Brand New to the Boards, Tinnitus Sufferer (But Not Crippling)

hey there. i'm 26 years old and have had very bad anxiety issues throughout my life due to the impact it had on me as a kid. i have whitecoat hypertension generally throughout the day meaning my blood pressure can rise just as i begin to think about anxious thoughts so i try my best to chill out most of the time, but it's definitely hard sometimes.

i have always had some level of T. not sure what caused it in my particular case, but i definitely remember having it at a young age particularly thinking i was hearing the high pitch coming from those old tube televisions, then when it turned off, the sound didn't go along with it

i have had a jaw issue and TMJ, and had to have upper jaw surgery a few years ago after two years of braces to align my teeth because my jaws were misaligned and i had a very good result. a few years before this i had a terrible tinnitus spike one night i still remember where it was so loud that it felt like a midi keyboard or something, and it seemed to react to my jaw movements. ever since my bite has been stabilized i haven't noticed the T to the extent it had been then. it was more mild, though i still can notice it throughout the day, it isn't bothersome to me

I also have a history of repeated ear infections as a kid. not sure why, but they were definitely much worse when i was little. i do feel like my sinuses feel better now that my jaws are aligned. not sure what level it contributes to my situation right now-

i have an ear infection and caught it right on the cusp of its onset. came home from work after having what felt like a mini-flu, headcold and out of nowhere after i felt like it was over, i go to smoke a cigarette and then my left ear began to get full. hearing feels dull in that ear, although i feel like my hearing isn't as clear as it used to be in general, though i don't usually have issues but hearing people distinctively over background noise if they're not speaking loud enough can be difficult sometimes. sometimes it's hard to gauge whether your hearing is worse or they are not speaking clear and loud enough.

after about an hour i felt a pinch or two of pain, nothing big, but enough for me to know it's probably infected, after not having one for a few years... this one is definitely not as bad though. i went to the doctor and he looked in my right ear, throat, then the left ear and told me i do have an inner ear infection, and prescribed me amoxocillin (sp) and i wound up buying the dank sudafed and trying it along with it and a nasal spray

so far the pain never returned, though there is still an increased feeling of fullness there after only 2 days of the antibiotics. the tinnitus in my left ear is more profound than it was. as i said, i haven't eliminated it completely, but it had been at a more manageable level than it is now where it doesn't really bother me unless i fall into an anxiety attack or something which is very rare

it's hard to focus and be as happy as i can be with this going on, and i definitely hope that it's normal to have increased T in this situation. i'm on day 3 at this point and don't want it to take weeks or (gasp) months to deal with the annoying increased tinnitus. i've accepted that most people probably have it, and anxious people are more prone to noticing it because they are so hyper-self aware of everything, so having it dim down would suffice. will update as it progresses. hope you guys can shed some positive light on this. it's never fun to feel like you're back at square one with T, even if you're strong enough to deal with it mentally =)

 

wanted to also include that the only relief i had from my initial tinnitus burst a few years ago was from my dentist fitting me with a mouthguard that allowed everything to meet even though i had an open bite

the thing is, i felt more better as i wore it, and my lower jaw kind of popped itself forward and it got to a point he wasn't able to adjust the mouthguard anymore and it would only fit halfway in my mouth. i then had to have braces which consistently changed my bite and then surgery to correct it into a normal one. my bite is good now, and now i'm really considering having him make me a new mouthguard now that i have a stable bite and my underlying condition won't stop me from feeling bettr.

honestly, when i wore the mouth guard at night, i woke up and my head felt better. ears felt more clear. i didn't experience a total elimination from my tinnitus wearing it, but it absolutely quieted down in response to wering it at night. i also wasn't able to finish the treatment due to it not fitting/not being able to be adjusted/shaved down too much. in my case i think there is somewhat of a correlation between the ears and the jaws comfortably resting over night. maybe it would help drain the fluid out

 

Hi giawn,
A warm welcome to the forums.
I have TMJ and wear a mouth guard and might need surgery .
Your jaw has had a lot going on and ears with infections and bad anxiety .

You might benefit from a sound machine and pillow speakers at night if your tinnitus keeps you awake.

Keep posting for support and to make a few friends who understand what you are going through.
Its a lovely forum and members around 24/7 to help you....lots of love glynis

 

thank you for the encouragement! so you have a potential bite issue? if you want to discuss anything related to jaw surgery feel free! i have been through the process and became knowledgeable of it, and definitely think to an extent the jaw can relate to ear issues such as tinnitus (probably depends on the person)

i am on day 4 of antibiotics after discovering the ear infection. T is still there, it's not crazy loud but i can notice it. i suspect that pre-surgery my bad bite + anxiety + clenching at night made my ear symptoms worse, and i definitely had a large bout with eustachian tube dysfunction at the time.

definitely feeling very anxious though. anxiety worries that i still have ETD, but i can 'pop' my ears by holding my nose and blowing. i remember long ago when i wasn't even able to do that!

just got home from work and am taking it easy. left ear feels a 'bit' (i guess noticeable) less full than it did initially. hopefully it keeps progressing from here.

during the week i am going to discuss with my dentist making a new night guard to use. i am a firm believer that to a noticeable extent that it would farther dim down the T if used at night. just hope it won't change my bite at all!