Tinnitus Just Started, Not Sure Why

[Aaaron8]

Hi

I had a cold back at the beginning of January and it last for a week or two. I think I might have had a sinus infection as I was blocked up.

However, a few weeks later I started getting a beating/popping noise in my right ear. It would last for approx 30 mins and happen once or twice a day. But I had no issues with hearing or pain in my ear.

A few weeks later, it started happening for longer spells and I decided to go to the doctor to see if it was pulsatile tinnitus. It seemed that my ear would build up with pressure and then this beating/popping would start and equalise it.

Doctor couldn't see my ear drum but said I had a lot of wax build up and it was likely the cause. I took oil drops for two weeks and then at the end of this I started to get more pressure in my ear and some hearing loss. I also started to get a slight buzzing in my ear. Doctor said this was likely the wax swelling with the drops and once wax was removed should be fine.

So I got the wax removed from my right ear only via micro suction however since then I have not improved. This was two weeks ago now and the tinnitus has got much worse in my right ear and has now progressed into my left ear.

The right ear tinnitus is a changing pitch which sounds like a dentist drill and my left ear is a quieter but constant static noise. I also still get the beating/popping tinnitus several times a day including through the night.

My doctor is unable to examine me at the minute but has given me some drops to take which I am reluctant to do however has anyone had any experience of this? This all started with the beating/popping after a cold and has now progressed to tinnitus in both ears.

Really not sure what to do as I'm scared this might be permanent.

A

 

[Aaaron8]

I should add that the tinnitus isnt so bad when I wake up but gets worse as the day goes on

 

[billie48]

Hi

I had a cold back at the beginning of January and it last for a week or two. I think I might have had a sinus infection as I was blocked up.

However, a few weeks later I started getting a beating/popping noise in my right ear. It would last for approx 30 mins and happen once or twice a day. But I had no issues with hearing or pain in my ear.

A few weeks later, it started happening for longer spells and I decided to go to the doctor to see if it was pulsatile tinnitus. It seemed that my ear would build up with pressure and then this beating/popping would start and equalise it.

Doctor couldn't see my ear drum but said I had a lot of wax build up and it was likely the cause. I took oil drops for two weeks and then at the end of this I started to get more pressure in my ear and some hearing loss. I also started to get a slight buzzing in my ear. Doctor said this was likely the wax swelling with the drops and once wax was removed should be fine.

So I got the wax removed from my right ear only via micro suction however since then I have not improved. This was two weeks ago now and the tinnitus has got much worse in my right ear and has now progressed into my left ear.

The right ear tinnitus is a changing pitch which sounds like a dentist drill and my left ear is a quieter but constant static noise. I also still get the beating/popping tinnitus several times a day including through the night.

My doctor is unable to examine me at the minute but has given me some drops to take which I am reluctant to do however has anyone had any experience of this? This all started with the beating/popping after a cold and has now progressed to tinnitus in both ears.

Really not sure what to do as I'm scared this might be permanent.

A

It seems that you do have a ear issue. If the doctor you saw is not a ENT but a GP, then you should see ENT to examine the inner ears. You cracking sound can be caused by many possible causes, ETD, TMJ, TTTS, etc. That is why you need to find out from a ENT specialist. Don't worry that this is permanent. Usually if the tinnitus is caused by a problem in the ears, such as ETD or ear fluid or sinusitis, then when these are fixed or healed, tinnitus tends to fade. So don't panic. In the mean time, if your ringing is too bothersome during the day, try mask it with APPs for tinnitus masking using your smart phone. At home you can connect to a bluetooth speaker so you won't have to use earbuds too long. Just a suggestion. Take care. God bless.

 

[Aaaron8]

It seems that you do have a ear issue. If the doctor you saw is not a ENT but a GP, then you should see ENT to examine the inner ears. You cracking sound can be caused by many possible causes, ETD, TMJ, TTTS, etc. That is why you need to find out from a ENT specialist. Don't worry that this is permanent. Usually if the tinnitus is caused by a problem in the ears, such as ETD or ear fluid or sinusitis, then when these are fixed or healed, tinnitus tends to fade. So don't panic. In the mean time, if your ringing is too bothersome during the day, try mask it with APPs for tinnitus masking using your smart phone. At home you can connect to a bluetooth speaker so you won't have to use earbuds too long. Just a suggestion. Take care. God bless.

Thanks Billie48. I always overlooked this issue (tinnitus) however it's only when you get it do you realise how horrible it is.

I find it strange though if I have ETD in presumably my right ear which is where I hear the popping/beating, then why I also have tinnitus in my left ear too? My left ear feels fine and no issues with pressure.

I have to wait until after the current issues in the world are over before I can get an ENT appointment which is frustrating.

 

[monkey124]

Hello, reading your story is like my own, this is exactly what has happened to me. I have seen an ENT and all is fine with my ears and he is putting it down to stress as I have been stressing since the moment I woke up with blocked ears which was the middle of January! I think mine is getting s.l.o.w.l.y better but hard to tell as I am so obsessed with my ears. I am experiencing some vibrations in my left ear though so need to get that checked out. Wishing you well

 

[billie48]

I find it strange though if I have ETD in presumably my right ear which is where I hear the popping/beating, then why I also have tinnitus in my left ear too? My left ear feels fine and no issues with pressure.

Tinnitus is a strange beast. It is not easily explainable in all its symptoms. It is quite common that new T sufferers report that during the initial when the ears are quite unstable that they report the morphing symptoms of tinnitus, such as changing tones, cracking on and off, jumping between ears, from single to multi tones etc. That kind of behavior of a new tinnitus gives a lot of anxiety and stress to the new sufferers. Generally this will settle down given time. Since stress and anxiety are bad for T, it is advisable not to fall into the trap of this tinnitus demon that we worry too much about evolving and morphing symptoms of a new T. Try to focus on living normally and tell yourself that in a few months or a year or two, things will be well. So why fall into the T trap and prolong the agony with increased stress and anxiety.

 

[ASilverLight]

My tinnitus is (probably) caused by a combination of ETD and neck issues. Also had one ear completely blocked by earwax which caused temporary muffled hearing and caused me more anxiety than anything else ever did. Tinnitus started with one pure tone in one ear, within a week or so it changed to weird phantom-y noises (electrical, radiator type noises) that vary very much throughout the day, mostly in intensity. I'm a little over 3 months in now, generally I am seeing more gentle days than before.

99% of the time I now wake up to what was a rare low before, but it ramps up randomly throughout the day. As mentioned above, it seems fairly common. Give it time, be careful, make sure to treat your physical symptoms that could be a cause or aggravating your tinnitus, and hopefully you'll see improvement soon.

A few tips I have for you:

1) do NOT put a time frame on this. While the general belief is that at two years it's pretty much chronic, there is no guarantee. People report their tinnitus getting better or even going away past that point, but it is rare. Everyone heals at a different rate and there really is no strict time schedule you can stick to. As long as you see a decline overall (over weeks or months) you'll be on the right track to a better situation.

2) Don't let a bad day or few bad days make you feel worse. As long as you notice a positive change overall, a bad day doesn't mean it won't get better again. Again, it seems common for it to seem better, then worse, then better etc. Be patient and strong!

3) Also, avoid the worst of the negativity. I know this is extremely hard, but trust me, if you're able to be mostly positive and not give into despair too much, it'll be much easier to deal with. Find something nice and relaxing and not loud that distracts you, and enjoy it!

 

[Aaaron8]

Thank you all for your kind responses.

Just an update. I think I am around week 3 since I have had tinnitus and it's certainly a testing period. There are moments that I am convinced it's getting better and then an hour or two later I get hit with a level of tinnitus worse than ever. What aggravates me more is anytime I speak to my doctor all he says is "it should settle down in a week or two".

I was sure that the issue might have been ETD related as although then I yawn and swallow I can feel both my ears make a click, it only felt like my left ear fully popped. However, been doing valsava with low force and I made my right ear pop and instantly I got a head rush which was strange.

At this point now, my left ear which is my good one has tinnitus louder than my bad ear. This is not because my right ear is getting better but more because my good ear is getting worse.

My tinnitus is very hard to describe, seems to be a high pitched tone changing hiss over a thick dense static. Last night was the first time that I was unable to sleep with it and it really got me down. I think what is annoying most of all is that I still don't know what has actually caused it. Could be ETD, wax build up (although this has been removed for weeks now so unlikely), could be ototoxic meds... who knows. The struggle continues.