Different Sounds in Each Ear

I now have T in the left ear, and it's a different tone than the sound in the right. Each sound gets louder. None of the methods I tried worked. Steaming, neti-pot, Valsalva, B vitamins, magnesium, exercise, dieting, sleeping in silence... I'm in utter turmoil. The minute I start thinking positive and try to move on with my life, I get another setback, and now both ears have T.

 

T is an indicator of some kind of hyperactivity, and possibly of data crossover (tactile input being processed into sound). Because all sounds are basically generated by the same brain regions, it doesn't seem surprising that it can manifest as multiple sounds, different sounds in either ear, etc.

I have always liked the analogy of the brain as a radio; the more you focus on a specific sensory phenomena (and all perceptions are sensory phenomena) the more intense/notable that sense will become. So, when tinnitus is distressing, it's tempting to put a lot of energy and attention into analyzing the sound, but the best thing you can do is the opposite.

 

@Hotaru
1.What does URI, as a possible cause for your T, stand for?

@linearb What you are saying is for somatic T or hearing loss related T, not for T caused by ETD.

2. @Hotaru If you got now sounds in the other ear and you have indeed ETD in the first ear, it means that the inflammation got to the second ear, which was something to be expected. If you have ETD and you will get that treated, all the sounds may disappear.
Did you notice a change in the T frequency when you move your jaw, open your mouth, clench your teeth, so the hyphothesis that you have somatic T can hold some water, in which case what linearb said about "data crossover" is true? Can you manipulate the frequency of your T in any way? Do you have any indication that you have somatic (muscle) T?

 

I have two different sounds in my ears as well I have the high high piched T in both of course and then in my left ear When I put my finger over to block the sound I have a steady dddddd sound and in my right ear when I put my finger over my ear I hear a dd dd d dddd d like an arcade. Sometimes in silence I can hear the different sounds in my head and it drives me nuts.

 

I have different sounds in my ears too. One frequency in the left ear, which got T first, and after a couple of weeks or so, I got T in the right ear, of a different frequency, which sucks, to say the least.
In a way it's to be expected to have different frequencies in each ear, cause it is unlikely to have them affected in a perfectly symmetrical way.

 

URI stands for upper respiratory infection. I think clenching teeth makes it louder, but it isn't a symptom of TMJ, since I wear a mouth guard every night since I was twenty. I never got T from TMJ before, so this is not the case. I forgot to mention I've been on three antibiotics and two steroids, none of them worked.

 

Usually URI leads to ETD, and treating them is not that easy sometimes.
If the URI is viral and not bacterial, the antibiotics couldn't have helped anyway.
I am not convinced that your possible increase in T from clenching teeth means you have somatic T. This happens even to some normal people (to have a sound while clenching teeth) that do not have permanent T.

 

Whatever the cause, T is hyperactivity of one kind or another...

 

When you say "hyperactivity" abnormal neural activity is understood, but for T of some etiologies, like T caused by impacted wax, for example, I do not think that "hyperactivity" describes the situation. The neurons are not "hyperactive", but just as active as they would have been if a sound wave, and not an impacted cerumen, would have pushed against the eardrum. Same in ETD/ serous otitis media case (...)

 

So your saying that, in my case, T is not a brain thing, it's an ear thing, and therefore might have a better chance of going away and/or getting fixed?

 

Hmm, maybe I'm misunderstanding what's going on in ETD -- in otitis media my understanding is that part of what's going on is that fluid build-up creates a difficulty transmitting sound through the middle ear, so there's a loss of input, just not permanent in the way it is with NIHL... and then inflammatory process lead to glutamate excitotoxicity (which might account for the occasional reports of tinnitus from an ear infection which doesn't go away when the infection does?)

So maybe what I'm not understanding -- I thought that basically ETD was also causing audio transmission problems because of fluid build-up/inflammation/etc... that's not correct?

 

My understanding is that T is a brain thing.

 

ETD is a physical symptom.

Tinnitus is a neurological symptom.

ETD is ETD and Tinnitus is Tinnitus.

Tinnitus may arise from prolonged or chronic ETD issues.

The presence of ETD symptoms without actual pressure equalization issues or fluid in the middle ear can be an indicator of nerve damage.

 

So if the ETD stops, the T will still be there. That's my biggest fear.

 

Nerve damage?? I really need this explained to me.

 

yes, I'd expect that unless your ETD is such that there is a ton of fluid behind your ear which is keeping your ear drum from actually vibrating, then I'd expect that even as your ETD cleared up that the tinnitus may well remain. I've had ETD come and go. I've gone so far as to have sinus surgery to help clear it up. Lots of the inflammation, etc., crackling in my ears, etc., did all go away. But, unfortunately, the tinnitus remained. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, and perhaps it will be different for you. But I don't want you to get your hopes up that your T will go away as your ETD/sinus issues improve, only to be disappointed. You're very new to tinnitus. It will get better.

Good luck,

Eric

 

Sensory disorders in the absence of any physical pathology that may cause the symptoms is almost always of neural origin.