Hi all. Apologies for the long post but more backstory is always better. If you want the important bit skip to the end.
When I was 14, (2011) I gained my tinnitus. Doc gave me a hearing test and MRI, both of which came back fine so no cause was ever found. It has never gone away. It has always been worse in my right ear, my "problem ear". But in general ear problems did not seem to directly affect my life. Until last year.
I began to notice, when using earphones, that my left ear felt "stronger" than my right. I saw a GP who told me I had a lot of wax and eventually syringed it out. Later I would find out this is no longer really recommended. Though there was a lot of wax, it did not really help my perceived hearing. And a new symptom: when flexing my tensor tympani, something I've always been able to do, I felt a squishy sound and balooning sense of pressure ONLY in my right ear.
So I saw an ENT, who did not see anything wrong but diagnosed me (incorrectly, I believe) with a possible case of ETD due to a deviated septum. I did get a hearing test and I came up fine. However, keep in mind hearing tests only test up to 8khz and my perceived hearing loss seems to be above that.
I also began to notice hyperacusis. Of course entirely possible I've had it for much longer but I only now began to notice it as anxiety from my university degree (I study music, surprise surprise) set in. My hyperacusis manifests as distorted tones with certain frequencies. Generally frequencies closet to the middle and one up from middle octaves on a piano. It can be quite debilitating in certain situations, such as when playing with electric guitars.
As my anxiety ramped up I also began feeling a constant feeling a constant sense of pressure in my right ear, and started having minor panic attacks.
Recently, due to a chronic ear infection that seems to have now cleared up but resulted in a minor eardrum perforation, I have been seeing a (different) ENT. I've told him about my tensor tympani and perceived hearing loss, but he wants a fresh hearing test, which I'm getting this week, before investigating anymore. He seemed pessimistic it could be anything but nerve damage. However, the night after seeing him (Tuesday night), I made a shocking discovery. When I flex my tensor tympani it seems to give me back at least some of the high frequency hearing in my right ear! Seriously, in one recording I can barely hear the ride cymbal in my right ear. While I'm flexing my tensor tympani it becomes audible! As soon as a I stop flexing the pressure in my ear deballoons and my hearing feels deadened. Though there's usually no squishy sound or pressure feeling, my left ear also has a minor shift to a "higher tone" while flexing the tensor tympani.
I emailed my ENT with this discovery on Wednesday but have yet to hear back.
So my question: Does anyone have any idea what this could possibly be? I don't seem to fit Tensor Tympani Syndrome since I don't get "spasms". Yet... Is it possible my tensor tympani is hypercontracted, lessening my hearing and giving me that pressure feeling as well as hyperacusis, and when flexing the muscle it "decontracts", restoring it? Anyone who can voluntarily flex the muscle, put on one headphone at a time and tell me: Do you notice a change in tone?
Thank you for reading
When I was 14, (2011) I gained my tinnitus. Doc gave me a hearing test and MRI, both of which came back fine so no cause was ever found. It has never gone away. It has always been worse in my right ear, my "problem ear". But in general ear problems did not seem to directly affect my life. Until last year.
I began to notice, when using earphones, that my left ear felt "stronger" than my right. I saw a GP who told me I had a lot of wax and eventually syringed it out. Later I would find out this is no longer really recommended. Though there was a lot of wax, it did not really help my perceived hearing. And a new symptom: when flexing my tensor tympani, something I've always been able to do, I felt a squishy sound and balooning sense of pressure ONLY in my right ear.
So I saw an ENT, who did not see anything wrong but diagnosed me (incorrectly, I believe) with a possible case of ETD due to a deviated septum. I did get a hearing test and I came up fine. However, keep in mind hearing tests only test up to 8khz and my perceived hearing loss seems to be above that.
I also began to notice hyperacusis. Of course entirely possible I've had it for much longer but I only now began to notice it as anxiety from my university degree (I study music, surprise surprise) set in. My hyperacusis manifests as distorted tones with certain frequencies. Generally frequencies closet to the middle and one up from middle octaves on a piano. It can be quite debilitating in certain situations, such as when playing with electric guitars.
As my anxiety ramped up I also began feeling a constant feeling a constant sense of pressure in my right ear, and started having minor panic attacks.
Recently, due to a chronic ear infection that seems to have now cleared up but resulted in a minor eardrum perforation, I have been seeing a (different) ENT. I've told him about my tensor tympani and perceived hearing loss, but he wants a fresh hearing test, which I'm getting this week, before investigating anymore. He seemed pessimistic it could be anything but nerve damage. However, the night after seeing him (Tuesday night), I made a shocking discovery. When I flex my tensor tympani it seems to give me back at least some of the high frequency hearing in my right ear! Seriously, in one recording I can barely hear the ride cymbal in my right ear. While I'm flexing my tensor tympani it becomes audible! As soon as a I stop flexing the pressure in my ear deballoons and my hearing feels deadened. Though there's usually no squishy sound or pressure feeling, my left ear also has a minor shift to a "higher tone" while flexing the tensor tympani.
I emailed my ENT with this discovery on Wednesday but have yet to hear back.
So my question: Does anyone have any idea what this could possibly be? I don't seem to fit Tensor Tympani Syndrome since I don't get "spasms". Yet... Is it possible my tensor tympani is hypercontracted, lessening my hearing and giving me that pressure feeling as well as hyperacusis, and when flexing the muscle it "decontracts", restoring it? Anyone who can voluntarily flex the muscle, put on one headphone at a time and tell me: Do you notice a change in tone?
Thank you for reading
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