My Mother Is 89, Arthritic And This Past Summer Had

My mother is 89, arthritic and this past summer had a tube put in one eardrum to drain inner ear. She is on oxygen for partially paralyzed diaphragm. Recently she has begun complaining about sounds in her head, starting as a chuffing sound that builds in intensity until there is what she describes as an explosion. The process repeats, may stop for hours or days, then returns. Any thoughts?