- Jul 5, 2016
- 1
- Tinnitus Since
- March 2016
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Clogged Eustachian tube?
My tinnitus experience was horribly scary, but after 3 months it seems to be almost over, THANK GOD. I very much hope yours will disappear sooner. After reading about people who've had it for 20 years, I thought I would collapse from stress. Take heart that it CAN be temporary.
The Too Long; Didn't Read summary: if you think your tinnitus is caused by a clogged inner ear tube, the thing that helped me most was a Neti pot, a weird ceramic thing you can buy in most drugstores for 20 bucks. You use it to pour saltwater through your nasal passages, which (it turns out) are very connected to your inner ear passageways. I treated my ear in the way I'd treat a horribly stuffed nose. In brief:
1) Use a Neti pot
2) Use steam and drink hot tea
3) Immediately after #1, exercise and get your heart moving--it seemed to make the ear-clog move
----
Here's the long version, in case it helps anyone whose symptoms are similar. At no time did I have any pain or fever or runny nose. I think that actually made this more difficult to diagnose.
In February 2016 I noticed some deep-sinus pressure, but since there was no pain or fever or other symptoms, I ignored it. I've never had sinus problems (I'm in my forties). I also noticed my ears would pop once I got out of bed and walked around a bit. This had never happened before, but I didn't think much about it.
In March 2016 I started feeling dizzy. No nausea, fever, or other symptoms. It wasn't really vertigo and I never wobbled or fell down. It was like waves of lightheadedness. I thought it was diet-related and got blood tests, which were fine.
In late March 2016 I started hearing faint ringing in my right ear. I went to an ear doctor and he removed a large clot of impacted wax that (I think) was pressed up against my ear drum. The dr. did hearing tests (and many other expensive ear tests) and said my hearing was OK for my age. He said there was nothing really wrong with my ear. He did say something vague about "moisture in the inner ear."
Over the next 3 weeks, the ringing got louder and more constant. I was panicked. I went back to the ENT and he basically told me I was crazy, but that I could try nasal spray. It didn't help.
By mid-April, I was a basket case. The tinnitus woke me up from sleep. During a flight, I noticed that my right ear did not pop at all on the plane, ascending or descending. It didn't hurt, but it didn't pop.
In late April, I was still a basket case. I saw another ENT--he was useless and told me I was crazy. I tried eliminating dairy, caffeine, etc. I tried gingko, I tried All the Things. I saw a dentist and he ruled out TMJ. I did a ton of web research and began to think that my problem was a clogged Eustachian tube.
In early May I saw a general practitioner and was thrilled that he didn't think I was crazy. He, too, mentioned "moisture in the ear" and put me on heavy-duty decongestants (Zyrtec D). With his permission, I started using a Neti pot a lot--I'd heard about them from others. I also tried to drink a lot of water and yawn a lot.
By late May, the tinnitus seemed objectively less loud, plus I had learned to cope with it better (a chirping crickets YouTube video helped with sleep). I noticed my ears "crackling" and popping when I would do a closed-mouth yawn.
It's early July 2016 and when I close my ears in a silent room, I hear only the faintest pitch in my right ear. The tinnitus does come and go--oddly, it seems like it's affected by the barometric pressure before a rainstorm. But it's SO much better.
I honestly noticed more improvement with the Neti pot than with the Zyrtec D. It's been really strange, because I haven't had the slightest hint of a runny or congested nose all this time. I kind of think it would be better if I had. Clearly something got blocked deep inside some passageway.
I'm a little worried about overusing the Neti pot--I use it about 5 times a day--but the tinnitus was so miserable, I am thrilled that it worked.
Note: No doctor ever explicitly agreed, or disagreed, with my self-diagnosis of a clogged right Eustachian tube. All the doctors seemed vague and unsure of what I had (or told me I was crazy). I basically did my own research. I'm writing this for what it's worth.
Again, I hope very much your tinnitus goes away rapidly. Try not to panic. It's probably not a life sentence.
The Too Long; Didn't Read summary: if you think your tinnitus is caused by a clogged inner ear tube, the thing that helped me most was a Neti pot, a weird ceramic thing you can buy in most drugstores for 20 bucks. You use it to pour saltwater through your nasal passages, which (it turns out) are very connected to your inner ear passageways. I treated my ear in the way I'd treat a horribly stuffed nose. In brief:
1) Use a Neti pot
2) Use steam and drink hot tea
3) Immediately after #1, exercise and get your heart moving--it seemed to make the ear-clog move
----
Here's the long version, in case it helps anyone whose symptoms are similar. At no time did I have any pain or fever or runny nose. I think that actually made this more difficult to diagnose.
In February 2016 I noticed some deep-sinus pressure, but since there was no pain or fever or other symptoms, I ignored it. I've never had sinus problems (I'm in my forties). I also noticed my ears would pop once I got out of bed and walked around a bit. This had never happened before, but I didn't think much about it.
In March 2016 I started feeling dizzy. No nausea, fever, or other symptoms. It wasn't really vertigo and I never wobbled or fell down. It was like waves of lightheadedness. I thought it was diet-related and got blood tests, which were fine.
In late March 2016 I started hearing faint ringing in my right ear. I went to an ear doctor and he removed a large clot of impacted wax that (I think) was pressed up against my ear drum. The dr. did hearing tests (and many other expensive ear tests) and said my hearing was OK for my age. He said there was nothing really wrong with my ear. He did say something vague about "moisture in the inner ear."
Over the next 3 weeks, the ringing got louder and more constant. I was panicked. I went back to the ENT and he basically told me I was crazy, but that I could try nasal spray. It didn't help.
By mid-April, I was a basket case. The tinnitus woke me up from sleep. During a flight, I noticed that my right ear did not pop at all on the plane, ascending or descending. It didn't hurt, but it didn't pop.
In late April, I was still a basket case. I saw another ENT--he was useless and told me I was crazy. I tried eliminating dairy, caffeine, etc. I tried gingko, I tried All the Things. I saw a dentist and he ruled out TMJ. I did a ton of web research and began to think that my problem was a clogged Eustachian tube.
In early May I saw a general practitioner and was thrilled that he didn't think I was crazy. He, too, mentioned "moisture in the ear" and put me on heavy-duty decongestants (Zyrtec D). With his permission, I started using a Neti pot a lot--I'd heard about them from others. I also tried to drink a lot of water and yawn a lot.
By late May, the tinnitus seemed objectively less loud, plus I had learned to cope with it better (a chirping crickets YouTube video helped with sleep). I noticed my ears "crackling" and popping when I would do a closed-mouth yawn.
It's early July 2016 and when I close my ears in a silent room, I hear only the faintest pitch in my right ear. The tinnitus does come and go--oddly, it seems like it's affected by the barometric pressure before a rainstorm. But it's SO much better.
I honestly noticed more improvement with the Neti pot than with the Zyrtec D. It's been really strange, because I haven't had the slightest hint of a runny or congested nose all this time. I kind of think it would be better if I had. Clearly something got blocked deep inside some passageway.
I'm a little worried about overusing the Neti pot--I use it about 5 times a day--but the tinnitus was so miserable, I am thrilled that it worked.
Note: No doctor ever explicitly agreed, or disagreed, with my self-diagnosis of a clogged right Eustachian tube. All the doctors seemed vague and unsure of what I had (or told me I was crazy). I basically did my own research. I'm writing this for what it's worth.
Again, I hope very much your tinnitus goes away rapidly. Try not to panic. It's probably not a life sentence.
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