Constant Ear Pressure and Tinitus

Hello @rfhami and welcome to Connect. I can certainly understand your concern and discomfort of pressure and tinnitus in your ear. I have had similar symptoms for a number of years.

You say that doctors have done a lot of tests. Has that included a brain MRI focusing on the auditory canal? If not, you might want to request that test. What about a hearing test by a certified audiologist?

We have some discussions on Connect on this topic. I would encourage you to read the posts in these discussions get to know others who have experienced pressure and noises. Here are some links:
--Tinnitus
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tinnitis/
--Ear Tinnitus and Pain with Neuropathy
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ear-tinnitus-and-pain-with-neuropathy/

Is this pressure/tinnitus one-sided or on both sides? How long has this been a problem? Did you have any injuries or upper respiratory infections prior to the start of these symptoms? Also, is the tinnitus a high-pitched sound or does it pulsate? (I ask these questions so that I can introduce you to others on Connect who have similar symptoms.)

Yes I've had a MRI, and nothing is wrong there. I have an appointment to see an audiologist but have no hope of seeing them this year.

-The pressure is on the left, and tinnitus is worse on the left but still some on the right.
-It's been a year.
-no injuries or respiratory problems. It began after having my ears syringed because I had water trapped in them after getting blocked from a flight.
-The tinnitus is just a high sound, no pulsating.

Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated!

@rfhami

I appreciate your responses to the questions. I would encourage you to look at the posts in the discussions I mentioned earlier and see what others have done for this problem.

Please remember that it is always your right to get a second opinion for any health concern that is not being addressed by your current medical team. If you live near a university medical school or a facility like Mayo Clinic, this would be your best place for another opinion. These medical centers are research-oriented and see a lot of patients with hard-to-diagnose problems. You might find answers this way.

One other thought, have you had any vertigo or dizziness? Have you considered a second opinion at a research-oriented medical center?

I have had 4 opinions now and still no solution! I will look for a medical school as you suggested but don't think there are any where I am.

No vertigo or dizziness.

Hi, have you tried decreasing the amount of caffeine? I had tinnitus quite often, and some habits helped a lot! cutting out caffeine or at least avoiding it was very useful... in addition to other habits that can contribute to this, such as exposing yourself to very loud sounds, at concerts, or at home. Do you feel any tension/pain in your jaw? Have you ever thought about having a TMJ evaluation? as TMD can cause tinnitus in some cases, but it's just a hypothesis, maybe it's not your case.

@rfhami -hi, and sorry to hear you are doing through this - if feel like I am going through something very similar- although I had a cold / ear infection back in June and I took the antibiotics but the fluid stayed in my right ear - after 3 months I decided to have the myringotomy procedure without tube as this is the first time In My life this has ever happened- but since the procedure my ear still has pressure feeling and ringing - the hole they made is still there (2 weeks since the procedure) I had them recheck it —- now I have to wait - hoping the hole closes on its own - it’s very frustrating for sure - as this procedure what supposed to make it better and so far so much feels worse 🙄

@chelmsford ....Gosh, no wonder some of us are hesitant to have surgery or procedures done when possibly the situation is worse after.... maybe it's a 50 per cent chance of success if so they should have warned you?? ENT who was not that interested in my situation said doesn't like tubes put in ears of older patients like me as 50 per cent of the time they get infected... wonder if this is true. I have tinnitus, hyperacusus, pain in ears, and like first comment constantly blowing mucous out of my nose several times an hour for 2 years but clear, no odour, so is that contributing. I see on my glaucoma drops that sinusitis is a side effect!Well have to wait a year for ent appointments here and my last one over phone ... as above someone saying tmj and i have had that over the years too on and off....combination maybe. Oh started to get musical ear year ago and 'hear' singing or music that isnt there....upsetting. Hope you all get some help , me too as driving me over the edge with other problems dealing with. Last week to emerge with odd headache more sort of mix of dizzy inside with pain, stretching, pulling pushing feeling in head scared me a lot... but they did not check ears, found nothing. It was like inside head being torn apart... and tinnitus was much louder, another medical mystery. J.

Hope you get answers too at some point - it’s all a crap shoot I guess - but exhausting as it is always something to worry about 🙁

...well it's all stress isn't it; the diagnosis, the symptoms, the worry, doctor appointments; hearing the tinnitus; dealing with it all, though not life threatening is, like many illnesses, life altering....have they made progress in it's treatment over the years? cognitive behaviour therapy has been suggested for me but waiting months for an appointment to learn... and if the person has other medical issues, pain, treatments etc., it's hard to turn this negative into a positive IMO

Have you been checked for Eagle Syndrome?