Can Tinnitus Spread Into the "Good" Ear Too?

Hello everyone.

I have been told I have sensorineural hearing loss and have tinnitus (in my left ear) and hyperacusis for the past two months.

I thought it was improving. The noise pitch went from really high to a lower pitch and the volume decreased to where I thought... if only it could stay like this... I think I could live with it. I had a few days that were actually pretty quiet...and that gave me hope.
Then... WHAM, it's blaring again.

I could relax knowing that I may have good and bad days but today, I thought I heard a high pitch sound in my good ear first thing this morning! It also felt weird all day. My left ear has been screaming all day and every once in a while it sounds like noise may also be coming from my good ear.

I have been extremely careful of any loud noises. Please tell me, is it possible to get tinnitus in the other ear too?

 

Unfortunately it’s possible

 

Yes. Mine did.

 

Yes.

 

Yes. Unfortunately it does happen. This monster just does whatever the hell it wants.

 

Although tinnitus can be experienced in one or both ears. The actual noise comes from the hearing centre in the brain. For this reason many refer to tinnitus as head noise. People that have bilateral tinnitus ( in both ears) also experience the noise in the head. It is possible to experience the noise in your other ear for no apparent reason.

 

Tinnitus can be insidious and a life destroyer.

 

Yes after two years tinnitus has made it to my good ear. Worryingly it’s increasing steadily in volume as well.

 

I have surround sound. I didn't initially. Started (I think?) in my right ear, spread to my head, then my other ear.

I was bothered by it at first. Now, I have gotten used to it.

 

Yes mine has.

Although not as bad as my left ear at this stage.

My tinnitus is in my head and ears so it is all over the place.

Some days worse than others.

Doesn't matter what I do to protect myself, tinnitus always wins.

 

I never understood why tinnitus only initially affects one ear. If it is due to noise exposure you would think both ears would be impacted equally.

 

My noise trauma happened almost 8 weeks ago. I’ve been trying so hard to be cautious about protecting my ears and now my formerly good left ear is constantly hissing. I had fleeting tinnitus in it occasionally but now it’s been unrelenting for days.

How common is this occurrence? Do you think there’s still hope for a volume reduction even though I’m only two months in? The volume seems to have only gotten louder in both ears so far, despite my best efforts. This is very discouraging

 

You're in the initial phase of tinnitus. From what I've read with people's experience due to acoustic trauma, their tinnitus volume decreases every month. Some people eventually recover from tinnitus completely (or so they say but I suspect it's just become very quiet).

Although I got my tinnitus from an ear infection, my tinnitus onset was also very loud but took a few months for it to subside to a manageable level. Give yourself time. In the mean time, eat healthy with vitamins and other things. Play white noise and don't stress yourself. Stress always increases tinnitus volume.