly75]

I also experience this. It was really terrifying at first, but it usually goes away within a few seconds.