In late July I went to an outdoor concert. A day or two later I woke up in the morning with tinnitus. I only heard it in the morning while getting dressed in a quiet room. I didn't hear it the rest of the day or even while going to sleep that night. It barely registered with me. I then go all of August and the beginning of September without noticing any tinnitus at all. At this point I've completely forgotten about the stuff in July. In the second week September I went to bed one night without tinnitus and woke up in the morning with it. I hear it in the middle of my head, not in my ears. Again, I made a note of it. I had no exposure to noise at all. I wish then I would have sought out medical advice. Two days later I went to another concert with the finest ear plugs I could find. It didn't change my tinnitus at all. Nothing changed since that first morning I woke up in September. A single high pitched tone. Sometimes I hear a lower woosh sound too. There is some hyperausis as well. Some sounds are distorted or "tinny" sounding. The tinnitus seems to compete with sounds and will increase in volume. In the mornings its relatively quiet and increases in volume as the day progresses. I'm walking that fine line between protecting and over protecting my ears.
I had some trouble getting an appointment to see a doctor. My clinic was offering me an appointment a month out. I went another week without seeing a doctor. During that week I flew for work and went to an NFL game. Wearing ear plugs for both. I had no idea what I was dealing with.
I finally saw a GP and an ENT the next week. The ENT told me my hearing test was flawless and I would just have to learn to live with it. I didn't work for the next two months. I lost my mind and had appointment after appointment. The only thing that kept me from suicide is my two kids. I'm starting to question how long my suicide reluctance will last.
About ten days later the ENT gave me prednisone after I begged him for it. While I was on the medication the volume of my tinnitus decreased by about 80 percent. It returned to baseline after that.
I keep thinking of variables and events and have no idea if they bear any importance. I've had headaches several times a week in my temples and behind my eyes for as long as can remember. They always appear in the same place. I've had bruxism for years along with extremely high anxiety. I have a painful and clicking jaw along with facial muscle pain. My tinnitus modulates with jaw movements, but I hear that isn't all that uncommon. Long story short I began TMJ treatment hoping it is a factor in the tinnitus. My ears have a slight fullness and crack loudly and make noise with swallowing and neck movements. About a week before the tinnitus appeared overnight I had some dental work done. During this work I had a painful bite block on the side of my jaw that is the worst.
I could go on and on. I don't know what plays a role in this and what doesn't. Maybe it's some sort of combination of these events that left me this way. I know patience is key. The tinnitus has changed slightly since the start. A few times a week it will shift to one ear or the other for just a few minutes. I'm also experiencing extended times when it changes to an electrical sound where the tone fluctuates.
Damn, this post has turned into a mess. Anyway, I'm having difficulty identifying what of all this nonsense caused this. I feel like I need to be honest with myself about how I got to this point, but I can't figure it out. This is scary stuff and I need to find hope if I'm going to make it.
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