Tinnitus and full ear feeling .

[ETHEL103]

Morning all.Does anyone have ear fullness with their tinnitus on one side,also I wake with a muzzy head every morning. I've been waiting 22 weeks for an ent appointment and was told yesterday another 45 to go.I have paid for a private one a couple of months ago which was inconclusive and it was put down to stress .I just don't know what to do now.

[ghlla]

Hello,

Your symptoms sound similar to mine. I have T in only my left ear (most of the time) though at the moment it's milder than it was, perhaps due to habituation to some extent.

On my left side I often feel fullness, like there should be wax in there, but whenever it's been checked it's been clear. ENT have ruled out growths/tumours via MRI, the inner ear looks "fine", initially some low pressure that has since recovered. Other than that, ENT have been no help.

My symptoms seem to match possible ETD, though I also have upper back, neck and head pain, that I think could be related.

At this point my focus is on acceptance and habituation, almost 6 months in I assume it's with me for life. I'm finding meditation, masking at night and perhaps CBT helpful.

I also suffer from anxiety which predates the T. I find. spikes of anxiety make the T worse, so there's a psychological element for me for sure.

[ETHEL103 in reply to ghlla]

Your reply helpful thankyou.I also suffer with health anxiety made worse by my bereavement. I'm having CBT at the moment and have just filled in a sleep diary as insomnia is also a problem.Bp is OK.I could cope with T as I've had it for over 15 years but the muzzy heads almost daily make it worse.I do a couple of classes at my gym and a walking group Mondays so I think I'm doing OK exercise wise.Just would like to feel well again to try and move forward in my life.

[noisynora in reply to ETHEL103]

Ethel, yes I know I was very fortunate. Swindon ENT were wonderful. Yes, any stress causes anxieties that can increase tinnitus and can manifest in allsorts of physical experiences. Losing a loved one sets a course of its own - we live alongside it really and although time helps to take the rawness away, on occasions its not unusual to be overwhelmed 'out of the blue' - even after many years. Taking tender care of yourself and don't set too many goals or expectations. calmness helps when you can achieve that state. My stress levels aresky high at present - due to allsorts of things and my tinnitus is thru the roof but from experience I know it will tune down again. we can't magic stress away but its important to try and really take care of ourselves. I wish you all the very best.

[noisynora in reply to noisynora]

so sorry Ethel, this reply was for rabbit65. many apologies

[WandaDelamere]

I do have a feeling of fullness in my ears; like the tinnitus, it comes and goes. I also find that if I pull my earlobes I can feel some pain inside my ears. I don't know if this is a symptom, and if so, of what, or if it's just something all humans experience.

[Vic24]

Hi! Yes, from time to Time I have this fulness of ear or even both ears.

Check your blood pressure. If it’s good , it must be another cause. Maybe cervical spodilosis. I used to do gymnastics with head.

For foggy head I take Magnesium and Gingko Biloba.

Good health! Have walks every day!

[Hel_C]

Yes I often have a feeling of fulness and wake up feeling muzzy headed. I did not find my ENT appointment helpful as he did not talk about my tinnitus symptoms apart from asking me if my hearing aids helped and I gave a bit of a non-committal answer. I do know it's not a brain tumour as the hearing test would have looked different. I have been diagnosed with vestibular migraines as well so now aiming to manage that too. Mindear (Dr Fabrice Bardy) run some really good Zoom sessions and I have now been to one about Somatic Tinnitus and Cochlear Tinnitus. There are good tips around self management and there's also an app with resources which might be of interest to you.

[Plaster]

Good morning I have tinnitus in my left ear and meniers in my right in my late 30s was given ear drops decongestant nose sprays antihistamines. But nothing worked .then when I went to boots for my glasses things started to change this was 14 years ago .I wes offered a hearing test it took about 6 months of perseverance by the lady I BETAHISTINE I wes referred for an MRI the doctors reasured me all was fine as they look for different causes it was meniers in my right and was prescribed BETAHISTINE which helps reduce the fulness in the ear it's amazing to have a bit clearer head unfortunately there is no cure but they really .tinnitus really cane only be masked buy other sounds they call them white noise but at the end of the day it's just a different noise I hope this help s it's only my experience I'm 74 now I find doing thins hobbies in or outside give me distraction I hope this reply helps and I haven't rattled on to much from jill

[noisynora]

good morning Ethel. Yes, I have tinnitus in lrft ear with loss of hearing but the fullness is in my right ear which doesn't have tinnitus. very odd. I had to wait 2years for an ENT appointment - I had to keep pestering my doctor to be honest as he didn't think I needed to be referred. I was thrilled when the appointment finally arrived as by this time I had become very anxious and worn down. I can honestly say I had THE best treatment - scans, vestibular assessments, hearing tests and allsorts but the very best part was spending an hour with one of the practitioners who listened to me and understood. She explained what tinnitus is and why it occurs and the science of it all was also helpful. when my husband met me after this first appointment he couldn't believe the difference in me and this was the start of enjoying my life again. Sorry, this is a bit long, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I had two more appointments and the last one rated my anxiety levels - so when I first went it was 90 and after 3rd session it was down to a ridiculous 'under 10! This was swindon ENT NHS in Wiltshire. I hope your next appointment will be more helpful for you.

[rabbits65 in reply to noisynora]

Hi. I’ve just read all your story and felt I had to write to you. I am just amazed at how lucky you were to get such an amazing doctor at your ENT who listened to you and gave you such good advice. Spent a whole hour talking with you. What a completely wonderful doctor , I wish they were all like that. Marvellous person. I developed tinnitus and fullness in my head and ears after the loss of my dear mother. Four years ago . Thank you for your post . My name is Penny from Bexhill on sea

[noisynora]

ps- i do have muzzy feeling in my head when I wake, and other times alongside my right ear feeling as if its full of cotton wool but I put it down to an age thing. Also get unsteadyness as occasionally have inner ear issues so periodically have to do the eply menouvre to rebalance the crystals in my inner ear. Possibly none of this has helped you but none the less included the breadth of my particular experience just in case. All the best.

[ETHEL103]

Thankyou everyone x

[Graham-E]

Hello,

Strange you and others should say but my left ear often feels like it’s full or submerged. Just as if there should be lots of wax in there, but whenever it's been checked it's been clear.

My T seems concentrated over that side of my head. I have no idea if that is what is happening or just how I perceive it.

Having said all that when I’ve been to my ENT for a hearing check, my left ear is my worst in terms of hearing capability.

My H.A.s need modification to increase the amplification on my left side.

Great post that I’m sorry you had to make. I hope you make some progress soon.

Be kind to yourself, that is so important.

Best G

[jeddington56]

hi, i have ear fullness as well with tinnitus and i am terrible with dizziness when i get up either in the night or in the mornings. Ive seen Doctor, ENT and spoken to my Audiologist about it but they all say its stress.

[rabbits65 in reply to jeddington56]

Yes I find that too. Everyone blames stress. and this is all very well them putting it all down to stress but it makes me feel they are using this as a get out clause. Walking is about the best therapy for me. With my poodles in the fresh air. And sunshine

[Marlayna67]

hello I have had bilateral tinnitus since I was 11. About to turn 60. When I was living in Los Angeles my 20s, I developed severe allergies and that created that full feeling. It bothered me for a couple of years until I found an acupuncturist able to put needles in and drain the compacted fluid. Voilà the fullness was gone. A word of warning is that 20 years later, I started taking Benadryl, which caused a lot of ear issues to start for me all over again. Be very careful with long-term use of antihistamines. Now the fullness is gone although if I have an allergy attack, I’ll have it for a couple of days, but it always settles back down.

[cheapo]

Sorry to learn that you're suffering with the dreaded "T".

One description I've read about is that the full ear feeling may partly be due to fluid or wax, which, in itself can cause tinnitus. So if the "blockage" reduces, so does the tinnitus. I kind of have that feeling all the time, and have had hearing loss and tinnitus for 40 years. But on the few occasions over the decades that I had my ears syringed, my T didn't change. My check up last month showed minimal ear wax, yet my T persists. Mine is possibly due to hearing loss, but also possibly from ear damage from loud jobs. I assume you had a check up + ear exam to get your ENT appointment, and no ear wax showed up.

So wax or possibly a sinus issue on it's own can cause T, and yes, stress seems to be noted as a cause for up to 50% of patients.

So let me just say, you're not alone in your frustration. And yes, even for peeps like me who are, kind of, habituated to Tinnitus, I'm still constantly frustrated by it.

Have you considered relaxation sounds with ear buds?

[rabbits65 in reply to cheapo]

Like your post , But what do you mean by relaxation sounds with ear buds. We are not supposed to put ear buds into our ears ?

[ETHEL103]

Thankyou all for your replies.Wouldnt wish T on anyone but relieved to know I'm not alone .

[Tourk]

Hi Ethel103you mean like pressure in your ears, if so yes. Usually means I eat to much sugar the day before.

Tapping 8x 20 on the back of the neck helps, But the main thing is to reduce sugar.

Tinnitus is linked to diabetes as is RA . There is so much sugar in everything we eat ( not only fast food) as we get older our bodies just can't cope. Add to that vegetable oils it's no wonder our body trys to get our attention.

If you have tried the tapping thing I've found a mix of essential oils made into a cream very effective at getting rid of the pressure/ fullness feeling in my ears.

If changes to diet doesn't get rid of it try taking "Benfotiamine" .

This pain you are in can be reduced, of course not knowing what treatments or other conditions you may have I would suggest you consider taking to a competent doctor or chemist before making drastic changes.

There is plenty of information online about this condition.

I hops this helps

Chris

[Whitburn in reply to Tourk]

The correlation between fullness in the ear and the intake of sugar is very interesting. I don't have the fullness feeling when I wake up but it comes on through the day. I will do a sugar fast for a few days and see if that makes any difference (after Mother's Day!!) as that fullness feeling is almost worse for me than the tinnitus noise and it makes me feel so out of sorts. I will let you know if there is anything to report xx