Getting Worried — I Was Wearing Gaming Headphones When My Tinnitus Started

[fuji]

Hi all,

2 weeks ago I started to get tinnitus out of the blue. I admit I was wearing gaming headphones at the time but I have always been conscious of the volume. My tinnitus is unilateral in my left ear only and it is a low rumbling noise which is worsened when i blink, close my eyes or wince.

I don't know if my tinnitus was caused by noises or if there is some muscular issue somewhere? But I attended my friends' house tonight for dinner and the girls' loud pitched laughing caused my ear to go bonkers and occasionally muffled. However, when I plug my ear the tinnitus goes away entirely.

I have an appointment with the ENT doctor in 2 weeks but I suspect he will just tell me I need to live with it.

I'm getting really stressed that this will never go away. Please help. Talk to me.

 

[DavidTyl]

Sorry to hear this.

1) Don't stress.

2) Bunker in and protect the ears at all costs.

3) ENT will probably say it's wax. This is a red herring and very rarely the case, so do nothing.

4) It will fizzle away most likely.

 

[Kriszti]

I have low humming/buzzing/vibrating tinnitus, something resembling yours, I hear a motor type sound with a hint of a foghorn. It stops when I cover my ears, or plug it with my finger (earplugs sadly don't have the same effect). For me it's recurring, not always present, normally I have it every year for a couple of weeks (negative exception is 2020, of course).

Doctors don't know what can be the cause unfortunately.

As far as I experience here and in other groups, this kind of tinnitus can go away or go dormant from time to time, so you have a chance that you won't be stuck with this all the time.

If you go to your ENTs, please ask them about physical cause, I'm convinced that this is not regular tinnitus (I have that as well), but unfortunately ENTs I visited didn't have any idea. Maybe yours will.

 

[one-light]

I would go easy on any social activity, just say no, my health is important - this will help correct things energy wise in your mind'body - sometime in nature 'every day' for now, think good thoughts of the past when resting - and get out of the 'fast lane' of life for a while, easy on computer use, and lower brightness on your screens, eyes will adjust... and that TV if its on in the background for decoration, knock it off... good luck...

 

[Orions Pain]

The low rumbling when you close your eyes or wince sounds like the tensor tympani muscle, this could be tonic tensor tympani syndrome which is a dysfunction of the middle ear muscle.

Some people can make this muscle rumble manually. For some, they get either a thumping or rumbling type of spasm that they can't control.

Regular cochlear type of tinnitus tends to get louder with plugged ears rather than disappear.

 

[Ben5627]

Hey, did you tinnitus ever settle? I've had it for over two weeks now and only think that could of started mine was a gaming headset as not had any other exposure to loud noises in a long time! Driving me mad!!!