Unilateral Tinnitus

[VaR]

Hi!

I want to know if there are others with unilateral tinnitus who feel as if their other ear has tinnitus as well. Although my tinnitus is on the left side, sometimes I think its there on the right as well. Is it because of the T being present in the "head"?

 

[1MW]

i have from 1 ear only.
In the other ear i have very low hearing(i can't hear speak) and no tinnitus.
I have T only in the ear with near perfect hearing.
If i had a way to deaf and my good ear at same way eliminating T i will do it.
But i have observed that when in good ear hearing goes down T increases dramatically.
So i will not have hope that if i deaf my good ear T will stop.

 

[OptimusPrimed]

I have T in my right ear and some distorted hearing in that ear as well. If I go to a quiet room my left ear (the good ear) will "ring" but its not the same as the right ear. The right ear's ringing feels like a physical thing; like its actually in my head/inner ear. The left ear ringing is more of a response to lack of sound...If I yawn for example I will alway hear the right ear ringing. The left one doesn't do that when I yawn.

N

 

[VaR]

Newfie, yes I think it's just my imagination. I fear getting T in my right ear as well so I think its just translating into some sort of psychological ringing that is freaking me out.

 

[marqualler]

@VaR I'm glad you have experienced this too and not just me--for me mine is basically in my left ear but in a quiet room it sometimes sounds like it's in the right ear, too--which has caused me some new anxiety. I am guessing it has more to do with the noise getting "centralized" and not necessarily becoming a new problem zone. I'm sitting in my quiet office right now and can detect it in my left ear alongside the other ambient noises but not at all on the right side so I think it is just a weird thing that happens. Tinnitus is the strangest thing I've ever experienced in my head, that's for sure.

 

[VaR]

It is frustrating, isn't it? It's like the phantom noise in the left ear is creating a phantom noise in the right as well. Super weird. I see you got your T from infection. What does your GP say?

 

[marqualler]

It is very frustrating and bizarre. I wish it would just go away (and it still might) but I'm getting to the point where I habituate to it and don't let it bother me. Doesn't mean that I don't have good days and bad days but the past few weeks have been mostly good days (my reaction to the T).

I have seen two different ENTs now who don't have much to offer in terms of the tinnitus, but have been treating the lingering myringitis on my eardrum of the affected ear. I'm on ciprodex drops right now which they assure me will not affect the tinnitus at all -- and because the ear drum is closed and the drops cannot get to the inner ear, that makes sense to me. For what it's worth, I haven't noticed a real noticeable change either way on the drops -- maybe even a little bit of an improvement (I know some on the board think Ciprodex can affect T but that has not been my experience). It has just made me hyper aware of my ear more than I would if I weren't on the drops. The only rational explanation I have gotten is from a therapist who doubles as a nurse who told me basically that an infection is the very very likely cause of the tinnitus in general and basically that bodies just do crap like that. It's definitely made me more aware of the sensitive nature of the human body!

 

[BobDigi]

Hi!

I want to know if there are others with unilateral tinnitus who feel as if their other ear has tinnitus as well. Although my tinnitus is on the left side, sometimes I think its there on the right as well. Is it because of the T being present in the "head"?

Yep. Mine is constant loud in my left ear and very very faint in my right. Same tone but really really quiet. I've had times when i'm not even sure i have it in my right. But it is there.
When i first got tinnitus i never even knew it was in both ears. Then after about 2 months, while wearing earplugs and a crash helmet, i realized it's in both.
But if i had tinnitus in both ears like i do my right, it wouldn't bother me one bit. That's how faint it is.
I have wondered if it is its own sound, or just a kind of overflow or echo, or something from my left. But i have no definite answer.

 

[VaR]

I don't know if I have it in my right ear man. I'm really not sure because, it doesn't bother me as I don't hear it and even when I plug my ears I have to search for it and then maybe it is there. It's just weird.

 

[VaR]

@Dr. Charlie and @Dr. Nagler

Could you please comment on this?

 

[Ggina]

I have the same I feel it is in my left ear only especially when I first wake up I hear it more in the left. Other times I can't tell where it's coming from or if I'm imagining it very annoying