Tinnitus Causes and Symptoms Posted: 12-08-06 04:32am
I've been suffering from tinnitus now for
over two years. It came about in 2004
after a period of having wax blockage in
my ears. I made a couple of ill advised
cleaning attempts using cotton buds, not
being aware of the risks at that time.
Eventually I went for syringing after
trying to alleviate the wax using olive
oil drops.
The tinnitus began about a week before the
syringing and continues to this day. It
is predominantly a high pitched whine, and
seems to be equally present in both ears.
I also get a rhythmical rushing sound in
my ears particularly when standing up
after being seated for a while, or when
bending over (seems to be linked to blood
pressure shifts?). Then there are the
occasional high-pitched 'ping' sounds that
begin loud and fade away over a few
seconds and sometimes my hearing will seem
to become muffled in one ear, again only
for a few seconds before clearing.
I have suffered for the last two years
with lots of head sensations, including
light headedness and general fatigue in my
neck and head, but never any spinning
vertigo. These particular symptoms have
been put down to anxiety so may not be
related to the tinnitus.
To date I have had numerous doctor
appointments and have seen an ENT, and
while they have given me various
explanations as to the head sensations
nobody has given me any explanation for
the tinnitus. So my question, is it
likely that I caused some kind of damage
to my ears that has resulted in the
tinnitus? I was never a fan of rock
concerts and I don't work in a noisy
environment so I don't believe that noise
damage can be a factor.
Your thoughts would me most
appreciated.
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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Ear, Nose & Throat Disorders Answer A1941 Posted: 12-13-06 03:45am
Combined manipulation (cleaning attempts)
and syringing could possible puncture your
eardrum and cause an infection of the
outer and inner ear, at most. However,
there is no report of any mechanical
damage of infection of the ear. Even if
you did puncture the eardrum or
experienced an ear infection, the dominant
symptoms would be pain and weak sense of
sound... not tinnitus. Tinnitus is a
symptom of a damaged inner ear (cochlea).
The inner ear is usually damaged by
chronic sound trauma (living and working
in a noisy environment, for example).
Damage to the inner ear can be confirmed
or excluded with audio tests. Tinnitus can
be also caused by a type of brain damage
that can be confirmed or excluded with
CT-scan or MRI of the head. If everything
is OK with the ear and brain after these
series of tests, the remaining diagnostic
possibility is anxiety disorder. You can
seek expert help from an ENT Specialist.
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