Some thoughts about tinnitus

Hi everyone!

First off I have to say that I understand what all of you are going through as I have been blessed with T after a bomb blast for the last months myself.

I'm not sure how helpful this post is going to be, but I've decided to write down all of my thoughts and experiences with T from the past years in hope that it can be useful to someone that is trying to get to the bottom of this condition.

I'm also trying to resonate towards what this T really is and where it originates. At least the kind of T that I have and probably a lot of other people as well.


First off, I have had short lived T lots of times after noise exposure at work etc.
Almost all my life I have had a 10db dip at 6khz according to the audiogram tests, which has given me a faint constant T at 6khz that has never really bothered me.

But this time, it's something different.

Every time I have experienced short lived T from noise exposure, the threshold shift kicks in, and from what I understand,
this is a protective mechanism within the ear to protect the cochlea from damage by lowering the perceived sound volume and it works by the help of the tensor tympani muscle contracting the tympanic membrane (eardrum) lowering the sound vibrations (volume) transferred to the cochlea. Then soon after the threshold returns to normal, I have this buzzing sound at about 15khz (much similar sound like those old 70mod televisions when it doesnt receive any analog broadcasting signal) lasting for a few minutes to a few hours.
After that, a pretty high volume <beeeep> lasting for about 2 - 4 seconds kicks in, starting in the 3khz range and working it's way up to the 16khz+ range until it fades out, as it's no longer in the frequency range that my ear can perceive. The buzz resolves when this happens. And it has happened a lot of times.

What exactly happens in that moment is for me a little unclear, but I have felt movements in my ear when it has happened, so I always thought that it's the tensor tympani muscle
that is resetting it's threshold back to where it was before the exposure (fine tuning the eardrum from being in an alerted state).


From wikipedia:

"Following exposure to intolerable sounds, this contraction of the tensor tympani muscle tightens the ear drum, which can lead to the symptoms of ear pain/a fluttering sensation/a sensation of fullness in the ear (in the absence of any middle or inner ear pathology)."

I am indeed experiencing a fullness within my ears, mild hyperacusis and some kind of ear pain from time to time like so many other also complain about.
I can even feel some kind of muscle movement inside my ear from time to time, and that is when my T changes volume and frequency as well.
My eardrum is not perforated according to an ENT and there is nothing measurable damage to be seen, and the sensation of fullness is still present.

And for the record, MRI and CT was fine.

Moving my neck or clenching my teeth alter my T's volume and pitch for a few seconds for then to settle back to where it was even if I keep the neck or jaw position that previously altered it.

I'm trying to understand the mechanics behind this type of T, and I strongly believe that it might originate from som mechanical part inside the ear, maybe the tensor tympani muscle.

I do not believe it is caused by hearing loss, as I already have a small dip at 6khz, and have had a faint T regaring this loss almost all my life (an accident from when I was a child when I hit solid metal with a large hammer). but the T I have now is more like a "ringing" sensation and it is constantly changing, even moving from ear to ear, it stops for a few milliseconds for then to return.
And together with the fullness and the sensetion of muscle movements inside the ear, and an unchanged audiogram I cannot see how this is related to hearing loss or damaged hair cells or nerves within the cochlea, but of course it might be both as the audiograms should be more detailed.

I also have to say that my 6khz T that is related to loss, does not change pitch while moving my neck, jaw etc. It is constant and it has always been. It has never given me any sensation of fullness or pain as well.

So here are my thoughts.

T related to hearing loss has a constant pitch and it isn't alterable by moving muscles.
My friends mother has got T related to sewere hearing loss, and she has indeed a constant sound that isn't alterable.


And what is funny is how little it takes to get this type of T i now have to spike.
So, what does that mean? That a relatively low and safe sound are now damaging our hearing?
I wouldn't think so. I find it more reasonable that this is a protective mechanism that has gone out of wack or that some part of the cilia or the connecting nerves has entered a different state and become overactive just to protect us from doing it again.

I can still hear sounds that has the same pitch as my T as long as the volume is higher than the T, and I can hear it equally good in both ears.

And what I find really confusing, is that I can even alter the sound of my new T by just using my mind (by visualizing it higher or lower in pitch).

Any thoughts or personal experiences are welcome

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Are there any research papers out there that measures structural changes within the ear to the microscopic scale before and after loud noise exposure?
Or that measures structural changes in that gap before the threshold shift kicks in and until the remaining T resolves on its own?

It would be really interesting to see what exactly is going on within that timeframe and what pathways is being activated in the brain until the T has resolved.
Both for those that develop short term T and those who develop chronic or permanent T.


I realize that this post got a bit longer than intended, but I really hope that it could be of use to someone out there.

At least this is my humble experience with two different beasts

God bless you all and a special thanks to those people that are developing and maintaining this forum!

 

it's simply fleeting tinnitus, perfectly normal

 

Thanks for your reply

 

I found some information regarding Tensor tympani syndrome.

Link: http://tinnitus.org/Tensor tympani syndrome_Klochoff.pdf

This explains my condition very well! Im going to hand it over to my GP.

VERY interesting indeed!

 

I can say that when I clench my jaw, and clench my teeth together, one of the sounds stops, and when I release the bite, it resumes. At least I think so, it's difficult to say.

 

Yes my T alters its volume and frequency constantly, it is never at a constant which would probably rule out deafness although having said that, there is a base line which is always there so i don't know. My T reacts to pretty much any movement i make in the head and neck.

 

Yeah, seems like a lot of people have this kind of T.

How did you get your T? From noise exposure?

 

I cant put a finger on what started it. It just started one day when i was at my desk working and hasn't abated since. I used to listen to music loud in my earphones so that may have added to it? I've just about gotten over bronchitis, but that started after my T started. As it reacts to movement and also pressures applied to certain parts of my neck and ear, i'm pretty sure its got at least something to do with nerves.

 

@Mark Griffin My T sounds pretty much like yours Mark. Every time i swallow my ears make click clack too.

 

It doesn't take much for my T to increase. I'm constantly on guard. I blew out my ears in the 70's with loud music, decided then I'd better cool it. Actually pretty smart for a young guy. But year by year it gets worse even though I have earplugs in a lot and avoid ALL stupid stuff - construction sites, concerts, etc... I even had to stop playing acoustic music for a while. But then I thought if I had the right kind of guitars I'd be OK. So far so good.

 

Swallowing liquid makes the T spike on every swallow, it's that somatic.

 

Thats the case pretty much with me as well.. Even thought my T is from a bomb blast.

I find it really weird if this T originates from the neck or jaw (even if it sounds like it when moving the neck).

I would guess that it's some kind of fine tuned muscle mechanic that doesnt work the way it should.

And by moving the nect or jaw, this mechanic/muscle is affected structually by the movements.

Like the tympanic membrane simply doesnt tune completely back to where it was before, even if the threshold seems normal on audiograms.

I wish more was known about T, but I hope there will be some serious reaserch done on the subject.

 

Yeah, better safe than sorry

Great to hear you are playing guitar again!

I just read a post about a pilot in here that had T for 15 years, and then it went away.

 

Yeah what's up with that? My ears have always been kind of sensitive. But they've been click-clacking for about a year now, and my T is only three weeks old. Is there a connection?

 

I thought everyone had that clicking sound in their ears when swollowing or that it was pretty normal?

 

@Mr. Cartman I don't know, my ears have never done well airplanes and seem kind of frail, but I don't think I've had that click-clacking as regularly as I've had it the last year. Then again it seems like everyone with T says they experience that at least somewhat.

I'm just wondering is that something the ear does in response to tinnitus, or is that wrapped up in the cause of it, or the 'trigger'? Doctors and researchers may indeed have their hands full grappling with it, but there's a lot of anecdotally similar symptoms that may or may not be properly being taken account of. All's I know is the audiologist I saw, while pleasant enough, didn't seem that in the know, and she's supposedly a top T specialist in the area.

I feel like if enough money and attention were put into it, they could find a cure, or "cure" rather, and come up with effective treatments, and in general be a lot more knowledgeable about the whole phenomenon as a practical matter.

Why can't one of Bill Gates' favorite nieces come down with a tough case of T, and then he throws a couple billion dollars into finding a cure? We need a Manhattan Project for Tinnitus!

 

This clicking sound (for me at least) seems to originate from the ear drum and might be caused by a vaccum or pressure within the inner ear as muscles used for swallowing are contracting and maybe the eustachian tubes are not working properly.. Just a thought..

Yeah, we really need to investigate T more. I hope there will be more research done.

 

Forgot to reply. See above

 

Come to think of it, I went through a swallowing / clicking phase. Can't remember when. I've had T since '74.

 

I wonder how many of us here have T in both ears or just one...

 

It's definitely in both of my ears

 

I just have it in one ear....idk if thats a good thing lol

 

I have it in both, started in my left, then a few weeks later i had it in both

 

Both of my ears have a
Faint ring/hiss but right side is more noticeable...I thought my ears were gettin better but actually i noticed the right one hasnt changed much since onset. And ever since all this started i have the clicking too so its gotta go along with T like all yous said :-/ weird.

 

Four months in my left ear but so far nothing on my right...idk if my T is getting better but for the last couple of days its just been a low hum (like a fridge) little hiss at times.

 

It's weird indeed. In my head it simply cant be related to the cilia or hearing loss.

That clicking sound seems to originate from vibrations from my ear drum.

 

Yeah, i have that hiss as well, but the sound kind of resonates in my head, so I get this sensation of "ringing".

Do you have that as well?

 

Yea thats exactly what I hear

 

I hope it will resolve soon! At least that it will get better! For all of us

Im going to try to figure out some of this stuff myself. My ENT doesnt know much about T.

 

I have an appt with my ENT in may but really not expecting much from him.