Ear leakers.........have you tried recording.

[GingerLox]

Dear ear leakers...............
I mentioned this once before,...........
after much time feeling like there was so much fluid activity going on in my ears when I lie down and with it being so loud that I have difficulty shutting it out of my thoughts so that I can sleep, I began to wonder if there was some way to record this sound so that perhaps a doctor or my husband and family could know what I am talking about. I happen to have a stethoscope and have had my husband listen to the fluid make its way through the ear pathways. He was flabberghasted. So I thought, since he can hear what I hear perhaps I could record this on a tape recorder. I have a very small digital tape recorder, and I lie it down between my head/ear and pillow when the fluid is rushing through, and walaaaaaaaa it records it. I turn the volume up high, so it picks it all up. I was so proud of this discovery, and I took it to my doctor. He doesn't know what to think. I wish I could somehow share this sound with you all. It is truly crazy. I wish someone else would try it to see if they have any luck. It takes the abstract leak into a tangible, audible result. Sometimes I think my doctor thinks the sounds are created in my ears like they are in meniere's disease and not a true sound. I have known different, but this really shows them that it is an actual activity with sound.

Now that I have this recording, and I could record it anytime on demand if it necessitated, what would some of you do with this information? I feel like now that I've got it I would think that some doctor out there might be really interested in using this as a diagnostic tool for csf ear leaks.


GingerLox

[Edward]

Hello Ginger,

I wanted to get back to you last week but did not have time. I remember you talking about this before. This is truly amazing and I would think this would carry some weight as far as "evidence" for your doctors. Personally, when I get drainage through my ears it is never enough to cause a sound - just a sensation of fluid moving - usually a slow oozing or creeping of fluid through my ear(s). At its worst, this will be accompanied by dripping down the back of my throat with maybe a drip or two coming down my nose. I do not get a lot of this anymore so I know my leak(s) have at least partially healed. But within the first few months of my skull fractures, I had this happen several times - usually after I laid down to go to sleep. I am sure the pressue in my head increased just enough to push the fluid out after I laid down.

So, when you get this sound, do you also get any sensation of fluid movement? Either movement through your ear or the sensation of fluid dripping down your throat? It would seem that if you were getting enough fluid to cause a sound, that you would also be able to feel the fluid moving too. Just curious!

-Ed.

[blossom4th]

Ginger,
That recording must be amazing! I never knew about CSF leaks when I was feeling the dripping of fluid in my ears! Oh,was it annoying! I don't recall it happening anymore as of lately,though.I was telling my chiropracter about my headaches today,and I mentioned that my eyes sometimes get watery and my nose always runs;but it doesn't feel like allergies!

[Edward]

Hello Blossom,

You must be new here. I apologize if I missed your story. So have you had a CSF leak into your ears in the past? (Just curious since that is my problem).

Thanks...Ed.
:)

[blossom4th]

Hi Ed,
I've actually only had these headaches for two weeks;I never had anything like this! And I've had migraines and sinus headaches.It was like I woke up one morning and within 10-15 min. I was feeling increasing pressure,and it wasn't long before I had to lay down because I felt so sick! I suddenly realized that I had gained some relief! It seemed as the days went by it got worse,and having vicodin on hand,I would take one and go to bed.I posted over on the Headache forum about my headaches,and guineapig answered.Then one evening I was surfing and found this forum!

[Edward]

Hi Blossom,

Well, I hope you do not have a CSF leak but certainly I can understand your concern given headache symptoms that improve upon laying down. Any past history of head injury or back/spinal injury?

Take care....Ed.

[GingerLox]

Dear Ed..............Sorry about the delay in answering you. Yes, absolutely, I feel the fluid moving through the ear and dripping down onto the back of the ear drum (this is when I feel the most itching sensation). Then I turn my head a bit in the other direction and I can feel it leak through the eustachian tube and then down the back of my throat.
When I go to my doctor's office, he always has me hang my head forward to try to demonstrate the leak as if its' coming out of a hole in the sinus. Although, I eventually will leak through the nose while doing this, I know it is from fluid build up in the sinus. I told him the other day that what he is trying to have me demonstrate through the nose is actually what is happening in the ears (a constant drip when lying on my side.) He told me when he runs my tests that he will make an incision in my ear drum and look inside the inner ear to see if he can see the flourescein. He was probably puzzled at how excited I was to hear that!
They are not placing pledgetts on my future testing because my doc thinks that pledgetts do not help much in locating leaks. He feels pledgetts are only good at letting you know there is a leak.

Fondly
GingerLox

[Edward]

Hi Ginger,

Thanks for your response. Yes, I get the itch too inside my ears from the fluid. It is terrible and there is nothing you can do about it. It can be very intense sometimes. I thought I was the only person here with that symptom until I saw that you mentioned it.

Thanks for letting me know more about your upcoming test. One of my doctors in the past recommended against slitting the ear drum to look for fluid because of the potential for introducing contamination. But then I had another doctor who made it sound like not a big deal. Has your doctor spoken to this issue at all?

I understand what you are saying as far as the pledgets go but what I am wondering is why your doctor is using dye as opposed to using the radioactive "stuff." My understanding is that either one of these could be used to find a leak (but maybe I am wrong) so I was just curious why your doctor preferred the dye.

Good talking to you.

-Ed.