Ear infection + tinnitus

I am not a doctor and I do not play one on TV...

I remember reading somewhere that some strong antibiotics can affect hearing.  That's kind of a d@mned in you do, d@mnded if you don't situation - if someone needs the strong antibiotics then they better take them, but the antibiotics may have their own issues.

I have lived with tinnitus for several years - it's particularly bad in the evening when I am tired and I have been hitting the caffeine hard all day (like right now!).  Sorry - I haven't got any answers for you - other than to say that if you want to see a different doctor, then go see a different doctor.  It doesn't matter whether your normal guy is in town or not - you don't owe him anything and if you don't like him, then go elsewhere.  You should tell the new doctor everything that has previously happened - don't hide anything.  That doesn't mean you have to tell the new doc that you didn't like the old doc - if they ask, you can always just say that the new doc was recommended by a coworker, so you decided to switch.

I have tinnitus as well but it only comes out when I think about it :D I dunno about you but most time I can just force it out and it'll go away for a while!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardilla 

Do you have crackling noises when you swallow?
It might be swollen Eucastian tubes; the tube that wents your inner ear to the nasal chamber.
I have this problem. Cortisone spray helps (mine is called Nasonex). My doc has it too, he has been using the spray daily for ages.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackbird 

Yes; that is one my symptoms, Whenever I swallow, there is a cracking sound in the ear.

This is interesting, I have this cracking too but never even gave it any thought. And it's weird you mention swollen tubes ardilla, because sometimes my right ear feels really clogged and sometimes if I smile real wide, it will feel like that ear is almost totally blocked, but return to 'normal' after I stop smiling. I've always attributed it to wax build up, but it normally fixes itself for the most part. Interesting.

Also yeah I have tinnitus too, blackbird. I've had it as long as I can remember. I remember as a kid laying in bed, and when it was really quiet I could hear the ringing, and I would wonder what total silence actually sounded like. I never knew because I always had ringing. But I too had real bad ear infections when I was a little kid, and I think they were responsible for the tinnitus, but I'm not sure.

Yep. An infection will often clogg the euchastian tubes. 

There is no guarantee they will unclog, althought thids might happen. In my case, they just got clogged (I was listening to some headphones that was a bit treble tilteded. Altough at low to moderate levels, I felt a slight discomfort. I ignored this, and might regret it forever....)

I went to an ear an otolaryngologist (Ear/Nose/Throat specialist). I identified my swollen tubes by visual inspection, and told me there was nothing to do about it and that people sometimes got swollen euchastian tubes and that they stayed that way the rest of their life. But not necessarily. Infections, allergy etc might start the condition. I always had narrow tubes, I guess - I easily had painful airplane rides etc. But ot the crackling/ringing issues. 

The only cure I found is what my MD told me - cortison spray (as mentioned in my previous post)

http://www.wikihow.com/Unclog-the-Inner-Ear-or-Eustachian-Tube

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackbird 

Yes; that is one my symptoms, Whenever I swallow, there is a cracking sound in the ear.

 

Again, this has only started with the ear infection. Could it be that my Euchastian tubes became swollen as a result of the infection?

Is it likely to become "unswollen" (I don't know the proper term).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardilla 

My theory is that the tubes gets stuck in a swollen state, and that people with already narrow tubes are predisposed for this. I think nobody knows..

If this really is your problem you might expect that you will have a persistent issue with this, but that it will vary in quantity.

You should really try a Cortisol spray for several months. If it works you should just keep on using it, according to my doc, who its doing this himself.

Can you please give link where can I buy it

It's prescription drug, at least where I live. I use Nasonex, but there are different brands in different countries. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicinmymind 

Can you please give link where can I buy it

Taking supplemental zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins might help decrease tinnitus. Listening to music at too high volumes might be a cause, or vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies might be a cause. Many people are deficient in zinc and magnesium as well as B vitamins and vitamin c. I guess rinsing the ears with peroxide solutions might help heal an infection. The Murine earwax removal kit for example uses a peroxide solution(I think it is 6% in glycerine, which might be much better than the 3% peroxide solutions in water. There are other things you can take to help heal an infection if antibiotics don't work. You could try taking olive leaf extract, raw garlic, echinacea and goldenseal, and oil of oregano.