Expert: Harriet B Jacobster, Au.D. - 7/7/2008

Question
Hi,
About 3 hours ago a fluttering/ low rumbling vibrating sound began in my
left ear. It's intermittent but frequent and very irritating (since I'm trying to
write my thesis). I suffer from hayfever and tried popping my ears, as you
suggested in another post, to no avail.  However, I do have a newly formed
pimple on my upper left earlobe which I noticed yesterday. Could this be
causing the noise?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Fiona,
I seriously doubt that the pimple would cause a flutter in your ear.  The cause of this may be one of several things. First, you may have wax in your ear that could be pressing against the drum or have some water trapped behind it.  If this is the case, you probably need to see an ear specialist who can remove it safely.  Next, it is also very possible that your Eustachian tube - a little tube that goes from your middle ear to your nose serves to ventilate the middle ear cavity - is not working properly.  In which case, you may be experiencing the beginning of a middle ear infection. Or, the flutter may be caused by something else that may have entered the ear and having trouble getting out.  And lastly, you may be hearing rapid contractions of one of your middle ear muscles.  Probably the best and only way to surely know is to see an ear specialist, or, at the very least an audiologist who can look into your ears and see if anything is in there.
Hope this helps.
Harriet B. Jacobster, AuD
Board Certified in Audiology