Hi everyone......long time since I've been on.

Just wondering how many of you have experienced problems with their hearing following a first rib excision op for (V/ATOS).......
Including the following symptoms: Pulsatile tinnitus, signficantly reduced/ muffled hearing, sensitivity to high pitch noises, or difficulties when hearing someone talk to you just 1 ft away when in a crowded chatty room, sounds that seem to echo/reverberate in the ear?

I was absolutely fine regarding my hearing pre-op but have since experienced all the above (in the opposite ear to the side that I had my rib removed)......... for 7 months now!

I was dx bilateral V/ATOS and have at present had just my right side operated on and opted to pospone my left side due to ongoing discomfort from the op.

I have a theory that I can hear and experience an imbalance in strength of the blood flow going through my cartoid artery on the unoperated side, which in turn is affecting my hearing...
The Surgeon and my GP's can't or should I say won't commit to make a connection and practically dismissed my concerns, by replying with... Its feasible that you may be more aware of the flow but its unlikely that its anything to do with the op. CONFUSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say that these new symptoms were/are very unsettling and so I continued to bring up my discomfort from my ear to my GP and have now been referred to be seen by ENT ( Ear, Nose,Throat) dept at the end of May..... I will keep you guys posted.

Best wishes to ALL.

approximately 24 hours after an appendectomy , I went into a respiratory failure . Dieuretics were used to control fluid buildup in my lungs . I also had some deafness for some time after the operation and was told that sometimes the use of Lasiks(the dieuretic) had this side affect . Good luck !

I have had the tinnitus and yes sensitive hearing at times. we have 2 small dogs and there are days that the sound of them barking in the house hurts my ear on the side operated. I just thought it was because my scm on left side is still really tight most days.

Tightness in the SCM affecting the hearing sounds a reasonable theory to me too........ how is it that surgeons and GPs don't/can't make these connections????????

I had acupuncture last week for the whole TOS region and lower back, also the therapist stuck a needle at the side of my ear/top of jaw area to help with the Tinnitus. Initially it can leave me in some discomfort but it does seem to improve my symptoms for awhile afterwards when everything has settled down. For the 4 days post treatment my hearing was playing up quite abit, but today it has eased up by approx 30-40%. This has happened to me before following the acupuncture but the last time it improved enormously. It seems to benefit me and I actually find it very relaxing. I have another session on Saturday...... Will keep you posted on how it goes.

Best wishes

The scm will cause a lot of issues. I know I have been dealing with it for a long time. It seems the more I use my arm the tighter it becomes. There are days where it seems like it is doing good, and I will go for a short walk and it acts up quickly. I don't understand it, but everytime I go to therapy or ART, my chiro states how tight it the muscle is. For me, my face and neck will tingle and ear will feel full and I get a feeling of pressure in my face that makes me feel foggy. I will also at times get dizziness.

I have had similar SCM problems as what brmr19 describes. Here is me posting about an experience where I discovered it was a supertight SCM causing my lightheadedness: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...d.php?t=155249

Things that help:

-- Meditation focused on muscle relaxation. Note the muscle on the inhale, eg, just try to feel it. Then on the exhale, let it go. Can take a while like 20 mins although you can also get naturally faster at it as you practice.

-- Self neck massage including pulling my fingers along the scm from top to bottom.

-- Diazepam 2mg 2 x per day.

-- Mag supplementation.

I rarely have problems any more. I hope you find relief!

Chroma, do you worry about becoming addicted to diazepam?

Not at 2mg 2 X per day. It's a very low dose.

I would like to see if I can get off it, which I will try in 2 - 3 months after getting more consistent on the mag supplementation and doing some Feldenkrais.

But using diazepam is a much better existence than before when I had crazy neck muscle tension yielding harsh TMJ and TOS symptoms.

I believe you've got to do what relieves the pain, Chroma! I am always impressed with your holistic methods of self-care.