6 Months of Tinnitus — Previously Fluttering Sensations, Changing Roles at Work and a 7-Hour Car Trip: Looking for Answers

[owkjm19]

Hello,

I started noticing tinnitus mainly in my left ear around May or June. I am not sure what caused it, but I did experience a strange "fluttering" sensation, almost like muscle spasms, in the left ear several times starting the previous September. These episodes lasted hours to days. The only things I can associate with the onset of tinnitus are changing roles at work (moving to a new office with different background noise) at the start of the year and a seven hour two way car trip on bad tires shortly before it began.

The sound in my left ear is essentially a high-pitched whistle layered on top of a lower-pitched moaning. It gets louder whenever I open my jaw wide, turn my head to the left, yawn, or blow my nose, which makes me think it could be somatic. My ENT has not been particularly helpful, other than referring me to a couple of audiologists. One of them sold me "sound therapy" devices, but they have not made much of a difference so far. The other audiologist offers the Lenire treatment, but I am hesitant to try it due to negative experiences I have read about in forums, as well as the additional cost. I do not have any significant measurable hearing loss, and a recent MRI showed no signs of tumors or inner ear damage.

As for other things I have tried, they include cutting out caffeine, reducing sodium intake, and taking supplements like Magnesium Glycinate (200 mg daily at night, along with Trazodone to help me sleep). None of these have had any noticeable impact.

I am looking for suggestions based on similar experiences or advice on other things I could try to manage this.

Thanks.

 

[Supersix]

My ENT showed me a medical book explaining where the spasms in the inner ear come from. I can't remember what he called it, but he assured me it wasn't something to worry about and said it would eventually go away.

In the past, I've experienced these spasms for 8 to 12 hours at a time, which always freaked me out. Fortunately, it hasn't happened in a while.

 

[owkjm19]

I probably should have mentioned that I've had TMJ issues for 20 years. I'm starting to wonder if that might be connected to my tinnitus, especially since opening my jaw seems to affect it.

 

[Thomas_83]

Were you feeling stressed by changing roles at work? Are you generally a stressed or anxious person? Stress might be a factor in causing your tinnitus. It can affect the muscles and nerves, making the part of your brain responsible for processing sound overly sensitive.

That's just my opinion, though. You're fortunate not to have hearing damage, and there's a good chance this will improve with time. Six months is often when people start to notice things getting better. I'm currently 1.5 months into my second experience with tinnitus, and while it's starting to improve, I'm still struggling.

I've noticed that squeezing my cheeks or tightening the muscles in my throat can make the sound louder, so I think stress could be playing a role. If you're interested, you might find it helpful to watch videos on YouTube by Julian Cowan Hill. He has a calming presence and helps me feel more at ease. I don't agree with everything he says, but much of it aligns with my own thoughts.

 

[owkjm19]

Yes, I'm a pretty anxious person and the new job definitely did not help with that. Thanks for the recommendation.