Waiting to See My Primary Care Manager

[Katie2016]

I tried to call my PCM this morning to get an appointment for my ear.

There are no appointments until Dec 22, and I am on a flight out of town that day.

My only other option is the ER (which for me also acts as the Urgent Care-I'm not misusing the ER, but the military hospital has an ER and that is the urgent care I'm authorized to use)

Anyway, I called the nurse advice line. They asked me if I've had any drainage from that ear...and then I realized I have had drainage from that ear before the pulsing fan like noise started. ... Every night for weeks I'd wake up with clear liquid in my ear canal. I never put two and two together.

I'd really like to be seen before I get on a plane, in case all it is is an ear infection or something? I have no idea.

I typed in whooping noise in right ear and this site came up.... I honestly didn't expect google to come up with anything...Which then caused me to look a little further into it and now I'm a little concerned. I am a 30 year old female, who had a percutaneous transcatheter closure of a PFO heart defect in 2008... I have a Amplatzer Occluder in my heart now which sealed the defect/hole. Also, since Feb 2016 I've developed intermittent strabismus in my left eye.

I have no clue if any of this is connected...but I'm wondering if I should be going to the ER?

I have my 2 and 4 year old at home....don't want to be in ER for hours or anything.

Also, in the last year I've developed a 85/115 type blood pressure, where it use to be either normal/normal or low/low Blood pressure.

Can anyone give me advice based on what YOU would do IF this was YOU? I have an eye appointment with a pediatric ophthalmologist on Friday for my strabismus so I can talk about surgery. My eye pressures have been fine as of a few months ago. I don't know the numbers.

Sorry for the lengthy intro. Thank you.

OH I'm also being treated for TMJ/grinding teeth at night.

I left a message for the nurse at the dr office, this is what they got going for me after they asked me a few questions.
1130am Family health clinic, symptoms become painful, fever, any more discharge go to ER.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. I can't address your other medical issues which are best to leave for the doctors to diagnose. If your T is the pulsatile type, then we have a support forum for that. @Karen is also a notable member here who has pulsatile tinnitus and perhaps she can advise you better. There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including drug reaction or side-effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma, head trauma & injury, neck problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for the loss of loved ones, untreated sleep apnea, elevated stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc. T can be caused by a single thing or a combo of the problems listed above. If your T can be traced to a clear medical issue, then count that as a positive. Often when the medical issue is taken care of, T may fade or disappear.

 

[Katie2016]

is it considered PT if you only hear it some time...not every night, but sometimes...seems random to me.

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Katie,

Welcome aboard!

If you served in the military, I would like to thank you for your service.

As for your unfortunate list of medical maladies, I would assemble a list of general questions for each respective specialist you go to and ask those same questions over and over to each doctor you go to. Their answers are all likely to be different and what they reveal could give you further insight. Best of luck!

 

[Karen]

Hi, @Katie2016,

You may still have pulsatile tinnitus, even if it isn't constant. The main thing that will determine if it is pulsatile is if it is exactly in sync with your heartbeat/pulse.

If you've been having drainage from the ear, that could signal that it is infected, and you might want to get to a doctor to be checked out as soon as possible. That could be causing the sound in your ear, but it's hard to say.

Have you decided yet whether you're going to go to the ER?

 

[Katie2016]

My husband is active duty. I will pass that thank you along.

I have an appointment tomorrow at 1130am. They scheduled me when the nurse called me and discovered my symptoms. I have a flight out of town on 22 Dec and would love if it's a simple ear infection causing it. The drainage has stopped for a couple months,

I've had a lot of the possible causes. Head injury (it was 2006). Neck injury (2006). Loud noise exposure (a lifetime of it). Tmj. Elevated stress. Anxiety when I am at Dr appointments and with medical stuff.

So if my pcm says it ,as be an ear infection and gives me meds, should I just leave it at that unless the pulsating whooping comes back? I haven't had it for like 3 nights. Sometimes I wake up because of my daughter in the middle of the night and have it. Most of the time it's when I've been laying in bed trying to fall asleep. I may have had it a couple times during the day, but I can't be certain. See my 2 1/2 year old has been waking up 6 times a night for over 2 years. So I'm already exhausted, my kid have different medical stuff going on too. Then with my medical history ....it all combines to give me anxiety when I go to dr. Even my BP has been higher there than at home. My days just tend to blend together and I have a hard time keeping track of one day from another.

 

[Katie2016]

UPDATE:
I went to my primary care office, he thinks that I have eustachian tube dysfunction. He's having me try flonase for 3 weeks and see if that helps.

My right ear has a slight buldge on the ear drum, but there is no hole for any liquid to drain from. He thinks I had trapped water in my ear and it must have drained out slowly over weeks (this I'm not sure I believe...but maybe...maybe, after all anything is possible).

I have no evidence of any type of ear infection. I have no wax. I have a clean ear!

If it doesn't resolve my ear discomfort and I continue to hear the whooping than I should go back in 3 weeks.

I do have an appointment with my pediatric (yes because they're the best for strabismus) ophthalmologist on Friday. I am going to mention it to him.
Thoughts?