Ear issues/noise sensitivity

Hi, I hope you are all well.

I made a post a few weeks ago sharing my story. I did mention that I had been having ear pain/tinnitus. I found I have been low in iron and since taking the iron tablets it has helped with the tinnitus. However I have been having a lot of sensitivity to noise and it can get unbearable. Since January I had been having it, which then led to worse symptoms and I ended up having a stroke in June. Upon reflection I do not think it was tinnitus as much as it was just sensitivity to noise. It feels like something pops in my ear or the noise of something small is amplified and itā€™s like something constantly hitting my eardrum. This had settles down post stroke (not completely but a lot more manageable) but it seems to have flared up again especially in these last few days. I have got a cold and cough which I do not know if that has affected it and also nerve pain in my neck which comes and goes.

I also had a massage a week ago (doctor recommended me to have one) in which she gently massaged my head, ears, neck, etc. However there was one point she did put a lot of pressure around my forehead and I told her to stop. I also donā€™t know if this has triggered something.

I have previously had an ENT appointment and they have said everything is good and my hearing is fine. The doctors have only given Pregabalin but they were still unsure of it would help so I havenā€™t taken it.

I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced these ear issues and if so what have they done to help with it. I have 3 year old twins and they are very active and as much as I want to play with them all the time the noise can be too much for me.

Are there any natural remedies to help with this??

Iā€™m feeling quite lost and feel like this whole journey has been a rollercoaster. Constantly in fear of having another stroke especially as it started like this last time

Thank you so much in advance.

Kindest regards
Aysha

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@Aysha001 I too have sensitivity to noise & tinnitus & find some noise unbearable e.g. cutlery on plates. I have seen ENT consultants and been told my hearing is fine etc etc and there is nothing they can do. I too get weird popping / sounds in my ears but never worked out whatā€™s causing them & they havenā€™t got any better. Iā€™ve just learnt to live with it I guess.

I find my fatigue makes it all worse.

I purchased some loop earplugs which I wear in particularly noisy environments. They dull the noise not stop it. Maybe worth a try?

Best wishes

Ann

Hi @Aysha001
Your fear is normal and valid (& may or maynot be justified).

Sensativity to stimulation is a very common after effect. How do you find TV or a trip to the supermarket? Crowds? Other forms of socialising, compeleting admin tasks?

They may allow some bench marking. 3yr olds deffo. count as stimulation!

Tinnitus is also a common PS[1] symptom. I have it too. Itā€™s worse on some days than others for reasons I canā€™t isolate

If it heraldid something sinister before the stroke was a tumor or abnormality found? Itā€™s impossible for us to say they are not linked.
Iā€™ve never seen posts in forums that show pre-stroke indicators like that. Dizziness and loss of feeling and/or control of limbs, speech, visual disturbance etc but not tinnitus.

While low iron, B12 or zinc levels may contribute to tinnitus so will high levels of iron, calcium or fat

Pregabalin click for background is often suggested for GAD[2] and again anxiety is very common

Your best bet if your wondering about other peopleā€™s experience is to search the backlog of posts as the number of active & contributing members who will reply is a fraction of those who have contributed

Caio
Simon
SIG


  1. Post Stroke ā†©ļøŽ

  2. Generalised Anxiety Disorder ā†©ļøŽ

Aysha,

hi ; I used to have a massage a weekā€¦ it can be intense since thereā€™s a lot of detox going on after even a gentle massage. However, they can be brilliant. So approved. Strange things happen to our hearing / brain after a stroke. Calibration was off in my case. I suffered from cocktail party syndrome plenty after a stroke. Ears have the ability to reconfigure certain components internally (our middle-ear muscles actually shift position to better hear the sounds of the human voice) , to focus in on one voice ; I lost that, but it is slowly improving. I used to take turmeric for tinnitus, but it improved after my stroke because ā€˜theyā€™ managed to lower my blood pressure. In my case (not the same for everyone, i gather) there is a correlation. I would investigate this (easily done with a BP machine) and if you also find a correlation, you can estimate your bp by the amount of tinnitus you are having. In my case itā€™s a small amount, which I do not notice until I read / hear the T word. There are douzens of miracle techniques and cures on youtube that address tinnitus ; let us know if anything works!!

Expectation can be the worst type of emotional disturbance. We have no idea what tomorrow brings, so let it go.

Good luck, hope you ā€œfind yourselfā€ soon, ciao, Roland

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Hi Aysha, it sounds like the cold you have may be the cause of all the noise you are hearing. Your ears, nose and throat are all connected so that is probably why youā€™re noticing the noises more at the moment. I had tinnitus in one ear before the stroke was diagnosed which came on out of the blue. I had some confusion as well. The stroke was diagnosed by an MRI scan. Itā€™s over 6 years now and things have improved a great deal. I still have tinnitus, but I have an NHS hearing aid which has some white noise on it and I can alter the volume level of the tinnitus which helps a lot. It may be worth asking if you could be fitted with a hearing aid for the tinnitus because it certainly helps. Things may settle down once your cold has settled.
Hope you get sorted I know it makes you feel fed up.

Ann.
Stroke Improvement Group.

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