Probably the Worst Thing That Can Happen!

[coffee_girl]

Stay calm, if you are being too stressed out your T will appear louder than it really is.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Stay calm, if you are being too stressed out your T will appear louder than it really is.

Well that's difficult. I'm literally confident I have what I think I have. But, getting a perilymph fistula from doing valsalva gently a few times seems so unlikely to me. What do you all think is what I'm interested in?

 

[JoshuaD2002]

I'm not getting any hearing loss or ear pressure/fullness. Just head pressure and dizziness. Tinnitus also. I don't know what on earth is happening. Again honest opinions would be appreciated.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Is no one replying because you all think I have a fistula?? I'm scared if you think it is that just say. I'd be slightly surprised if it's from doing valsalva gently but.... let me know.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Is no one replying because you all think I have a fistula?? I'm scared if you think it is that just say. I'd be slightly surprised if it's from doing valsalva gently but.... let me know.

I think no one is replying because you keep posting anxious posts and seemingly ignoring the advice you've been given. People have given you advice but your anxiety has you fixated and unable to calm down. Honestly, I do not think you have a fistula. I think you have anxiety that is compounding what you're experiencing. Do you have a therapist?

 

[JoshuaD2002]

I think no one is replying because you keep posting anxious posts and seemingly ignoring the advice you've been given. People have given you advice but your anxiety has you fixated and unable to calm down. Honestly, I do not think you have a fistula. I think you have anxiety that is compounding what you're experiencing. Do you have a therapist?

I really think I do have a fistula.

I was doing the valsalva 5 days ago now because I thought I had blocked middle ear (turned out to be wax), and very soon after I noticed it started ringing and it literally hasn't stopped. Since the day after I've been feeling dizzy, (worsened by movement just like the symptoms list says). The tinnitus is reactive so I hear it all the time and is much worse if I press my ears in. The dizziness is really alarming. All from the valsalva? If I really analyse this, that time I did it, it popped quite weirdly. More like a really short pop than a longer air clearance. Maybe the fast pressure change damaged the inner ear? I don't think I've been more scared of anything ever. My symptoms match up.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Ok... feeling of pressure in the affected ear now... yep... it's a fistula.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

I'm really panicking now because there actually is a feeling of pressure in there now. A doctor we called suggested clogged sinuses which it could be, but I'm very scared still because it's accompanied by tinnitus and dizziness. The pressure feels kinda deep. It feels like it's around the sinuses but it could very well be a fistula now I think. Just waiting for hearing loss now..

 

[Autumnly]

The pressure feels kinda deep.

I haven't followed the thread but many people who develop tinnitus from an acoustic trauma also report a feeling of having full ears. We don't always know what causes this sensation. Was the ear wax taken out completely?
Also if you struggle with allergies they could cause a full ear feeling. If the valsalva maneuver is causing your right ear to ring I'd not do it for some weeks to see how your ears react.
Edit: And your doctor is right that issues with the eustachian tubes can cause ears to feel clogged, dizziness and sounds to sound muffled.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Here's the summary:

Was doing valsalva gently, but 6 days ago tinnitus followed and hasn't settled. 2 days later, dizziness started. It's true that stress and anxiety has been very high. As of yesterday, I feel alot of pressure in and around the affected ear. No hearing loss as far as I can tell - high frequency test online all good still. Mum suggested where I had been excessively opening my mouth on the plane trying to stop blockage, I've irritated my jaw? Maybe. But no there's a great deal of pressure in the right ear. Fistula? I think so and it's ruining my holiday with just the thought.

 

[glynis]

JoshuaD2002,
I don't think you have a fistula .
You may have bulging eardrum and giving you a bit of a middle ear problem with preasure in your middle ear and eustation tube.

Been a busy few days and I go hospital tomorrow 8 August for a procedure so I might not be on tomorrow depending how I'm feeling.
Try enjoy your holiday and stop over thinking and googling and let ENT do their job.
love glynis

 

[JoshuaD2002]

JoshuaD2002,
I don't think you have a fistula .
You may have bulging eardrum and giving you a bit of a middle ear problem with preasure in your middle ear and eustation tube.

Been a busy few days and I go hospital tomorrow 8 August for a procedure so I might not be on tomorrow depending how I'm feeling.
Try enjoy your holiday and stop over thinking and googling and let ENT do their job.
love glynis

The dizziness has settled but this ear is really strange - within 5 minutes of getting and walking around I can feel it again? Makes me think "Fistula"

 

[Deamon22]

I give you an advice, since i was earlier this year in the same spot, and i googled a lot about various symptoms i had and of course i google showed me exactly what i searched for. So for 2 months i thought had various deadly or chronic conditions. In the end i had nothing. Zero. All this anxiety for nothing.

It's good that you are concerned for your health, but don't go crazy over it. And don't google symptoms. Enjoy the rest of your holidays, try to relax and when you get back eventually see a doctor.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Hello all. The time since my last post has been very difficult, not just due to tinnitus but because of my chronic health anxiety and depression. However, the tinnitus story has developed and I feel really scared again.

So, shortly after we arrived back in England, my reactive tinnitus (due to hypercausis, caused by migraine/chronic anxiety), was a lot worse. And, it's very bad. The electrical sounding hiss against sound. Not nice. I have resumed sound enrichment to hopefully ease this.

But... I seemed to have made things worse. During an outburst of anger, I let off a shout and stomped my foot on my bedroom floor. It's not the shout I'm worried of, because it wasn't that loud, it's the stomp. Straight after the outburst/panic attack, I lay in bed, feeling quite exhausted, only to realise a new noise in my right ear 10 minutes later. It's like a low-pitched droning. Not too bad but it's stressing me out. I recognise the noise though - I had the exact same thing in the left ear once after an anger/panic outburst, but it went away. This happened 2 nights ago and it persists. My mind is saying that when I stomped with my right food, it damaged my right ear somehow? Anyhow my stress and anxiety is peaking and this reactive tinnitus is awful, and I'm so young too. Makes me annoyed as I've never been to a concert in my life, and have never been a big earphone/headphone user and never a loud music kind of person. I just need some advice right now as to why this reactive tinnitus is bad but especially this new lo pitched whining since the anger outburst and stomping on the ground.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Of course, I have a tendency to be wrong, but I'm thinking the stomp I did caused some head trauma or something because I did have a headache after... scared

 

[Tinker Bell]

Of course, I have a tendency to be wrong, but I'm thinking the stomp I did caused some head trauma or something because I did have a headache after... scared

Stomping on the ground did not cause head trauma. If it did, many toddlers would have head trauma from stomping their feet during tantrums.

A panic attack or sudden fit of rage can impact blood flow, which could cause a headache. And before you panic, no this would not cause long term damage or head trauma.

Are you seeing a therapist for your anxiety?

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Stomping on the ground did not cause head trauma. If it did, many toddlers would have head trauma from stomping their feet during tantrums.

A panic attack or sudden fit of rage can impact blood flow, which could cause a headache. And before you panic, no this would not cause long term damage or head trauma.

Are you seeing a therapist for your anxiety?

My first session starts on 4th September. I also thought about blood flow, because I can actually hear blood flow in there and it does feel heavy, like I can feel blood moving around. A strange sensation. It's quite bad

But this wouldn't cause a long term issue?

 

[Bill Bauer]

My mind is saying that when I stomped with my right food, it damaged my right ear somehow?

It sounds like a temporary spike. It is unlikely that the spike is going to be permanent. Learn from this, and don't yell/stomp your feet again.

 

[Nonna]

You're not suppose to do valsalva if there is any mucus in the sinus. It can go up the eustachian tube.
At the very beginning of my tinnitus trip if I even talked too long it would spike. All the stomping, and dog barking in my ear spikes, all cleared up and went away.

Here's the summary:

Was doing valsalva gently, but 6 days ago tinnitus followed and hasn't settled. 2 days later, dizziness started. It's true that stress and anxiety has been very high. As of yesterday, I feel alot of pressure in and around the affected ear. No hearing loss as far as I can tell - high frequency test online all good still. Mum suggested where I had been excessively opening my mouth on the plane trying to stop blockage, I've irritated my jaw? Maybe. But no there's a great deal of pressure in the right ear. Fistula? I think so and it's ruining my holiday with just the thought.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Stomping on the ground did not cause head trauma. If it did, many toddlers would have head trauma from stomping their feet during tantrums.

A panic attack or sudden fit of rage can impact blood flow, which could cause a headache. And before you panic, no this would not cause long term damage or head trauma.

Are you seeing a therapist for your anxiety?

What do you think could be causing this low pitch tinnitus then? I noticed it very soon after the fit of rage. I didn't shout that loud or a long amount of time... but still I have this tinnitus from after that anger outburst? I'm starting to get concerned that I damaged something in my ear, like a blood vessel, because I can also hear the rushing flow of blood in there as well when sitting up from lying down.

Do I need to be concerned, like, do I need to see someone? @glynis what do you think if you're able to respond?

 

[Nonna]

hey, everything you said sounds very typical of eustachian tube troubles, and takes 6months for all those crazy sounds to calm down, and a year or more to go away.

What do you think could be causing this low pitch tinnitus then? I noticed it very soon after the fit of rage. I didn't shout that loud or a long amount of time... but still I have this tinnitus from after that anger outburst? I'm starting to get concerned that I damaged something in my ear, like a blood vessel, because I can also hear the rushing flow of blood in there as well when sitting up from lying down.

Do I need to be concerned, like, do I need to see someone? @glynis what do you think if you're able to respond?

 

[glynis]

@JoshuaD2002 ,
I understand as having a low drone sound in my ears like a hoover at the same time as a high hiss in both ears .
I know mine is due to hearingloss and Menieres and hard to mask the sound .
I just keep my Alexa on around my home with nice relaxing songs as only like the tv on from 6pm onwards.

Having your hearing checked is a must and see if it accounts for your low tinnitus.

love glynis x

 

[dgray]

@JoshuaD2002 ,
I understand as having a low drone sound in my ears like a hoover at the same time as a high hiss in both ears .
I know mine is due to hearingloss and Menieres and hard to mask the sound .
I just keep my Alexa on around my home with nice relaxing songs as only like the tv on from 6pm onwards.

Having your hearing checked is a must and see if it accounts for your low tinnitus.

love glynis x

 

[dgray]

Ms. Glynis: You look fantastic. I havent been on in for a while and your picture must be different. God bless. - douglas

 

[JoshuaD2002]

Well, haven't been on here for a while, but of course, I'm back because something has gone down.
So, apart from the reactive tinnitus, I've been relatively tinnitus free (I guess stress has a part to play)

However, yesterday morning, walking through school corridor, the school bell rang right next to me. Like, I was right next to it, maybe like 30cm away. Pretty loud! Didn't plug my ears for fear of looking silly for the first seconds, then did because it was just too loud and because there was loads of people in the corridor I basically ended up next to it for 5 seconds. No tinnitus until that night, where I have a faint noise in the left ear. Been of course doing research into school bells and how they are around 115db from 2 metres, so being so close I'm guessing 120db.

The sound was obviously very very uncomfortable, but no pain. Also, no feeling of fullness or muffled hearing at all, as would be the case with an acoustic trauma. Checked my frequencies online and no change. Having plugged my ears, I would've been exposed to that very loud sound for maybe 3 or 4 seconds? No noticeable symptoms except for faint tinnitus 12 hours later.

So could I have permanent damage? (I always ask this after accidental noise exposures), but I'm worried now... could this settle? Stress levels have been high but with a sound that loud happening so close I'm scared of damage. Having said that, At least a few people would be in this situation every single day, next to the bell as they walk through the corridor. Many of my friends have had the same experience. This the first time, and I was really close to that bell! Good thing I'm smaller so it was slightly above me...

Thoughts anyone? Will I be ok? Damage permanent? Thoughts plz thanks @glynis you are always helpful

 

[JoshuaD2002]

anyone?

 

[Deamon22]

You will probably be ok, no worries. Always plug your ears, don't care about how you look or what the others think.

However i'm happy for you that you are nearly tinnitus free.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

You will probably be ok, no worries. Always plug your ears, don't care about how you look or what the others think.

However i'm happy for you that you are nearly tinnitus free.

well I hope I'll be ok. The bell was literally centimetres to my left side. Well, again no pain was felt which would normally indicate a very dangerous loudness level of course, but I am very worried because, like, it's a school bell, right next to me...

 

[Deamon22]

well I hope I'll be ok. The bell was literally centimetres to my left side. Well, again no pain was felt which would normally indicate a very dangerous loudness level of course, but I am very worried because, like, it's a school bell, right next to me...

But again, you have no muffled hearig nor ear fullness. The slightly louder tinnitus could also be just your anxiety or your attention to it.

 

[JoshuaD2002]

But again, you have no muffled hearig nor ear fullness. The slightly louder tinnitus could also be just your anxiety or your attention to it.

Actually, I think my left ear hearing might be slightly off. Even so, could this improve? Not sure what I expect I mean its a school bell and centimetres from my eardrum...