Update: 7 Weeks In — Pitch Gone Up, Ear Fluttering in Response to Percussive Sounds

Hi everyone,

Just an update. Tinnitus is still there 7 weeks after nightclub (23 years old). It seems to have gone up in pitch but not in volume. Not sure what that means, if anything. Fortunately it’s mild and I can only hear it in complete silence. It might have improved? Hard to tell, but it certainly hasn’t gotten worse.

My left ear also flutters in response to percussive sounds. Should I be concerned? I still have ear/TMJ pain that varies in intensity.

Not sure how likely it is that the tinnitus will resolve completely at this point, but I’m trying to stay hopeful.

Thanks for the support last week, everyone. It helped me get through the roughest stage. And I know that many of you have it a lot worse. You’re so resilient—it’s honestly inspiring.

Things I’ve done:
-Supplements (magnesium, B-12, ginkgo, D-3)
-Prednisone (3 weeks in, ie. too late lol)
-HBOT (on my fourth session, tbd)
-Starting CBT next week to help eliminate my negative response to it.

 

Oh man it is great that you have it mild. Mine is Severe and I can hear it over people's voices. Have you done an audiogram up to 16khz, speech in noise and DPOAE?

 

I’ve done speech in noise without any issue. Did not do up to 16k, but can hear up to mid 15k on a YouTube test video. Not sure how reliable that would be.

I am hoping for your recovery.

 

You will most likely fully recover, but remember Tinnitus rarely gives second chances.
I noticed you are only 23...clubbing, loud parties and loud concerts are very much a part of being that age...
Make sure you don't expose yourself to too much and protect your ears.

 

I am 100% certain that you will be fine in the next few months.

 

Thank you, friend. Please keep fighting this.

 

Also, does anyone know if the fluttering in response to percussive sounds gets better? It's not really spasming anymore, which is great. But the fluttering in response to sounds/tightness is still a thing.

 

No matter what happens, @Wolfears, those days are over!

 

I think the fluttering might be the tensor tympani muscle spasming? Does that resolve?

 

You’re experiencing what’s called TTTS. Tonic Tympanu Tensor Syndrome. It can get better and resolve completely. Mine has stuck around for a few years now, but my T is much worse than yours (based on how you describe it).

You can’t trust YouTube for high frequency hearing tests. They process the audio through a lossy codec, meaning everything that goes in doesn’t necessarily come out, and high frequencies are filtered out more aggressively than lower ones. With some codecs, everything north of 16kHz is completely gone.

 

Definitely @MidnightOilAudio. I do think that I can hear up to 16kHz. But yeah, I can't confirm anything above that.

Mine seems to be improving a bit. At first, it would spasm when I yawned or burped. Now that doesn't really happen. Just the percussive sounds and sometimes when talking. Does that often just go over time? Part of it might just be controlling my anxiety.

 

Mine hasn’t really changed since it started. It sounds very similar to yours. I also have an anxiety problem. I’ve dealt with it since my teen years, waaaaaay before T and TTTS arrived.

 

@Aklara319 how is your TTTS doing now ? I’m 5 months into this !

 

It’s ok. I’m mostly pain free but get bad episodes that last days with tightness if I belch with mouth closed. Still tugging sensation in ear if I raise eyebrows. Tinnitus is the same. Just under 8 months now.