I'm New Here, Just Wanted to Ask Some Questions About My Tinnitus

[XiviaN]

Hey guys, I've been browsing and reading the posts in this forum since about mid last year but this is my first time posting.

I think I've had my tinnitus for a very long time but it was at barely noticeable levels, till last year when I noticed a fullness in my ear after having a few episodes of extremely loud ringing for a couple of seconds and then back to sort of a baseline level and from what I could gather, slight hearing loss (saw an audiologist at the time and they mentioned I had better hearing in my right ear than left) I also also saw 2 different ENT's and they didn't seem too concerned and basically just told me I should try cope as best I could and for the next few months I don't know if I got over it or just stopped caring but it didn't seem to bother me as much and I felt a lot less disorientated and focused on my hearing. My T is unilateral and from what I can tell my right ear is pretty much dead silence (or if it does have T I can barely notice it) while my left ear has this weird kind of loud hiss that fluctuates in it's tone all the time (kind of like a short circuit). So my first question is does anyone else here have a similar kind of sound? Is it possible it can die down a bit, based on how it seemed to get less noticeable the last time I had it over a few months?

I'm also worrying once again because it seems to have gotten a bit louder since about a week ago and from what I can tell I've once again got a feeling of fullness in my left ear and what I believe to be a bit of hearing loss again. (Not exceptionally bad, but enough for me to notice) My primary worry is that I have an acoustic neuroma based on what I've read about unilateral tinnitus (probably Googling too much as is typical in these kinds of situations) what is the likelihood of that? Or is it pretty rare even in unilateral T?

Kinda sucks when the people around me can't really relate to what I'm talking about when I say I have a noise constantly going on in my ear.

 

[Aaron44126]

Mine is right ear only and it is from ETD, which is also usually unilateral and a much more common cause than acoustic neuroma (and would also account for an ear fullness feeling). It can get worse if you have congestion or inflammation (from a cold or allergies), mine has been getting better for a few months but flared up last week after I came down with a moderate cold.

I've also had a strange buzz/short-circuit type sound before (sounded like there was an electrical connection that wasn't quite connected right) but it was periodic and went away after a few weeks.

There are other causes of unilateral tinnitus as well... I would definitely consider an acoustic neuroma rare even in the unilateral case. Fortunately, it can be definitively checked with a MRI scan, not exactly cheap but possibly worth it for the peace of mind (you'll have to convince an ENT to order it though).

 

[XiviaN]

Aaron I did notice that when it started up again I felt my jaw or at least that area of my face on the left hand side hurt a bit if I moved my head or neck in certain ways, but then the pain sort of subsided after a few days and now I just have the T and fullness left over. Thanks for the reply it sounds it could much more likely be ETD rather than an acoustic neuroma >.< I do get that kind of popping noise when I open my mouth or move my jaw in a certain way as well and my sinuses are notorious for kicking my ass when I get a cold or get allergies. Was kinda worried with it being unilateral, I figured most people have the bilateral variety. Will likely give it a month or so and take it from there with regard to the MRI, as you mentioned it's a bit pricey for the moment

 

[threefirefour]

Aaron I did notice that when it started up again I felt my jaw or at least that area of my face on the left hand side hurt a bit if I moved my head or neck in certain ways, but then the pain sort of subsided after a few days and now I just have the T and fullness left over. Thanks for the reply it sounds it could much more likely be ETD rather than an acoustic neuroma >.< I do get that kind of popping noise when I open my mouth or move my jaw in a certain way as well and my sinuses are notorious for kicking my ass when I get a cold or get allergies. Was kinda worried with it being unilateral, I figured most people have the bilateral variety. Will likely give it a month or so and take it from there with regard to the MRI, as you mentioned it's a bit pricey for the moment

That's probably TMJ not ETD. Also a major cause of tinnitus.

 

[XiviaN]

That's probably TMJ not ETD. Also a major cause of tinnitus.

Thing is I did mention TMJ to one of the ENT's I'd seen before and from what I recall he told me that usually you can hear the joint making a noise or feel where it's grinding against or something to that effect for TMJ to be applicable, he said this when he physically checked my jaw area. Also my tinnitus is pretty constant and the noise I get if I move my jaw is controllable and not really bothersome at all (only really happens if I open my mouth fairly wide). It's mainly just the high pitched hissing sound that constantly fluctuates that has me a bit anxious and worried. Perhaps it's a bit of both.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@NiviaN How is your cervical spine? - your neck - Is your posture good? The C1 and C2 joint disks are inline with your temporomandibular joints. Do you do a lot of lifting with your neck bend forward?

 

[XiviaN]

@NiviaN How is your cervical spine? - your neck - Is your posture good? The C1 and C2 joint disks are inline with your temporomandibular joints. Do you do a lot of lifting with your neck bend forward?

If I'm honest, my posture is not great in general, I probably spend way too much time in front of the pc.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Being young is a big big advantage. Be careful with your neck and posture and you will probably see great improvement with the T. If the electrical sound goes away it's just a warning sign.

Problems that you are describing begin with the neck 70% and then to the TMJ areas. Unilateral and fluctuations are common with what you describe. A simple (4 views) neck x rays will confirm if it's your cervical spine. The other 30% could be anything, ETD, ear wax etc.

You are just to young to have other degenerative problems with your neck unless it was whiplash or had serious muscle spasms of the neck and back. The cause may be neck muscle tension even if your neck didn't seem painful. For the young, there's a couple of articles of warning signs with what you describe. If you were older there's like a 100 times difference.