Been Doing Great for So Long Until Now

[Newbie]

Hi everyone I haven't been on here for a long time.
I was going through a really bad phase with my tinnitus last time which had all settled and I finally got my life back on track. Everything was going great and the tinnitus wasn't bothering me at all!

About 3 hours ago I got a sudden ringing in my left ear with a bit of fullness 4 hours later is still there. If I yawn, open my mouth wide, turn my neck to the side it goes away but when I sit or stand up straight it comes back loud again.

I'm used to my current tinnitus I'm just so scared this is another change again that I am not prepared for.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?

 

[jimH]

About 3 hours ago I got a sudden ringing in my left ear with a bit of fullness 4 hours later is still there. If I yawn, open my mouth wide, turn my neck to the side it goes away but when I sit or stand up straight it comes back loud again.

I'm used to my current tinnitus I'm just so scared this is another change again that I am not prepared for.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I experienced the same thing when I had a cold. I developed intermittent tones along with my usual white noise T. It also changed at times when I yawned. I believe it had something to do with some congestion in the Eustachian tube.

The fact that you can make it stop for a short time by yawning or opening your mouth wide indicates you might be experiencing the same thing or something related to the Eustachian tube. It's probably just a temporary condition like mine was. Being that it's only been going on for a matter of hours, I wouldn't worry much about it if I were you.

However, there are a number of other things that can cause a feeling of "ear fullness" that you mentioned. Here are some of them:

https://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/ear-fullness--causes

 

[Newbie]

Thank you so much! I hope it doesn't happen for too long. Every time my tinnitus changes I panic and get terrified I'm in for another few months of misery. My tinnitus is my biggest fear in life it's so unpredictable

 

[jimH]

Every time my tinnitus changes I panic and get terrified I'm in for another few months of misery. My tinnitus is my biggest fear in life it's so unpredictable

Fear, panic or even just sustained anxiety can in themselves exacerbate a T condition by causing a spike or making an existing one last longer than it probably would have. I'm speaking from more than 30 years of experience of living with T.

The fact that you chose to use words like, "panic, terrified, misery, and biggest fear in life" should tell you something. That is, that your problem is not just the change in your T, but your reaction to the change.

So, try your best to calm yourself down by reducing your level of fear and worry! I know that's easier said than done.

Remember that this change in your T began only a couple of days ago. So, don't presume the worst case scenario! That is, that it's going to become permanent. I already wrote in my previous post that I experienced the same thing and it turned out to be just a temporary condition. That should give you some hope that yours will be also. ....

 

[Newbie]

Jimh thanks so much for your advice! Have you had times when you got a spike and you thought it would never go away but it did? It's so weird it's like it goes away when I'm lying down and comes back when I stand up ?

 

[jimH]

Have you had times when you got a spike and you thought it would never go away but it did? It's so weird it's like it goes away when I'm lying down and comes back when I stand up ?

Yes, numerous times. I even had a severe spike once that lasted four months. I thought, for sure, it was a permanent change. However, my T did eventually ramp back down to my previous baseline.

I did experience part of what you wrote in your first post. That is, the change in my T would stop briefly when I yawned or opened my mouth wide. However, I have not experienced a spike that subsides when laying down and returns when I stood up.

I'm really hoping that some other members will chime in soon. Perhaps someone has already experienced exactly what you're going through and can share some useful information.

 

[Newbie]

Ya it's when I sleep it's gone or extremely low in the the morning and throughout the day it comes back loud again being worst at night time!
I was going to a really stressful period prior fo this happening I wonder did that have anything to do with this spike coming on?
It's a high pitched whistle I've never heard before!
I'm trying not to panic but going into day 3 with this now I never get a break with this stupid tinnitus whenever it changes it's never just for a few hours it ALWAYS lingers on and sends me on a downward spiral and I don't want to go that way again

 

[hans01]

I have several pitches high and mid freq tones and sometimes low freq buzz too, I must admit that I've always been anxious since I had a violent street agression when I was younger, but professionals say it's because of hearing loss (I'm a guitar player). Now for some of the tones, when I put my finger in my ear I definitely can stop the T for a moment, so as I also have allergy and sinus issues, I wonder if there might be a link as well, very strange I can stop the T just by putting my finger in my ear lol ...

 

[jer]

Stress will ramp up your tinnitus. This is a very known cause and many people have reported this on this forum. Try and calm down as much as yo7 can through whatever you can and I am sure the spike will settle back down.

No amount of stress is worth the increased tinnitus.

 

[hans01]

Stress will ramp up your tinnitus. This is a very known cause and many people have reported this on this forum. Try and calm down as much as yo7 can through whatever you can and I am sure the spike will settle back down.

No amount of stress is worth the increased tinnitus.

You're right, it's not always easy to deal with and calm down when you're under fire all day (tons of work and family stress) , but for me there is a link between my T and stress for sure, it's not just hearing loss, as my initial T started in a period of intense stress when I started working as a freelancer, and we all know that working on your own, alone, almost no social life except family is not ideal for your psychological balance.

BTW, two years ago right after a serious burnout (yeah eagain stres, stress) I stopped playing music, and I tested my ears which have been stable since years but with a hearing loss in the upper ranger above 6Khz, right after the burnout still the same, now guess what ? One year after my burnout without playing, but due to intense stress and tons of anxiety from the burnout my upper limit went down to 2-3Khz which means I lost everything above that frequency range, without even touching the guitar or doing gigs. ENT says it was natural, but I'm sure it was not, I never lost that much in such a small time period, and I'm almost sure it's due to the stress instead and possible sinus infections too.

 

[Newbie]

Hi recently thought I was hearing an ambulance siren when really it was coming from my tinnitus. Gets louder when I'm louder environments?

I'm so stressed and worried I don't know what to do! I have had tinnitus for 3 years and have been doing so good up until now.

Has anyone ever experienced this before. Please help.

 

[Allan1967]

Hi everyone I haven't been on here for a long time.
I was going through a really bad phase with my tinnitus last time which had all settled and I finally got my life back on track. Everything was going great and the tinnitus wasn't bothering me at all!

About 3 hours ago I got a sudden ringing in my left ear with a bit of fullness 4 hours later is still there. If I yawn, open my mouth wide, turn my neck to the side it goes away but when I sit or stand up straight it comes back loud again.

I'm used to my current tinnitus I'm just so scared this is another change again that I am not prepared for.
Has this ever happened to anyone else?

What happened the first time around if you don't mind me asking?