Been reading some of the threads over the past week once I came upon this site while surfing tinnitus on the web. I'm amazed at how many people have this disorder and how many people are on this site.
My tinnitis began early in 2014 in my left ear only. At first it wasn't too disturbing but became worse over a month's time. I can't recall any very recent trauma but I did puncture my left eardrum about 18 months ago and it took a week or so to heal. No tinnitus afterward. About 3 years ago I'd slipped on ice and fell backward banging the left back of my head, unconscious for ~ a minute based on the blood puddle. At the hospital the CT scan didn't show anything obvious and I was told I had a mild concussion. As a veteran from the Vietnam War era, I was exposed to some loud noises but never had any sustained hearing issues. Aside from the usual rock concerts over my younger years, I've always enjoyed listening to music a bit louder than most. More recently, I've been using good quality earbuds while exercising with my IPOD and wonder if this didn't bring on the tinnitus. However, my right ear is essentially noise free. My left ear symptoms are the tinnitus, of course but also some transient feelings of fullness that seem to react favorably for a short time to a good yawn or swallow, gently popping or crackling. I occasionally get a sense of warmth around that ear and sometimes the left side of my face gets a bit 'strange'. I have arthritis in my neck and wonder if I'm pinching a nerve there.
I've had my hearing checked by an audiologist and I have some hearing loss in my right ear but more in the tinnitus filled left ear. I'm to be scheduled for an MRI soon to see if the unilateral tinnitus is caused by an accoustic neuroma. That would be a real bummer indeed but it seems that's a very rare cause afterall. The tympanic membrane looks good and there are no observable signs of infection.
So then, thanks for reading my story. Any advice or input is always appreciated and I surely wish all of you quick if not the gift of spontaneous healing of your tinnitus.
My tinnitis began early in 2014 in my left ear only. At first it wasn't too disturbing but became worse over a month's time. I can't recall any very recent trauma but I did puncture my left eardrum about 18 months ago and it took a week or so to heal. No tinnitus afterward. About 3 years ago I'd slipped on ice and fell backward banging the left back of my head, unconscious for ~ a minute based on the blood puddle. At the hospital the CT scan didn't show anything obvious and I was told I had a mild concussion. As a veteran from the Vietnam War era, I was exposed to some loud noises but never had any sustained hearing issues. Aside from the usual rock concerts over my younger years, I've always enjoyed listening to music a bit louder than most. More recently, I've been using good quality earbuds while exercising with my IPOD and wonder if this didn't bring on the tinnitus. However, my right ear is essentially noise free. My left ear symptoms are the tinnitus, of course but also some transient feelings of fullness that seem to react favorably for a short time to a good yawn or swallow, gently popping or crackling. I occasionally get a sense of warmth around that ear and sometimes the left side of my face gets a bit 'strange'. I have arthritis in my neck and wonder if I'm pinching a nerve there.
I've had my hearing checked by an audiologist and I have some hearing loss in my right ear but more in the tinnitus filled left ear. I'm to be scheduled for an MRI soon to see if the unilateral tinnitus is caused by an accoustic neuroma. That would be a real bummer indeed but it seems that's a very rare cause afterall. The tympanic membrane looks good and there are no observable signs of infection.
So then, thanks for reading my story. Any advice or input is always appreciated and I surely wish all of you quick if not the gift of spontaneous healing of your tinnitus.
