Severe Tinnitus Increase from ETD

[Thomas]

Hello everyone. First time posting although I've been browsing the forum for a few months and would like to say thank you all for the positive posts that have helped me through a bad time with T. I've had tinnitus for 12 years but it was never a problem in my life and was pretty mild until four months ago. I'll try to be brief but basically I had started to notice my T more frequently a month prior and then suddenly with almost a pop (like the start of a fleeting tinnitus episode) my ear started screaming uncontrollably to the point I couldn't mask it which sent me into a major panic.

After heading to the docs I came to find out I had fluid in my middle ear which was causing the exacerbated tinnitus. The story after that is more or less the same as most of the ones you find online about Etd (given nasal spray to limited effectiveness, vagueness from Ents, frustration and major depression).

The fluid eventually drained leaving me with negative pressure in both ears which also resolved, I was sent for a hearing test which I passed with flying colors other than the slight dips which cause my normal tinnitus so I was told I would be fine and the rest of my symptoms including the tinnitus would disappear.

The problem is that was about 3 months ago but my ears still crackle and pop when I swallow or yawn (to the point my wife can hear it), they plug up or atleast have the feeling of plugging up / hurt and I still have exacerbated tinnitus. My voice also occasionally sounds like a broken speaker when I speak loudly and I've recently developed some vertigo.

I understand etd can be long term however my tubes can pop my ear normally now but the remaining symptoms won't go away. I don't have any allergy symptoms, I don't have jaw pain and I've tried most other things I find on the forum with no success.

Since my tubes function fine now and I can perform the Valsalva maneuver easily I'm left wondering what it is going on and why is the T still so loud even though the fluid is long gone from my inner ear ?Has anyone else had a similar experience/ have any advice?

Thank you

 

[JV_620]

Your case sounds so similar to mine that I just created a new thread on actually. The nurse practitioner that I saw told me that if the crackling sound is going on that it means that the tubes are actually functioning correctly OR that they are almost to the point of functioning correctly.

I feel your pain. No question that this ETD which mine is also developed into slight T as well, sucks.

 

[Thomas]

Thanks for the reply! Sorry you're going through the same thing, this Etd none sense can be a real quality of life vacuum... it's good to hear we are heading in the right direction though. Lately I've had brief moments where the crackling stops and my ears feel normal for a second but it comes right back, sometimes with a vengeance. It's very much two steps forward one step back which is what drives me nuts because it's hard to see any progress. I've found steaming, chewing gum and staying hydrated seem to help the most. I'm heading in for a consult with a new Ent on February 1st so I'll keep you posted if I find out anything useful.

 

[JannyBanany1]

Hi Thomas,
How did your visit to the ENT go? I'm having the same issues as you. I've had ringing in my ears since July 2017, none stop. I also have the popping and crackling noises, and all the time fullness in my ears. Almost two weeks ago I had my ENT put ear tubes in my ears to try and regulate the pressure. This did not work.... It's the weirdest thing.. it's like my ENT has no idea what is going on. He referred me to an allergiest but she told me I wasn't allergic to anything. I was on a month trial of Xyzal allergy medicine and a nasal spray. NOTHING has worked. Just trying to see what your Dr. is suggesting for you.

Thanks,
Janet

 

[Thomas]

Sorry for the late reply, I've been through quite the ordeal since my appointment. Another symptom I hadn't mentioned that began around Christmas time was kind of a mild dizziness. I had a very brief moment of vertigo and then I would feel off for days at a time however since I had hit my head at work shortly before I believed it was positional vertigo and disregarded it. The feeling came and went and continues to do so but seems to be improving, when I explained this to the ENT he said he thought I had a Cochlear Hydrops/ Ménière's type thing and in so many words basically told me I was screwed.. I find hard that to believe since all this began with my Eustachian tubes blocking up however I went on a regimen of extremely low sodium, no caffeine or alcohol per his orders which didn't do anything really except slightly calm down my T. I made another appointment with an ENT at a specialty clinic for a second opinion but while I was waiting for the appointment I had read about upper cervical chiropractic helping a lot for Ménière's partients and although I was skeptical I booked an appointment with a local upper cervical Chiro. He claimed he has helped tons of people with Ménière's so I started treatment and after some X-rays my neck definitely appears screwy. I'm only a week in but honestly it seems like my symptoms are improving slightly, my ears haven't felt full and my T is definitely (slowly) starting to quiet down. I'm also having moments where the crackling seems to calm down a bit so maybe it's really helping. I still went to my appointment with the second ENT since it was already booked but nothing useful came out of that either other than him saying he doesn't believe I have hydrops/ Ménière's because it usually occurs in one ear and almost always includes hearing loss so he requested that I get an MRI and balance testing. That's where I'm at currently and I'm quite nervous for the MRI because of how loud they are but I feel it would be good to have to rule out anything that's really bad. I'm sorry nothing has worked for you so far and I totally get the feeling that Ents seem clueless to what's going on in regards to this condition. If the allergy testing hasn't shown any good results I would definitely look into issues with your neck/ jaw next as that seems to be a common cause of Etd from what I can find. Good luck and hopefully things improve soon!

 

[Bazan]

Hi T , iv had the same thing happens to me, mild t for many year never bothered me, got a ear infection in Nov 2017 now it's mega loud and intrusive , made me so menatally ill, panic attacks, anxiety , hope it get better for you

 

[Thomas]

Hi Bazan, I'm sorry to hear about the increase in your tinnitus, it can definitely bring your quality of life down at first but don't despair because it really does improve. Mine increased from being to extremely mild to intrusive multiple tones in each ear and even recently I had a new tone appear that sounds like an alarm in my right ear but I'm starting to habituate by staying positive so it's bothering me less and less although it is definitely a rocky road and there are still bad days on the road to recovery which is important to remember. There is a good chance it will eventually disappear or reduce in volume and if not you will habituate. I know it seems hard to stay positive when you're in the depths of despair but that really is the way forward. I would recommend staying away from negative posts as it will only hinder your recovery. Those posts are from fellow sufferers who are in a bad place themselves and while it's important to support one another, reading them can make a good day turn bad. I believe the forums are flooded with negative posts because most people who have habituated have moved on with their lives and no longer check the forums just like we all eventually will. Unfortunately it takes time to get better but keep on keeping on until it does!

 

[JannyBanany1]

Hi Bazan, I understand your frustration. I had a double ear infection in July 2017 and I've had ringing ever since. It's rough and I've gone to multiple doctors with no relief, it seems that only time can heal this... I just hate that answer. hope your ears clear up soon!

 

[Thomas]

The Good news is since our tinnitus seems to have appeared from something other than acoustic trauma, there is a good chance it may reduce or disappear. Have you guys had fleeting tinnitus episodes where your tinnitus all of a sudden gets deafingly loud for about 10-20 seconds since your ear infection? I remember when I first developed tinnitus as a teenager these episodes were frequent and eventually stopped and with this recent increase the same thing is happening again. Maybe that's a good sign? I'm not sure.

 

[TWK]

I had a very similar onset for mine. Inner ear infection started Jan 20/2018, blocked ETs. The infection resolved a few weeks ago and fluid drained, and my ETs can now be Valsalvaed easily, but they still feel off. Especially riding elevators. My T has changed from non-stop loud to oscillating very high pitch, but not loud (can generally only hear it in quiet settings). The hyperaccussis I had is getting better as well.
I'm getting more breaks from the T these days - recently it often quits in the evening and resumes after ambient noise of the next morning. I got a few days of good sleep, and it was not active last night when I went to sleep, but it started blasting away at high volume and woke me up at 3am. Don't know if this contributed, but last night was the only nightly lately that I didn't do steam inhalation (that seems to really help me).
I'm dying to know if/when this is going to go away! Last week I had 24 hours without it, but it eventually came back.

 

[JannyBanany1]

Hi TWK,
My T is the same way. The past two days it was so low I would have to listen for it to hear it.. However, today it is back and loud.. I wake up with it in the morning and it is loud.. Being in a quiet room is tough because the ringing it loud. Even when I have white noise or music in the background the T still over powers the music and white noise. I've had this ringing non stop since July 2017. I've been to the ENT 5 times, an Allergist, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, you name it. I had ear tubes put in to regulate the crackling and pressure. Some days are better than other but some days I still feel pressure. My next step might be to have an MRI done.. However, I don't have any other symptoms besides the ringing. My ears don't have fluid, I'm not dizzy.. etc. It's frustrating.

 

[Thomas]

Mine seems to be the same as well, at times it gets quiet and others it's screaming.. I'm starting to think it's a perception thing mostly which means habituation is happening other than that it means it's improving so even better. To prove the point I have to religiously wear hearing protection at work because Im on construction sites so there's lots of intermittent loud noises, the problem with this is I'm shut in with my tinnitus which is awful but so be it. Originally my ears were loud no matter what but I've noticed now that when I put my hearing protection on that initially my ears are quiet for a minute and then slowly the T ramps up until it's screaming which Is usually preceded by me noticing it's not there (stupid I know). As I get distracted with work my T can quiet down some even with the earmuffs until once again I notice it's not as loud and wouldn't you know it comes back blaring. To me this proves habituation is possible even with loud tinnitus and we will eventually have some form of "silence". Also I decided to cancel my mri and balance tests because my symptoms seem to be improving ever so slightly and I don't think it's worth the risk of being pumped full of that nasty contrast they use. Not to mention they wanted to perform a caloric test where they spray water in my ears, hard pass on that. Anyway I hope all of your T continues to improve, remember to stay positive and that things will get better!

 

[Bazan]

@Thomas , sorry for delay, but I wanted to thank you for your positive reply and also taking the time to reply it means a lot and gives me some hope , I wish you the best x