What Might Cause Ear Fluttering / Contracting? I'm Not Sure?

#34
I'm not on any meds. Right now, I'm just selective in what I expose myself to. and I'm still in the midst of doc appts to see if they can point to a cause or whatever.
 
#36
It's a battle that's for sure. I'm still trying to find the best course of action to take. I am looking at my neck possibly contributing to my noise. I will see if they will "burn" my C2 neck nerves...checking into that today. It seems we are on are own for the most part.
 
#37
wait... what? I have a bad neck. My headaches come from my neck being out of whack. and the doc wants to do another MRI of a "suspicious image", but she said it wasn't in the ear, it was near the brain stem. Is there something to the neck thing and my hearing issues??
 
#39
I just scanned thru it, but I will have to google a lot of those terms! right now, I'm tired after a very busy day at work and it's 11pm. Thanks for the info! I will read into it before my MRI appt.
 
#41
Thank you, @just1morething ! It's going to be an interesting month. The 10th with the MRI and CT scan (and a hearing test too!), consult same day, then on the 17th, heading to South America to the Colombian Amazon. I'm a bit anxious about both events bothering me (noise of MRI and flying), but not enough to make me stay home. :)
 
#43
@Kris

I had the same symptom (fluttering) back in 2008, also at certain frequencies, not all. My advice: don't do any surgery, don't cut any muscle in your middle ear, it will get cured by itself. I'm sorry i don't remeber how long it took in my case to go away, pretty long time, but when it went away, it never came back. I was interested in surgery also at that time, now I'm glad I didn't go for it, it will go away on its own, but it takes a while.

All the best!
 
#45
Kris said:
Hi guys

In addition to the on and off dullness feeling I get in my ears, and the low level humming/buzz I get this odd sensation that I am hoping some of you might be able to help me with.

When my daughter screams, cries or when people talk loudly the inside of my ear flutters and feels like it is contracting. Sometimes this sensation goes all the way through my head and down my neck. Always on the left side. When I touch the left side of my face, sometimes I also get the flutter feeling.

I don't get this reaction though around some other loud sounds, like a bang of a dish or the tv loud doesn't effect my ear,neck etc. strange! Seems to be only a certain pitch perhaps? Or is it soemthing psychological? I have been anxious for a while now about my t and ear dullness.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

Same symptoms here. Pressure/pain/fullness + ringing + low level hum/vibration + fluttering with sound.
 
#46
Having had T for 5 weeks now, but the last couple of days I have been getting a new T sound that gets very loud and almost sounds like an echo'ing for a few seconds - as the inside of my ear almost feels slightly fluddered or plugged for a few seconds too. It's a weird sensation overall and almost feels like my as if my equilibrium is off for a couple of seconds.....then just disaptes to feeling normal with my typical T (hissing or buzzing).

Is this worth going back to the ENT Dr about? I'v experienced it in both ears - but does not happen at the same moment.

Interestingly enough, this was the type of strange sound I was experiencing occasionally before my T started but has been absent until now again.
 
#49
I'm agree with Haru. I also think that fluterring is only due psychological reasons. The muscle becomes tired (why?)and inflamed.

Adrian, stapedium myocloni is especially upset and can be a little painful (inflamation)

Haru said:
I don't think fluttering is only due to anxiety/psychological reasons. When my ears fluttered, I wasn't excited at all. I didn't fear any sound at all. I was talking on the phone and it was quite an enjoyable phone call. I totally wanted to hear the person on the phone. But the sound came and the fluttering started as an automatic reaction.
I think doctors explain fluttering as purely due to anxiety as they explain everything else that they do not understand the cause of. They don't understand complications of T.
Click to expand...
 
#51
Kerry H said:
@citigirl13 - I'm kind of going through something similar too right now. My eardrums (or muscles in my ear) are contracting, but I don't think it has anything to do with sound or anticipating it. At first I thought it could be PT, but it's not lined up with a heart beat and pretty random. I can actually hear and feel the sound, and it sounds like a thump. I also notice when I turn my head to the side or in a weird position it tends to trigger it. I don't have fluid either.

When you all talk about fluttering, is that the same thing as this thumping sound I am having or is it different? I know at @cullenbohannon mentioned in another post it could be related to TTTS, but could it still be TTTS even though I don't think it's related to sound, or me thinking about it? It just feels like spasms.
Click to expand...

@Kerry H , My Tinnitus is just like yours. Does it sound like this?
 
#52
I have this is my right ear. Sometimes my left as well. It's only set off by percussive sounds, like when doing the dishes and they clank together. Only had it since T started. It's annoying, but not painful for me, so I don't think much about it.
 
#53
MidnightOilAudio said:
I have this is my right ear. Sometimes my left as well. It's only set off by percussive sounds, like when doing the dishes and they clank together. Only had it since T started. It's annoying, but not painful for me, so I don't think much about it.
Click to expand...

What do you mean ''annoying, but not painful''? That's kind of an oxymoron. Do you think it would be better to define it as a dull pain instead of as a sharp pain and that if it were set off by more sounds than merely percussive and dishes, you would qualify it as pain that drags you down constantly?
 
#54
Little kids screaming, loud cats, mechanical squeaking sounds, or high music sounds on a guitar or fiddle make my ears flutter. It'll last a couple days if I don't cover my ears. Like in my picture. That's me when I was two when my dad was playing his accordion. Maybe I was born this way. Who knows?
 
#55
japongus said:
What do you mean ''annoying, but not painful''? That's kind of an oxymoron. Do you think it would be better to define it as a dull pain instead of as a sharp pain and that if it were set off by more sounds than merely percussive and dishes, you would qualify it as pain that drags you down constantly?
Click to expand...

It doesn't have any sensation of pain at all. It's merely the "thumping" and that's it.
 
#56
Hi - I'm so relieved to read that I am not the only one with this weird eardrum spasm-tinnitus. The intermittent episodes began when I was a child. I vividly remember the night: I was in a deep sleep, and the fire siren in our neighborhood sounded, waking me up, and triggering what felt like a rhythmic fluttering of my eardrum, accompanied by waves of deafness or a slight thumping. It was very scary. Initially, it would happen rarely, but ALWAYS was triggered by a noise and ALWAYS occurred as a result of the noise waking me from a nap or a deep sleep.

This is absolutely NOT psychological. Just as our ears move slightly in reaction to a sudden noise (like an animal, but obviously to a way lesser extent!!), our ear drums must also physically react, and for some reason, this sets off a spasm.

I have additional tinnitus and hearing loss, perhaps genetic and definitely also as a result of too many rock concerts in the 70's!

All of my life, when I would describe this eardrum spasm to a doctor, they would have no clue what I was talking about. Now that I see that there is a medical term for it I am comforted. The disconcerting part is that these have suddenly begun to occur frequently (again, during a nap or sleep), and are lasting much longer than before.

Keep sharing:)
Karen
 
#57
Since the onset of my T, I've had fluttering in my left ear only, on occasion. The really, really odd thing, is that it only seems to happen when I am lying on my back in bed at night watching TV. My TRT/audiologist, after reviewing some of my results, asked me if I was experiencing this before I told him. Its very common with T/H.

I understand that it is my tensor tympani muscle, I understand less why it is being activated in this particular situation. It's not terribly bothersome, I'd compare it to having a temporary involuntary muscle tick. That being said, I would not be happy at all if it was happening frequently or constantly. Mine is a minor nuisance, I sympathize with folks who have it to a larger degree.
 
#58
Hey all,

I have been struggling with this issue for a while now it comes and goes for months at a time but I'm not sure if I just get used to it and it's getting worse but it's still lingering around and I also have anxiety issues, does anyone get a dizzy feeling with this? The most annoying part of it is the sensitive hearing from putting the dishes away and my son making sounds and crying makes me wants to block my ears. I have had enough and am willing to try anything to fix this. I first noticed this when I flew to Europe in 2012 and in the first hotel I stayed at had no fans and I noticed the ringing in my ears and they would flutter when I ran my hand past my ears without even touching them, I didn't really worry about it then just thought it was from the long flight but now almost 4 years later it's a lot worse and is ruining my life to a point where I just want to be at home wearing ear plugs, I have been to an ENT doctor and they can't see anything wrong so I have had a CT scan done on my neck as I have tightness there and he thinks that might be causing it, I should get the results in a few days which I know will come back all good as usual along with the 100 blood tests I've had done that were the same.. Hope someone finds a cause and cure soon.. I would like to talk to someone with the same issue if anyone wants to I am keen.. Thanks
 
#59
I have had the ear fluttering/pressure since my T started, most of the time it is caused by people talking, dogs barking, and loud noises. But if I think of a loud noise or a places where there are loud noises i.e. Cinemas , Live Music this will also cause the effects.

The pressure and dull feelings in the ear are worst than the fluttering as this makes me feel like I am going deaf.
 
#60
Bringing this back up, I last posted in here October, 2015.

The fluttering with certain sounds is still here, but I experience a dull ache every so often at well. It will typically last a few days and then die down again. Let me clarify, the dull ache is persistent, it does coincide with the flutter. Meaning, I do not experience pain immediately upon hearing a sound that causes my ear to flutter or "thump". And it ALWAYS happens if I touch near the affected ear, or the ear itself.

I have noticed it seems to be worse on my days off from work, I think this is because I spend more time inside my house (quiet environment), whereas on a workday, I am up and then immediately in the shower and then in the car. All the while with music playing (via cell phone - not some huge stereo at 100db). I think the morning routine of the week de-sensitizes my ear.

On a day OFF from work however, if I get up and read the paper in "silence" (silence in quotes, since I have T), then something as simple as flicking a light-switch or just speaking a few words will cause it to thump violently. The fluttering/thumping STILL doesn't bother me so much as does the possibility that this symptom will somehow escalate. From what I see online reading people's experiences (which I probably shouldn't do), some people just keep experiencing this for years(!), some people get worse and go to full-blown H, and some people just recover on their own. So clearly the pathology behind TTTS can vary quite a bit.

Personally, I am going to work on relaxation techniques (I am a stress head by nature) and not restricting my activities in any way that I wouldn't if I didn't have T or TTTS (besides wearing earplugs in situations where even people without T should wear them). Thanks for reading!

Anyone else that has previously posted in this thread care to share how you've been getting on with your TTTS?
 

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