Maybe I need support a little, it's true...but I'm also hope that if my treatment goes well, this will serve as encouragement! So first, let's catch you up.
In July I came down with a flu. 104 degree fever for two days. I was also working a job that did not allow me sick leave. Basically, if I was gone from work for more than two days, I would be fired. It was at a summer camp working with kids, and it is the most stressful job I had ever experienced. So add the stress of the job, the stress of being sick, and the stress of potentially being fired, and I was beyond miserable.
A few days after the fever had passed but I still had some minor sickness symptoms, but gained ringing in my right ear as well as a pressure/fullness feeling and occasional pain. The ringing was a constantly fluctuating series of buzzes or chirps, kind of like you might hear from a light bulb. I was assured it was just an earache typical for the flu, and it would go away.
In late August, shortly after my job was over, the T in my right ear was almost gone. As it faded, so did the pain and fullness. If I held my ear to a pillow in a quiet room I could just barely hear the T. This didn't last, as my life got stressful again as I approached school. The T shot up to new levels and the pain became constant. I was examined by an ENT and audiologist. I was told that I had very very minor upper range hearing loss, not within bounds for concern, and no abnormalities visible in my ears. However, I did learn that I have Eustacian Tube Disorder. I was told by an ENT that I should take flonase (steroidal nasal spray) to ensure that my allergies weren't clogging my eustacian tubes. Sure enough the pain and ringing plummeted back down to "normal" levels soon after.
Mid September I began experiencing facial pain near my sinuses. At this point muscle tenseness/pain in my jaw also became a constant in my life. I had TMJ disorder issues 4 years prior, but it was solved with surgery. Sure enough, my jaw had begun clicking again earlier that year, so it was conceivable that TMJ was causing all of my symptoms. And go figure- the side that clicks is the same side as the ringing. Combine that with the fact that I grind my teeth at night and I have issues with anxiety, anxiety that's worsened by the tinnitus, and it's the perfect storm. At this point I am convinced, as are my doctors, that my symptoms are entirely related to stress + TMJ. This is especially likely since my tinnitus is lower in times of low stress. I am also able to lessen the ringing temporarily with exercise or a hot shower. Circulation issues? Perhaps.
This past Sunday I began experiencing pain in my left ear, and it began ringing too. A constant high pitch. In addition, pain in both ears has gone up, and I have a very faint case of pulsatile tinnitus in both ears. While I was easily able to mask the tinnitus in my right ear, this new ringing is so high it can't be masked in the same manner. Luckily I seem to be habituating to this one faster, nevertheless.
I had some very cool 3D x-rays taken of my head, as well as some models of my mouth. I'll be meeting with my orthodontist soon to find the best course of treatment based on the data he gathered. In all likelyhood I will be given a mouth guard to wear. I don't expect I will improve quickly if at all, but that's why I'm starting this!
Thanks for reading! I look forward to updating you soon about starting my treatment.
In July I came down with a flu. 104 degree fever for two days. I was also working a job that did not allow me sick leave. Basically, if I was gone from work for more than two days, I would be fired. It was at a summer camp working with kids, and it is the most stressful job I had ever experienced. So add the stress of the job, the stress of being sick, and the stress of potentially being fired, and I was beyond miserable.
A few days after the fever had passed but I still had some minor sickness symptoms, but gained ringing in my right ear as well as a pressure/fullness feeling and occasional pain. The ringing was a constantly fluctuating series of buzzes or chirps, kind of like you might hear from a light bulb. I was assured it was just an earache typical for the flu, and it would go away.
In late August, shortly after my job was over, the T in my right ear was almost gone. As it faded, so did the pain and fullness. If I held my ear to a pillow in a quiet room I could just barely hear the T. This didn't last, as my life got stressful again as I approached school. The T shot up to new levels and the pain became constant. I was examined by an ENT and audiologist. I was told that I had very very minor upper range hearing loss, not within bounds for concern, and no abnormalities visible in my ears. However, I did learn that I have Eustacian Tube Disorder. I was told by an ENT that I should take flonase (steroidal nasal spray) to ensure that my allergies weren't clogging my eustacian tubes. Sure enough the pain and ringing plummeted back down to "normal" levels soon after.
Mid September I began experiencing facial pain near my sinuses. At this point muscle tenseness/pain in my jaw also became a constant in my life. I had TMJ disorder issues 4 years prior, but it was solved with surgery. Sure enough, my jaw had begun clicking again earlier that year, so it was conceivable that TMJ was causing all of my symptoms. And go figure- the side that clicks is the same side as the ringing. Combine that with the fact that I grind my teeth at night and I have issues with anxiety, anxiety that's worsened by the tinnitus, and it's the perfect storm. At this point I am convinced, as are my doctors, that my symptoms are entirely related to stress + TMJ. This is especially likely since my tinnitus is lower in times of low stress. I am also able to lessen the ringing temporarily with exercise or a hot shower. Circulation issues? Perhaps.
This past Sunday I began experiencing pain in my left ear, and it began ringing too. A constant high pitch. In addition, pain in both ears has gone up, and I have a very faint case of pulsatile tinnitus in both ears. While I was easily able to mask the tinnitus in my right ear, this new ringing is so high it can't be masked in the same manner. Luckily I seem to be habituating to this one faster, nevertheless.
I had some very cool 3D x-rays taken of my head, as well as some models of my mouth. I'll be meeting with my orthodontist soon to find the best course of treatment based on the data he gathered. In all likelyhood I will be given a mouth guard to wear. I don't expect I will improve quickly if at all, but that's why I'm starting this!
Thanks for reading! I look forward to updating you soon about starting my treatment.
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