Hi all. I've been a DJ since 1992, but I have cut way back on my performances to only a few per year. About 10 years ago or so after one of my gigs, I noticed a crackling sound in my left ear when I would turn on the faucet. I freaked out and also noticed that anything that was a high frequency similar to the faucet running, would start up my crackling. I have noticed its return but it always goes away, is not severe and doesn't last more than a day.
Fast forward to the past week or so, and the crackling has returned. However, I do not DJ nearly as much as I used to and hadn't been in a loud environment in several months. This crackling is different. I hear a occasional crackle when there isn't any noise, however, once I hear the right frequency (higher end frequency), it starts the crackling with much more intensity. The weird thing is it continues for about a minute after the noise stops. When it stops, it just abruptly stops. Another weird thing is if I'm taking a shower, the shower will trigger the crackling, but it will stop after a minute or so even though the sound is still there. It's almost as if my ear adjusted. I also do feel a mild, dull pain in the area and a slight fullness.
I did have a pretty nasty flu/sinus infection about a month ago (tested for COVID-19 3x... all negative).
It is starting to affect my quality of life. If I awaken during my sleep and it starts crackling, I can't go back to sleep.
I did go to an ENT and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He used a scope to look at my Eustachian tube. He said it appeared to be clear.
I am making an appointment to get a Tympanometry with Acoustic Reflex Test. As I type this, I hear the random, but fairly spaced crack sound.
Thanks for listening and any feedback is appreciated.
Fast forward to the past week or so, and the crackling has returned. However, I do not DJ nearly as much as I used to and hadn't been in a loud environment in several months. This crackling is different. I hear a occasional crackle when there isn't any noise, however, once I hear the right frequency (higher end frequency), it starts the crackling with much more intensity. The weird thing is it continues for about a minute after the noise stops. When it stops, it just abruptly stops. Another weird thing is if I'm taking a shower, the shower will trigger the crackling, but it will stop after a minute or so even though the sound is still there. It's almost as if my ear adjusted. I also do feel a mild, dull pain in the area and a slight fullness.
I did have a pretty nasty flu/sinus infection about a month ago (tested for COVID-19 3x... all negative).
It is starting to affect my quality of life. If I awaken during my sleep and it starts crackling, I can't go back to sleep.
I did go to an ENT and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He used a scope to look at my Eustachian tube. He said it appeared to be clear.
I am making an appointment to get a Tympanometry with Acoustic Reflex Test. As I type this, I hear the random, but fairly spaced crack sound.
Thanks for listening and any feedback is appreciated.
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