Here Is How I Solved My Tinnitus — New Protocols and Supplements To Try

[VaR]

@engineerLA, did your PT affect you in certain positions like when you bend to touch your feet or maybe to pick up something? Also, glad you posted your experiences online.

 

[engineerLA]

I didn't notice that in particular

 

[Kaelon]

Agreed. @engineerLA, it's great to see you online again. Your method has really helped me, but it's not fully resolved yet (in my case), so I have some questions!

1. I responded very well to the amoxicillin + prednisone (and have another week of prednisone to go). However, the pain/congestion in my two ears still isn't gone. Did you have to continue using the water method / norepinephrine method daily? Or just once after your discovery?

2. If you had to start this process all over again, what doctor would you go and see first and why? I'm going to see a chiropractor and acupuncturist to explore ways to help me systematically reduce inflammation, since my condition appears to be chronic.

3. Aside from the Agar-35, what else do you recommend with regards to anti-inflammatory supplements and protocols?

Thank you again. Your help has been essential in helping me diagnose the inflammatory and infectious nature of whatever is causing my Tinnitus. However, getting it to "resolve" is extremely tricky.

 

[Kaelon]

Big update -- I've discovered what is causing my Eustachian Tube Dysfunction!

And, @engineerLA was right -- it's allergies!

Here's how I discovered this: I went on a business trip a couple of days ago; it was the first major trip I've taken since acquiring Tinnitus on Nov 2nd of last year. I slept at a hotel in another city, and when I awoke the following morning, my T was nearly entirely gone. Then, as I sat up in bed that morning, when I tried to pop my ears, I heard a very loud popping sensation in both of my ears and the T was eliminated. I could barely even notice it, and honestly had to strain to find it. If I would move my jaw this time, the T would silence completely to a 0/10, proving to me that the inflammation in my Eustachian Tubes is to blame.

Relief was short-lived. When I returned home yesterday, I started feeling congestion in my sinuses, ears, and nasal passages as soon as I stepped in through the door. When I awoke this morning, the T was back to a pre-trip volume level of ~3/10. As I try to pop my ears today, I find myself congested once again and unable to really "pop" and relieve the pressure there.

So, here's my question to anyone following along:

How to I even begin to figure out what allergy is causing this inflammation? And, aside from taking Claritin (which, honestly, I can't tell if it's really helping in any way), what else can I do to reduce my allergic response? I'm going to go crazy today and clean out my house, bleach my bed's sheets, clean the windows, get anti-mold and anti-allergen sprays, and try more of the water technique that @engineerLA used. But now that I know that traveling away from home and sleeping somewhere else for a night has a dramatic impact on my Tinnitus, I at least feel that there's a causal connection between my Eustachian Tube Inflammation and my environment.

What would you do if you were in my situation? See an allergist? (I've never seen one before, so don't even know what to expect.)

 

[marqualler]

Big update -- I've discovered what is causing my Eustachian Tube Dysfunction!

And, @engineerLA was right -- it's allergies!

Here's how I discovered this: I went on a business trip a couple of days ago; it was the first major trip I've taken since acquiring Tinnitus on Nov 2nd of last year. I slept at a hotel in another city, and when I awoke the following morning, my T was nearly entirely gone. Then, as I sat up in bed that morning, when I tried to pop my ears, I heard a very loud popping sensation in both of my ears and the T was eliminated. I could barely even notice it, and honestly had to strain to find it. If I would move my jaw this time, the T would silence completely to a 0/10, proving to me that the inflammation in my Eustachian Tubes is to blame.

Relief was short-lived. When I returned home yesterday, I started feeling congestion in my sinuses, ears, and nasal passages as soon as I stepped in through the door. When I awoke this morning, the T was back to a pre-trip volume level of ~3/10. As I try to pop my ears today, I find myself congested once again and unable to really "pop" and relieve the pressure there.

So, here's my question to anyone following along:

How to I even begin to figure out what allergy is causing this inflammation? And, aside from taking Claritin (which, honestly, I can't tell if it's really helping in any way), what else can I do to reduce my allergic response? I'm going to go crazy today and clean out my house, bleach my bed's sheets, clean the windows, get anti-mold and anti-allergen sprays, and try more of the water technique that @engineerLA used. But now that I know that traveling away from home and sleeping somewhere else for a night has a dramatic impact on my Tinnitus, I at least feel that there's a causal connection between my Eustachian Tube Inflammation and my environment.

What would you do if you were in my situation? See an allergist? (I've never seen one before, so don't even know what to expect.)

I haven't ever been to one but I think that is a decent idea. I have noticed myself the last few days that I have been able to pop my left ear a little better and the T is a little less persistent so I think you are onto something.

How did your flight go, by the way?

 

[Kaelon]

Thanks, @marqualler! The flight went well - I took a lot of precautions before the flight (took fluticasone ~30 min before takeoff, Afrin 30 min before landing, gently applied valsalva during ascent and descent, and took anti-inflammatories and anti-allergy medications both days of the flight). I noticed that popping my ears was really, really difficult -- but I could manage it after great difficulty. This, to me at least, was further evidence that the Eustachian Tube is playing the central role for my tinnitus. It was only after the flight/trip that it became clear to me that allergies are (at the very least, partly, if not fully) instigating my condition. Thanks for asking!

This attempt to "pop" the ears is tricky, because it's not like I am muffled in my hearing. I just feel slightly congested and just very slightly muffled. It's as if I can get ~70% unclogged, but that final 30% escapes me. Crazy to think that allergies might be fueling this!

 

[marqualler]

@Kaelon Good to hear! This makes me a lot less anxious about my flights scheduled in February. I think the popping on my left side is getting a little better and my hearing itself doesn't feel too muffled, but I can still slightly hear my own voice in my left ear which tells me I could equalize the pressure a little more. I have a scab right where the eardrum moves that may be contributing to that that my ENT will probably be removing carefully at my next appointment so hopefully that helps things along a bit. I have noticed too that my T is virtually 0 in the mornings--moreso than a month ago, which I think you have had as well (not as strong in the mornings.)

 

[Kaelon]

@marqualler - Yes, absolutely, I don't think you need to fear flying. My flight was a short 51-min flight from Boston to DC, and as long as you take the proper precautions to lubricate your Eustachian Tubes and decrease inflammation, you should be ok. However, expect the ascent and descent to be a little bit rough on your ears -- just keep consistently trying to pop them. I use the yawning and swallowing technique (which isn't the valsalva, so there's no risk of barotrauma), but that worked for me. I used the valsalva very softly to milk the steroids into my Eustachian Tubes throughout the day, though.

My T is also virtually 0 in the mornings, as well. This seems to be an improving condition. When I started, back in November, I'd wake up with T screaming and it would just get worse throughout the day. Now, when I wake up in the mornings, after a good night's sleep, the T is very soft, almost totally silent. It's only when I sit up and start to actually "do" things that the T volume starts to rise throughout the day.

I also had another breakthrough yesterday. @Lisa88 encouraged me to use steam liberally to help loosen the Eustachian Tubes, and this made sense to me because I tend to feel my best after a hot shower (where the T's volume is much reduced). Well, I was washing dishes over the hot kitchen sink last night and the steam overwhelmed my sinuses, and I used that opportunity to try and pop my right ear (which is less severely-afflicted with T than my left), and it really hurt -- but I felt some sort of discharge or liquid drain down my throat, just past my nasal passages (similar to post-nasal drip). My hearing was much improved and for the first time in months, I realized just how muffled my hearing had become (especially since my left ear was unaffected by this maneuver) . The relief lasted for most of the evening.

Re: your scab, @marqualler, you must really be looking forward to having that removed. Has your ENT given you guidance on what they can do for your Eustachian Tubes? My GP and my first ENT essentially argued for a "watchful waiting" approach (which is what they do with most kids who have ear infections) to see if it resolves itself. @Lisa88 also indicated to me that it sounds like ETD takes anywhere from several weeks to many months to resolve. But it does sound like it does, always, inevitably resolve. I've also been reading that there are special surgeries that can be done to correct Eustachian Tube issues, though their efficacy is unconfirmed.

Here's hoping your days are going better! My daily routine that seems to be helping me now consists of the following:

• Hot shower in the morning.
• Claritin with breakfast
• Sudafed midday.
• Fluticasone midday -- milked throughout the rest of the day.
• Neti pot in the mid-afternoon / early-evening
• Steam treatment in the evening

There are additional anti-inflammatory treatments that I'm considering, but for now, I seem to be making some small and gradual progress. I'm hoping to be able to meet with a new ENT that specializes in nasal and sinus issues in a week from Monday and get a tympanometry (the only test that can really confirm ETD), to at the very least move forward clinically.

 

[MattH-]

I have not been known to have allergies at all, sometimes when the summer changes to winter/winter back into summer I do notice that my eyes get itchy and I do get a bit stuffed up , so to speak.

I have had my T for 18 days now, day in and day out I have been searching for some kind of answer to this..after going to an ENT and getting my ears cleaned first(wasnt a wax issue/ENT told me to get glinkgo and my hearing test was good). I'm guessing that my T started from excessive headphone use at med/high volumes, but now after reading this post I am really starting to wonder If it could be ETD, and I'm just getting some winter allergies. Or maybe both.

considering following in the path of @engineerLA and @Kaelon

My ears have always been very sensitive to water(water can get stuck for long periods of time) and airplanes are always a hassle for days trying to get my ears to pop, step#7 seems very scary too me.

@Kaelon you said that you yawned to get nettipot water/nasal spray into your Eustachian Tube?

^that sounds like it may work for me because when I yawn my ears make those little popping noises.

 

[Kaelon]

@MattH- - I never had allergies in my life, either. But I have had sinus congestion for the past few years, and it's been largely inexplicable. This includes runny nose, post-nasal drip, watery eyes. Really, the tell-tale signs of allergic responses -- so it's possible I've actually had allergies, and just been ignoring them.

Though the general consensus on this forum is that Tinnitus is most often caused by hearing loss, this isn't in fact always the case. Tinnitus is just a neurological response to some aggravating physiological factor, and in most cases, that factor cannot be successfully identified. However, if you do find factors that are aggravating your hearing or your ears, there's a good chance that this is, at the very least, influencing the course of your T, if not outright causing it. In my case, I was in a situation very similar to yours - on November 2nd, I woke up with loud T in both ears, more on my left than my right. It's now been three months, and my condition has improved somewhat because I know what is influencing it. I never listened to music too loud, but I always had sensitive ears and was generally intolerant of getting water in them. I also had been having some ear pain and aches in the weeks and months before this.

Re: the netipot saline method, it's important to note that just yawning while doing a normal nasal sinus flush isn't going to cut it. You need to actually get the water over the Eustachian Tubes. This should be done by facing forward into the sink, putting the neti pot in one nostril and then tilting your head back until the water is flowing down into your throat -- NOT out the other nostril. The temptation to choke on this water will be great; you need to catch it, and NOT swallow it. By catching it, you can then tilt your head to the side, so that the water slides down over your Eustachian Tubes. You'll feel it as if it's lodged in the back of your throat and rushing towards your ears.

This is when you then simulate a yawn or pinched swallowing sensation. The pressure will cause the Eustachian Tubes to open and, at least on the ear tilted towards the sink where the water is pooling, conceivably milk some of the saline solution over the openings to treat whatever inflammation is causing them. This is an advanced technique and like @engineerLA says, it's not without some risk -- getting water in your middle ear can lead to a serious ear infection that can do more harm than good. That's why you should be doing an anti-inflammatory regimen for at least several weeks and, ideally, get on an antibiotic before you start trying this stuff, to minimize your chances of inflammation. If you feel a bubble, you'll know you were successful.

Important to note -- the Eustachian Tube's lumen is about the size of a hair follicle. We're not talking a "tube" in the classic drainage sense; this is a very tiny opening that is really meant first and foremost for air pressure equalization, and in only severe cases, for drainage of discharge from the middle ear. What the saline / neti pot method does is try to lubricate the opening of the Eustachian Tube to treat inflammation that might be causing aggravation in the lower middle ear. ENTs cannot detect if you have a lower middle ear infection, so there's no way to know for sure without doing advanced imaging tests (and in most cases, ENTs won't feel they are warranted, because most Eustachian Tube inflammation resolves on its own in weeks/months).

 

[MattH-]

@Kaelon All of this is very good information, and good recap to what I read above earlier in this post. I think I'm going to try the whole process soon. I want to relieve my T so badly, I am currently taking nasacort from my doctor and that's pretty much all I have been doing to help it . I doubt that its doing much for me at all, I am using it correctly according to the guide that @engineerLA posted, but from what this post has taught me is that its not that easy.

I sort of feel nasal congestion on my right side of my nose for about 2 years now but I just ignored it really and figured eventually I would have to deal with it, the tinnitus is really only in my right ear as well. So I have a few reasons now to believe that I could have an ETD.

Although my T did start 1 week after I completely stopped using headphones.I used headphones 8-10 hours a day for 2 years , then 1 week after I stopped, the tinnitus started! My cousin used to work as an air traffic controller and he also said that when he stopped , then he started to realize how loud the ringing was, his tinnitus comes and goes is what he told me.

It's So hard to diagnose myself, my real guess is still from loud music because that would mean the tinnitus coming on from an ETD would be a big coincidence considering that it happened right when I stopped using headphones.But then there is still the signs of nasal congestion and the warm turning to cold allergies that I sometimes get mildly.

I will wait until my next appointment that I have with my ENT(about 20 days) to see what my results are like then, if my T has not changed at all I will be trying this entire method (all of the steps in correct order) most likley.

hope that @Kaelon and @engineerLA are still feeling their relief and may it last forever

 

[davidchampoux]

So I did most of these steps, including step #7. Started last Friday (Jan 23). Things were great on the first days; I had 2 great days (24 and 25) with considerably lower Ts! I was very happy I found this thread...

On Jan 26, things went back to 'normal', more Ts. But I decided to continue these steps to see if I might see any more improvement on a longer run...

Yesterday evening, while doing the step #7, something happened in my left ear!.... It usually takes a few minutes before the water drains out completely of my ears, but my left ear never really drained, or at least, it feels like it never drained!

I've seen an ENT today, and he told me that there's no fluid in my ears, but the 'full' feeling remain in my left ear. Also, my audition in that ear is really muffled (no high frequencies) and the T is at a level I've never heard before! I'm very anxious that I broke something in there...

My question is: is this considered as a trauma and do I need cortisone? The ENT prescribed me antibiotics (azithromycin) for 5 days. He said that my tympanum is a little red, but should I ask for cortisone as well? I know I must act quickly if it's a trauma...

Please someone help me!! @Dr. Nagler maybe?

 

[Kaelon]

@davidchampoux - I'm really sorry to hear that. It sounds like you got some fluid in your middle ear. The ENT won't be able to see fluid in your middle ear unless if it happens to collect right behind your tympanic membrane and presses against the eardrum, making it inflamed. This is usually a sign of ear infection. Were you doing an anti-inflammatory and anti-biotic regimen before you started to do this saline treatment? Was your saline water distilled? @engineerLA rightly called this an "advanced technique", which is why I stay away from doing any of the serious stuff associated with steps 6 and 7, and instead focus on gentler versions of them.

The good news is -- this should pass.

I doubt that there is "trauma" to your middle ear from just gently doing a saline wash through your sinuses and letting it pass for a gentle milking over your Eustachian Tube. If, however, you weren't gentle and were particularly forceful and heard a very loud squeak or pop, you may have irritated your Eustachian Tube openings. Water in the middle ear is known to exacerbate Tinnitus, mostly because your hearing is muffled and so it amplifies the neurological aspects of Tinnitus.

Take the antibiotics, do some head stands and really try and get the water out if you can. If you are infected, it will probably take some time for the inflammation to go down, but generally most of these ear infections should clear up within 3 weeks.

 

[Kaelon]

@MattH- - Glad that this could be helpful! I thought I'd share an update with you and others who are following my Eustachian Tube saga.

I had a tympanometry performed a few days ago, at @Lisa88's encouragement, and my Eustachian Tube function was found to be "normal." This was pretty disappointing, because it suggested that if I do have problems with my Eustachian Tubes, they aren't adversely impacting my ability to pop or clear them. If anything, it looks like I can pop my ears very frequently and readily - even though I struggled with this during my flight. So, it was back to the allergies as a possible cause of my inflammation.

I went to see an allergist, and it was confirmed that I have a strong histamine response to dust and mold, which while unsurprising does actually match up to the timing and sequencing of when my T started in November 2014. I didn't have any obvious allergies anywhere else. It is going to take some time (weeks, months) to fully figure out what allergies are triggering my inflammatory responses and then how to address those allergies through medication and environment.

In general, a couple of other things I noticed:

• My T gets a lot worse when I am not properly hydrated, don't get enough sleep, or eat too much salt.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatories help, but so do diuretics. Hydrochlorothiazide, which I had stopped taking a while ago because it wasn't strictly necessary to control my blood pressure anymore, was useful in reducing the volume of my T. This is strange because Hydrochlorothiazide has known ototoxicity associated with it in some rare cases. I suspect that the benefit here is in the removing of sodium from my body, which in turn lowers my swelling and inflammation.

I've also been researching quite a bit why inflammation, no matter the origin, seems to have some otological side effects and I came across a series of studies that address the Eighth Cranial Nerve as the neurological origin of Tinnitus. This is highly controversial because vascular decompression, as a procedure, has been known to cure people of Tinnitus, but there is some risk of stroke or death (2-5%) following this operation given its proximity to the brain stem. Additionally, doctors feel that it hasn't been done frequently enough to warrant the risk and they usually only reserve it for cases where people become suicidal due to the impact that their T has on their lives. Finally, it's also very difficult - if not outright impossible - to diagnose vascular compression as a cause of tinnitus, because in about a third of all humans, the Eighth Cranial Nerve is naturally compressed and it causes no otological side effects.

Even so, inflammation can further compress the Eighth Cranial Nerve to a "breaking point", producing tinnitus (usually unilateral, sometimes bilateral). An anti-inflammatory regimen can reduce the inflammation and, in turn, lower the volume of Tinnitus to nearly unnoticeable levels.

PubMed has some reading on this here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20305490 suggesting that people who have suffered from unilateral Tinnitus for less than 4 years are most likely to benefit from microvascular decompression surgery. In my case, because I have bilateral tinnitus (though more expressed on the left side), it's doubtful I would be a good candidate. Even so, because of the inflammatory and neurovascular dynamic of my tinnitus, I am tempted now to see a neurologist to explore options.

As for my relief -- I continue to have good days (where the T is barely noticeable) and really bad days (where the T is louder than it has ever been). The bad days seem to correspond to days when I skimp on the anti-inflammatory treatment (I should really know better by now!) or when I don't get enough sleep. This leads me to really conclude that inflammation is the general aggravating factor in my tinnitus and while it may not be the outright cause, it certainly is the circumstance that has led me to great distress over it.

 

[davidchampoux]

@Kaelon , thanks very much for your great and detailed reply... I felt a lot better reading it.

Still, I've had my doc to prescribe me Prednisone (50mg for 3 days, then 25mg for 4 days). I started as soon as I can this morning, which is 40 hours after my 'trauma'. I REALLY hope this is only water stuck in the middle ear, or if it's a trauma, I wish the Prednisone will help! Yesterday while doing an Audiogram, I was -40 db @ 4-6KHz in my left ear while I was -20 in Oct. I definitely hear the lack of high frequencies on the left side.

I confess I had to take 250mg of Xanax this morning.... Anxiety was untolerable, and sucidale ideas were coming... I guess I'll have to take it for the next days. It really helps me, but I want to keep it for short period only.

The water I used for step #7 was bottled source water, but not distilled... I thought that was correct as that's what my pharmacist instructed me to use...

 

[Rube]

@MattH- - Glad that this could be helpful! I thought I'd share an update with you and others who are following my Eustachian Tube saga.

I had a tympanometry performed a few days ago, at @Lisa88's encouragement, and my Eustachian Tube function was found to be "normal." This was pretty disappointing, because it suggested that if I do have problems with my Eustachian Tubes, they aren't adversely impacting my ability to pop or clear them. If anything, it looks like I can pop my ears very frequently and readily - even though I struggled with this during my flight. So, it was back to the allergies as a possible cause of my inflammation.

I went to see an allergist, and it was confirmed that I have a strong histamine response to dust and mold, which while unsurprising does actually match up to the timing and sequencing of when my T started in November 2014. I didn't have any obvious allergies anywhere else. It is going to take some time (weeks, months) to fully figure out what allergies are triggering my inflammatory responses and then how to address those allergies through medication and environment.

In general, a couple of other things I noticed:

• My T gets a lot worse when I am not properly hydrated, don't get enough sleep, or eat too much salt.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatories help, but so do diuretics. Hydrochlorothiazide, which I had stopped taking a while ago because it wasn't strictly necessary to control my blood pressure anymore, was useful in reducing the volume of my T. This is strange because Hydrochlorothiazide has known ototoxicity associated with it in some rare cases. I suspect that the benefit here is in the removing of sodium from my body, which in turn lowers my swelling and inflammation.

I've also been researching quite a bit why inflammation, no matter the origin, seems to have some otological side effects and I came across a series of studies that address the Eighth Cranial Nerve as the neurological origin of Tinnitus. This is highly controversial because vascular decompression, as a procedure, has been known to cure people of Tinnitus, but there is some risk of stroke or death (2-5%) following this operation given its proximity to the brain stem. Additionally, doctors feel that it hasn't been done frequently enough to warrant the risk and they usually only reserve it for cases where people become suicidal due to the impact that their T has on their lives. Finally, it's also very difficult - if not outright impossible - to diagnose vascular compression as a cause of tinnitus, because in about a third of all humans, the Eighth Cranial Nerve is naturally compressed and it causes no otological side effects.

Even so, inflammation can further compress the Eighth Cranial Nerve to a "breaking point", producing tinnitus (usually unilateral, sometimes bilateral). An anti-inflammatory regimen can reduce the inflammation and, in turn, lower the volume of Tinnitus to nearly unnoticeable levels.

PubMed has some reading on this here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20305490 suggesting that people who have suffered from unilateral Tinnitus for less than 4 years are most likely to benefit from microvascular decompression surgery. In my case, because I have bilateral tinnitus (though more expressed on the left side), it's doubtful I would be a good candidate. Even so, because of the inflammatory and neurovascular dynamic of my tinnitus, I am tempted now to see a neurologist to explore options.

As for my relief -- I continue to have good days (where the T is barely noticeable) and really bad days (where the T is louder than it has ever been). The bad days seem to correspond to days when I skimp on the anti-inflammatory treatment (I should really know better by now!) or when I don't get enough sleep. This leads me to really conclude that inflammation is the general aggravating factor in my tinnitus and while it may not be the outright cause, it certainly is the circumstance that has led me to great distress over it.

@Kaelon thanks for the updates, please keep them coming as hopefully it can help someone out with the same issues. Sorry if you mentioned this already but what is your anti-inflammatory treatment ? I figured you would have already finished your prednisone or antibiotic treatment, is there something else you are taking now? Or are you still sticking with engineerLAs regimen?

 

[Lisa88]

@MattH- - Glad that this could be helpful! I thought I'd share an update with you and others who are following my Eustachian Tube saga.

I had a tympanometry performed a few days ago, at @Lisa88's encouragement, and my Eustachian Tube function was found to be "normal." This was pretty disappointing, because it suggested that if I do have problems with my Eustachian Tubes, they aren't adversely impacting my ability to pop or clear them. If anything, it looks like I can pop my ears very frequently and readily - even though I struggled with this during my flight. So, it was back to the allergies as a possible cause of my inflammation.

I went to see an allergist, and it was confirmed that I have a strong histamine response to dust and mold, which while unsurprising does actually match up to the timing and sequencing of when my T started in November 2014. I didn't have any obvious allergies anywhere else. It is going to take some time (weeks, months) to fully figure out what allergies are triggering my inflammatory responses and then how to address those allergies through medication and environment.

In general, a couple of other things I noticed:

• My T gets a lot worse when I am not properly hydrated, don't get enough sleep, or eat too much salt.
  
  
• Anti-inflammatories help, but so do diuretics. Hydrochlorothiazide, which I had stopped taking a while ago because it wasn't strictly necessary to control my blood pressure anymore, was useful in reducing the volume of my T. This is strange because Hydrochlorothiazide has known ototoxicity associated with it in some rare cases. I suspect that the benefit here is in the removing of sodium from my body, which in turn lowers my swelling and inflammation.

I've also been researching quite a bit why inflammation, no matter the origin, seems to have some otological side effects and I came across a series of studies that address the Eighth Cranial Nerve as the neurological origin of Tinnitus. This is highly controversial because vascular decompression, as a procedure, has been known to cure people of Tinnitus, but there is some risk of stroke or death (2-5%) following this operation given its proximity to the brain stem. Additionally, doctors feel that it hasn't been done frequently enough to warrant the risk and they usually only reserve it for cases where people become suicidal due to the impact that their T has on their lives. Finally, it's also very difficult - if not outright impossible - to diagnose vascular compression as a cause of tinnitus, because in about a third of all humans, the Eighth Cranial Nerve is naturally compressed and it causes no otological side effects.

Even so, inflammation can further compress the Eighth Cranial Nerve to a "breaking point", producing tinnitus (usually unilateral, sometimes bilateral). An anti-inflammatory regimen can reduce the inflammation and, in turn, lower the volume of Tinnitus to nearly unnoticeable levels.

PubMed has some reading on this here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20305490 suggesting that people who have suffered from unilateral Tinnitus for less than 4 years are most likely to benefit from microvascular decompression surgery. In my case, because I have bilateral tinnitus (though more expressed on the left side), it's doubtful I would be a good candidate. Even so, because of the inflammatory and neurovascular dynamic of my tinnitus, I am tempted now to see a neurologist to explore options.

As for my relief -- I continue to have good days (where the T is barely noticeable) and really bad days (where the T is louder than it has ever been). The bad days seem to correspond to days when I skimp on the anti-inflammatory treatment (I should really know better by now!) or when I don't get enough sleep. This leads me to really conclude that inflammation is the general aggravating factor in my tinnitus and while it may not be the outright cause, it certainly is the circumstance that has led me to great distress over it.

Kaelon, Have you checked out the anti inflammatory diet?
Basically cut out gluten, sugar, dairy, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol. Drink plenty of water, eat fish, protein, plenty of vegetables and good fats. A probiotic is usually good to accompany the diet also.

 

[Kaelon]

Hi @Rube -

Thanks, it definitely drives me crazy on the days when it is really bad. Yesterday, for example, the oscillating nature of the high pitch -- where it grows louder and softer with my heartbeat -- in perfect sync, had me convinced that perhaps I have a compressed cranial nerve. When I'm not panicking, I have learned this high pitched oscillating tinnitus that I havr is not so much pulsatile in the classic pulsatile way (whooshing, clicking, thumping, etc.), but because it's both high-pitched and oscillating, it's really more "inflammatory." It's crazy just how much it can vary, however. Sometimes, I barely notice it, bit a day or two later and I can't even mask it. I have to belie e that this variation is inflammatory in nature and not degenerative or auditory.

@davidchampoux - bottled sour e water is fine, especially if it was a name brand. You just basically want to make sure that the water went through a sufficiently fine filtration process. So it's doubtful that you hurt yourself with the water quality. I'm so sorry that the pain and noises are causing you such anxiety, however. Definitely finish the Azyrhromycin in its entirety. The prednisone is a good taper and you should notice considerable relief within 2 days. This will really reduce the swelling and inflammation and you will notice a quieting.

@Lisa88 - Anti-inflammatory diet sounds interesting, thanks! Will definitely look into it!

 

[davidchampoux]

A little update about my case...

After 10 days from my 'trauma' to my left ear with a sinus irrigator, I've taken the cortisone and Azithromycin as prescribed, and I seem to have recovered most of my 'normal' hearing and the 'full' feeling is gone. For sure, the bass, lo-mid, and high-mid range responses are now matched to my right ear, like it was before. However, the high frequency range (from 9500hz to 12000hz) is still many db down (I would say easily about 10-15 db down at 10.5khz), then after 12khz, it goes up again to match my right ear until 14 - 14.5khz, which is the maximum I can hear.

As a musician/studio producer, it's very annoying when mixing as all the content in that specific high frequency range (cymbals, vocal harmonics, etc.) now appears way off-center to the right to me...

Is there any chance of further recovery, or is it permanent damage? My earing was OK before the trauma. Could it be a problem with the bones in my middle ear? Or the eardrum? do I just need more time?

Thanks for any help and suggestion...

 

[jeannie]

Kaelon, I found out I am allergic to mold and dust too..

 

[Davey]

I have tinnitus since I can remember and these last 4 weeks were a hell for me. Tinnitus was more noticeable and had feelings of fullness in my ear. I went to a new level of crazyness.

Thanks to @engineerLA I saw the correlation between inflammation and tinnitus. So these last 5 days I went on a diet and bought some supplements.

Results:
- Feelings of fullness are gone;
- Rash around my mouth is gone;
- Tinnitus is reduced to an acceptable level.

My diet is based on the 'caveman diet' and removed salt, sugar, thee, diary and other stuff that is related to the aggrevation of tinnitus. I went all natural.

I still have a big urge of chocolate, but thanks to the good results I am motivated to keep on going!

 

[linearb]

My t was quieter yesterday than today, and something that clicks with me is that two nights ago, before going to bed I:
* ran a forced-air HEPA filter in my bedroom for several hours
* took 25mg of diphenhydramine (which I was taking as a sleep aid... but of course it suppresses histamine)

Interesting!

 

[Stink]

so this engineerla's protocol is helping some people?

 

[Davey]

so this engineerla's protocol is helping some people?

Hey Stink!

I'm not directly following his protocols, but build an own system around his information.

I bought some supplements like:
- Tumeric;
- Gingko Biloba.

And changed my diet to an all natural diet, like the 'caveman diet' to reduce my inflammation in my body. After 5 days my tinnitus went down to a level of acceptance and i'm losing weight!

 

[Andrew Pafitis]

I've had tinnitus since December 2013, predominantly in my left ear. I've seen two different ENT's, gone through CT scans, MRI scans, antiboitics, prednisone, flonase, and dymista. Even have a balloon sinoplasty scheduled for next month. Never ONCE has either ENT mentioned anything about my eustachian tubes.

I came across this post this past weekend and started to think I had an issue with my eustachian tubes. I can voluntarily open and close my tubes like others have mentioned they can as well, and now that I think about it the popping/crackling has been a bit more prominent lately, but I never considered it an issue until reading this.

I've noticed in the past when using a neti pot that sometimes water got to my e-tubes and it stung a little. The sensation reminded me of swimming in a pool, where water sometimes travels up my sinuses, which I haven't done in years. After reading this post, I realized it probably stings because it's clogged up and needs clearing, but the neti pot isn't as effective as clearing out the e-tubes since it relies solely on gravity to let the water flow. I bought that $20 powered sinus irrigator from the OP and used it for the first time last night and again this morning, letting a little bit of the water travel up into the e-tubes.

Today, there is noticeably less crackling in my e-tubes when swallowing/yawning, I've heard conversations on the train more clearly, a car horn on the street sounded irritatingly louder, and I generally have a more upbeat feeling with less sense of "brain fog".

I'll be continuing to use the sinus irrigator in hopes to further eliminate the crackling and tinnitus. Thank you so much for this post.

 

[Joao Rio]

Hi all

Just thought this would be a nice place to drop some of my anti-inflammation protocol. I have had tinnitus on my left ear for 12 months. I believe it is due to TMJ disfunction, from stress and am using a mouth guard for 10 months. It seams to have helped a bit, but recently I got worse and so started to get restless. I decided then to use some anti-inflammatory measures, since I remember having used Ibuprofen once near the beginning of my T, and having some hours of quiet. The reason I had not pursued that treatment at the time was because I do not like prescription drugs and also because I was afraid of the varying nature of tinnitus, and was resolved to habituate.

Another point is that the 4 ENT doctors I saw never mentioned inflammation in general or Eustachian tubes either. Also I had noticed before that inflammatory things made my T worse. For example intense exercise, skin friction (t-shirt when running), other injuries somewhere else on my body.

So, 2 months ago, when I felt I was getting worse I decided to use a homoeopathic / phytotherapy drug I had laying around from a small previous running injury. It is called Traumeel from Heel, a German drug company, and its main active ingredient is Arnica Montana. On that day I went for the emergency dose of taking a portion every 30 minutes x3 and was able to get significant relief, and able to get a solid night of blessed sleep. Also, one of the triggers for increased T is to sleep over the right cheek and was amazed when I woke up, with my face resting over my right cheek and there was no increased T. Since then I tried different doses (aiming for the minimum) and ended up taking one portion 1 hour before going to sleep. Having noticed that Traumeel was making me feel objectively better, I decided to try other anti-inflammatory measures and keep doing more of those that I was already doing. I am also afraid of some side-effect, loss of efficiency, etc, so am now testing mixing and matching other supplements.

Below is list of my anti-inflammatory measures. Notice that all of these are more or less subjective except Traumeel every 30 minutes.

Supplements and drugs mix and match
- Traumeel of course
- Cat's Claw supplement (bit of head ache from those). Picked it up from another TT thread
- Turmeric extract supplement

Diet
- Ginseng
- Turmeric
- Drinking a litre of water (best in the morning so it does not make me wake up to use the bathroom during the night)
- Herbal tea instead of water (look for anti-inflammatory varieties, or kidney and liver related ones)
- No dairy, pork, sea food, search inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods.

Other practises
- A good night's sleep
- Sauna followed by cold showers (aim for the head)
- Cold showers at the end of my normal hot shower
- Mild long aerobic exercise (watch my heart rate, keep it below 75% of max)
- Yoga practise
- Yoga Pranayama Fast breathing
- Emotional catharsis ( when I get so mad with my T that I have to talk and cry, I can feel the stress release and even inner ear release in real time, but can not do this on cue of course)

Other Other practises
- Meditation (for stress management, help with sleep)
- Acupuncture
- Reiki
- Bineural meditation music (for sleep)

 

[Mad maggot]

@engineerLA When I try and pop my ears my left one (Bad T ear) just creaks and squeaks and never seems to reach a point of stability no matter how much I blow. Would this be an indicator ...of ...anything

I realise this is an old message. You may have solved the issue by now but my husbands ear does this and he has a hole in his eardrum. It also sounds like something inside blocking your ear.

 

[engineerLA]

Hi folks - here's an update.

So first of all my T is 99.9% GONE and has not returned.

I learned several things that may help you.

1. Inflammation was definitely a major cause of the type of T that I experienced, which was mainly in the eustachian tube. This inflammation was caused by allergies initially. It eventually led to a middle ear infection too. The various techniques to clear the ear (using distilled water and/or norepinephrine for example, with Prednisone and antibiotics at the same time, as described above) resolved my T by 80%.

2. The remaining 20% was completely resolved over 6 months by reducing inflammation even further. For example, I've been doing allergy shots on a regular schedule with an allergist (also called immunotherapy) to reduce my allergy sensitivity and that has helped dramatically reduce my inflammation in general. Also have been taking Singulair every day and that helps a lot.

3. I also discovered I have TMJ in the same side as my T. My TMJ doc said that most people with T also have TMJ and that if the jaw is out of position due to TMJ it puts pressure on the eustachian tube and can cause TMJ. Little known fact. Anyone with T on just one side, that is not due to damage or hearing loss, should get checked for TMJ. Resolving TMJ (which requires a specialist who knows how to build and adjust custom bite guards to bring the jaw back to the right position over time -- NOT surgery or injections) can also really reduce T for many people.

 

[Joao Rio]

engineerLA

I agree with you 100% on the importance of addressing inflammation in the inner ear or its vicinity. I do not have a clear diagnostic, I did have a little improvement from using a corrective bite guard and my jaw now being in a better position.

 

[sanjay doodani]

How did u diagnose it's eutaschian tube inflammation