Hi guys, I'll try to make this as brief as possible, but I've been having an awful time the last month and a half.
I've had mild tinnitus since 2013 from a specific concert where I stood too close to a drum set without earplugs (I've been wearing musician's plugs to concerts ever since). Sometimes after loud concerts or when I have a cold, I'll have a day where my tinnitus is louder than usual, but it has always returned to normal afterwards.
A month and a half ago, I went out to a noisy bar with a friend (no live music, but loud chatter on a patio and music on the PA for a couple hours). I listened to the stereo pretty loud on the way home and noticed when I got home that my tinnitus was spiking.
Ever since that evening, my tinnitus has been louder than before and I've had ear pain and am more sensitive to loud noises. I saw my primary care doctor who tried giving me a Prednisone taper and some Klonopin to ease my nerves for a week or two. The Klonopin helped (and has continued to help) dull the pain (.5 mg twice a day), but the pain has still persisted.
He referred me to an audiologist who did a hearing test and confirmed that despite the louder ringing, I have no hearing loss. I then was referred to an ENT doctor who offered no help but said she may put me down for a future study (I asked about a possible cortisol injection I'd read about but she said it'd be too risky).
Next I visited my dentist to see if it may be a TMJ issue. She did a check of my jaw/mouth and said she didn't believe it was a TMJ problem (though I have had a root canal and teeth removed a few months ago, waiting for it to heal before I get an implant in a couple months).
Finally, I went to a neurologist who helped me with chronic migraines I developed last year just before the pandemic began. She had prescribed me Nortriptyline which essentially knocked the migraines out completely. She first tried doubling the dose to see if that'd help with the current situation but it did not. I just started a sample pack of Nurtec to see if that'll help, but halfway through that, it doesn't seem to be.
Additional info that may be pertinent: I received the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine one month before the night out where the spike/ear pain started. After receiving each dose I had the standard aches and cold symptoms that most people had but nothing else.
So I'm not sure if it's noise trauma, TMJ, asymptomatic COVID-19 or vaccine related, but the pain and sensitivity has made it a lot harder for me to work/focus and since I'm a music journalist, I'm supposed to be covering concerts again very soon and this timing is awful. Happy to hear any thoughts from you guys on this. Appreciate your time.
I've had mild tinnitus since 2013 from a specific concert where I stood too close to a drum set without earplugs (I've been wearing musician's plugs to concerts ever since). Sometimes after loud concerts or when I have a cold, I'll have a day where my tinnitus is louder than usual, but it has always returned to normal afterwards.
A month and a half ago, I went out to a noisy bar with a friend (no live music, but loud chatter on a patio and music on the PA for a couple hours). I listened to the stereo pretty loud on the way home and noticed when I got home that my tinnitus was spiking.
Ever since that evening, my tinnitus has been louder than before and I've had ear pain and am more sensitive to loud noises. I saw my primary care doctor who tried giving me a Prednisone taper and some Klonopin to ease my nerves for a week or two. The Klonopin helped (and has continued to help) dull the pain (.5 mg twice a day), but the pain has still persisted.
He referred me to an audiologist who did a hearing test and confirmed that despite the louder ringing, I have no hearing loss. I then was referred to an ENT doctor who offered no help but said she may put me down for a future study (I asked about a possible cortisol injection I'd read about but she said it'd be too risky).
Next I visited my dentist to see if it may be a TMJ issue. She did a check of my jaw/mouth and said she didn't believe it was a TMJ problem (though I have had a root canal and teeth removed a few months ago, waiting for it to heal before I get an implant in a couple months).
Finally, I went to a neurologist who helped me with chronic migraines I developed last year just before the pandemic began. She had prescribed me Nortriptyline which essentially knocked the migraines out completely. She first tried doubling the dose to see if that'd help with the current situation but it did not. I just started a sample pack of Nurtec to see if that'll help, but halfway through that, it doesn't seem to be.
Additional info that may be pertinent: I received the second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine one month before the night out where the spike/ear pain started. After receiving each dose I had the standard aches and cold symptoms that most people had but nothing else.
So I'm not sure if it's noise trauma, TMJ, asymptomatic COVID-19 or vaccine related, but the pain and sensitivity has made it a lot harder for me to work/focus and since I'm a music journalist, I'm supposed to be covering concerts again very soon and this timing is awful. Happy to hear any thoughts from you guys on this. Appreciate your time.
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