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Suggest Remedy For Tinnitus When Recovering From Ear And Sinus Infection
Hello, I apparently had an ear and sinus infection a few weeks ago that was caused by a cold. My ear did not hurt. However, my maxilla did. I ended up with ear drainage so I suspect my eardrum was perforated. My hearing is now blocked and I have tinnitus in that ear. We used an otoscope and the eardrum appears to,have a series of black spots on it. Is there anything I should do right now? I am not in pain at all and I understand that if there was a breech of the drum that it would take several weeks to heal on its own.
posted on
Thu, 4 Jun 2015
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Thu, 9 Jun 2022
Answered on
Fri, 10 Jun 2022
Last reviewed on
Hello,
You are suffering from tinnitus while recovering from ear and sinus infection. Presently, your hearing is blocked, you developed fluid in your ear and are experiencing tinnitus in the affected ear. You are recovering from infection but fluid may remain in the middle ear for several days due to eustachian tube getting partially blocked. You should avoid getting down into swimming pools. Prefer to take bath over shower to prevent water entering into the ear as it may trigger infection and complicate symptoms.
Do continue the take the prescription antibiotics given to you by your treating doctor. Your otoscope examination shows a series of black spots on it. It is an extremely rare case of dark pigmentation on the tympanic membrane. Commonly it is due to alkaptonuria and may be associated with hearing loss. Accumulation of HGA in the tympanic membrane causes the eardrum to become thickened and stiff. It may lead to hearing loss.
You are suggested to get clinically examined by an ENT, get audiometry test done. You may be asked to get gas chromatography done to look for traces of homogentisic acid in your urine. Your treating doctor can also recommend DNA testing to check for mutated HGD gene. Family history is very useful in making a diagnosis of alkaptonuria. No worries, you will be accordingly treated. Your ENT may recommend hearing aids if needed along with continuing conservative treatment.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Nupur K., General & Family Physician
You are suffering from tinnitus while recovering from ear and sinus infection. Presently, your hearing is blocked, you developed fluid in your ear and are experiencing tinnitus in the affected ear. You are recovering from infection but fluid may remain in the middle ear for several days due to eustachian tube getting partially blocked. You should avoid getting down into swimming pools. Prefer to take bath over shower to prevent water entering into the ear as it may trigger infection and complicate symptoms.
Do continue the take the prescription antibiotics given to you by your treating doctor. Your otoscope examination shows a series of black spots on it. It is an extremely rare case of dark pigmentation on the tympanic membrane. Commonly it is due to alkaptonuria and may be associated with hearing loss. Accumulation of HGA in the tympanic membrane causes the eardrum to become thickened and stiff. It may lead to hearing loss.
You are suggested to get clinically examined by an ENT, get audiometry test done. You may be asked to get gas chromatography done to look for traces of homogentisic acid in your urine. Your treating doctor can also recommend DNA testing to check for mutated HGD gene. Family history is very useful in making a diagnosis of alkaptonuria. No worries, you will be accordingly treated. Your ENT may recommend hearing aids if needed along with continuing conservative treatment.
Take care. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Nupur K., General & Family Physician
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