22 y/o with Tinnitus Driving Me Crazy

I've been lurking around on this forum for a few months. Didn't post anything until now.

I first noticed tinnitus sound in my ears in January this year. At first i thought it would go over because sometimes after listening to music i have tinnitus but the next day it's always gone. Well not this time. I have always listened to a lot of music with headphones but not on very loud volume. After a few weeks i started to panic and went to an ENT. The audiogram shows normal but it's possible i have hidden hearing loss.

I also had a full feeling in my ears in the beginning of T onset. Sometimes a little pressure to like your in an airplane. This made me wonder. Is my T caused by listening too much to music or is something else going on. Normally when you have noise induced tinnitus your ears don't feel full. I went to a doctor and later did an MRI scan at the hospital. Everything looks to be normal. My eardrums are not damaged and i don't have conductive hearing loss.

So my guess is that i have tinnitus because: TMJ, ETD, an ear infection or maybe i'm in the early stage of Méniere.

I have some neck and jaw pain, that's why it can be possibly TMJ. When i move my jaw back i feel a sharp pain behind my ear.

I'm not sure why i have tinnitus. The specialists don't know either.
I wish i could do something about it. My tinnitus is not very loud but also not quite. I can't hear it under the shower but i do hear it during the day.

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk @Niel S.
I would try keep away from loud places unless wear hearing protection and for now limit the time using headphones and keep it low.
Try a nasil spray and steam inhalation and get your dentist check you for TMJ.
Love glynis

 

My house doctor did a TMJ test by pressing on my jaw joints while i moved my jaw. (like this:

TMJ Exam

) This made a load clicking noise coming from my jaw. So it seems like i do have TMJ. I also noticed sometimes i do claw my teeth during the day because of stress. And when i put on headphones my ears start to hurt after some time because they put a lot of pressure on my ears and jaw.

 

were you offered a mouth guard to wear ? It takes the pressure off your jaw joint and position your jaw in the right place.
Love glynis

 

No, do mouth guards help? I had to wear dental braces when i was a teenager. I have a mouth guard that fits over my teeth because i had to wear it during the night after i had the braces.

I don't understand why mouth guards would work since they only protect the teeth from grinding. I have the same one like this:

 

They do more than protect he teeth. It relieves stress on the tendons and joints. I currently have one and have been using it for 1 week so far.

 

Ok, will try the mouthguard see of that helps.

 

It supposedly takes weeks to months to work. Just heads up.

 

Hope it's only TMJ. Méniere is a much worse disease which i don't rule out.
In January i was a bit sick and one day i had to throw up and felt very dizzy.
The world was spinning around and i could not concentrate with my eyes on a certain object.
Then i went to the doctor and i had very bad nystagmus. It was around that time my tinnitus started.

It's possible that it was my first Méniere attack and the TMJ is just an coincidence.
I'm confused.

I actually went to 2 doctors and they both thought about Méniere but it's to early to say that 100% sure.

They gave me medication for Méniere disease. I took betahistine, dogmatil and arlevertan for a few months.