Hello! Does Anyone Share My Tinnitus Symptoms?

Hello everyone! English isn't my native language, so apologies in advance if I sound weird. I've had tinnitus for over 4 years now. It started for no obvious reason at the time, and the doctor said nothing could be done. (Not that he did much to make that judgement, he only listened to my symptoms and looked in my ear through a piece of equipment) I wasn't ill at the time, and I didn't have any loud noises in my life.

My main complaints are tinnitus in both ears, and sensitivity to sound, which has been mostly stable over the years. Some periods were worse, some better, but overall it didn't get any worse (or better). Starting about a month ago, it did get somewhat worse, and I finally ended up going back to a doctor again to see if something might be wrong, because I feared (and still do) that I might get hearing loss as a result, and because I realized that maybe there could be something done.

So I went to the doctor, who naturally couldn't do anything but refer me to an ENT, and that's where I am right now. I now have an appointment with the ENT for January next year. Suffice to say that's a lot later than I was expecting, which I why I joined Tinnitus Talk, to see if anyone has similar symptoms.

I have a list I keep with all my symptoms, things that I think might be related, and what I have tried so far. I keep the list in my native language, so the translation might be a bit crude.

Symptoms:
- Ringing in ears
* Both ears, same on average, but they do vary somewhat
* Higher in tone and louder when I squeeze my jaws together
* Started about 4 years ago, GP looked in my ears and didn't think anything was wrong and said there was nothing that could be done
* Tends to be worse after having even moderate loudness sounds, as a result, it's quieter in the mornings
* From time to time a very loud ringing in a single ear that is there for between 1 and 30 seconds (perhaps once per month or so)
* Seems to be worse when I have a cold
* Over the years it hasn't gotten noticeably worse, but there have been periods where it was louder and quieter, even times where it seemed to be gone altogether

- Sensitivity for sound
* Moderate sounds can be between annoying to painful
* High pitch is more bothersome
* Like the ear ringing, it has been better and worse over the years
* Headphones especially care bothersome
- Possible loss of hearing
* Worse when the ringing is worse
* A few times an ear was 'closed' making it hard to hear from that ear, this passed within a few days
* The highest tone I could hear was about 16khz when playing with a tone generator

- Something between the nose and ears is off (Eustachian tube maybe?)
* Hear a kind of grinding / clicking noise when I swallow (started with the ringing, not present before)
* Sometimes an ear does not do this. When this is so, it pops easier when doing the Valsalva maneuver (so the tube seems less closed or obstructed)
* Valsalva maneuver has not worked for a number of years (by applying pressure well above what it should take to pop the ears), now it does work, but it hurts somewhat and seems to make the tinnitus worse for a while (not consistently though).

Possibly related facts:
- I had had several ear infection when I was a child
- I had grommets as a child
- Both ears are about the same on average, although one may be worse than the other at any given time, they do both get better and worse over longer times though.
- I have always avoided loud noises, even before I was overly sensitive to loud noises
- No known allergies
- My dad has tinnitus, but no other overlapping symptoms
- My mother has a strong case of hay fever

What I have tried:
- Waiting (obviously), it has been about 4 years with it not getting better
- Valsalva maneuver, chewing gum, stretching my jaw (like a yawn movement), Xylometazoline spray, Cetirizine Hydrochloride 10mg daily, Fexofenadine Hcl 180 mg daily. None seem to help
- Go to a GP (when it started 4 years ago, and last week), who looked inside my ears and saw nothing noteworthy.

Sorry for making this post so long. Is there anyone who has similar symptoms? What did your ENT say?

 

Welcome to the forum. Many of your symptoms are quite common and if you read enough posts you will find others with these symptoms. Of course it is not easy to find someone with exact similar ones. Best is to do some searches on the forum for symptoms you think are bothering you. There are many prior posts on the forum that will match your search, such as 'jaw movement', 'clicking' etc. You may want to check out TMJ and TTTS as some symptoms match those issues. Good luck. God bless.

 

Exactly same symptoms as mine. Though I’ll have to wait for 3 more years to see if it remains stable (only have had it for one year).