Throbbing in left ear

[jmiller96]

Hi. 3-4 weeks ago, I started noticing a painless but very annoying throb in my left ear usually when I hiccup or when I burp internally and the air comes back up. It's now the present day and I still have this problem. It is still throbbing when I hiccup or burp internally and sometimes when I do hiccup, it sets off a series of quick throbs (3-5 throbs) about 15-20 seconds apart usually lasting about 5 minutes. I've checked to see if the throbs were in sync with my heartbeat but it's not so surely it cannot be something to do with the blood supply around the ear? I've recently been to see the doctor about this and he says that there is no inflammation or infection present and the ear drum is alright. He said the cause could be the excess wax in my ears. but I'm still sceptical as to why it still throbs. He has put me on a medication course of ear drops (once a day) and Sudafed (three a day) to try and remove and decongest the earwax but I don't think that it is the earwax that is the problem. Has anyone had this sort of thing and has anyone had any diagnosis on it? Naturally, I would like to know a certain diagnosis instead of "probables" and "maybes" because I am quite anxious when it comes to things like this so a certain diagnosis would help ease my worries in case it was something serious that the doctor hasn't picked up. I tried to research this kind of illness on the web and there was a vast array of possible diagnosis' such as high blood pressure in the vessels around the inner ear (my bp is normal), a blocked Eustachian tube (the doctor hasn't picked this up and I cant feel or hear anything to suggest that it may be that) to more serious things like a tumour. I have a suspicion that I might have something called a "myoclonus of the tensor tympani". So has anyone experienced this and been given a diagnosis by a specialist? Please help because it's really annoying me!

PS: I go on holiday abroad on Thursday and I'm quite worried if the equalising of air when ascending/descending on a plane would affect my affected ear for the worse. The doctor said it shouldn't be a problem but when I have been searching for this symptom on google, there are some cases which say that the popping of the ears on the plane makes it worse.

[jmiller96]

Thank you for your response. Can you recommend a safe muscle relaxant that is easy to get? Or is there any natural remedies like reducing levels of stress? I'm only 17 so I'm a bit worried about some of the "highs" you get with some muscle relaxants.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, like you guessed, it could mostly be related to tensor tympani. The throbbing/drumming sound could be due to entity called myoclonus of the tensor tympani. This is a rapid contraction of the tensor tympani muscle in the middle ear that causes that fluttering sound. It may not cause problems with air travel, as this is not related to the Eustachian tube. Muscle relaxants may help with this condition. If severe it may need surgical intervention. You can consult an ENT specialist for an evaluation. Regards.