Driving Myself Crazy

[Greg Sacramento]

@GabyP If your tinnitus wasn't caused by the ear buds or anything else and you were having muscle spasms and a stiff neck for weeks, then: 50% chance that your trapezius muscles are involved. 30% chance that the sternocleidomastoids are also involved. 70% chance of facet joint tenderness and 83% chance of deep vertical neck fibers. I recently posted a link titled "Back in the Game" that includes discussion on this.

 

[GabyP]

Guys just to let you know that yesterday night, after the jaw clenching and biting etc, my the noise seems to have migrated towards my other ear.... It's also more of a "sound" now and less of a static.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@GabyP

Read link slowly. If your neck tension which you said has been going on for months was before clenching, then your neck started things and that needs to be addressed as well as clenching.

If your clenching problem start first then that can make your neck sore.

https://www.drmikepilar.com/common-symptoms-of-tmj-disorder/

 

[GabyP]

@kelpiemsp Would it mate the sound migrate and change like that after moving my jaw around?

 

[GabyP]

Okay sorry for the pandering here just wanted to report something that might be of interest.
Whenever I bring my head forward standing up (I mean really forward, engaging my back), the sound reduces significantly. Any idea ?
Again thanks everybody for their replies. It is extremely helpful.

 

[Jonstorm]

Okay sorry for the pandering here just wanted to report something that might be of interest.
Whenever I bring my head forward standing up (I mean really forward, engaging my back), the sound reduces significantly. Any idea ?
Again thanks everybody for their replies. It is extremely helpful.

Hi @GabyP
I think most people with tinnitus can modulate the sound with head/neck/jaw movements. I can certainly making mine worse by pushing on jaw/teeth as well as neck movements. I suspect this is just cross talk (neurologically speaking) in my case as I could give my self brief tinnitus before this crap started by loud yawns and other movements. In your case you are easing it. I don't necessarily think it guarantees that the whole source of your problem is in the joints/muscles of the head and neck.
But the reality is probably no one knows...
John

 

[GabyP]

Hey guys thought I'd give you a bit of an update.

My anxiety levels haven't been great since my first post. I have to say that I probably spent too much time on this forum drilling the worst case scenarios in my head, and most importantly worrying about everything that could make my situation worse. I was crying every night and not focusing on my thesis, which I'm now very late with.

I've gone back to the GP yesterday who was really understanding and much more attentive than the first. She did confirm it was tinnitus, took me off work for 2 weeks and recommended me to an ENT. She also said that my good ear (left) had a lot of ear was build-up and prescribed olive oil ear drops. I'm seeing her again in 3 weeks time. She further diagnoses me with muskulosqueletal pains and told me I should listen to my body and take it slow for a while.

All that has also made me realise that while the tinnitus is there, it's really not as bad as I initially thought. Last night for example I slept with ear plugs in and wasnt bothered at all (probs thanks to zopliclone). I'm still constantly on edge and worried that everything will make it worse. And I do mean everything. Even using ear plugs.

So I guess my real question is what can I do to make sure I don't, as far as possible? Can I go outside and not wear protection? I live in a busy area right by the road, is it going to aggravate it ? I'm going to a massage therapist tomorrow, is it safe ? I've got so many questions.

Also, I'm noticing that plugging my ear manually make it worse sometimes after I release the pressure. Standing up seems to improve it somewhat, and depending how i sit it travels to my other ear.

I guess at this point any suggestion would be welcomed.
Thanks for all the advice. I might add that after this I'm probably going to take a break from this forum.

Cheers
Gaby

 

[Bill Bauer]

She also said that my good ear (left) had a lot of ear was build-up and prescribed olive oil ear drops. I'm seeing her again in 3 weeks time.

Make sure she doesn't use microsuction or syringing to clean your ears. Insist that she use manual tools to scrape out the wax.

I'm still constantly on edge and worried that everything will make it worse.

I think it is important to protect against sudden noises like the sound of a metal door slamming shut, and moderate noises (e.g., vacuum cleaner, blender, lawn mower), but you should not get obsessed with this and start worrying about more minor noises. In addition, it some accidental exposure is unavoidable. You should not worry about getting T to spike as a result of an occasional noise exposure that you couldn't prevent. These are natural, and you will be able to heal even if you can't prevent all of those shocks.

Do what you can to prevent exposure to serious noise (e.g., carry X5A muffs with you whenever you go, that way you will be able to protect yourself quickly in case there is a fire alarm). But don't worry too much about the unavoidable accidents, as doing so is counterproductive. Most of those accidents won't give you a permanent T spike, but worrying about this will increase your stress levels and make your T worse...

 

[GabyP]

@Bill Bauer thank you for these info. Don't worry I'm not letting her touch my ears with anything I'm not comfortable with.
Thanks very much for the advice, they truly help.

I need to stop obsessively checking TT as this is becoming really unhealthy for me as I know my patterns. But again. Thank you so much for taking the time.
I'm gonna try and get back to normal somewhat.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I need to stop obsessively checking TT as this is becoming really unhealthy for me as I know my patterns.

If you can, try to match your T (its volume and/or its pitch) to a certain sound (e.g., the loudest or quietest sound you can make by running your finger along a wall, or by drawing air in through your nose). That way in a month or two (or six) you can check whether your T had faded.

In case you haven't read that thread, check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822
as you may find some of it to be useful.

 

[85dB T]

hearing a pulse in my ear

You mentioned your young age and your anxiety. You are normal. When we are young we are unaware of our physical existence, everything functions so well. As we age our physical bodies begin to manifest corruption, we no longer feel immortal. Hearing, sight, and smell, our senses wane.

The pulsing hiss along with floaters in my eyes alarmed me when I was young. They are harmless. Get back into your books and take reasonable precautions with your hearing and health in general. Regardless, we get old and fall apart. You have a long way to go! Don't worry.

 

[kelpiemsp]

Hi @GabyP I hope you are feeling better. Lots of good advice here. With TMJ it makes a lot of sense for the sound to travel between ears as it's a craniofacial disorder. Have you looked at yoga or meditation?