What's up with my left ear? Musical Ear Syndrome???

[bfotk]

For the last couple of months, I’ve noted an occasional chime-like sound in my left ear. It is very high pitched, higher than the tinnitus ringing I’ve experienced. It’s more like a quick chime or or cheep or tinkling sound like might be produced from the world’s tiniest wind chime or metal on metal. I’d say that it’s much higher in pitch than anything I can “actually” hear.

I looked up stuff online and spotted Musical Ear Syndrome, an iffy kind of concept, but it comes close to matching what I hear on various occasions daily. It’s so light and bright and quick, that it doesn’t irritate me in itself. But not understanding is something I don’t tolerate readily.

Does anyone have better info than the sparse Wikipedia entry and the bunch of new-agey sorts of crap I’ve run into?

 

[sheltie dave]

Your ear needs cleaning. Artifacts can occur when you have dirt and wax buildup.

 

[mikeybc]

Yeah, try a cleaning dirt, My right ear will start to make s random thumping sound when it gets really clogged.

 

[jazzmans]

I get it, as well as a high pitched 'clicking' in the same ear, and this is different then the multiple ringing tones each ear gets... It sucks having ****ed up eustachian tubes, were it not for anti-biotics, I'd have died at childbirth, as a toddler, as a teen, as an adult....

Realistically, it's a miracle I can hear at all, yet I have highly discriminating ears.

 

[chef free]

I've had that from time to time, and some other weird sounds like one ringing ping which might last for 15 sec.. I get bad tinnitus when I lay down at night too. I have one (right side) eustachian tube thats "too small". Guaifenison keeps my tubes clear and I haven't had an infection since I started using it about ten years ago.

 

[jazzmans]

You mean you actually take guifenisan (feck spelling) on a daily basis?
Huh, never done that, although one ent had me taking pseudoephedrine every day for six months.
maybe I should try that, but I hate what it does to my taste buds on my tongue.

 

[John James]

You mean you actually take guifenisan (feck spelling) on a daily basis?
Huh, never done that, although one ent had me taking pseudoephedrine every day for six months.
maybe I should try that, but I hate what it does to my taste buds on my tongue.

Yeah, I can see it in your avatar.

 

[Lapslah]

I have pretty severe tinnitus, but also picked up something similar to what you describe several years ago. I wouldn't say mine is "higher than I can actually hear" though. It sounds kind of like someone tapping a glass - like at a wedding reception - in my left ear. I'm fairly sure mine appeared as a side-effect to some prescription medication I took for a short time (don't recall exactly what the drug was). Sadly, when I stopped taking the pills, the tinking remained.

 

[Bigboi33]

I've had that from time to time, and some other weird sounds like one ringing ping which might last for 15 sec.. I get bad tinnitus when I lay down at night too. I have one (right side) eustachian tube thats "too small". Gueafenison keeps my tubes clear and I haven't had an infection since I started using it about ten years ago.

You mean you actually take guifenisan (feck spelling) on a daily basis?
Huh, never done that, although one ent had me taking pseudoephedrine every day for six months.
maybe I should try that, but I hate what it does to my taste buds on my tongue.

Yes please do share, I tend to have issues with my eustachian tubes as well. Are you taking an over the counter?

 

[chef free]

You mean you actually take guifenisan (feck spelling) on a daily basis?
Huh, never done that, although one ent had me taking pseudoephedrine every day for six months.
maybe I should try that, but I hate what it does to my taste buds on my tongue.

I don't take it every day, just when I start to get that full feeling in my right ear. It is an over-the-counter mucus thinner and drains my ear before an infection can start. It has been an absolute God send for me! But, yeah the stuff is kind of dehydrating but it beats ear pain.

 

[Alobar]

I don't take it every day, just when I start to get that full feeling in my right ear. It is an over-the-counter mucus thinner and drains my ear before an infection can start. It has been an absolute God send for me! But, yeah the stuff is kind of dehydrating but it beats ear pain.

I use hydrogen peroxide in my right ear to relieve that little pressure and slight hearing reduction in my right ear and it works wonders. I only do it when needed and that might be every few days t a month.

 

[toxcrusadr]

To the OP, does this happen at a certain time of day or place? Like at the office but not at home? Just curious if there are any other clues.

I get something like this now and then but it's pretty rare. For me it's a high-pitched tone for a few seconds.

Slightly OT but I recently developed a rapid thumping usually when lying in bed. Turns out it's a tiny muscle spasm in the inner ear, which impacts the tiny bones in there, making a badumpbumpbumpbump noise. A rapid head shake clears it. No idea why I'd suddenly start having these at 53, other than my stress level since the world has gone mad.

 

[Chip Chester]

I used to drink a lot of coffee. A lot. And I used to have high blood pressure. Really high. When those two peaked, I would get a thumping in my ear that was quite annoying. Now I don't drink coffee at all, and have very good blood pressure, so no thumping.

Anecdotal, to be sure.

I take guaifenison quite a bit for other reasons. OTC, it's available as Mucinex (not the DM kind) as either 600 mg or 1200 mg time-release. Also as a foul-tasting liquid labeled "Tussin". Again, not the DM version. There is an upper limit to what you should take, which I believe is 2400 mg. (Could be only 1200, on second thought. I'm not a doc, so maybe talk to one...) Too much can cause nerve issues, and I do recall having tingling in fingertips when I overdid it.

Chip

 

[riksors]

I have the same thumping only on my left ear though. I have a high blood pressure that needs to be in check.

Thanks. I have been wondering about the thump. Coffee could be the culprit. Everytime I have coffee...thumping comes around.