I'm glad you're doing well!
Assuming you did not have any balance problems before, and this all started after your muffled hearing and tinnitus, then there is a good chance it could be related to hearing loss. Many people who get SNHL report about balance disturbances. These usually subside after some time.
I know I had something like that, a false sense of motion as you describe it. I had it only about twice and it never lasted more than a few seconds. I remember once standing upright and turning around in the kitchen to open the fridge door and as I completed the turn it felt like my head was still turning. I stopped and it went away in a few seconds. During that day I felt a false sense of motion a couple of times. Then it subsided the following day. I have since had it maybe once and never again.
The "Vestibularis apparatus" as it is known... or the "balance organ" among non-doctors, is closely linked to the Cochlea. No need to be a doctor to realize it. Just look at the picture below.
The cochlea is the snail shaped structure to the right, and the balance organ is the alien looking thing on the left. It's main function is said to be "equilibrioception". Another funny word for balance perception, keeping something equal, i.e. keeping the balance. It has the same basic cell structures as the cochlea, such as type one and type two hair cells. In fact, it was from these that the cochlea evolved.
But what is not said often enough is that the balance organ also detects vibration. It can help in detecting low frequency tones, like the bass in music, or the ground shaking during earthquake. When present with a loud sound, the mechanical wave can affect these hair cells as well as those at the cochlea. Not to mention the sensory integration centers in the brain. So you can perceive balance problems.
2. Tinnitus.
3. Hyperacusis.
4. Balance disturbances.
You have solid evidence of hearing loss. Unless your hearing loss is moderate, severe or profound, don't trust the audiogram. But at that point, you usually don't need an audiogram to tell you that you have hearing loss. Even now, you know you have hearing loss. Even if the audiogram looks "normal". The term "normal" is relative.
There is a reason why it's all jumbled up as "Sensori-Neural Hearing Loss". Notice! It's not sensory loss! Nor is it neural loss! It's "sensori-neural" hearing loss. They need to be able to differentiate sensory loss from neural loss. There are a number of tests that can be done to make this differential diagnosis. But audiologists are mostly concerned with tone audiograms and fitting people with hearing aids.
I know that feeling. That's what it felt like for me immediately after my trauma. Unfortunately I was not smart enough to stay off the headphones. Instead, I continued to use them immediately after. But for me, that feeling of muffed hearing has improved in the minutes and hours after the event. Who knows, maybe your muffled hearing will improve too. But if the price is increase in tinnitus and hyperacusis then it's better to have muffled hearing. You just don't know which way it's gonna go.It always does feel like there's a wall in front of my ears but I can function properly and that's all I want.
Have you had any balance problems before you got tinnitus and muffled hearing? Have you seen an ENT doctor since this started?I sometimes experience dizziness or when I lay down I get a false sense of motion. It varies how long, sometimes it lasts 2 minutes, sometimes it lasts 3 hours, and the longest 3 days. I hope you can bring some light to what and why I'm experiencing the dizziness sometimes, it would be extremely helpful. One time, I had balance problems for a short time, a week ago. I was swaying everywhere, nearly falling over. As of right now I'm not experiencing any of the dizziness or balance problems.
Assuming you did not have any balance problems before, and this all started after your muffled hearing and tinnitus, then there is a good chance it could be related to hearing loss. Many people who get SNHL report about balance disturbances. These usually subside after some time.
I know I had something like that, a false sense of motion as you describe it. I had it only about twice and it never lasted more than a few seconds. I remember once standing upright and turning around in the kitchen to open the fridge door and as I completed the turn it felt like my head was still turning. I stopped and it went away in a few seconds. During that day I felt a false sense of motion a couple of times. Then it subsided the following day. I have since had it maybe once and never again.
The "Vestibularis apparatus" as it is known... or the "balance organ" among non-doctors, is closely linked to the Cochlea. No need to be a doctor to realize it. Just look at the picture below.
The cochlea is the snail shaped structure to the right, and the balance organ is the alien looking thing on the left. It's main function is said to be "equilibrioception". Another funny word for balance perception, keeping something equal, i.e. keeping the balance. It has the same basic cell structures as the cochlea, such as type one and type two hair cells. In fact, it was from these that the cochlea evolved.
But what is not said often enough is that the balance organ also detects vibration. It can help in detecting low frequency tones, like the bass in music, or the ground shaking during earthquake. When present with a loud sound, the mechanical wave can affect these hair cells as well as those at the cochlea. Not to mention the sensory integration centers in the brain. So you can perceive balance problems.
What kind of tests did he or she perform?I did forget to mention that my audiologist said there was no damage to the hairs in my cochlea.
1. Problems with sound perception in noisy environment.Also in noisy rooms people need to speak at a particular volume or everything they say just sounds like, as I call it "word vomit". I can't make out what they are saying.
2. Tinnitus.
3. Hyperacusis.
4. Balance disturbances.
You have solid evidence of hearing loss. Unless your hearing loss is moderate, severe or profound, don't trust the audiogram. But at that point, you usually don't need an audiogram to tell you that you have hearing loss. Even now, you know you have hearing loss. Even if the audiogram looks "normal". The term "normal" is relative.
There is a reason why it's all jumbled up as "Sensori-Neural Hearing Loss". Notice! It's not sensory loss! Nor is it neural loss! It's "sensori-neural" hearing loss. They need to be able to differentiate sensory loss from neural loss. There are a number of tests that can be done to make this differential diagnosis. But audiologists are mostly concerned with tone audiograms and fitting people with hearing aids.