Tinnitus Spike in One Ear with Numbness and Fullness: Seeking Advice

[gboscaro]

I had an account on Tinnitus Talk before, but I can't find it anymore. So, I've created a new one because tinnitus has started to ruin my life again just when I thought I was doing well and living normally.

I've had tinnitus for 10 years, caused by listening to loud music and playing bass without earplugs. I'll skip over the horrible experience of those first few years. Eventually, I habituated and lived about 95% normally. Then, I had a spike in 2020 (before COVID-19). That spike calmed down after three months, and I was able to re-habituate. 2024 was actually the first year in a decade where I felt really normal. During winter vacation, I even managed to stay home alone for two days, just reading in silence without music, and I don't remember hearing the tinnitus or being bothered by it.

But as it often goes with tinnitus, good times are short, and they usually precede a big setback. In April, I woke up one day and instantly knew something was wrong. This time, it seemed even worse than when I first developed tinnitus, and I really panicked. The symptoms felt different than usual, and I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

Here's a summary of the first symptoms:

• Louder tinnitus, only in my right ear
• A new tinnitus frequency (750 Hz), louder than anything else
• A sensation of fullness in the ears
• Numbness around the right ear
• Reactive tinnitus
• Some sound distortion

As for the cause of the spike? I have no idea. The day before, I did so many different things that it's hard to pinpoint one. What I can say is that the day before, I was feeling great, so it felt inevitable that something was about to go wrong. Here are some possible causes:

• Listened to music for an hour with AirPods Pro (sound isolation on, low volume, never over 50 dB in the last 10 years)
• Drank a beer (33 cl)
• Vaped a small amount of weed (about 0.1-0.2 g)
• Cold day with some wind (maybe cold air entered my ears)
• Slept on my side (possibly the right side, but I don't remember)
• Played video games on TV (volume at 8-10%, no headphones, just speakers). I was talking loudly on the microphone with my friends.

After a few days, I managed to get five infusions of Prednisone, followed by 10 days of Prednisone pills. This slightly improved the situation, but things are still bad. The doctor told me nothing else could be done, repeating the same story I heard 10 years ago.

Here are my current symptoms:

• Loud tinnitus, only in my right ear
• Sensation of fullness in the ears
• Slight numbness around the right ear
• Mild reactive tinnitus
• Mild high-frequency hearing loss (above 10 kHz), right ear only

I'd say the tinnitus is very loud now, much louder than before, and I can only mask it when I'm in the shower. It's so loud that my left ear now feels normal, and the old tinnitus is practically nothing in comparison. However, even when I can mask the sound, the physical sensation of fullness in my right ear constantly reminds me of the tinnitus. Even if I'm distracted, I can't fully ignore it because I just don't feel normal on the right side of my head.

The physical sensation makes me wonder if something is actually going on near my ear that's making the tinnitus worse. Does anyone else have this?

 

[tomytl]

I had an account on Tinnitus Talk before, but I can't find it anymore. So, I've created a new one because tinnitus has started to ruin my life again just when I thought I was doing well and living normally.

I've had tinnitus for 10 years, caused by listening to loud music and playing bass without earplugs. I'll skip over the horrible experience of those first few years. Eventually, I habituated and lived about 95% normally. Then, I had a spike in 2020 (before COVID-19). That spike calmed down after three months, and I was able to re-habituate. 2024 was actually the first year in a decade where I felt really normal. During winter vacation, I even managed to stay home alone for two days, just reading in silence without music, and I don't remember hearing the tinnitus or being bothered by it.

But as it often goes with tinnitus, good times are short, and they usually precede a big setback. In April, I woke up one day and instantly knew something was wrong. This time, it seemed even worse than when I first developed tinnitus, and I really panicked. The symptoms felt different than usual, and I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

Here's a summary of the first symptoms:

• Louder tinnitus, only in my right ear
• A new tinnitus frequency (750 Hz), louder than anything else
• A sensation of fullness in the ears
• Numbness around the right ear
• Reactive tinnitus
• Some sound distortion

As for the cause of the spike? I have no idea. The day before, I did so many different things that it's hard to pinpoint one. What I can say is that the day before, I was feeling great, so it felt inevitable that something was about to go wrong. Here are some possible causes:

• Listened to music for an hour with AirPods Pro (sound isolation on, low volume, never over 50 dB in the last 10 years)
• Drank a beer (33 cl)
• Vaped a small amount of weed (about 0.1-0.2 g)
• Cold day with some wind (maybe cold air entered my ears)
• Slept on my side (possibly the right side, but I don't remember)
• Played video games on TV (volume at 8-10%, no headphones, just speakers). I was talking loudly on the microphone with my friends.

After a few days, I managed to get five infusions of Prednisone, followed by 10 days of Prednisone pills. This slightly improved the situation, but things are still bad. The doctor told me nothing else could be done, repeating the same story I heard 10 years ago.

Here are my current symptoms:

• Loud tinnitus, only in my right ear
• Sensation of fullness in the ears
• Slight numbness around the right ear
• Mild reactive tinnitus
• Mild high-frequency hearing loss (above 10 kHz), right ear only

I'd say the tinnitus is very loud now, much louder than before, and I can only mask it when I'm in the shower. It's so loud that my left ear now feels normal, and the old tinnitus is practically nothing in comparison. However, even when I can mask the sound, the physical sensation of fullness in my right ear constantly reminds me of the tinnitus. Even if I'm distracted, I can't fully ignore it because I just don't feel normal on the right side of my head.

The physical sensation makes me wonder if something is actually going on near my ear that's making the tinnitus worse. Does anyone else have this?

Hello,

I'm currently going through a very similar experience, though with a few differences.

I experienced a sudden and terrible hearing loss 29 years ago, which has affected my life ever since. Back then, I had the full range of symptoms:
- Hearing loss of 20-30 dB
- Tinnitus in my left ear
- Pressure in my ears
- Severe hyperacusis

After about five years, I somehow managed to get back to living a relatively normal life. Then, 10 years ago, I spent over three hours in a loud restaurant, and as soon as I left, I knew it had been too much for my already damaged ears. This triggered a 1-2 year ordeal with loud tinnitus in both ears and extreme pressure. Everything sounded muffled and quiet, but the tinnitus was more present than ever.

It took about two years before I could live somewhat normally again.

After that, things were going well for me—until July 2024. I had even started making music again, despite the hearing loss and tinnitus, which no longer bothered me, though I sometimes realized it was actually quite loud.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going to a DJ event at a chill spot. I wore my custom-made, high-dampening ear protection, and I wasn't even planning on going at first but was persuaded to attend. The music was about 95 dB, and I sat quite far away. Still, afterward, I felt a strange sensation in my ear, like despite the protection, it had been too much. At first, I couldn't quite describe what felt different.

Over the following weeks, this sensation turned into a real ordeal. Now, three months later, I'm dealing with:

• Severe tinnitus
• Extreme pressure
• A feeling that something is mechanically wrong on the left side, although the ENT says there are no noticeable abnormalities
• Psychological distress and depression

I'm hoping for improvement like I experienced 10 years ago, but I'm terrified that this time it won't get better. Sometimes, I wake up with my hands clenched tightly in fear.

Currently, I'm taking the following daily:

• Magnesium
• Coenzyme Q10
• Zinc
• Betaserc

Unfortunately, nothing seems to be helping.

 

[gboscaro]

Hello,

I'm currently going through a very similar experience, though with a few differences.

I experienced a sudden and terrible hearing loss 29 years ago, which has affected my life ever since. Back then, I had the full range of symptoms:
- Hearing loss of 20-30 dB
- Tinnitus in my left ear
- Pressure in my ears
- Severe hyperacusis

After about five years, I somehow managed to get back to living a relatively normal life. Then, 10 years ago, I spent over three hours in a loud restaurant, and as soon as I left, I knew it had been too much for my already damaged ears. This triggered a 1-2 year ordeal with loud tinnitus in both ears and extreme pressure. Everything sounded muffled and quiet, but the tinnitus was more present than ever.

It took about two years before I could live somewhat normally again.

After that, things were going well for me—until July 2024. I had even started making music again, despite the hearing loss and tinnitus, which no longer bothered me, though I sometimes realized it was actually quite loud.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going to a DJ event at a chill spot. I wore my custom-made, high-dampening ear protection, and I wasn't even planning on going at first but was persuaded to attend. The music was about 95 dB, and I sat quite far away. Still, afterward, I felt a strange sensation in my ear, like despite the protection, it had been too much. At first, I couldn't quite describe what felt different.

Over the following weeks, this sensation turned into a real ordeal. Now, three months later, I'm dealing with:

• Severe tinnitus
• Extreme pressure
• A feeling that something is mechanically wrong on the left side, although the ENT says there are no noticeable abnormalities
• Psychological distress and depression

I'm hoping for improvement like I experienced 10 years ago, but I'm terrified that this time it won't get better. Sometimes, I wake up with my hands clenched tightly in fear.

Currently, I'm taking the following daily:

• Magnesium
• Coenzyme Q10
• Zinc
• Betaserc

Unfortunately, nothing seems to be helping.

I'm sorry to hear that; it sounds really tough. One of my biggest fears is having my tinnitus get worse. How bad can it actually become? It seems like every spike is worse than the last.

My ENT didn't find any abnormalities either, but I haven't had an X-ray, MRI, or anything like that. I have a TMJ check-up in two weeks, but honestly, I feel like it'll be a waste of money. I also have my first consultation for the Lenire device in a week, but again, I feel like that might be a waste of money too, especially since I probably won't be able to afford the device anyway.

 

[tomytl]

I'm sorry to hear that; it sounds really tough. One of my biggest fears is having my tinnitus get worse. How bad can it actually become? It seems like every spike is worse than the last.

My ENT didn't find any abnormalities either, but I haven't had an X-ray, MRI, or anything like that. I have a TMJ check-up in two weeks, but honestly, I feel like it'll be a waste of money. I also have my first consultation for the Lenire device in a week, but again, I feel like that might be a waste of money too, especially since I probably won't be able to afford the device anyway.

Hi,

I had a CT scan, but I was already aware that it likely wouldn't reveal much. It might show misaligned ossicles or something larger in the middle ear, but I doubt a malfunctioning Eustachian tube would be visible unless it's completely blocked.

What no one has been able to explain to me is where the pressure after a loud noise comes from. Some say it's an increase in inner ear pressure, possibly due to an increase in fluid; others suggest it's related to the tensor tympani muscle. Some even think it could be caused by auditory processing issues. I'm not sure what all is involved either.

In any case, the current situation is making everything worse.

You have to understand that inner ear cells are only about 1–2 micrometers long, so it's impossible to really see what's happening when they start malfunctioning in humans.

 

[orenge01]

Yeah, I can relate. I'm pretty sure mine was due to my own mistake. I accidentally had my headphones on at 100% volume with white noise for about a second. Even though I lowered the volume afterward, that brief spike seems to have caused a reaction, possibly permanent, though I'm not sure. It hasn't been fun; I've been dealing with this for about two weeks now. I'm experiencing similar symptoms to yours: possible increased hearing loss and a feeling of numbness or fullness in my right ear. I even tried earwax softener, but it didn't help, which makes me think it's not an earwax issue.

I'm definitely frustrated with myself, but what's done is done. Now I just need to avoid making it any worse, which, unfortunately, may be a challenge.

I'm not sure what triggered yours, especially since it sounds like you've managed your volume well, much better than I have, at least. Hopefully, yours fades, and you can return to your normal baseline soon.

 

[Krille90]

This sounds quite similar to my experience. It all started back in 2015 when I was playing guitar in a rock band and wasn't using earplugs correctly. There were a lot of ups and downs in the beginning. I continued playing in the band until around the start of COVID-19, but I used high-quality ear protection. Since COVID-19, I've been able to listen to music with headphones at around 50% volume, never going over 70 decibels.

However, about a month ago, I had my biggest spike at work when I removed an air compressor hose while the air was still on. It sounded like a gunshot. This spike has left me with a fullness sensation in my left ear, which feels strange. It seems to improve if I rest my ears for a few days, but I love music and can't live without my headphones. Unfortunately, the spike and ear fullness return almost immediately after using them. I guess I'll have to take a longer break from headphones for now.