Barotrauma leading to tinnitus?

[Cakov]

Just over two weeks ago I had the misfortune/was stupid enough to fly with a head cold.

Fortunately, nothing was ruptured (I've seen my GP twice and an ENT doc once), but I did experience aches and pains around my ears for a few days afterwards. Gradually, the cold has also been clearing up, and with it the "fullness" in my ears. I can clear them without any problem now.

My hearing seems to be improving again, but I have been left with a constant high-pitched ringing/squeal in both ears.

Does anyone else have any experience of tinnitus following a barotrauma incident (the other threads on tinnitus focus on noise-induced tinnitus)? If so, did it improve? How long did it take? This is the first time I've had it, and it's been driving me nuts for over two weeks now.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Loose rivets]

You may feel that this is bad news and good news, but it's only my case remember.

Following a period of pistol shooting, then some intense flying duties including 13 months of training, then doing the night run to fit in line-checks, I noticed the first signs of the noise. It's still there 25 years later.

I had suffered recent pain in the area around the ears. Even a pillow hurt as I moved at night. I had also been prescribed Tetracycline. Some say this caused tinnitus in some patients.

The pain got better, but the tinnitus that started about that time did not. I have no way of knowing what was causal, but there was probably some damage caused by firing 44 magnums and the like. There was no sustained symptoms until the infection however.

The good news is that despite being profoundly affected by it at first, I soon found that it was just there, a fact of life. I was/am passionate about classical piano, and I feared that it would affect my high-end appreciation of fine instruments, but strangely, I can still hear the tonal quality of the high notes.


Your's may clear up, but if it doesn't, it will probably subside to acceptable levels.

To this day, when I have an infection, it gets worse.

You may not believe that you will get used to it, but if the worst happens and it remains, you can be sure that you will hardly notice it 99% of the time.

[gingernut]

In the absence of damage to the drums, it's likely that your symptoms should resolve over the next few weeks.

It may just be worth having a bp check, but it's likely that your symptoms are due to a bit of snot lying behind the drums.

'spose you could say it's a bit of a lesson learnt, and of course the advice is don't fly when you've got a cold.

Not sure how this works in practice, don't know about you guys, but I seem to have a bit of a sniffle from Christmas to May.

[Cakov]

Thank you for your suggestions and encouragement. Here's hoping it does actually vanish, or that I can at least forget about it eventually. (The same thing?)

Gingernut, can you tell me what a bp check is?

At my first meeting with the ENT, he conducted an audiogram and said there is a possibility of some permanent high-end frequency loss. As I was still stuffed up with cold at the time and couldn't hear at lot of things, I'm a bit skeptical about that result and I'm having another test in about a week's time just to be sure. (I've also dug up my last audiogram for my class 1; it's about 4 years old, but at least it gives me a baseline for comparison.)

He also prescribed steroids to ease any inflammation, Praxilene to improve bloodflow to the damaged area, and told me to take aspirin, too. Hopefully this 12 pill-a-day cocktail, the end of the head cold, and a bit of time to let things settle down will solve the problems.

[gingernut]

Whistling in the ears can be a sign of sudden blood pressure changes in , although in your case, the symptoms are likely due to your cold.

I bet you Mac the Knifes pay packet, that you're back to normal in 4 weeks.:)

[Loose rivets]

There was some theory that tinnitus was caused by the higher frequency=shorter, sensory hairs being laid flat.

It was suggested that magnetic pulses could 'revive' them. I spent hours with magnetic devices pressed against my ear. It was ringing at a wide range of audio frequencies and at pretty high energy. All it did was to give me a hot ear.


I have no connection whatsoever with the adds that sell pills for tinnitus. :ugh:

[Abnormal Approach]

I suffered a nasty barotrauma to one ear, and a stuffed ear on the other. I now have grommets in both ears. I now have a high pitched whine in both, (but mostly right )ears. It really sucks. I have been dealing with tinnitus for the last year, but since this last slew of ear activity, it has really been cranked up. It has been really annoying last four weeks.

It is particularly troublesome because I just spent *really* big money on a home audio system (My sub woofer alone weighs almost as much as I do!). It is my hope that the tinnitus will absolve itself over time (- like when the grommets eventually fall out), but from my research so far that once tinnitus sets in for the long haul, it is one of the few things you can take to the grave.

[Loose rivets]

I can give perhaps a glimmer of hope. With established tinnitus, when one has and infection, it really does get much worse. However, with me at least, it usually settles down to the 'datum' level again.

So consistent has this change been over the years, that I use the increase in noise to confirm any feeling of being off colour as being an infection.


I would love to have just a few minuets with my young ears to listen to a well tuned 9' Steinway. I suspect that I would realize just how much I'm missing, but the fact is that as I said, I can still get great pleasure from music. But, there's a but.

Loud noises make it worse, maybe for a day or two. Use the power of your system to give a full spectrum sound, but not one that will take the plaster off the walls!

[Cakov]

Abnormal Approach; was yout tinnitus a result of the barotrauma, or did it come on at a different time?

Three weeks of ringing... no real improvement yet.

[Abnormal Approach]

It started a year ago due to some unknown reason. But it was not too bad - just noticeable.
However, since this last bout, it has cranked up to a more than just noticeable level. I am now constantly reminded of it. I really hope it dies down, it is driving me nuts. I still hear well enough to pass a first class, but it really is bothersome.

[Geo73]

I started getting a high pitched ringing in my ears after having a cold just over a year ago. I visited my Doctor a few times but nothing cleared the ringing. In the end I was sent to a hearing specialist, I was given a test where you have to press a button when you hear a sound. After this he told me that I had permanent hearing loss in the high frequencies, this occurs when the little hairs in the ear are damaged (they think they are hearing something when they are not). Not working in a noisy environment this was a shock to me, but as time goes by you sort of block it out, it's at its worse when it is really quiet.

[Grampsx9]

I found this thread via a search for 'tinnitus barotrauma". (I'm looking for a cure. Ha, fat chance, but no harm in looking.) I am not a pilot.

In 1975, I had to take some airplane trips as part of my work duties. On one of those trips, I had a cold. During descent and landing, I experienced terrific pain in my ears, especially my right ear. The pain went away, but ever since I've had tinnitus. A doctor diagnosed all this as barotrauma.

Except for difficulty hearing extremely high-pitched sounds, my hearing is normal. I've gotten used to the ringing and expect to hear it for the rest of my life.

Cakov, if you find a way to get rid of the tinnitus, please post it here.

[air pig]

I find my Tinnitus gets worse with tiredness, noticeable when the ambient noise levels drop but subsides when I have scuba dived, but does re-occur after a few days. Too much loud music and started with an ear infection.

[blind pew]

My tinnitus started after having my ears syringed by our French doctor in BKK.
I had an ear infection and the pain was excruciating.
This led to three months of sleepless nights.
Over the years the tinnitus increased in severity - cockpit noise especially on the DC10 and F100.
As far as I know there isn't a cure but there are ways of coming to terms with it.
I use an iPod with trance music or some NLP recordings to help me sleep.
I am also lucky enough to have a small waterfall outside my bedroom.
I have a close friend who didn't cope with it and lost his licence.
Good luck.

[911slf]

I have had tinnitus after using a shotgun with inadequate ear protection. It gradually diminished. A lot of it is perception. While hearing damage is an objective fact, there is a loose relationship with tinnitus. Some people with substantial hearing loss have very little tinnitus, while others who are much troubled with tinnitus have little or no hearing damage.

If you listen for it you will hear it. In fact people with normal hearing and no previous history of tinnitus will perceive it if placed in a soundproof room.

Distraction techniques such as listening to music or nature sounds on an ipod at LOW levels can help. Talking to audiologists can help as they can give you an objective take on it.

Try to avoid unusually quiet locations.

I know this sounds like well meaning but useless advice, but really, most people with tinnitus do find that gradually the level diminishes or the perceived nuisance diminishes.

[OLD METL]

I had tinnitus for years on the left at a predictable level, but six months ago it got dramatically worse. I found out that a new cell tower had been put on our housing roof. Suddenly it seems I now have a tone which slams me the same time every night. I hear a tone, feel tingling in the head, and a spike of inner ear pain. It mostly goes away if I leave the building. It is worse lying down and earplugs, headsets, and a $300 Bose noise attenuator makes no difference.
I have experienced spots in my vision and garbled high-end voices. So I moved. Some of the symptoms remain. I mentioned it to the building owner.

Margret Thatcher and Tesla wrote of electrical allergies. I have had extensive baro incidences in old planes. No significant treatments have been tried.

I do NOT take this lightly; I do not have a clear idea what is going on. Has anyone had a similar experience?

PS: Negative MRI, neurology. Positive for high end hearing loss by audiologist.
PSS: V2S Hypersonic Sound Laser? Bring the tin foil.

[rmiller774]

My tinnitus began many years ago after an unskilled doctor struggled to remove wax balls from my ears with a large metal probe. It was a painful experience - but how do you know how skillful the doctor/nurse is at performing such a procedure?

[jolihokistix]

You've revived a very old thread, Virto, perfectly valid, but if you run a quick search you'll find at least two more current or recently updated threads here.