Acoustic Trauma from a Rock Concert and Multiple Ear Infections: Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, TMJ, ETD

Hoping that writing this down helps me since it's difficult for others around me to empathize or sympathize. And all the doctors can say is the typical refrain..."there's nothing you can do".

Acoustic trauma from a rock concert (in 2010) and multiple ear/sinus infections are seemingly the culprit for my tinnitus. I have newly acquired ringing in the other ear with a dose of electrical crackling/short circuit, hyperacusis (self-diagnosed, not certain), and TMJ to top it all off (which was seemingly worsened after a dental filling made my bite uneven, again, not sure). I've also heard my ENT say "Eustachian Tube Dysfunction" more than once I think.

Left Ear - (260-275 Hz tinnitus):

I had gotten used to the ringing in the left ear and it more or less rarely bothered me. It has mostly resolved to a higher end hissing that only rings (like a train in the distance... sometimes closer rather than farther) when I've been somewhere moderately loud (bar, restaurants, taking a shower, etc). So, it's "reactive" in that sense.

Right Ear - (somewhere between 2000-4000 Hz tinnitus):

New ringing, potentially from a silent or low level ear infection that I didn't know I had. I got pretty crap allergies and sinus infections are common (I had tonsils removed to help with this and it did... before a sore throat would regularly turn it into an infection). It's really hard to discern what exactly is going on with it. The high end ringing (but mostly hissing oftentimes) was almost not there and I honestly didn't notice the crackling was my ear until recently since it sounds the same as my phone charger when it's charging. I've noticed if I sleep on it, (sometimes) the next morning it's either faint or not there at all, and I only the hiss. I've also had days where the hiss and the crackle are mostly unnoticeable, which are welcomed. Some days, it will go completely silent for a second or two. Sometimes, randomly, it changes frequency to something more noticeable and to a slightly higher volume. Sometimes moving my jaw around changes the pitch. Sometimes not. It certainly seems to be "reactive" to things like wind blowing, A/C or heat turning on at the house, or even a computer fan spinning, etc. Way more so than my left ear. And the louder they get, the louder it gets. It also sometimes has a very low end rumble that's roughly the same as a car running outside in the driveway. So, I didn't know it was my ear for years. Usually I only notice it in a quiet room after I have been around some noise. I can interrupt it and stop it for a brief moment if I make a sound or another noise. Even weirder is in some situations, if someone is talking to me mostly in my left ear, my right ear will respond with very low end pulses or fluctuations (maybe my eardrum is physically moving?). It's almost as if my left ear is a microphone and my right ear is a subwoofer trying to reproduce the sound, but can only make noises like the teacher from Charlie Brown (Wah Wah Wah)... but much lower pitched. This has been a thing since at least 2004 or so... that I can remember... maybe longer. I didn't/still don't know if that is a separate issue or they're all related. There's also pressure/fullness. And when I try to pop it, it just sounds/feels like I'm inflating a balloon in my ear. Not sure if I just need to push harder and brace for a loud noise or what.

Anyhow, this has turned out to be way longer than I anticipated. I'm not looking for any answers or sympathy. Though, if one of these things sounds familiar and there's something you've found that helps, I'm all "ears". Just sharing my story and hoping for a good outcome in the future from medicine and technology like everyone else. I habituated last time, hoping to do the same again, maybe a little quicker and with a few less sleepless nights this time 'round.

 

Interesting update:

My previously mentioned crackling noise had resolved until last night/this morning for the first time in over a month. All I did was simply lay an earplug into my left ear (nowhere close to fully inserting it) while sleeping to stop the ETD in my left ear. And voilà, my right ear is crackling again and the high end hissing is in full force. No idea how those are related, but they seem to be.

EDIT: A few hours later the crackling has fallen off significantly but the ETD has resolved to being bilateral. Like sitting between 2 subwoofers.