Update on My Tinnitus (Eustachian Tube Dysfunction)

[dpdx]

So I have recently gone back to my ENT today for a follow up appointment.
I have had tinnitus for 6 months, I've had all the testing done as of MRI and hearing test.
My MRI is normal and so is my hearing.

He told me today that he looked into my hearing test and seen where my right ear had pressure and he says I have eustachian tube dysfunction, he doesn't know if that is what's causing the tinnitus.

He mentioned I may need surgery, to help open it up, but is going to give me 3 months to see if the nose spray will help it.

Has anyone else have had problems with Eustachian tube dysfunction?

Did you do DPOAE?

 

[CrystalB]

Did you do DPOAE?

I have never heard of that what is DPOAE?

 

[dpdx]

I have never heard of that what is DPOAE?

tests your outer cochlea cells

 

[CrystalB]

Nope they haven't done that, really the only thing my ENT has done was a hearing test and MRI.

 

[Dginobile]

Have you ever had a test done to see if you have ETD? A hearing test should show it. My ENT says my ears look fine also, but they can't see deep into your ear like your tubes. Do you have allergies?

Hey, I had a hearing test back in December as well but they said it was normal and said that maybe my Eustachian Tube was slightly inflamed but never confirmed it. I do have allergies but usually only in spring I haven't had any sneezing or congestion however every so often I get the sinus pressure in my nose but they said it looks fine as well. Very frustrating to say the least

 

[CrystalB]

Hey, I had a hearing test back in December as well but they said it was normal and said that maybe my Eustachian Tube was slightly inflamed but never confirmed it. I do have allergies but usually only in spring I haven't had any sneezing or congestion however every so often I get the sinus pressure in my nose but they said it looks fine as well. Very frustrating to say the least

Sounds like it could possibly be ETD. When do you go back to your ENT? I wish there was something or some how they could look at our Eustachian tube and could tell us for sure if it was ETD or not. I think the mystery of not knowing is what really gets me upset.

My ENT said I did have ETD but didn't know for sure if my tinnitus was coming from that! It is very frustrating.

I do hope you find out something that can help.

 

[Pelzwickian]

Hello. Crystal B, your symptoms are very similar to mine. My right ear started ringing around December of last year. I thought it was from an ear infection. Around Feb. of this year my ear started to feel painful, and my sinuses and ears started popping and crackling all the time. Felt like pressure on my ears and head. At this time my neck also started crackling quite a bit towards the top two vertebrae (spinal fluid). No doctors have been able to tell me anything. I had an MRI, some spinal xrays, and was inspected by an TMJ doctor. Slight hearing loss in my right ear, but not much that would warrant T from hearing loss. My jaw isn't painful. The T seems to get worse in correlation with the ETD. I can't swallow without my ears crunching. The T is daily, high pitched like the TV was left on. Sometimes I will loose hearing altogether and my ear will feel full, like with fluid, and the T takes on a whole new form (really loud). It will take a day to a week for it to not feel so full. Using my jaw to pop my ears helps relieve the pressure, but only temporarily. I can't afford to keep going to doctors, to have them tell me they don't know whats wrong. It is really hard for me to believe that with so many people, that experience very similar symptoms in relation to T, there are so little answers. For me, the T is directly connected to the level of ETD I am experiencing at the time.

 

[Samir]

I had a hearing test back in December of last year and my ENT told me that I had negative pressure that the hearing test showed and that's when he diagnosed me with ETD.

That's right. That's the test used to see if you have any middle ear problems. It's called tymapnometry.

The ideal tympanogram is called a type A diagram and looks like the red shape in the image below.

If you have negative pressure in your middle ear cavity, the diagram is called a type C diagram and looks like the red shape in the image below.

You can read more about tympanometry on the site below.

https://thehearingconsultancy.ie/tympanometry/

This is indicative of a middle ear problem, where Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is one of them. But note that "dysfunction" only means bad or difficult function, not lack of function. Also note that the diagram you see above is indicative of a middle ear problem, it's not a proof of Eustachian tube dysfunction. You might get that type of diagram if you have a middle ear infection or otitis media as well, it may not have anything to do with the Eustachian tubes. You might also have eardrum retraction where the eardrum lies deeper inside the ear. It might also have to do with anatomical abnormalities on the affected ear without any damage being present whatsoever. You might just have narrow Eustachian tube on the affected side.

I would personally reserve surgery as the very last resort. Try to gather as much information as possible before you decide to go along with surgery, and get a second opinion from a different doctor if you can.