Changes to Tinnitus? Now Increases with Noise After Chiropractor Visit

Hey guys. Some background:
(skip to third paragraph for new symptoms)

Got Tinnitus in 11/2014. Sudden onset though I was having other health issues as well. At first I reacted very badly to it, of course. Eventually I listened to advice of using masking as opposed to fighting it existing (made it impossible to do anything intellectual and playing music or sound was not a 100% solution since I used to always like to work in silence). So i would sometimes play ocean sounds, etc. on my phone at night so I could fall asleep. Also returned to school where I had a fan on in my room 24/7 and almost forgot about my tinnitus. I couldn't hear it over the white noise of my fan so I didn't even have to go the effort of turning on something at night. Still had to play some kind of music/sound if trying to use my brain in quiet, but I had good quality of life. It was always a constant tone and was drowned out by noise.

Fast forward to 11/2015. I had an upcoming surgery for a chiari malformation and a compressed brainstem in December, as I finally had a diagnosis that made sense for a large amount of my health problems. However, a chiropractor took some images and claimed that he could solve my problems, I would not need surgery, he would do it without charging me , but it would be too late for him to do anything once I had hardware in my head. Told me it could not cause any damage despite my concerns of my supposed conditions and that doctors are not allowed to tell patients to avoid chiropractors and quoted some agreement or lawsuit. He said I should be able to notice feeling better within a few weeks of rigorous treatments. So, despite feeling there was a solid chance I would still be having surgery in December, I decided to give him a shot. He performed cervical manipulations as well as using some other devices many times over the course of a week and a half or so. (sometimes multiple in a day) I complained about neck pain almost instantly so he toned down one of the devices. Eventually I decided to stop seeing him, as my neck was hurting and my tinnitus actually seemed a little worse. I returned to my room at school.

Within several days of stopping seeing the chiropractor, I was having several issues-a lot of neck pain (a pinching feeling on the left side), tons of facial pain (a symptom I had in the past that had subsided), and even reduced sexual sensation. And of course, worse tinnitus. At first, I didn't realize it was a change in my tinnitus-I was hearing an annoying sound when trying to sleep at night even with my fan going. It sounded like it was coming from a device (when I first got T I also developed the unfortunate ability to hear high pitch sounds from certain electronic devices that other people couldn't hear, but they were actual external sounds that would turn off with the equipment and was pretty exclusive to old electronics). I searched my room and trying unplugging everything but couldn't solve my problem. This was a sound that fluctuated and had multiple tones as if someone was playing with some tuning device. It turns out it was a problem with my ear processing sound-turning off the fan and making the room completely quite, I had my normal tinnitus except worsened with the occasional odd frequencies thrown in. However, with the fan going or my phone to drown out my T, my ear was generating additional sounds from the white noise. So it was a debate which was worse-quite and focusing on my T, or other sounds to focus on but an increase in my T.

Fast forward to now, post surgery, the surgery already seems to have helped with the main symptom it was supposed to (head pressure) and some of the other symptoms since seeing the chiropractor have improved to varying degrees but my life is a living hell from these auditory issues. My T now seems to fluctuate/pulsate, is louder, I sometimes hear multiple frequencies coming in an out as if from a distance. If I try to drown it out with white noise, the constant pitch in my ear just gets louder-and I sometimes hear these weird varying frequencies of sound coming from the white noise that I'm sure is not what other people are hearing. Listening to music isn't enjoyable-the sound in ear increases in volume with the music. I can now hear my T 24/7, including over the television. Oh, and running water is another example of something that seems to give me this weird sound of a varying frequency. I've also had some ear pressure and pain. My solution for falling asleep at night is no longer an option and it's been trouble getting any rest.

Has anyone had experience with:
1. This type of symptom/how to deal with tinnitus that increases in volume with sound and white noise creating additional sounds?
2. Tinnitus issues from seeing a chiropractor/what kind of physical damage I should be investigating to see if this can be reversed?

I definitely think my tinnitus is related to cervical issues (at very least the recent issues) and I have no known hearing loss (haven't been tested since recent changes but will be soon). I can change the sound of my tinnitus or increase or decrease it in volume my playing with my head (somatic?), it worsened with the chiropractor visit, and I also have pulsatile tinnitus depending on my head position which is not actually bothersome. Pressing my right ear in feels and sounds completely normal, but if I do the same with my left the high pitch sound seems to amplify, which currently seems to be in my left ear, though the all-over-the-place sounds don't seem to come from a specific ear. Sorry if this wasn't organized the best, kept thinking of things as I went.Thanks!

Edit: Forgot to mention I had recently started seeing a different chiropractor but only occasionally, recently before my T first started in 11/2014, so my T may have originally been caused by chiropractor visits. But that's only looking back at possibilities, the recent changes are much more obvious and direct and following what I'm realizing now was reckless treatment.

 

This sounds somewhat similar to me. Mine started with a single tone last month that, while not overly loud, is very high pitched and so I could hear it over most things.

But earlier this month, I also developed a new tone that, like yours, sounds like it comes from external sources. For example, it accompanies the hum of the fridge or a car engine or the buzz of a TV, and even certain musical tones, and cannot be heard in complete silence. The good thing is it has helped me start to forget about the original tone which I can now ignore a lot of the time. But I am also hoping it gets no worse as I would find it difficult to deal with. I also started experiencing phantom smells a couple of weeks ago which has been scaring me a bit.

I did see a doctor and he said that I am quite congested and possibly have nasal polyps, so I am hoping it is all related and will subside, but we'll see.

 

Curing T is one of the most complicated adjustments for chiropractors. So, please search for the very best near you. It seems to be alleviated when a successful adjustment occurs at my highest vertebra in my neck. Instant relief and silence. I was jumping for joy. As a brief history into my wreckless life, I have had broken vertebrae in my neck and lower back. All are healed now, much like a broken arm would heal. So, God speed and be diligent when searching for a world class chiropractor.

 

Hi @dan,

Would be interested in anything you may have to report on your phantom smells. Did they eventually go away?​