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Hearing has become very strange in 1 ear

Posted , 4 users are following.

lesley73033
lesley73033

Hi.  I am wondering if I am suffering from tinnitus in my left ear.  For the past week I have thought that the sound was my tv was going.  Music, especially on commercials and soaps, has had a very tinny off key tone to it.  Then today i realised that when I held my phone to my left ear it sounded like it was vibrating.  This doen't happen with my right ear and when I block the sound from my right ear I hear the vibrating noise especially when there is a strong bass on tv.  When I block my other ear, most of the odd noise disappears.

I do have sinus problems and suffer from chronic post nasal drip so frequently have fullness in my ears but I don't seem to be any deafer than usual.  If i make an appointment with my GP tomorrow I am unlikely to be seen until the new year as there is a 3 week wait at the best of times.

Is it likely to be tinnitus and if it is, what can I do for self help in the mean time?

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Aeryes
    Aeryes lesley73033

    Posted

    Hey there.

    Going to your GP is almost a waste if it is Tinnitus due to the fact that he can not do anything for it. There is no "cure" for it. Usually Tinnitus is a symptom of another condition such as acoustic trauma where the ear has been damaged due to loud noise exposure but medications can also cause temporary Tinnitus. If I were you I would see what medication I am taking, look up the side effects and see if Tinnitus is a side effect. If it is then go to your GP ans state that you think this medication is causing Tinnitus due to ototoxicity. If this does not apply to you it is a waiting game. My Tinnitus lasted 6-8 months before it went away. 

    The condition itself is caused by the brains filter for its own mechanical noise to stop working due to damage to the pottasium channels that link the nerves. When these pathways get damaged they fire of at different times causing to to percieve a sound that actually is there just only you can hear it because its your brains "working" sound. It takes time for your brain to filter out these noises and not percieve them as threts anymore.

    Hope that helped a bit smile

  • Aeryes
    Aeryes lesley73033

    Posted

    Sorry for all the spelling errors. Thats what happens when you type a mile a minute smile
  • jacqueline01135
    jacqueline01135 lesley73033

    Posted

    Before you start stressing out, the problem may be ,a build up of wax 

    Two minute job to have it checked

  • lesley73033
    lesley73033

    Posted

    Thanks.  I phoned my GP surgery this morning as my ear felt hot inside but there was no pain si they said that it wasn't an emergency and so I couldn't have an appointment until the middle of Jan!  Eventually they agreed to me seeing a nurse who examinbed my ear and said that she could see no wax build up but that my eardrum was shiny and so I might have a fluid build up inside.  I have to wait to "see how it goes".  I am seriously thinking of changing my GP.

    The only meds I am on is the odd tramadol when my arthritis gets particularly bad, which it is at the minute.

    I expect I am just going to have to get used to it for now

    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 lesley73033

      Posted

      O.K lesley,    off you go to the A&E  More than one way to "Kill a Pig 

      at least you will be seen,before January

    • Aeryes
      Aeryes lesley73033

      Posted

      Whatever you do. Do NOT let them pierce the eardrum to remove any fluid. This could cause permanent damage to both hearing and cause tinnitus.
  • lesley73033
    lesley73033

    Posted

    Do you really think it's an a and e job?
    • Aeryes
      Aeryes lesley73033

      Posted

      No they won't do anything for it. Tinnitus is a symptom not a problem. It will go away at some point but it all depends on how you handle it.
    • jacqueline01135
      jacqueline01135 lesley73033

      Posted

      If you go to the A&E they might refer you to the ear clinic, where they

      will give your ears a "good going over"

      If you do have Tinnitus you will hear it from the horse's mouth ,that

      it does not go away, it sort of becomes your bosom buddy, and goes

      everywhere with you

  • melodie66392
    melodie66392 lesley73033

    Posted

    Hi Lesley.  I've heard all of this too from both my PCM and the ENT.  That there is nothing they can do for it.  Sometimes it goes away, but other times it does not.  They both told me to try to learn to live with it and find ways not to "listen" to it.  Try to listen to other sounds.  So that's what I've been doing.  It's been a bit better, and I do notice it there if I let myself.  But I've resigned myself to one thing...no one really cares except other people who have it.  I've met some wonderful people right here and am so glad I found this place to talk and vent toe each other.  We can help each other for sure.  I wish you all the best and you can talk to me anytime.  We are all in this together.
  • lesley73033
    lesley73033

    Posted

    It did go away and came back yesterday.  
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