Three years ago the same thing happened to me in the pool; lost 80% of my hearing for 5 weeks, have about 95% now but with slight diminution of high frequency hearing. I still have the background noise in right ear and will likely have it for the rest of my life. Hearing specialists say this can happen and they don't know what causes it. I'm pretty much used to it (it's not tinnitus, which would likely give you balance problems). Sorry to deliver the bad news - but you might get lucky and it'll go away

Any dizziness or vertigo?

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

No, I don't have dizziness at all. I had, however, a dizziness problem about four years ago and went to the hospital for treatment. (That was when I had a hearing test done.) They didn't know what caused it. The dizziness problem disappeared and hasn't come back since. The doctor I talked yesterday said it had nothing to do with this ear ringing problem because if it did, I would lose lower frequency sound sensitivity, not higher.

This is a serious problem. If I should stop swimming, then obviously I cannot do triathlon. Besides, swimming is one of my favorite activities that I expect to enjoy for many years to come. My wife thinks I should stop swimming altogether. Her point is between impairing my hearing and triathlon, which is more important. She said that her father had hearing impairment caused by machinery operations, and he had been seriously inconvenienced.

I realized that scientists do not know much about how ears work with other cognitive functions.

The doctor I talked yesterday said it had nothing to do with this ear ringing problem because if it did, I would lose lower frequency sound sensitivity, not higher.

I had severe vertigo, tinnitus and high freq hearing loss develop in that order within about 6 months. I suggested to my doc that they were connect but he, like yours, didn't think so but then VERY little is known about tinnitus.
Do you do flip turns? They might be messing something up in your ear. But even turning your head to breathe might be a problem.

Your doctors comparison to working around machinery seems odd.

And by the way, I normally don't notice my tinnitus unless someone brings up the subject and then it screams. . . so thanks a lot. ;-)

Tinnitus. It can keep you up at night. The good news is that it can disappear as quickly as it appeared.

My doctor told me not to do flip turns. I do them sometimes but not often.


It seems that you had yours in a very short period of time while mine is more stretched over several years. And, yes, they don't know much about this problem at all. It is more like guessing than diagnosing.


You mean the noise level went down or your tinnitus was not severe from the start? Mine went away but when I was back in the pool and swam about 30 minutes, it came back. The noise level is not so severe, and I sometimes forget that I have it, but it is depressing (and terrifying) to think that I may have to give up swimming. I did not expect anything like this at all.

You mean the noise level went down or your tinnitus was not severe from the start?

My tinnitus has worsened over time. I've had it for about 8 years. I only notice it when I'm sick and in bed or if I think about it. Otherwise, it doesn't bother me at all because I just don't notice it.


Mine went away but when I was back in the pool and swam about 30 minutes, it came back. The noise level is not so severe, and I sometimes forget that I have it, but it is depressing (and terrifying) to think that I may have to give up swimming. I did not expect anything like this at all.

You might try setting it off without going in the water by simulating swim breathing. Were you diagnosed as having vertigo when you were dizzy? If so, you might be familiar with bringing the vertigo on as a treatment (Epley maneuver which is very similar to swim breathing). I found this http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050315/1115.html where they mention vertigo and tinnitus present together.

Do you have it in both ears? One ear is not a good symptom. I'd suggest going to an ear nose throat doc and see if they can help. Good luck.

schroeder,

Thank you very much for your input. The referred site is very informative and helpful. I was diagnosed as having vertigo when I had the dizziness. So I went to a specialist, but he could not find anything wrong at least physically with my ears. He suggested that stress might have been the cause.

I think now that I pay more attention to the noise I hear ringing in both ears but my left ear is more acute. I may need to have an MRI testing done.

I will do this and see what happens. Hopefully, I go back to normal, but if I cannot, I want to minimize the progression of the disease.

Thank you very much again.

i'm not an ent, but it sounds like you might have meniere's disease: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/.../balance/meniere.asp. just something to suggest to your pcp, if it sounds like what you have. hope that helps.

Yes, I was diagnosed as having meniere's disease. At the same time, I found out that very little is known about what causes it as discussed in the earlier posts. As a consequence, there was not much I could do to cure it. Fortunately, it hasn't come back since the first attack, and I just hope that it never will.

This has been very helpful - I've had a similiar experience - ringing in my left ear after ramping up my time in the pool - I had the hearing test and they could measure the difference - It was discounted as a result of too much shooting - I'm sloppy about wearing ear protection - shoot skeet and hunt occasionally - right handed and the report impacts the left ear - My sister is an ENT and she encouraged me to get further tests - I'm sensitive to the "more un-needed tests" that have a tendancy to drive the cost of healthcare up - so have dragged my feet about getting any further tests - This gives me some great direction - Thanks !!!

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Bryan Desloge

I don't know if this will help but here is my tinnitus experience:

About 3 years ago I had a root canal and a crown installed on one of my molars. I had some cold sensitivity after that and the dentist recommended using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth (Sensodyne is what I used). About two years ago I started having tinnitus in my left ear. Last summer it was getting worse so I started searching the web and I also went in to the doctor. A hearing test showed no loss of hearing, luckily. A web search turned up forums where respondents claimed that the potassium nitrate in toothpaste (the desensitizing ingredient in Sensodyne) may lead to tinnitus. So I stopped using desensitizing toothpastes and slowly my tinnitus receded. I still have a little but I hardly notice anymore.

Hi there , I see it’s been so long but I’m desperate. Have the exact same symptoms as you. Have had all the tests CT MRI. Ménière’s and BPPV ruled out. ENT commented my hearing test showed levels Similar to those working around heavy machinery. I am a mom of 4 with an office job. Vertigo and tinnitus began when I started up swimming after a years long break.
ENT, chiro; massage ,physio, acupuncture.. first swim in about a year yesterday ( so happy ). Then a few hours later tinnitus ( which has been constant since Jan 2019) worsened. Sounds like an Alarm going off in my head. I am sure now it’s related to swimming. If there’s any update from you or suggested remedies that would be so great. Thank you.
Jana

Sounds like an Alarm going off in my head. I am sure now it’s related to swimming. If there’s any update from you or suggested remedies that would be so great. Thank you.
Jana//

Welcome to the world of no silence. I have had it for 35 years now, it progressed in the beginning as intermittent in one ear, to both now 24 hours for the past 10 years. My suggestion is dont go down the rabbit hole of finding a cure, there really is none. Of course you will try stuff out, but dont get your hopes up is what I'm really telling you, as that just all leads to a sort of depression about it. Millions and millions have tinnitus, and if there was an actual cure, dont you think the whole world would know about it by now? I still get at least once a month some email, or something on my FB feed about the latest cure, all bunk. That is not where it is going to come from, just the reality.


So most people just go about their lives with it in the background, never thinking about it. But since I'm writing this to you, of course I now hear it, as I'm sure you do now too. But it just fades into the background and out of my mind for most of my life. Just accept it and move on. The people that really have trouble are the ones that are constantly thinking about it, and sure there must be a cure somewhere. I can hear fine, but of course when doing those hearing tests, you cannot hear that particular frequency, as it is masked. I know a few who think about it too much that use noise cancelling headphones at night. They dial in the frequency you are hearing and feed it back, and some get a little relief that way. But honestly, just try and let it go, it is an epidemic in our society, probably going back to the 50's when everyone and their brother listened to loud music. Of course certain jobs back in the day with super loud noises were an issue, now they know to wear ear protection. I kind of traced mine back to a work environment.


Little things in your ear just die, and they dont regrow. I have heard stories of people cutting the nerve, only to find the brain is still hearing the constant ringing. Accept it as soon as you can, and then go live your normal life, that's all I got..

I've had tinnitus for more than 10 years now. I blame my women at home (4 daughters and a wife) for all the decibels made through thses years :-p !!
Seriously, mostly due to my job as a chef with noisy work environment. Sometimes it's worst than usual. I notice it only when I'm in a calm and silent environment, wich happens very rarely. I guess my tinnitus is mild, like Monty said, I don't focus on it...

Louis :-)

Many of these cases sound like the presentation of Menieres, which can begin with a rather slow onset of just a symptom or two appearing. Diuretics are a pretty easy, cheap, and effective symptom reliever. Worth a try before you write-off any workouts. Talk to a healthcare provider about it.

Jana, not sure how they ruled out Menieres as it’s a diagnosis by exclusion. There is no definitive test for it and little understanding of the causes behind it. There has been some success of using a diuretic to lower fluid levels, which may lessen symptoms and let you return to swimming. Potentially consider a steroid injection in the ear to alleviate symptoms. This is a little more invasive and backed by less research though.

I'm in the lifelong club. Also in the "doctors can find nothing" club. My Dad took the same thing to his grave. Normal life is fine, until I read something like this thread, and now my left rear is blasting and right ear just humming. I've had it since my 20's (I'll be 60 next year). I'm also very sensitive to my head being lower than my body in any activity. I get dizzy doing back stroke and flip turns. I've lived with it long before swimming. I swim 20K + a week, and swimming hasn't made it any worse, and I certainly wouldn't let it stop me from my favorite discipline. Its never gotten any better, I've just gotten used to it, and it's gone when I don't think about it. Which is most of the time.It rings so bad taking hearing tests, I do poorly at high freqs. Getting water in my ears, swimmer's ear, ear infections etc can certainly exaggerate the condition, but I don't believe it's the cause, as I had it long before I entered a pool. Now that's I've typed this post, I'll move on to something else, and I'll stop listening to my ears ringing, until someone or something else reminds me.

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Athlinks / Strava

This is good advice and life is beautiful but short. I think you’re right if there were a cure we would have it by now. Thanks kindly
Jana

Perhaps Ménière’s was ruled out bc I have constant tinnitus now , not just in episodes?. But worth a try to circle back. With the latest episode triggered by swimming it may lead to a more definitive answer. Thanks for the helpful info.

I would go in under the impression it’s until proven otherwise by a definitive diagnosis of something else. Tinnitus will become chronic with Menieres. It’s the episodic vertigo that is key to diagnosing it.

An aging related change in your hearing can cause this symptom. Some of us can no longer hear at all without hearing aids and when this happens, the ringing in the ears is just a minor inconvenience. This aging related change can also come on suddenly. Welcome to the club.