Tinnitus from Sticking a Cotton Bud in My Ear

[Thomas1221]

Hey, I come on here looking for some advice.

I'm 23. Back in July 2020, I stupidly stuck a cotton bud in my ear. I felt no pain whilst doing it. However immediately after I experienced tinnitus, I went to the GP who confirmed I just pushed the earwax back and suggested I had my ears microsuctioned, which I did.

After the microsuction, the ringing sound was still there. I thought it would eventually go away, however literally the next day I came down with a bad head cold, which made the tinnitus worse, this was in August.

The head cold went away after around 10 days and since then, I'm stuck with tinnitus? I feel pressure in my head all the time, the tinnitus only seems to be coming from one ear and is a lot worse at night.
I have been back and forth to the GP who cannot see anything of concern. I also had a hearing care appointment at Boots, who said the same thing.

And to this day, I'm hearing clicking and crackling and ringing. Also, one of my ear is making a strange air sound everytime I move my jaw, a sound like when you are blowing up a balloon?

I just don't know what else to do to help it, it is driving me a little crazy.

Any suggestions?

 

[weab00]

Microsuction is very loud and probably made it worse. Maybe you have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction? Do you have TMJ? Treating that can help reduce the volume. Either way explain your symptoms to an ENT.

 

[Tweedleman]

Welcome to the forums Thomas, I'm sorry tinnitus is giving you a hard time.

Assuming you don't have a history of excessive loud noise exposure, it sounds to me like something related to your jaw and/or facial muscles is out of whack. The whole region is interconnected, so even something impeding the conduction of sound very minutely could be responsible for tinnitus.

First, I'd load up on antioxidants to help reduce any inflammation. Astaxanthin, NAC, and Curcumin, and even vitamin C are great. You can take any or all of them.

Second, wait a little while longer until the cold is completely eradicated out of your system. Perhaps try a NetiPot or steam to clear out your passageways.

I'd even suggest going to a massage therapist or chiropractor. Just explain everything, especially the jaw sounds. Maybe there's some kind of adjustments they can do. If this fails, I'd talk to your dentist about TMJ/TMD.

Good luck.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Thomas1221

Try and leave your ears alone and the tinnitus will calm down. Please click on the links below and read my posts. I strongly advise you not to try any tinnitus treatments as this early stage. I also advise that you don't use headphones or earbuds even at low volume.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/