Gareth Davies

Actually chuckled at that. Good on you, being able to apply humour to it. Stay strong, brother.

Like, if I put my good ear on a pillow when trying to sleep, but it’s not always there. Weird.

Nevermind, I found something which masks and can go on a loop :)

This isn't Exactly what you asked about, but perhaps it will help - cat's purring: https://purrli.com/

Try it! It's pretty harmless, some experience vivid dreams. Hasn't helped me, but lots of people with sleep issues get good results from melatonin. Weird thing is that I think you have to experiment with dosage. I was better off on 3 mg, than on 9mg.

If that doesn’t work, I’d try Benadryl. It works really well for me.

TTTS?

From an ear infection?

tensor tympani spasming. probably from hyperacusis but idk about the role your infection plays. avoid noises that cause it for a few weeks at least. the middle ear needs rest in my experience.

@BillBauer you are exactly right with that one! When I put my earplugs in before I start driving, the volume always seems a lot lower than after the journey, when I turn my car off. But it's not actually louder - it's the perception of it being louder as there's no longer noise covering it.

Back when my T would spike as a result of a shower, at one point I had been wearing earplugs to the shower.

@Bill Bauer I also used earplugs in the shower. However, I've stopped now. I didn't feel they made a difference personally.

I think it must have to do something with the frequency as well. I do hear it in the car (normally I wear earpro, but have tried without it too) whereas in much, much quieter situations I don't.

Are you wearing earplugs in those quieter situations?

No. I mean I can hear it in the car without earplugs, and don't hear at home with background music or the TV on without earplugs as well. I don't understand how it works. If I put earplugs in/earmuffs on, volume goes up of course.

I thought I'd have vs only because I have tinnitus. I really think it is unlikely, I've asked my doctor and optometrist about this.

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. No I don’t have VS. But I was just wondering on how likely it could happen (or does there lie madness?), and whether there are any steps to prevent it or at least reduce the chance - beyond healthy living.

Over the past 3.5 years, I've read the posts of about 3-4 people who had reported that they got VS. I don't think it is common.

Awesome!! This is a major development. It ought to continue to fade. The next stage is a hiss.

Thank you Bill! I hope so too.

Whatever doesn't feel too loud and doesn't result in a T spike is probably safe. Even Some of the things that feel loud and result in minor T spikes are Probably safe (but personally I have been choosing to avoid things like that and it has worked out well for me).

I’m sorry Bill. That must have been a extremely tough time.
Your mental resilience must be titanium at this point.
I’m actually thinking of cancelling my dental appointment for next month, or asking that manual tools be used instead.

Perhaps, you’re right. I need to stop reading horror stories on this forum.
It’s just that the noise last night was akin to dozens of high-vibration steel wires relentlessly scraping against each other. It’s quieter today - the ear released some air, reducing pressure, etc, etc.
Thanks again.

>I’m actually thinking of cancelling my dental appointment for next month, or asking that manual tools be used instead.

If it's a dental cleaning appointment, there is no need to cancel it. But make sure to ask for them to use only the manual tools. There is no downside - manual tools are as effective as the ultrasonic scaler.

Months...

Mind if I ask if it was your first ear infection? And whether it was inner or middle infection?
I hope yours settles down.

It was my first ever ear infection. Was initially an outer ear infection and then became an middle ear infection.

The only difference is that the pressure in my right-ear (the one that was infected) is gone and I had a decongestant before going to sleep (I take a nasal spray in the morning.)

Other than that, no loud noise exposure during the day; so I don’t know why it’s happening :(
It’s been okay recently. Now it’s a horrific high-pitch scream.

Apparently “decongestants (pseudoephedrine) can aggravate tinnitus by raising blood pressure” - well, last time I have one.
I took it because I thought it would help my ETD...

He printed off a couple of pieces of paper from the tympanometry machine; one indicated my left ear (which he stated looked normal) and the second my right ear, which had the infection, the reading on that was abnormal. I haven't flown anywhere in more than a month. I also have a weird sticky/crackly feeling whenever I move the right-side of my face.

An extended audiogram tests for hearing loss in the upper high frequencies. Standard audiograms only measure up to 8khz, and do not cover the 8khz-16khz range that is covered by an extended audiogram. Ask for one although not every place will offer one - you may need to call around! I know they sometimes use extended audiograms to test hearing loss in cancer patients, as many cancer drugs are ototoxic.

Alternatively, you could have hidden hearing loss, which is damage to the synapses that connect to the hair cells - this is not measurable on an audiogram and typically manifests as speech in noise difficulties.

However, the good news is that for most people it gets better. There's even a pretty good chance that eventually you will get to the "can hear it only in quiet rooms" stage. You will want to make sure that you don't hurt your ears during this period of vulnerability as your body is healing.

You will want to avoid taking ototoxic drugs, avoid microsuction or syringing (performed when you need to clean wax out of your ears; a manual tool should be used), and not let your dental hygienist use an ultrasonic scaling tool on you (a manual tool should be used).

For more details, see

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-week-2018-what-advice-would-you-give-to-someone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822