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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Tinnitus / October 2005Is this tinnitus or something else?
Hello everyone, I'm having a puzzling problem. About a month ago, I had a case of strep throat. Classic case, except one weird symptom, which was an intermittent buzzing or static type of noise in my right ear. The ear did not feel infected. The noise seems to start in response to loud or harsh sounds that I hear in my environment. I went through the prescribed rounds of antibiotic/decongestant treatment, strep throat cleared. The clinic doctor said "hopefully it will go away." Helpful. A month later, and I'm still having this weird sound in my right ear part of the time. For example, an air conditioning unit will kick on, or a fan, and I'll have the static noise in my right ear. If I plug my ear, the static goes away, so it is definitely in response to the sound. Sounds such as a tray of ice cubes being dumped out also cause this same staticy buzz. It fades away once the noise in the environment causing it stops. I do have a lifelong history of TMJ, but this is a new problem, and is only in one ear. After much reading online, I'm stumped. Is this tinnitus? Some other problem? My ear does not feel infected either, and I've had enough of those that I can usually tell very early if one is coming. I take no meds regularly, either. I'd appreciate any ideas. -Chrys It could very well be a case of muscle tension on the side of your affected ear. Your mention of TMJ confirms the muscle tension. There are simple neck exercises mentioned on http://eebee.net/earpain.shtml See how you go with thoise. Elly's Tinnitus Resources http://eebee.net/ >Hello everyone, > I'm having a puzzling problem. About a month ago, I had a case of [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > I'd appreciate any ideas. >-Chrys > Hello everyone, > I'm having a puzzling problem. About a month ago, I had a case of [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > I'd appreciate any ideas. > -Chrys Hmm, I suppose this could be a form of tinnitus. Although I have a more classic type of tinnitus than you (high pitched whistle), it is also made much worse in response to certain types of sound, typically 'droning' noises and computer fans. These sounds cause irritation not due to their loudness, but rather their character. This leads me to think that (my) tinnitus is a disorder at the processing level of the system rather that at the input. Sounds that irritate are all 'dull' noises lacking in the high frequencies. If I then artificially add in the missing high frequencies (by using a blue noise generator) things then return to near-normal. It's as if my hearing system reacts when not receiving a balanced input with all the frequencies present. Maybe something at the back of one of your ears hasn't quite recovered from the 'strep' yet. Still, worth consulting a specialist about it I'd have thought. Steve Thanks for the replies. I am going to go ask a doctor about it this evening. -Chrys >Thanks for the replies. I am going to go ask a doctor about it this >evening. >-Chrys That will not get you anywhere. Doctors know next to nothing about tinnitus. Elly's Tinnitus Resources http://eebee.net/ I have a similar type of reactive tinnitus to both of yours, in response to similar sounds. I recently got a typanometry done (see down thread) that revealed a "slack" or flaccid eardrum, probably as a result of an ear infection/patulous eustachian tube. Don't know if it's the same thing for both of you, but you can have a tympanometry done at any audiologist. It only cost me about $115. adamghost, The doctor did this test on Friday evening, and my right eardrum is indeed responding less to sound. I actually experienced a tiny amount of pain in my right ear when the machine beeped, but in my left ear it was just sound. The doctor said that I appear to have a bit of fluid behind the eardrum; slight middle ear infection. So, once the antibiotics are done, we'll see how much noise I'm left with. It seems to at least have improved already. At least I know I'm not imagining the whole thing, that there are others with the same problem! -Chrys Mr. X, and Steve, Thanks also for your replies. It's good to know I'm not imagining the noise!\-Chrys Good to know what the follow-up was! Thanks for posting it. I agree that it's really important to see a doctor...unfortunately in my case (and in many others I've seen posting here and elsewhere), most of the doctors I've seen have not been very thorough about investigating the problem. I had tests done myself simply because none of the other doctors would bother and I was tired of undergoing treatment based on guesswork. And voila, the tests turned up specific stuff; a slack eardrum and eustachian tube dysfunction on both sides. No more guesswork; now I can go in and say "can you treat this, or not?" I am going back to House Ear Clinic on Thursday and I'll let everyone know what they said about my condition...this is useful stuff! But I'll also continue to educate myself... Actually, It may not be a wise thing to advise people not to see a doctor at all when they start having odd symptoms in their ear. In my case, I appear to be very lucky, as I seem to have a middle ear infection. Fluid behind the eardrum and all. After 3 days of antibiotics, the ringing sound does seem less. And although I know, as a veteran of ear infections, that any damage could be here forever, I feel that a visit to the Dr. is certainly worth it, and letting an ear infection which was affecting my hearing run unchecked would not have been wise. I am grateful for the sensible replies I recieved to my post. I do understand, as a long time sufferer of TMJ, what it is like to have a condition medicine cannot cure.(Even with braces and multiple oral surgeries) However, consider what you may be doing when you advise people not to seek medical treatment. -Chrys Hi Chrys, May i ask, what is the name of the antibiotic your doctor prescribed for you? Please keep us posted of you progress. I am glad you found something that is helping you. athena -- "Chrys" wrote in message > Actually, > It may not be a wise thing to advise people not to see a doctor at [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > people not to seek medical treatment. > -Chrys The anitbiotic the doctor prescribed for me is Omnicef. It is one of the newer drugs in the Penicillin family, and the info sheet says you should not take it if you are allergic to Penicillin. It does have the unfortunate side effect of causing a bit of upset stomach, but it's helping the ear, so I think it's worth it so far. -Chrys This isn't really my thread, but I promised I post the results of today's doctor visit: the doctor prescribed potassium iodide for the eustachian tube problems, and said that he thought it was probable that with time the eardrum will get back to normal. Hopefully he is right. Good luck, adamghost! Be sure to let us know how the treatment goes. -Chrys Mine sort of started as this. All fans made a whistle in my left ear. My left ear got better, then my right ear started and and now goes on. There is a buzz word for hypersensitivity to sound, I think it is something like hyperacusis, or something like that. > Hello everyone, > I'm having a puzzling problem. About a month ago, I had a case of [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > I'd appreciate any ideas. > -Chrys
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