4 ms·
I also experienced tinnitus about two days after the second Pfizer dose. I had always had very mild tinnitus, noticeable only with specific attention in quiet r
by avalys 5y ago
I also experienced tinnitus about two days after the second Pfizer dose. I had always had very mild tinnitus, noticeable only with specific attention in quiet rooms, and this was a clear increase that was noticeable in normal situations. I also had sensations of ear pressure and "fullness".
Went to see an ENT who basically said "Yeah, maybe the vaccine, weird, but we know nothing here." and offered no solution. I had a hearing test which showed a slight decrease in sensitivity at low frequencies, but still in the clinical range for "normal hearing", so there wasn't really much to be done.
In severe cases or those involving clear hearing loss, most people seem to think that oral steroids or steroid injections directly into the middle ear would be effective at reversing whatever inflammatory process is occurring and avoid long-term damage. Steroids have their own side effects, and to be effective, need to given as soon as possible. I had waited a bit to make the ENT appointment and didn't feel like my case was severe enough to ask for this.
Now two months later the ear sensations have gone away and the tinnitus is back to the mild level I experienced previously. But it was an unpleasant experience that I do not wish to repeat. I will probably avoid the booster if possible.
However, many people have also reported permanent hearing loss and tinnitus after contracting COVID. For all I know, getting the vaccine may have saved me from much more serious and long-lasting symptoms that would have come with an actual COVID infection. No way to know unfortunately.
Goddamn biology. Back to coding now.
- ce4 5y agoIn my case it was an undiagnosed long dormant bacterial tick borne infection that periodically became active and became worse the last couple of years. Subsequent treatment resulted in a heavy spike of symptoms i had long forgotten I once had years ago or accepted as the "normal" state. Of almost all of those symptoms I was unaware they might be somehow connected, one of them being Tinnitus in the right ear. There are probably lots of low level infections that cause no to only mild symptoms for years. My first BioNtech/Pfizer shot also triggered it again and some other funny symptoms that lasted for more than three weeks. Second shot will be next week.
- double0jimb0 5y agoNext time try Flonase up the nose, much less invasive than a shot into the middle ear.
- cactus2093 5y ago> However, many people have also reported permanent hearing loss and tinnitus after contracting COVID Thanks for pointing this out. It's definitely sad that people are having side effects to the vaccine, but most of the discussion about it seems to be implicitly asserting that the choice was either to get the vaccine, or go on without it while staying healthy indefinitely. Obviously that's not the case, the choice is to get the vaccine or eventually catch Covid unvaccinated and roll the dice with what might happen in that case, which by all indications is much more likely to lead to serious side effects than the vaccine.
- mcastle 5y agoThere’s a third choice, which is not getting the vaccine because you already have natural resistance to COVID, such as through a previous infection with COVID. In this case, a vaccine could introduce unnecessary risk.
- tmn 5y agoThat’s the second choice. You’re just later on after catching COVID
- mcastle 5y agoIt’s not the second choice though, since the initial state is different, and thus so are the risks and rewards of getting the vaccine.
- ShannyBabes123 5y agoWhat I'm still curious about is re: the risks of the naturally immune taking the vaccine. If they're immune, wouldn't they have fast deployment of antibodies to the vaccine-induced creation of the s-protein? Then surely it wouldn't be any greater risk than catching covid again, right? Meaning both situations (getting vaxx or getting covid again) would likely result in mild or no reaction (presuming an otherwise healthy risk profile). What am I missing?
- patorjk 5y agoMy mom had a bad case of COVID (13 days in the ICU). It affected her hearing. She said the hearing in her left ear would just cut out almost completely, and then later come back but not as strong as before. She went for a hearing test and they verified she had some hearing loss. She also experienced a number of other side effects but she's thankfully mostly back to normal now. You may have dodged a bullet by getting the vaccine, but like you said there's really no way to know.