Going Crazy with Thumping and Crackling Ears — Ear Tube Made Things Much Worse

[Mar210]

Hello,

I'm grateful to have found this forum though I'm not sure what I am dealing with matches with what others here are dealing with. Nevertheless it's the closest I can find, so here we go.

I'll post the story and long story of what I'm dealing with:

Short story:

My right ear is 95% of the problem. It started out making a thump sound like when you get water in your ear and it clears, or like someone is hitting your eardrum with a drumstick (just one thump, not a pulsing). This would happen once or twice a day at first. Then I got other symptoms over the next couple of months. A crackling when I swallow (every time) and a clicking when I talk (about 10% of the time). One ENT put a tube in my ear to alleviate the issue, but now it's 100x worse. The thumping is now happening hundreds of times a day and it is driving me crazy.

Long story:

November 2021 - probably unrelated but I will mention anyway: a family member went to kiss me on the cheek and kissed my right ear instead. It was painful and had ringing for a minute or so and then stopped.

Around March 2022 - right ear started having a thumping sensation like the eardrum was being hit with a drumstick. This would happen some days maybe 3x, some days not at all. It is worse overnight and the first few hours waking up.

Around May 2022 - things started getting worse. I started to hear a crackle every time I swallow. One day I was reading aloud to my son and I heard a clicking sound in my right ear/head. The crackling when I swallow sometimes stops when I lie down but for the most part is always there. The clicking is not all the time but maybe 10% of the time I talk. I don't notice a pattern of when it happens.

Around July 2022 - I started feeling a fluttering in my left ear on and off. I had some sensations in my left ear up to now but rare and only fluttering type sensations. This has gone away for the most part now and just happened one day with frequency but happens sometimes still but mild.

I went to two different ENTs. They both said Eustachian tube dysfunction. One said due to allergies probably. I tried Flonase and Claritin and it made no difference. I took a hearing test and it was normal/good. One said due to silent reflux. I changed my diet and it made no difference.

Finally I went back again to the first ENT. He said a tube would help relieve the symptoms. He put a tube in (7/26/22) and since then the thumping is much more frequent ranging up to maybe 10-hundreds of x per day depending on the day. I also had a slight reduction in hearing which they said is due to the ear drops they prescribed to prevent infection and should be temporary. The tube made things much worse instead of better.

Also maybe worth mentioning is my jaw has always clicked when I yawn or open my mouth wide and I think I grind my teeth and find myself clenching my jaw a lot subconsciously.

 

[MaxRabbit]

Hello. Thank you for sharing. Is that increased thumping a side effect that wears off? Have you called the ENT and told them what is going on? I don't have a story to share that is close to yours but perhaps other users do and will offer their advice and tips. You are for sure not alone here!

 

[makeyourownluck]

@Mar210, sounds like you have MEM or TTTS. You can use the search bar function to find people with similar issues. I get it occasionally, maybe once a day, so it's not a big deal for me.

I also get the crackling when I'm lying down and reading aloud to my daughter, but never when standing upright.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Hi @Mar210.

Exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Typically it is listening to audio through any type of headphones at too high a volume often without realizing it. Other forms of loud noise exposure will cause it too.

Your symptoms suggest this might not be the case since you have been examined by two ENT doctors. Both have diagnosed Eustachian tube dysfunction. This condition can cause tinnitus. The ear, nose and throat is an ENTs area of expertise and therefore they are probably right.

Another thing to consider is TMJ (Temporomandibular joint dysfunction) which can cause tinnitus. It is a condition that affects the jaw joint and often made worse by clenching and grinding of the teeth. Since you have mentioned this, it's a good idea to see an Orthodontist, so your jaw and its alignment can be checked as this could be causing the clicking and thumping sound you mention. You may need to wear a mouth guard at night to prevent grinding your teeth.

Your symptoms maybe caused by one or both of the above medical conditions. My advice is to consult with your ENT doctor again and make an appointment to see an Orthodontist.

Best of luck,
Michael