Low Frequency Tinnitus from Epidural

[annevinth]

Hello all,

I am a 29 year old women who got an epidural in June because of birth. They made a spinal leak by mistake and I got very load roaring/motor noise sound in my ear along with distorted sounds. I got a blood patch and it went away. Now 4 months later the symptoms are back and have been for more than a month. It is not as loud roaring but is very disturbing. I can feel the vibration in my ear! I got a second blood patch, But it only gave me some high pitched sounds along.

I can deal with the high pitched sounds, because I can mask them better. But the low vibrating sound cant be marked because I feel like I can actually feel it.

Do you have any suggestions what to do with the low pitch vibration? When I talk, it disappears, when I use an earplug it is almost not there (my high frequency sound is just very loud then). Just wondering if it is normal for tinnitus to come and go when talking and when covering ears with earplug or headphones? Because my other tinnitus is always there, and much more noticeable when using earplugs, headphones and laying on the pillow...

Hope someone can help. The doctors don't know why I got the tinnitus again, because the blood patch worked the first time. So no one knows what to do, and I have a small baby to take cafe of. Just very depressed about the situation.

 

[JohnAdams]

That is strange that it took 4 months to return. Have you had a hearing test to see if you have hearing loss that coincides with the pitch of your tinnitus?

I got my acoustic injury shortly after my son turned 2. It is hard but having a child to take care of will give you motivation to adjust, and endure. Good luck to you.

 

[annevinth]

Yes, i dont have any hearing loss. Might have had that before the first blood patch though.

Yes, i hope it will. Just miss being able to enjoy my time with a newborn instead of thinking about this all the time...

 

[JohnAdams]

Yes, i dont have any hearing loss. Might have had that before the first blood patch though.

Yes, i hope it will. Just miss being able to enjoy my time with a newborn instead of thinking about this all the time...

Damn, I'm sorry. Yes it is rough. Maybe you can get to the bottom of this.

 

[JohnAdams]

Did they give you antibiotics with the blood patch procedure?

Would anyone else like to collaborate on this woman's situation?

Here is a case:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894243/

"One of the proposed views is that a decrease in cerebrospinal fluid pressure causes a decrease in intra-labyrinth pressure and that this causes functional inability in the ear in transmitting sounds"

 

[annevinth]

No they did not.

Yes, I have read everything about it, and there is a clear connection. That is also why the first blood patch removed all ear symptoms. The problem is that no one knows why the symptoms are back and the second blood patch did not work. I am going to get an MRI on Friday.

If something is wrong with the ear, should you get a CT also? And could you tell me if the low vibration sound and how it acts differently from high frequency tinnitus is normal? Or could there be something else?

 

[JohnAdams]

I am going to get an MRI on Friday.

You may want to carefully consider that. MRI's are VERY loud and last a long time and are a big culprit for many people getting tinnitus.

 

[Backpacker]

Would anyone else like to collaborate on this woman's situation?

Here is a case:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4894243/

"One of the proposed views is that a decrease in cerebrospinal fluid pressure causes a decrease in intra-labyrinth pressure and that this causes functional inability in the ear in transmitting sounds"

I read about people whose spinal leak made problems for them immediately because of sudden decrease in intracranial pressure (like this), but on the other hand I read about a man whose epidural blood patch destroyed his perilymph fistula patch (He had already had PLF and the surgery) due to sudden increase in intracranial pressure several days after. Your article explains how you can help people who have problems directly because of the leak (tinnitus and headache). I cannot know what happened several months after, a leak again or somehow the opposite. Actually, it could have had nothing to do with the leak directly any more (especially because headache is usually the main symptom of spinal leak but you never know), it could be that the membrane between middle and inner ear has already been irritated/ strecthed by these sudden changes and that some other sudden change in intracranial pressure (decrease or increase) could have done something even if it was less forcefull, like some kind of straining, or lifting heavy object. My point is, just because there is tinnitus that does not necessarily mean there is a leak. Anything that causes sudden change in ICP could hurt that membrane. That includes any kind of excessive straining. That includes bending over with your head down. Lifting heavy objects, blowing nose too hard, supressing sneezing, I could go on about this but I don't know other circumstances and I am afraid I would just confuse people. All I can say is no straining.

 

[Backpacker]

The problem is that no one knows why the symptoms are back and the second blood patch did not work. I am going to get an MRI on Friday.

Is your vibrating loud and that disturbes you or do you think you still have spinal leak and that worries you? I am not sure. I think your epidural blood patch worked the first time because if it clothed around the leak site and you did not move much for 24 hours and your spinal headache (if you had it?) stopped, that should have been enough. But I am not sure. That's just my opinion. And my advice would be avoid any kind of excessive straining that can cause sudden increase of pressure in your head for some time. I know you have tinnitus, but did you have spinal headache and did it resolve if you did?