Apart from Tinnitus, Curious If Anyone Is Experiencing Similar Symptoms as Me?

Apart from my tinnitus, I have other symptoms as well, which I am just curious about if they are related.
Next to tinnitus I also have TMJ which I am seeing a therapist for. So I figured that might be important information. So, my tinnitus started after a fleeting tinnitus event (which I never had before in my life ). My tinnitus has been a hissing noise, and it seems to fluctuate a lot. Thank god so far its always been mild, but there are moments where I struggle to hear it with my ears plugged, and then there are moments where I can hear it over the television.

When I went to the doctor for the very first time for my tinnitus, he saw that my ears were inverted, and prescribed me a nasal spray. Up until this day, my ears have been on and off inverted or not inverted, and they make a cracking noise when I yawn and swallow. My right ear also tends to pop when I blow my nose, but never the left one. This could have started with my TMJ, and I think eustachian tube dysfunction and TMJ are definitely related in that respect.

I also seem to have fleeting tinnitus attacks on the daily and alongside with them, my ear starts feeling very clogged and full (almost like there's a pulling sensation on the inside of my ear) before it starts to ring. Sometimes there is also just the physical sensation and no ringing afterwards. It seems to most often be related to my posture. At night, for instance, I seem to be getting attacks often when I am lying on my back, with my head slightly tilted to one side. These mostly affect my right ear (funnily enough, the ear without tinnitus), and up until now have lasted up to 6 minutes.

I am also dealing with hyperacusis and noise sensitivity in general. Noises that never used to bother me, now bother my ears quite a lot. Clanking plates, metal clacking, the usual stuff. Luckily until now I havent had extreme physical pain from it, but these noises definitely make me uncomfortable quite a bit.

On occassion I have also had a thumping eardrum on the right side, and often this pulling sensation from within the ear, that does not seem to have an immediate trigger for me, because it occurs quite randomly. Im trying to figure out the triggers for this stuff, but Im just not really able to.

Then there are some weird neurological things that are kind of freaking me out. A buzzing/vibrating sensation in the back of my head, sometimes accompanied by fleeting tinnitus that sounds like a humming bell sound. And then there is buzzing in my cheeks after smiling sometimes, and now most recently I have been experiencing lots of pain in the area where my back and shoulder meet, which also results in a deaf hand, painful arm/wrist/ elbow, and grabbing things seems to be harder as well.

Well, this is probably a very long story, but I am just wondering if there are people on this forum who are experiencing the same symptoms as me, and maybe have further information on what the cause might be.

 

I have a lot of symptoms you describe, also a lot of fleeting tinnitus, pressure, only one ear that fills up or pops.
I also have muscle twitching now and then.
I thought I had TMJ because I clench my teeth, had a splint but did nothing for me.
I also went to a TMJ specialist without results.
I also have very fluctuating tinnitus.
The only thing I know is high stress levels make it worse.
Take care.

 

Ive had similar symptoms on and off. I honestly believe a lot of these symptoms are anxiety related, at least that’s my opinion.

 

hm.. so TMD does have associations with hyperacusis and tensor typani spasms.

 

Is your hyperacusis defined as noises sounding too loud, or ear fullness, aching, burning, prickling, numbness?
or both?

 

Noises sounding too loud definitely. It's not necessarily pain, but my ear just feels really uncomfortable around loud noise. Only when the noise is really really loud it hurts and makes my ear twinge.

 

@Suzerman I have every thing going on that you mention. It's called all systems go with somatic structures where it takes 20,000 pages just for a starter conversation.

With all systems, nerve roots talk with sensory overlap - post sympathetic ganglionic fibers from the cervical ganglion talk and can interfere with all arteries, muscles, joints, disc, facial, teeth, mouth and jaw. Blood flow from a few arteries in the neck, mostly upper back side of neck have crossover talk.

Complicated somatic tinnitus has vertebral artery interference. This relates to neck muscle spasms and neck pressure that can start off the whole somatic process to everything that you mention. ETD can have some independences as well as teeth clenching.

There's many things that have 95% rule that include muscles of facial and around the ears, the spine and c spine with great influence to the axial and occipital complexes, sinuses, certain deep muscles of neck, the facial nerve, trigeminal nerve, and the jaw. Deep hidden infection is common that relates to over production of salvia, teeth, gums, lip burning, facial burning, muscle soreness and 100's of other things.

Posture control, sleep is good, walking is needed, fluids are needed and kindness to the jaw is needed. Jaw problems -lips must remain together. A slight space between teeth and to hold teeth at an even plain where top middle front teeth are inline with lower middle front teeth. Some of the non mainstream TMJ consultants recommend only a very thin soft flexible mouth guard that doesn't cover wisdom teeth. For those with an off bite, appliances are needed.

 

Yes, quite similar in a lot of ways. But as @Greg Sacramento mentioned, it’s all so complicated.

 

Wow, I am actually very surprised as to how many people are experiencing the same type of symptoms. Its kind of scary how all of this seems to be such a neurological thing as well.

@Greg Sacramento this is super interesting. I figured it all had a connection. I am trying to watch my posture more, but I sometimes feel like, the more I try to watch it the more strain I put on my muscles and somehow make it worse . I am trying to exercise a bit more, and lose weight, as I think me being overweight is definitely not helping all this stuff. I am seeing a physio, and am wearing a mouth guard when I sleep. I do find it very hard though not to yawn. Its actually impossible not to. I do tend to open my jaw a lot more than I should whenever I need to yawn and I seriously hope its not making my situation worse . The tinnitus on its own actually fluctuates a lot even though its always been in the mild range so far. Even the fleeting tinnitus does. Sometimes its like a fire alarm in my head, other times I barely hear my ear ringing when it happens.

 

Short story, yes, see if you can find a TMJ self help book at the library or something before doing anything expensive or surgical

 

Ears are spiking at the moment, and had already 4/5 fleeting tinnitus events today

 

@Greg Sacramento I am starting to suspect I have some cervical radiculopathy going on in my neck. Is there anything I can do about my situation? Would strength exercises and such make it worse? Cause my tinnitus does seem to spike every time I attempt it. Exercise in general is good right?

 

@Suzerman With your neck feeling uncomfortable not prior to TMJ and ETD, then I would say that TMJ caused muscle spasms that transferred to the muscles in the middle ear.

A few points about this:

A mild case of TMJ or tensed jaw posture started first causing ETD/ sinus. Once that process starts then primary TMJ often will set in.

You probably don't have considerable hearing loss, but your muscles within your ear(s) is probably the indirect cause of tinnitus from mandibular nerves. If this is the case, then you would also have facial and head sensations, fleeting T and maybe sometimes different tones in each ear. This is somatic tinnitus and that will cause shoulder and neck tension. Many times the neck axis or neck trauma/disease will cause TMJ, but sometimes it's the other way around. Which ever comes first the neck or jaw, they may join together for a somatic process. If the neck comes first then there's almost always a connection to the jaw - as having somatic tinnitus. Since you also have or had ETD, then I would expect it's about TMJ causing muscles spasms to the ears and the neck is secondary. ETD and infection can cause tinnitus, but I doubt it for you.

Therapy - Jaw - TMJ is difficult to control. Some deep case studies say that TMJ can't be controlled unless a practice is made to keep upper front teeth inline with lower front teeth. Lips togethers. Opening mouth exercise.

For your neck and I would include shoulders - gentle massage. A medium size pillow - not foam for sleeping. Maybe try some warmth on neck and shoulders and always before a massage.

 

@Suzerman
So much of that sounds familiar to me.
I have a high pitch hissing T ( about 7500Hz) that is often ( but not always) in time the my heart beat.
I have H (with no pain)... my T noise goes mad when I hear certain types of noise - cutlery, flushing toilets and a few others.
I have had many years of neck, shoulder, jaw, face and upper arm pain - from 35 years of drawing board and computer work as an Architectural designer.
It all kicked-off for me after a simple dental session for a filling... my guess is its probably jaw muscle and nerve related.
Had some great advice on her from many like @Greg Sacramento and others ...but despite trying everything
( Chiro, massage, heat, cold, Ginko, Mag etc etc etc ) I have yet to find much relief.
Wish I could help you out but I do know you have to somehow be relaxed, distracted, busy, calm and then pray for some peace! Enjoy the peace when it comes. DONT overthink it as you probably won't find out why !
I have found a low sugar and salt diet quietens it down a bit - blood pressure maybe ?
When all fails Vodka seem to help me forget my head symphony.
Wishing you some peace in a now noise world.
X

 

You are like a God send for somatic tinnitus. This thread + this post pretty much sum up all my T history & symptoms for 2 years. But still not sure about what to do next, as usual.

 

I have a bit of the same as the hissing sound only in my right ear and it also goes from a hissing to a screeching noise.
it disappears at sleep and unconsciousness but returns at waking. I have been working on it alone for years with arguments of people yelling at me when I try to explain so I just walk away from them or argue that I know what I am talking about while they don't know what they are talking about.

 

Turn off the lights, do you have visual snow?

 

@Suzerman I can totally relate to your symptoms, I suffer many of the same problems that you mentioned.

My tinnitus and hyperacusis began after a loud microsuction procedure to remove wax, prior to this I had no hearing problems. The procedure caused some hearing loss, mainly in the ultra high/high frequencies. After this I experienced Tonic tensor tympani syndrome symptoms too. I also developed what I can only describe as neurological issues: headache, buzzing feeling in my head, facial numbness, dizziness, pain and weakness in my arms and hands and muscle twitching/spasms. I also have neck and jaw pain, and a feeling of constant blockage in my ears. I'm not sure if this is related to tmj or ETD (although I have no sinus etc issues and the panoramic x-ray I did on my jaw was normal). My symptoms were so severe I actually thought I had MS, but an mri ruled that out. Its been almost 3 years since onset for me.

 

Dental procedures definitely make my TMJ worse, and it can also cause tinnitus. And I now have to have a molar extracted on my lower jaw, right side , which is where my tinnitis and also the worst TMJ jaw issues are. That will mean a lot of pressure on my jaw while pulling the molar. To make things worse, I also need a root canal on one of my back upper, molars (also on the right jaw, just under my ear). I'm really dreading the root canal, since I already have had one root canal and crown on that tooth in the past. The dental procedure was about 1 1/2 hours long, with a lot of drilling (vibration). I had a rubber dam in my mouth, which meant I could not ever close my mouth until they were done. Now I need a replacement root canal and crown on the same tooth. I'm hoping that my TMJ won't get worse. It's bad enough now. I get dizziness, headache, louder tinnitus, and a very sore jaw for several days after any dental procedure, let alone a long one. And putting the crown on is the second part. Soreness and louder tinnitus, all over again. I know I have to have this done, but am hoping that it won't be too bad. My local dentist told me that there is now a gentler way --using the drill with breaks in between, and a smaller rubber dam just over a small area, so I could take breaks and rest my jaw now and then. I intend to ask the dentist who will be doing my procedure whether he will do this for me. If not, I may just have that molar pulled as well. And no tooth implants or bridgwork. My jaw and ears just can't take a lot of this.

 

Yes. I have a lot of similar symptoms. My T started because of gentamiacin ototoxicicty.
I first got a blocked right ear that went away then pulsatile T in the same ear. Took steroids and fasted and prayed. It went away. My ears would pop now and again. Two months later fleeting T intermittently. It went away and I had a break for about a month then high pitched T in the early mornings that over time changes to transient T and a lot of noise sensitivity. I couldn’t go to games in an arena that I liked. I started getting feedback from loud noises in the evenings around 7. If I spoke too loud I would get feedback from voice. I developed layers of tinnitus in my right ear and a couple of months later the left ear started with very low digital noises. And then other low pitched noises as time progressed. It even began to be more aggressive than my right ear at night. Then it would calm. I guess it would cycle so to speak. I then got the rumbling or thumping sounds in both ears- occasionally for about two seconds. Then about six months ago or so i noticed if I would lie on my left side at night my ear drum would retract. I would have to swallow several times and I could feel it sort of flopping around before it would stabilize. This happens now every time I lay on that side at night.
The only relief and true relief I think I found so far was in the beginning in 2018 after about two months I went on a flight. Used ear plugs. After landing that night trying to sleep was a nightmare. It sounded as if a train was running through my head. It seemed to change from one sound to another and was very loud. I was depressed and slept most of the day. When I decided to get up and shower my ears popped and I had relief. The T that I had been hearing for two months calmed to a quiet hiss. It stayed that way for about a week. The noise sensitivity only bothered me maybe once during my trip. The flight back home was uneventful. I decided to not wear the plugs as long. The T remainders pretty low and much lower than it had been since onset. I got the flu 24 hours after landing and T went back to probably worse than onset and it took months to go back down. Still never like it was at those quieter moments during my trip.
Nowadays, T varies. I don’t know what caused it to spike unless I know lol! Like some herbals I take will cause it to spike but generally I’ll get a new sound and it’ll be there for a few weeks and then go away. The noise sensitivity and feedback come and go. Matter of fact the feedback had calmed almost completely until I got sick a couple months back and now it’s stabilizing. It comes and goes.

 

Oh and I do have ungodly head pressure. It started out that it would only come and go and I would be a bit dizzy. Sometimes feeling very faint and now the head pressure is more often.