Can't cope Tinnitus and ear pain?

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hello,

I have suffered from ear pain for the past 8 weeks on the right ear. My ent can't find anything wrong with my ear(MRI and hearing test done already). Pain is moderate on the right ear. I would also have pulsatile tinnitues when laying on my stomach(heartbeat sound on ear). For the past four days, I have been suffering from constant tinnitus(normal not pulsatile) and it is becoming really anoying. The pain on the ear is still present, and I still have pulsatile when laying on my stomach, but I don't know why regular tinnutes appear and it is constant now.

The pain on the ear started after I was listening to music wearing headphones. The music was no too loud as I am always carefully of making sure to don't damage my ears. At first I would hear a buzzing sound once in a while, but now it is constant(it is a low frequent sound on my right ear). I am at the point when I am getting really annoyed by this constant sound. Does anyone have any tips on how to cope with it? Do the IPOD loud devices with masking sound work?

2

Hi

I got a low freq tinnitus in my left ear about 7 months ago from an ear infection. Luckily the volume of it has dropped down from the onset for me.

Mine sounded like a car engine running now it sounds like a bass box in a car outside. I find the low freq tinnitus very hard to mask its a nightmare. Two things that helped a lot was a fan running close to my ear and I also found via an app / pc software manged to find the exact freq of my tinnintus around 200 hz. I brought a cheap bluetooth ear piece and played it back in my ear through the ear piece. Because its the exact freq i could turn it right the way down and it would mask it completely. This allowed me to concentrate and gave me some relief from it at its worse.

I hope things get better for you over time.

Matt

3

Hi, yes I agree it is so annoying, I get pulsative tinnitus it is there daily, was unbearable when it started about a year ago, but has quieted down greatly, worse if I lay flat.

Normal tinnitus seems to effect many people especially as we age, it usually has to do with hearing problems of one sort or other, but pulsative can have other causes and is sometimes curable if the underlying cause is found.

Unfortunately normal T Very rarely can be cured.

My PT seems to stem from sinus problems, and can also be enhanced with stress etc. The pulse you can feel when lying on your stomach is probably from the aorta, the pulse which is situated in your stomach, this may be worth getting checked especially if you are an older man.

I can also at times feel a pulse in my stomach, usually again when I am stressed or anxious, but it doesnt bother me at other times.

Some people reckon zinc supplements help their T, my husband has justmlearnt to,live with his. When my PT gets too,loud I tend,to sleep with the radio on, very quiet, so that I have to really concentrate on the radio to hear what they are saying, hence taking my mind away from the awful PT, doesnt always work but does usually help.

I also find having a shower helps, it seems,to take away the noise, also massaging my head and aroud my ears and especially my neck seem to quieten things down for a while.

I do hope you find some peace soon and feel bettter...

4

Sorry just r read your post,and a thought about the ear pain could it be TMJ, that can cause tinnitus, pain in ear, jaw, head and can be very nasty, something I also have, unfortunately, check it out, it might just be the problem...

5

Hello Matth29163,

How were you able to know the freq of your tinnitus? I was searching online and found some apps and Ipad looking divices that said you can use to mask it, but i was not sure how to select the correct sound frequency.

6

Hell,

Do you expereince the tinnitus with pain on the ear as well? My doctor can't find anything wrong on the ear, but I do have pain(to too severe) and the tinnitus(which is annoying). I was wondering if other tinnitus sufferers also have some pain.

7

Hello Wendywilts,

I will visit a dentist next week to see if it is something related to mouth/ dental problems. My ENT did touch the place during my last visit asking if I was feeling pain on the areas he was touching, but I felt not pain on those areas.

8

Does your jaw clunk when you eat sometimes, can you change the sound of your T, by moving your jaw about.

Does the ear pain feel like it is toothache also, does it hurt when you open your mouth wide, or press into the jaw joint area. All these things are tmj symptoms plus loads more, ssuch as head and eye pain, neck pain, I could go on.

Good idea to see a dentist, mind not all are well informed about tmj, but they may refer you.

In the mean time try putting heat on the area, do it as much as you can, it will help either your ear or your jaw, I find the relief can often be almost instant. Let us know how you get on at dentist and forward...

9

Hi

Just download an app like whist or something similar. Sit in a quite room and play a frequency not to loud. Slowly adjust up or down the freq until it matches the sound of your tinnitus. So you cant hear it anymore. That will then be the correct freq of your tinnitus.

It works quite well.

Matt

10

A CT scan of the temporal bone may be useful in the this case, because of the pulsatile tinnitus.

Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

Clinical Neurophysiologist

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

11

Hello,

I did a CT scan of the brain and an MRI of the brain and ear(I also have back head pain which started months before ear pain). Both ENT and Neurologist requested the MRI and it came back normal. I asked the ENT about an MRA, but he said CT and MRI were enough to rule out any dangerous problems.

I went back to ENT yesterday, he gave me xanar for the tinnitus, and triamterene HCTZ for ear pain(He said this would take away any ear pressure since he already try prednisone before for possible inflamation). I am considering going to another ENT for a second opinion. Neurologist ENTs would be the best to deal with ear pain.

12

I meant to say at the end that nuerologist told me that the ENT would be the best to deal with ear pain. I already visited my current ENT 4 times with not success on finding the problem.

13

No, moving my jaw when eating does not have any impact on increasing or lowering ear pain or tinnitus. The ear pain feels more like if there was an inflamed area inside the ear(kind of sore pain, which hurst a little more when i try to pop ear). Some fullness but mostly the sore sensation inside ear plus the tinnitus. I already tried oral steroids for inflamation, but did not work. I am debating on whether I should seek a second opinion from a different ENT.

14

Pulsatile tinnitus is very specific.  If you hear sounds over a long period of time that is synchronised with your heart rate, this would suggest that the cause of your tinnitus is related to an artery located near the inner ear.  I agree with a second ENT opinion.

Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN

Clinical Neurophysiologist

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology