Hello, al!
Thank you in advance to anybody willing to read my novel and share their own experiences.
Back in July, I started noticing very faint staccato buzzing sounds in my right ear. It was very intermittent and never too loud, but definitely there. In September, I started feeling my ears plug up. Sometimes the right, sometimes the left, sometimes both. I went to the doctor, my ears were clear but she noticed I had post nasal drip and recommended I take a decongestant. It didn't help. My ears - one or the other or both - still randomly "closed up" for no reason, with lots of pressure deep inside and into my throat.
One day I was driving to work and I had a random vertigo attack. I pulled over to the side of the road and it thankfully passed in less than a minute. I was freaked out, as you can imagine. Weirdly, my ears, on this day, were NOT bothering me. I went back to the doctor and she again checked my ears - all clear. She prescribed Flonase and Claritin and I tried it for a week, even though I had no congestion. It made me feel really "weird," so I stopped taking it. Plus, my ears were still randomly plugging up. It felt like my eardrums were being sucked into my throat.
In early November I got a cold. The weird thing is the chronic ETD I had had since September didn't bother me during this time. I had lots of congestion but no ear problems. One night near the end of my cold I had a dream that somebody clashed symbols (found out it's something called Exploding Head Syndrome) next to my head. I woke up in a panic and I had screeching tinnitus in my left ear that lasted about five minutes and then it dissipated. My cold went away and my old friend ETD came back again, trading off ears. This time, I started having an unstable feeling in my left ear with fleeting tinnitus several times a day.
Around Thanksgiving, I started waking up with my jaw locked shut on the right side. The faint intermittent buzzing sound in my right ear grew more frantic and then suddenly, I had a constant high pitched electrical hum in my left ear. The ETD came back full force, too. I went to an ENT and hearing was perfect, ear drums normal, no infection, etc. He checked my jaw and said it seemed I have TMJ and that all the issues I've been experiencing are because of that, and recommended I see a dentist.
I went to a dentist and he found no signs of wear on my teeth, but confirmed my jaw pops, thinks I've been clenching my jaw, and he fitted me for a night guard. While I waited for it to be ready, I went to yet another ENT because the on and off ETD in both ears and tinnitus in my left ear was even worse. He did a very thorough exam and concurred TMJ exacerbated by stress and anxiety (I have undergone a great amount of personal stress in my life since May 2019) , and recommend physical therapy and the night guard.
I've only been wearing the night guard for a week, but I still have lockjaw on the right every morning and the very annoying electrical hum in my left ear, combined with very high pitch crickets and/or electrical sounds in my head The right ear intermittent buzzing is barely noticeable, but still present from time to time.
I guess I'm confused as to how it could be TMJ related if my jaw is locking up on the right but the noticeable tinnitus is in my left ear. And the ETD still comes and goes in both ears.
I feel really anxious and depressed about all of this and am hoping for some encouraging stories. I miss silence so much
Thank you in advance to anybody willing to read my novel and share their own experiences.
Back in July, I started noticing very faint staccato buzzing sounds in my right ear. It was very intermittent and never too loud, but definitely there. In September, I started feeling my ears plug up. Sometimes the right, sometimes the left, sometimes both. I went to the doctor, my ears were clear but she noticed I had post nasal drip and recommended I take a decongestant. It didn't help. My ears - one or the other or both - still randomly "closed up" for no reason, with lots of pressure deep inside and into my throat.
One day I was driving to work and I had a random vertigo attack. I pulled over to the side of the road and it thankfully passed in less than a minute. I was freaked out, as you can imagine. Weirdly, my ears, on this day, were NOT bothering me. I went back to the doctor and she again checked my ears - all clear. She prescribed Flonase and Claritin and I tried it for a week, even though I had no congestion. It made me feel really "weird," so I stopped taking it. Plus, my ears were still randomly plugging up. It felt like my eardrums were being sucked into my throat.
In early November I got a cold. The weird thing is the chronic ETD I had had since September didn't bother me during this time. I had lots of congestion but no ear problems. One night near the end of my cold I had a dream that somebody clashed symbols (found out it's something called Exploding Head Syndrome) next to my head. I woke up in a panic and I had screeching tinnitus in my left ear that lasted about five minutes and then it dissipated. My cold went away and my old friend ETD came back again, trading off ears. This time, I started having an unstable feeling in my left ear with fleeting tinnitus several times a day.
Around Thanksgiving, I started waking up with my jaw locked shut on the right side. The faint intermittent buzzing sound in my right ear grew more frantic and then suddenly, I had a constant high pitched electrical hum in my left ear. The ETD came back full force, too. I went to an ENT and hearing was perfect, ear drums normal, no infection, etc. He checked my jaw and said it seemed I have TMJ and that all the issues I've been experiencing are because of that, and recommended I see a dentist.
I went to a dentist and he found no signs of wear on my teeth, but confirmed my jaw pops, thinks I've been clenching my jaw, and he fitted me for a night guard. While I waited for it to be ready, I went to yet another ENT because the on and off ETD in both ears and tinnitus in my left ear was even worse. He did a very thorough exam and concurred TMJ exacerbated by stress and anxiety (I have undergone a great amount of personal stress in my life since May 2019) , and recommend physical therapy and the night guard.
I've only been wearing the night guard for a week, but I still have lockjaw on the right every morning and the very annoying electrical hum in my left ear, combined with very high pitch crickets and/or electrical sounds in my head The right ear intermittent buzzing is barely noticeable, but still present from time to time.
I guess I'm confused as to how it could be TMJ related if my jaw is locking up on the right but the noticeable tinnitus is in my left ear. And the ETD still comes and goes in both ears.
I feel really anxious and depressed about all of this and am hoping for some encouraging stories. I miss silence so much
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