The Lemon Fool

For several days now I've had a rushing noise in one ear.

I have not had any accidents or illnesses which might have caused it, it doesn't hurt, there is nothing coming out of the ear - it is just annoying!
I read that it could be water in the ear, but I've only had everyday showers and the last time I was in a pool was about 2-3 weeks ago!

Anyone had similar and if so, did it last long or was there a treatment for it?

TIA
Sats

Could it be tinitus? Google it.

Agree that water in the ear (or one of the inner ear/sinus channels) is the most likely cause. I find it can happen after a head cold. Try a super-strong menthol lozenge like Hall's maximum strength, and don't bother with the sugar-free variants because they just don't have enough oomph. Keep the ear as warm as you can.

Whooshing in the ears can also be a sign of high blood pressure, but I take it we can exclude that possibility in your case?

BJ

Thanks both. I did think of tinnitus, but discarded it as it wasn't the traditional "ringing". However, "pulsative tinnitus*" sounds extremely familiar (if you pardon the pun). As for BP, I have always been the very model of perfect numbers there too.

And after posting I did sit down and have a better think and came up with a few other unrelated symptoms/issues that have been slightly preying on my mind which may be worth a look. My GP agreed, so at 7.55am this morning I presented myself at the local walk in centre clutching a blood test referral. By 8.05 I was back in my car a few mls lighter, and I'll know more in 3-5 working days.

Thanks
Sats


* https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/pulsatile-tinnitus

Satsuma wrote:Thanks both. I did think of tinnitus, but discarded it as it wasn't the traditional "ringing". However, "pulsative tinnitus*" sounds extremely familiar (if you pardon the pun). As for BP, I have always been the very model of perfect numbers there too.

And after posting I did sit down and have a better think and came up with a few other unrelated symptoms/issues that have been slightly preying on my mind which may be worth a look. My GP agreed, so at 7.55am this morning I presented myself at the local walk in centre clutching a blood test referral. By 8.05 I was back in my car a few mls lighter, and I'll know more in 3-5 working days.

Thanks
Sats


* https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/pulsatile-tinnitus

My wife has been diagnosed with tinnitus (or a form of it) within the last two weeks and yesterday had an MRI scan and a few days before that a hearing aid which sounds a white noise to distract her from the noise. Fortunately she has long hair so the hearing device is invisible. She has not received a blood test which seems a rather odd thing to have for tinnitus. She has also been advised to purchase a device which will issue a noise overnight to help her sleep. That was ordered this morning. Separate bedrooms for us I think.

Mike88 wrote:She has not received a blood test which seems a rather odd thing to have for tinnitus.

The noise I have is a symptom of something else which can be diagnosed by a blood test.

Good luck to your wife. You can also buy pillow speakers if that might be compatible with her device, to avoid the separate bedroom route?

Satsuma wrote:Thanks both. I did think of tinnitus, but discarded it as it wasn't the traditional "ringing". However, "pulsative tinnitus*" sounds extremely familiar (if you pardon the pun). As for BP, I have always been the very model of perfect numbers there too.

And after posting I did sit down and have a better think and came up with a few other unrelated symptoms/issues that have been slightly preying on my mind which may be worth a look. My GP agreed, so at 7.55am this morning I presented myself at the local walk in centre clutching a blood test referral. By 8.05 I was back in my car a few mls lighter, and I'll know more in 3-5 working days.

Thanks
Sats

* https://www.tinnitus.org.uk/pulsatile-tinnitus

Did your GP check your ear canal for wax?

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/earwax/pag ... x#symptoms

It was a phone consult, so no

I don't have any hearing impairment and have never had earwax issues before now though, although that doesn't mean it isn't.

Satsuma wrote:For several days now I've had a rushing noise in one ear.

I have not had any accidents or illnesses which might have caused it, it doesn't hurt, there is nothing coming out of the ear - it is just annoying!
I read that it could be water in the ear, but I've only had everyday showers and the last time I was in a pool was about 2-3 weeks ago!

Anyone had similar and if so, did it last long or was there a treatment for it?

TIA
Sats

I've had a persistent high pitch tone, rather than a rushing/whooshing, in one ear for a few years now, which incidentally also seemed to come on after swimming. After about 10 days it finally dawned on me it probably wasn't going away, so GP checked ears/ear wax/blood pressure etc. which all looked normal. I hadn't had any accidents or illnesses either however possible contributing factors I can think of were (i) previous and regular use of in-ear headphones while out running (ii) a period of stress and (probable, albeit undiagnosed) mild depression and (iii) middle age. Didn't get as far as a Tinnitus diagnosis from the GP (but I think it is), who suggested I use more background noise (eg. radio) which I didn't feel was particularly helpful, and use earplugs for swimming but I find those generally unreliable. I've learnt, somehow, to ignore it and wouldn't wish it on anyone so I do hope you find it goes away soon!

M

Just to follow up on this in case anyone fined this thread with similar symptoms, I have now had two blood tests.

First revealed a lower-than-liked (but not worryingly) level of thyroid hormones, so a second one was booked in to compare. This second one has disclosed low folates (a type of anaemia), so I am about to start a 2 month course of folic acid to see if that improves things. Also a note about low B12 but we're dealing with the folates first.

Explains several symptoms I have had, including the rushing in my ears: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b ... /symptoms/

Sats

As someone with Menieres...

Tinnitus can be anything from "who's that berk leaving his diesel engine running" to high pitched whistles (was it Stravinsky who suffered from a permanent high E?) and anything inbetween. Mostly for me it's like a permanent "shhhhhh" sound, but can and does vary in intensity. As I'm writing this, I have it now in my right ear probably something similar to a low level "A" or "B" but with background noise.

One does get used to it, and certainly genuine external sounds do to some extent mask it.

I've had blockages caused by wax but all that did for me was to muffle sounds. It didn't cause any increase in tinnitus level.

ten0rman

Pulsatile Tinnitus can indicate a risk of a stroke as well. That is probably worth checking out so it can hopefully be excluded. I assume that it goes with the heart beat.