Can't Pinpoint Root Cause for My Tinnitus and Hyperacusis — Need Help!

I developed tinnitus about 14 days ago and now I also notice that I had been slowly developing hyperacusis before that.

My story starts about 3 months ago when the sound of dishes and silverware started to bother me for no apparent reason and I dismissed it because it was very minor.

About 2 weeks ago I had a gum infection that spread to the throat and at the same time I experienced some mild ear pain (left side) as if the infection had travelled there. Well exactly at the same time my tinnitus got started mainly in the right ear, whereas the hyperacusis is more in the left year. Infection resolved itself without the need for antibiotics but it was very close.

Last week I went to an ENT and basically no infection in the ear and no hearing loss. Also the ear moves properly to sound stimulus and no damage at all physically.

At this time I continue to have the same symptoms and since I have a deviated septum I have tried as well to treat this as sinus issues and have been using anti-histamine (which I've always use regularly and now know to be ototoxic), saline spray, Flonase, NetiPot (NeilMed) and even Afrin for a few days, to no success.

I now notice too that there is a clicking sound in my right ear when I swallow and sometimes when I speak. Very annoying. Finally feel fullness in both ears but I will tell you I have zero trouble clearing my Eustachian tubes, so no they are not clogged. I also now am able to notice the tinnitus volume and pitch changes if I tilt my head back or open my jaw wide.

I am really lost here and have multiple suspects and don't know how to tackle this. I am taking all possible supplements that could help this (B12, Resveratrol, Nicotinamide Riboside, NAC, Rhodiola and the list goes on) and no improvement. Actually feels worse if I am stressed and drinking alcohol now has become absolutely forbidden as the tinnitus just gets really loud immediately and the next day.

My suspects are:

- I recently did a course of Accutane, but that was a few months ago. Acne did not fully resolve so I had just restarted when the tinnitus came upon me, so I immediately stopped (took 3 pills only).

- I have been DJing regularly for the last 10 years, so it was my prime suspect... Given I have no hearing loss and I did not have any loud incidents when the tinnitus started I am thinking this is not the issue.

- The infection that I mentioned above, maybe somehow it affects my ears? Very weird the tinnitus starts simultaneously with it.

- Sinus issues? Should I just persist with my sinus care attempt?

- I did have the habit of opening my Eustachian tubes and clearing the pressure in my ears excessively. I do not know why I did that, maybe there was always some discomfort and I thought it was normal or could the clearing of tubes have caused the issue? The clicking is really puzzling me even when I talk I get it now and seems like a new symptoms along with fullness.

- TMJ / Neck issues given I feel pitch / volume change with movement?

I am really going crazy here this is such a miserable condition, affecting my DJing hobbies and social life that revolves around music. I hope anyone can provide some valuable advice I will be forever grateful.

What else could I possibly do or am I missing something?

Ps: I'm seeing a chiropractor on the 17th.

Thank you!

 

Just to add to my post: I also feel very mild pain in the ears. Like a level 1 or 2 out of 10 and not consistently. Fullness is also present.

Given the rapid onset and presence of pain Iam thinking it could be an inflammation or infection that the ENT did not pick up.

Thanks again for your help.

 

It sounds like you could be right. There is a possibility that the ENT didn't pick up inflammation. The last time I went, the doctor there was sure that my Eustachian tube dysfunction had gone away (it hadn't) so they are not always 100% correct.

This may be a long shot, but if you have ear pain/inflammation, it could be to do with acid reflux. When you are asleep, stomach acid can cause inflammation in your sinuses without you noticing. There's a bunch of ways to sort that out if it could be an issue, like not eating certain foods around bedtime for example. I would be careful with medications, (eg. proton pump inhibitors) as they can be ototoxic (but there are others that are not).

Other than that, it could always have something to do with your neck/jaw for sure. Seeing a chiropractor sounds like a good idea. One thing in my experience that may be worth looking into is the headphones you are using for DJing. Have you changed the pair you are using recently? I have found personally that headphones with a high level of clamping force have caused issues with my jaw before and made my tinnitus worse for a while after.

 

Hey LateNightArt, thank you for your reply.

After some time past from my initial post I agree with you there is some inflammation going on there and I think it most likely has to do with my sinuses... When I stick to my regimen of Afrin, Flonase, nasal rinses etc it tends to lower a lot. I found the protocol and techniques in this video to be very helpful and have been following this doctor's recommendations:

How to Cure Tinnitus Linked to Eustachian Tube...

I did get checked by a NUCCA chiropractor and he fixed some misalignments I had and I think they might've helped... Overall my tinnitus has reduced a lot to barely noticeable and only in one ear now. I also started Invisalign because I had a cross bite and overbite, so this could also be part of the cause but it will take months to know as it will be a 2 year treatment.

Regarding headphones, I have not noticed any changes in tinnitus due to loud noise exposures... I even went to a few events here in Miami and woke up fine the next day, so I really don't think that is what is affecting me. I am usually cautious with volumes and even more so now after tinnitus.

Next up for me is deviated septum surgery because after going through all this process it is the only thing I haven't tackled yet and to be honest I think its the most likely to be affecting me since when my nasal passages are blocked the tinnitus just spikes tremendously. At this point I totally discarded ototoxicity from medications as I have continued to test with allergy medicine and no spike or decrease upon usage or discontinuation and the same for other supplements I had been taking.

Again thank you for your reply and suggestions. I hope you are doing well in your tinnitus journey!

Regards,

FZ