Noises in Ear
- Wendy Schreuder, M.S.
Question
I have a thumping sound in my left ear. The sound is rapid and irregular, and not synced with my pulse. It started four days ago at night. Today for first time I noticed sounds like tapping gently on a speaker cone. It doesn't seem to affect hearing.
Answer
Noises in the ear, whether it be thumping, ringing, buzzing, roaring or any other unusual sound not explained by outside sounds, are called tinnitus. Tinnitus can be constant, intermittent, high or low pitched, loud or very soft, and each person's tinnitus is slightly different.
That said, you may be experiencing tinnitus or you may be experiencing something that can be explained by looking in the ear (i.e. wax or a hair touching your eardrum).
I would recommend you see your doctor if this persists, and she/he can make a referral to see an audiologist for an evaluation. From there, if the problem persists or is part of other symptoms affecting the ear, your audiologist can refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist.
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