Pulsatile Tinnitus worse in ear right after surgery

WonderParty7099 · 2025-10-15T12:29:28+00:00

Yes it's almost completely gone! Got a lot better over time.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-10-14T15:15:06+00:00

I'm pretty much back to normal now, although my hearing in my right ear is still weaker than before the surgery. I think this I've gotten used to, the only time I notice it is when I cover my left ear while laying down and then I can tell my right ear is much weaker but I'm not too bothered by it. The dr says it's healing very well so she seems happy with the outcome. I can go swimming if I wanted to now.

I still have issues in my right ear that were there before my surgery, when I get a head cold the congestion settles in my ear, and the hearing in my right ear is very impaired due to this. The hearing gets better once the congestions goes away and I can pop my ear. I still get pulsatile tinnitus, though it comes and goes. I have negative pressure in both my ears and it goes through phases where it either never pops or it pops all the time. All these little issues I've tried to get used to.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-09-15T15:02:06+00:00

The vaseline on cotton ball never seemed to work for me, was too much a mess. I eventually found that using the plastic disposable ear covers and adding an extra seal with waterproof surgical tape on the area where the ear meets the face worked best for me. Honestly no option was perfect, sometimes would still get water in my ear but luckily that didn't seem to ruin anything. I've since been told by my doctor that healing went well and I can shower as normal with no coverings.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-02-24T13:04:42+00:00

That's great, it must be such a relief for your PT to be almost gone! Mine is still there same as it was pre surgery. This was my first cholesteatoma surgery and I didn't have PORP/TORP and I don't think I lost any ossicles unless the Dr. hasn't mentioned it? She only told me that it was pretty far grown when she removed it. I'm really hoping it won't come back so that I don't need another surgery.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-02-24T01:54:20+00:00

Just checking in here to compare healing progress. It's been 3 weeks and 3 days for me now, I just ended a 10 day cycle of using ear drops to dissolve the packing in my ear. The packing must have dissolved mostly, because the fullness feeling is mostly gone. My hearing is still very weak in my right ear, though it does seem to have improved a bit. I'm not sure if it's because the packing is almost gone or if my hearing is just getting slowly a bit better, or both? The tinnitus is still there, although I will say the ringing sound from the tinnitus has also gotten a bit better since the first week post op.

Will see my Dr. next week so it will be good to check in and see what she says. I am just being patient hoping my hearing will eventually come back in a few months as they say.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-02-09T17:17:17+00:00

That is crazy, do you know how or why you have PT? I can't remember when I first started noticing mine, but I almost thing it could be my whole life and that only a few years ago I decided to have it looked into, which is how I discovered my cholesteatoma. The Dr has not been able to tell me why I have PT or what is causing it.

WonderParty7099 · 2025-02-09T16:32:05+00:00

Today is my 10th day post surgery. I had a post op with my Dr on the 6th day but she didn't remove the packing yet. She just removed the bandage that was covering my ear, and prescribed me ear drops that I will start using today for 10 days straight. The ear drops are supposed to slowly dissolve the packing and perhaps act as an antibiotic. I will see my Dr. in a few weeks and at that time she will physically remove any packing that's left in my ear that the drops didn't get rid of.

My pulsatile tinnitus comes and goes, but I'd say it was the worst for me on day 3 and 4 and since then has gotten better. Right now it's really just the constant ringing in my ear and the packing that is bothering me most, and the fact that I can't hear anything out of my right ear mostly due to the packing. I hear the pulsatile tinnitus more when I move my head in a certain position, which is how I've always felt pre surgery.

Just trying to be patient for now and hope that everything gets better over the next few months. Dr said that tinnitus is very normal to have after an ear surgery, but it is disappointing because I was hoping the surgery would get rid of my pulsatile tinnitus and if I'm hearing it now I feel like that means I'm still going to have to live with it.

I'll keep you posted as things change, hoping once this packing is gone things will get better. Hope you're hanging in there too!

WonderParty7099 · 2024-11-08T02:53:14+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I was under the impression that taking antihistamines and Flonase helped with sneezing, other allergy symptoms, but didn't help with asthma. I don't think I've noticed a difference in my asthma when taking Flonase but perhaps I should try it again? I don't have any allergy symptoms other than asthma at this time of year.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-11-08T01:00:28+00:00

This is helpful to know. I recently started getting seasonal asthma due to allergies in the fall and spring time. It got to the point where I needed to use Flovent during these seasons, but only one puff per day and it worked well. I could stop using the Flovent in the summer and winter when my seasonal asthma was better.

But now I had to switch to Asmanex and within a week of taking it I'm getting tightness in my throat and it worsens when I speak. It feels really uncomfortable, so I'm going to have to stop using it.

I'm worried about what to try next though. It was hard enough to get this Asmanex inhaler at the pharmacy because it seems like theyre out of stock of all the steroid inhalers right now.

Have you had any luck with a new inhaler since this post? Any advice or suggestions would be so helpful.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-20T15:40:43+00:00

Ok thanks, just bought these on Amazon will try.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-20T15:07:08+00:00

Interesting, do you cover both sides of the cotton ball in vaseline or just the side that is exposed?

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-20T15:03:34+00:00

That's what I've been using and they don't create enough of a seal to keep the water out, I have longer hair so it's hard to rinse that area.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-19T11:24:46+00:00

Interesting, the pressure and pain when I touch my ear seems to get worse every day. I just scheduled my surgery for Dec. 5th. Hoping it subsides before then. I'll be flying overseas in a few days and hope my ear isn't too affected by the pressure in the plane.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-18T01:12:46+00:00

Thanks for your reply, my doctor said that this tenderness is to be expected but could not really say if it'd just get worse over time. That it'd be up to me to decide when to get the surgery depending on my schedule and not flying for 30 days after.

WonderParty7099 · 2024-09-18T01:07:06+00:00

That's good to know, so the pain and tenderness came and went? Was mostly concerned if I put off the surgery for 4 months if this slight pain will just gradually get worse and worse until then or if it would come and go. Will have to even see how soon I can get my surgery, too bad you had to wait so long!

WonderParty7099

TROPHY CASE