Effects of MRI on tinnitus

Last October, 2023, I had a ton of mucus and my right ear was leaking at night. Go figure??? I felt good and was doing a lot of hiking in the mountains at that time. I am pretty active. So I just spit a lot and blew my nose. Then on Oct 31, while laying on the couch, my L ear started hearing a ticking noise and I stood up and R ear was complete plugged. I talked to my dogs and voice sounded far away like it was coming down a pipe. I just thought, when this thing unplugs, it is really going to hurt. I had no idea what was wrong.
The next day walk in clinic said Flonase. OK. It didn't seem to help. Next two Urgent Care doctors (my regular physician had left town, so I didn't have a doctor) said ETD from acid reflux. Which I did experience. Second one said, take Prednisone. At the time, I didn't and I told him later. I was afraid of heart palpitations. He gave me a referral to WW ENT. I go there and see the audiologist. She told me to pray and buy a book called Root Wellness. (for real). Also according to her hearing test, I had sudden hearing loss and the, Urgent Care doctors, with a ton of experience, were WRONG, saying ETD . Now I know I"m in trouble. I see another local ENT and took Prednisone for 12 days, which didn't help. He put a hole in my ear as well and that didn't help either.. He thinks it is a neuropathy so gives me a referral to Neurologist, which took me six months to get there. Back to Urgent care and have a MRI w/o contrast of neck. Off to Spokane. Another diagnoses of Sudden Hearing Loss. Brain MRI. I fly to FL. My ear about blew up. I call Spokane and asked how do I get home???? Rent a car?? No chew gum, yawn and swallow.... I had been doing that for 150 days, by then. No help. Back to Urgent Care. Take Amoxicillin 800. I did. No help. You are welcome to 2nd opinion at UW. I buy airplane ticket and go.
She says it's my age and the ear leaking is my brain tricking me. Spokane calls me at my house and said we would like to put a tube in your ear. I said local ENT did put a hole in my ear last Dec and didn't help. I drive the 400 miles and his narrative said, he had very low optimism for the procedure....... So why did YOU CALL ME and say you wanted to put me down for the following Wed. See neurologist this June. The referral they got was for a migraine. You can't make this stuff up........ I said no. It's for a plugged ear. I give him a rundown of my trail and he kept digging at me.... Did you pray????? Did you pray????? YES!!!!!!!! On July 8, my L ear is starting to plug. Noooo... Using Valsalva maneuver, my R ear unplugged after 250 days with a flurry of bubbles down my neck..... It didn't last long. Just a few minutes... But it unplugged. I run back to local ENT and he said come back in 3 mo. Whatever??? I have this figured out. If I am 1000 feet lower in elevation and I plug my nose and blow very gently, a layer or two of pressure will come off R ear and if it completely unplugs, there is a freeway of air between nostril, throat and ear. YES!!!! It feels so good, but is very short lived. So I write back to Spokane ENT and they say that is not uncommon. UW tells me to let someone else know. But it was 250 days, blocked up tight and it opened completely for a few. Yesterday back to local ENT and he said, I have done everything I can for you. I message Dr.s office that told me to pray, because now that audiologist is gone. After the audiologist recommendation to pray 12/01, I did not go back to see doctor. I was sure, someone out there could help me. I call that office back yesterday and they said Dr had reviewed all my hearing tests and imaging and concurred it was Sudden Hearing Loss. So I come home and Google if the Valsalva method would open ear if you had Sudden Hearing Loss and it clearly said no. So now, I know it will open for a short time, by plugging my nose and blowing very gently. If you blow harder the L ear plugs and it hurts badly. It will be one year shortly, and I am not giving up. I know there is someone out there that will know exactly what happened and how to fix it. I do a sinus rinse daily, use either Flonase, Astepro, Azelstaine. When I lay down to sleep, the pressure is gone. I know there is someone out there, that knows what this is and how to fix it. There has never been a time that there is not mucus in my throat. The first few months there was a lot of blood and chunks in my mucus. There was never a time, that my nose didn't need blowing.

I know someone out there can help. In this whole ordeal, I did end up having a tooth pulled also. At the end of May, my jaw was killing me. I went to local dentist and he took ex rays and said everything looks good. I was glad more symptoms were manifesting as I was close to going to UW. I told her and she did give me a MRI of neck order with contrast..... It showed I needed a tooth pulled now. So much for local dentist. But this is how it's been going.

I did see my new local primary guy yesterday. Now I have a primary. He told me. Don't Quit. I told him I was going to write a book called Grandma Mary's Ear and my Grandaughter was going to illustrate it, when this was all finished. He wants an autographed copy.

Mzmary, my husband has the exact same symptoms as you and has been told the same things by his ENT, and also had a tube put in. All to no avail. The closest thing we’ve found to a description of what’s happening is Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Here’s a link to an article that explains it a bit https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22527-eustachian-tube-dysfunction

My husband (who has never had allergies) takes a Claritin and uses Flonase every day, and he says it lessens the symptoms, but not by much. He’s still looking for relief.

I have been through a similar ordeal. For me, it is now over two years. It affects both ears, the left one is more uncomfortable. I now have blurry vision too. I did not have doctors recommending prayer, but other than that, all your experiences are the same as mine.
YES! One would think there must be help, but at this point, I don’t think so. I believe my issues are related to having Covid.
Good luck.

Thank you. The second and third doctors I saw, are great physicians, with lots of experience. But they are urgent care. The first did a thorough examination and even got the tone bar out. Nobody since has used one. But he was dead set on Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. The next one as well. Tons of experience. When I told him of the diagnoses of sudden hearing loss, he shook his head. It has been an exhausting year. Now there is tinnitus in my R ear. I am 69 and in great health. I went hiking in the mtns yesterday and had it unplugged, by plugging nose and blowing very gently. It last for about 3 minutes. Then I will hiccup up a little fluid, from the coffee I drank earlier and it's over. Thank you for your response. Someone will actually listen and not rush to judgement. I really feel like I've been dismissed because of being a woman and my age. But that doesn't stop me from riding my motorcycle to the Mexican border every year. I can't let this beat me up. Am I uncomfortable? Yes. But I can't quit. Age is just a number. Thank you again. Mary

I want to be on your team, Mary!

Hi, I also have tinnitus for about 6 years and like you, I have learned to live with it for the most part. I have had two MRIs before and I used ear plugs , had not have any issues with my Tinnitus.