A Weird Kind of Tinnitus: I Need Help

My tinnitus in my right ear, which has been present for about two months, is weird and doctors don't know what it is. Here is how:

-It reacts to sound: When there's a big noise such as a door being shut, my tinnitus makes a thin beep sound. It also does it when I swallow sometimes, and when I do any move.

-When I close the opening of my ear with my fingertip, I hear a continuous beeping sound this time, different from the first one I described, which changes in pitch continuously. But the longer I close my ear, the less I begin to hear it. Has anyone experienced this? I suspect my ear is giving the same response as when you go to a noisy place and after a while, you start hearing sounds less.

-When I don't close my ear, I hear a murmur sound which also changes in pitch. It's almost as if there's something trembling around my ear, and I can hear it from outside. When I press my hand against my neck on the side of the affected ear, the murmuring sound sometimes becomes pulsatile, so I'm suspecting it's artery related.

- Apart from all that, I also hear a cricket-singing like sound which became more and more hearable as my condition worsened.

Does anyone know what I have? I'm seriously desparate. I'm 30, female, and from Turkey. I really trust this forum. Please help.

 

50 tinnitus sufferers viewed this and no one knows?! I thought I couldn't be more desparate but apparently, I can

 

you simply have tinnitus with multiple tones/sounds, nothing more.

 

We cannot make a diagnostic trough internet. We aren't even physicians. Yes, reactive tinnitus isn't uncommon amongst us. Multilple tinnitus tones happens often too. It is possible that part of your tinnitus is blood vessel related. A few surgeons can treat pulsatile tinnitus. There are dfferent methods, remodeling an artery, decompressing a nerve touched by a blood vessel, putting a teflon plate between the cochlea and the noisy vessel are a few i know about.

 

I wasn't expecting a diagnosis. I'm looking for a person who maybe has the same thing as me because the expensive professors I've visited are clueless and I'm scared of losing my hearing. I wonder if blood vessel related tinnitus causes hearing loss? I mean, am I losing my hearing as I sit here?

The treatments you talk about sound scary, honestly. But I just don't know if I have artery related tinnitus. No one knows!

I wonder what you have. Hope you're ok.

 

Does a normal tinnitus with multiple tones/sounds react to outside noises and decrease gradually in sound if you plug your ear for a long time?

 

when it comes to tinnitus, no rules are carved in stone. in my left ear it's usually a medium tinnitus frequency around 700hz but sometimes it's more like 7000hz. changes in tinnitus frequency/volume/perception changes With brain chemistry.to be honest i wish both my ears were ringing at 700 hz, unfortunately, one is 700hz, the other one 7000 hz(right ear).... I usually choose my left ear to be on the pillow...

 

Wow, your symptoms are very similar to mine!

-Mine is in the left ear
-It often reacts to sound - in fact recently when my car's turn signal was clicking it would "beep" in rhythm with it.
-Clicking or "blowing through" my ears will often cause background "murmuring" to resolve into a clear electronic beep for a while.
-The longer the "beep" sound lasts continuously, the less noticable/quieter it is. It has to refresh itself or something by going back to the murmuring for a while.
-I too am 30 yrs old. Male.
-I got my condition 3 yrs ago. At first it was very intermittent - audible maybe 15% of the time. In the past year it has grown to about 90% and has ruined my life.
-I thought my symptoms were unusual and that the tinnitus was weird enough that there must be a treatment (it stops on its own sometimes, so it shouldn't be hard to MAKE it stop, right?) No such luck. Even the supposed best in the world ENTs (I am seeing one from University of Penn) are clueless. Basically what they do is:

Step 1: Test your hearing.
Step 2: If they detect hearing loss, they say "the tinnitus is caused by hearing loss. Nothing we can do."
Step 2b: If they don't detect hearing loss, they say "we don't know what's causing the tinnitus. Nothing we can do."

Question to the OP: do you ever feel a sensation of pressure or squeezing in your ear, as if something were hanging from or pressing onto your eardrum?

 

So, you hear the tinnitus more when your ear is pressed against the pillow? That is so in my case but I heard some people say they hear theirs less when they lie down like that.

 

Well, I "click" my ears and then exhale, and some air feels like it comes out the ear. I can often get the murmur to resolve into something sharper that way.

Chew causes a beep. Inhale deeply or move arm, not so much.

They say I don't have hearing loss. I don't know that for sure, however - the tests are falliable. I certainly FEEL like I hear fine.

When I plug my ear, the tinnitus makes a sudden spike in noise that then fades quickly back to standard volume. If I lie on my left for a LONG time, the tinnitus often eventually leaves entirely.

Hmm.. maybe our symptoms are not so much the same!

 

Mine also fades away when I lie on it! It doesn't go entirely away like yours but it becomes very barely hearable.. But it also fades away if I plug my ear for a couple of minutes.

I don't know what to think...You're the first person I ever found who has this "beeping in reaction to sound" symptom like mine. You also have the pressure sensation, the sound fades away like mine when you lie on it...

Do your doctors have any theories about the beeping thing? Mine don't. The last one gave me Betaserc, it didn't work much. Actually it made me get sick whenever I have a car ride or a jog...And I'm stuck now.

 

Well, starting Jan 1 I've begun all kinds of experiments trying to figure out how to make it go away or get softer I'll let you know if there's any success.

And no, the doctor has no theories about any of my symptoms.

 

I also have a fading tone in my left ear when I plug my ears (kind of a echo) I also have crickets and high pitched hiss that is reactive to sound. So for example when I wake up my T is almost gone. Through the day it goes up when I am exposed to everyday noises.

I did have a perforated eardrum caused by an ear syringing. That was almost 6 weeks ago. T has gone down in volume and also in sensitivity to sounds.

What I have noticed is,

-Supplements made my T worse. I was taking magnesium/B12/Calcuim/D for me a waste of money and time. Ears got better by taking nothing.
-Trying to avoid normal sounds only made it worse
-Taking alcohol makes it spike
-Lack of sleep makes it spike
-Calamine tea with honey soothes it quite well

Peter

 

I've started experiments, too. Today I'm experimenting with Sudafed (decongestant) because I had fun last night and guess what, fun involving a lot of physical activity equaled feeling lots of pressure in my ear in the end. I think Sudafed helped a little. But it makes me feel like I'm on cocaine (not that I've tried cocaine)

Do let me know if something works!

Edit: I'm sorry I ask too much but, pressure in the ear is a symptom of Meniere's. Have you considered Meniere's? I am considering.

 

Peter, have you asked your doctor what can be the reason for that fading sound when you plug your ear and why would the hiss react to sound? I wonder if a doctor has an explanation on these. Btw does part of your hiss react abruptly to sound or do you realize gradually throughout the day "Ahh, the sounds made my T worse!". In my case I directly react with a "beep" sound, apart from my continuous T.

When I wake up my T is full-blown. That's different from you and my ear drum seems to be normal. But the other stuff you told are similar. My T was also higher in volume when it first started...And the reaction "beeping" to sounds come and go now.

Lack of sleep definitely makes mine worse, too!
The other day I ate some honey and the T was really quiet after that. I put honey on my list!
Unfortunately, working out makes mine worse I think. How bout you? I love exercise

 

I am afraid to say my doctors are useless. Non could give me a reason. I know I had (not sure if I still have) a small hole in my ear drum after I had my ear syringed. And I was hoping that was the cause. It has improved over time (been 6 weeks)

I have researched quite a bit and have come to some type of conclusion about the fading sound. I believe it to be related to my Eustachian tube on the left side been always open. This is the only logical reason I can think off. However my doctors can not confirm or deny it and they seemed to not want to continue with testing. I just got the old you have Tinnitus forget about it and get on with your life bull.

In my case I have the fading sound which is more active when there is external sound and I plug my ear. For example. If I flush the toilet or in the shower and plug my ear quickly I get a tone that fades. the hissing however comes when I expose my ears to outside noises/TV/Music/fans ect over time. However when I push my self to louder noises the hisses go away until I have quietness for a while then they come back. Quite strange to say the least.

Cricket sounds come and go. I get these normally when it very quite and hissing goes away.

Working has been hard. I work in quite low level noise environment but with PC fans/power supply's that buzz and hum. So it does generally make it worse

I was taking supplements, but i think it was making it worse. Now I just drink lots of water and take melatonin at night. 1mg is enough for me at the moment. I slept bad the first 2 weeks after that it improved....

 

I think it's just my tensor tympani squeezing up in reaction to the sound. It's a common side effect of tinnitus.

 

Well my ENT made a blast by ordering an MRI angiography yesterday. He said if that also comes back with normal results, showing I don't have a vascular problem, then "I don't have any idea" said he, my expensive Professor doctor who worked at famous clinics. Thing is, he doesn't ask many questions. He never questioned the echo problem I have and that irritates me! He even played the "Maybe it's psychological" card which irritates me even more

I think you might have a point with the Eustachian Tube scenerio. I've been doing some reading and PET (Patulous Eustachian Tube) which is when the tube is always open, does cause echoing. This condition seems to be related to significant weight loss, also colds and infections. I did lose around 4 kilos before my problems started and I was very thin so that might have caused it. Your condition is different but maybe involves pressure problems about your Eustachian tube, too. Thing is...maybe I'm completely wrong. I've read this:
"Your ear has four internal areas used for processing sound. When something interferes with the processing in any of these four areas, you can develop an echoing in your ear. Your outer ear canal, ear drum, middle ear and inner ear must remain free of debris, fluid and injury for sounds to sound normal to your brain." (http://www.ehow.com/facts_5848712_ears-echoing_.html#ixzz2sjpnm8Y7)

So many possibilities...

 

Just wondered how you getting on with your ear. I have good days and bad. But more better ones lately. Still have echo in ear with reactive tinnitus. Its changed a little over the past few weeks and have managed to cope better during the working time....

 

Oh, good to read you're doing better It can even be that your eardrum is healing and the T will go away eventually?

I went to an internist today and he's pretty sure I have anemia. He said he could just see the pale skin as I walked in and that can be the cause of my T and can also cause the echo...I have my hopes high, will have some blood tests tomorrow. Bu then again, I trust no doctor.

I realized my T and echo gets worse when I dance and pretty much when I do anything fun with an effort. I honestly feel doomed, lol. There's no way I can let my activities go. Weird situation.

 

Haru, you are early on in tinnitus. It is common in many people to be reactive the first few months. A lot of the reactiveness in your T is the way you are reacting to it. Mine is still that way at times. But it improves over time. Its just new to you, and new to your brain so you have all kinds of sounds and changes going on. It takes time for your brain to adjust to these changes. If the cause of your T is related to hearing loss, then your brain is adapting, making new neuro connections etc and this takes time. You are still early on. It may go away and even if it does not, it will improve.

 

Thanks for the reply, it gives insight! I wish that brain of mine made connections that said "Repair that idiotic damage- now!" to my ear. That would be more useful. I blame evolution

Does hearing loss cause echo sounds also? That's a point I really wonder about. Any idea?

 

I used to have some sound distortion at first. Some sort of metallic echo. One of the funny effects was it made a musical "ding ding" when i hit my skull with my finger. Then it went away.

I am not sure i understand very well your posts but you sound like you are looking for a rational explanation for your symptoms. I had that preoccupation too. I went to see on of the big shots of the tinnitus world and even him had not a clue about what happened in my particular case.

I mean there are neat neurological models of tinnitus but there are still in their infancy. And as far as i recall none of them examined reactive tinnitus. The researchers are trying some experimental treatments without even knowing why they work on some people and not on others.

 

Thanks for the post, daedalus. See, Eric above also said "at first" reactive tinnitus is common. You also say you had the echo thing in the beginning. Before you two said that, I had no idea it starts like this! Do you have hearing loss, btw? I'm trying to understand if hair cell damage can cause this echo at the start.

The aim for my posts is to get information and connect. No doctor said to me "The echo thing might happen in the beginning, then go away" but you and Eric did...Even if I push things to the point I annoy people, I'll still question this problem. I have solved problems people thought were impossible to solve before by taking a few more (different) steps than the average person would. I'll do the same, I'll try anything I can!

 

My echo changes in volume quite a bit but have notice louder the echo lower the T. So its very much connected. Today was the best in all the weeks I've had this. Morning and day I did not even notice the T. Come evening its started up again.

 

That's so interesting.

Hope you still had a good evening! Yesterday, for the first time after the T thing started, I dressed up and looked like a normal person with a nice hairdo and jewellery etc. instead of a miserable hobo. It's because I slept more than 6 hours for the first time after the T started. Felt good!

 

Haru, i have the exact same symptoms as you.So you are not alone. It started in my right ear and moved to the left..I also have TTTS and undiagnosed H...I see an audiologist in 2 weeks and ENT in 8 weeks...

 

About the hair cell loss thing:

We are born with about 15 000 hair cell inside the cochlea : http://www.cochlea.eu/en/hair-cells We lose some since birth. So we ALL have some hearing loss. Some scientists say most tinnituses are linked to some degree of hearing loss. But most people have hearing loss without tinnitus. Sometimes people can go completely deaf without tinnitus while others have t with small hearing loss.

It has been proposed by many scientists that tinnitus would be more likely to appear if the slope of your audiogram was steep. The problem is that audiologists sell hearing aids to the deaf, not ultra precise diagnosises to tinnitus patients. So they are not interested in means of measuring precisely your hearing loss. Since their job put the emphasis on restoring communication skills they rare not even interested in the frequencies above 8 khz.

Note while most of the speech signal stops at 8 khz for English, a linguist told me for French we should go up to 11 khz but i digress.

A tinnitus could come from a very localised loss between 12500 and 12600 hz for example. That would be completely invisible to an audiogram. Even a high frequency audiogram would not detect it because they sample very few frequencies.

Note that i didn't even mention the echo thing. Rummaging the net, i have found few papers on tinnitus, even less on hyperacusis and nothing at all about echos.

 

Hi Haru I know this post was a while ago but I was wondering if you had found a solution to the reactive beeping? I am having similar symptoms and the doctor told me I have fluid in the ear. Hope you are feeling better