More on ENT..

(This is gonna be a dry, technical, boring entry on..well..ears..so if u're not interested, feel free to skip this)

Just when i brought up this ENT thingy..there's an article on hearing and ENT in Life today..

The article focuses mainly on tinnitus, which is defined as a perception of a sound in one or both ears or in the head when no external sound is present; it is often described as the persistent ringing in the ears..whereas my doc diagnosed my case as otitis media which is infection or inflammation of the middle ear..so technically they are not the same..but i do get the 'ringing' in my ears too..

In the article, it is mentioned tinnitus can sometimes be caused by muscle spasms in the middle ear or eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear and the back of the nose, or may be due to abnormalities in the blood vessels surrounding the ear.

According to a ENT consultant, most of the time, the cause cannot be determined(maybe tat's also why my doc never seemed to be able to give me a logical explanation of why my ear always kena) There are however, many potential catalysts which are known to trigger or worsen the condition, including the accumluation of earwax, exposure to loud sounds, head or neck injuries, problem with blood circulation and jaw misalignment(dun think i am subjected to any, other than the earwax part)

The majority of people who suffer from tinnitus also have hearing loss, but the condition itself does not cause hearing loss(not much of a consolation..)

Another consultant(they interviewed quite a few docs for the article) says that people with an obstructed eustachian tube can experience hearing loss, pain or tinnitus especially during landing(while air travelling). Tell me about it..I can still vividly remember the pain i felt while flying to Stockholm some 2 years ago..the inside of my head felt like it was all being squeezed soooo tightly..it was really horrible and the pain took quite a while to subside even after i landed..

Yet another consultant says that 'there is no cure for tinnitus, but it can be managed such that it no longer disturbs'

'Although tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease, many people are very bothered by it' quoted another doc..

I totally agree with one of the doc's saying that 'it is often the annoyance and not the actual loudness of the tinnitus that affects the individual, and that over 95% of the untreatable patients will eventually adapt to their condition'

Hope i never get to that stage..