Intro and Question About Auditory Distortion

[DavidJD]

Hi,

I developed partial hearing loss and tinnitus (a very noticeable hissing sound plus a lower-volume high-frequency sine-wave-type sound) in my right ear around Thanksgiving 2014. After a couple of weeks of extreme anxiety and loss of sleep and appetite (I was self-medicating for sleep, mostly with benzos, Ambien, and antihistamines), I was prescribed Mirtazapine, which has helped a great deal with the anxiety and insomnia. I'm now looking into hearing aids and CBT, and have been practicing meditation on a regular basis for the first time in my life (I'm 62), although not frequently enough: I'm a world-class procrastinator. My ENT at first treated me for Cochlear Meniere's, but when that didn't help he was supposed to prescribe Prednisone for possible other causes of my symptoms last Monday, but he forgot to call it in and then went out of town. What a guy!

By the way, if you have a good ENT anywhere in the SF Bay Area, please let me know.

My question for you is about a weird hearing distortion that started around the same time. When I hear music with sustained medium-to-high-pitch sounds, like singing or violins, I hear an "echo" inside my right ear that sounds like whistling. Needless to say, it interferes quite a bit with my enjoyment of music. Any ideas on what might be causing it, or how to treat it?

For anyone who's curious, I have a theory about the possible cause of my current condition. Around eight years ago I landed from an airplane flight but my ear pressure failed to equalize, so I held my nose and breathed out, to try to open the Eustachian tube, which has helped in the past. This time it didn't, though, so I kept doing it harder and harder. Yeah, really stupid, I know. Since then my ear has never felt normal, for example sometimes when I swallow it pops. But it never affected my hearing until now. If you have a similar story I'd be interested in hearing it.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'm glad to find this supportive community of fellow sufferers.

 

[Shoegaze]

I have the same hearing distortion you describe. Please see my profile for my continued ranting on the subject. My ENT had no idea what was wrong and had never heard of my particular affliction.

 

[Nucleo]

For anyone who's curious, I have a theory about the possible cause of my current condition. Around eight years ago I landed from an airplane flight but my ear pressure failed to equalize, so I held my nose and breathed out, to try to open the Eustachian tube, which has helped in the past. This time it didn't, though, so I kept doing it harder and harder. Yeah, really stupid, I know. Since then my ear has never felt normal, for example sometimes when I swallow it pops. But it never affected my hearing until now. If you have a similar story I'd be interested in hearing it.

I have the same problem. Started about 2 weeks from air plane barotrauma such as you. All hearing tests unremarkable except my tympanogram, which shows the left ear (distorted hearing ear) has a much higher compliance than the right. Audiologist said it's find and nothing to worry about but I wasn't convinced.

 

[Shoegaze]

I have a strange theory that this hearing distortion may be caused by muscle cramping in your back or shoulder. I have always had very bad neck aches and shoulder tightness and any other thing you can think of that causes stiffness or pain in that area. My wife gave me a massage not too long ago and I swear I could feel it behind my afflicted ear as if something in my back was disturbing that area. I wonder if acupuncture is a possible solution. I wonder if this is not an inner ear problem and instead is a side effect of some other problem in your body. The reason I think this is because pretty much everyone on here that has described this hearing distortion has NO hearing loss. I have started taking Lipo-Flavonoids for the past two months. There has not been an any major improvement. Also, my symptoms seem to vary in strength from day to day. Anyone else experience this?

 

[CCCat]

Hi, I saw your post from June 2015 on another page, and wanted to respond there, but for some reason I wasn't allowed to. Your hearing distortion problem seems so similar to mine, I want to ask you if you had any luck with any remedies you have tried, or any relief, if even temporary.

Before I found this forum, I was a reading a section on another website that was very depressing when it discussed tinnitus, & that there is no cure or treatment that's been proven to be effective.
I did not play in a rock band as you did, though like any teenager I went to loud concerts back in those days. The only experience besides that which might well have damaged hearing in my left ear (where my tinnitus mainly is, though right now I hear it in both ears) is when a bike tire exploded next to my ear 25 years ago. I had one employer sponsored hearing test years later that showed some hearing loss in that ear.

The distortion you described is the same as mine, but I only experience it in my left ear despite having tinnitus in both ears at this moment.

I've read here how gabapentin is being used to treat tinnitus. I have been on gabapentin since 2008 (nerve pain in back) & take 1800 milligrams a day, but it does not seem to have any effect on my tinnitus or hearing distortion. The tinnitus has come & gone over the years, but never lasted more than a day or two at the most, until the last fee months. Now it's driving me crazy, & the distortion started a few months ago. I did have a recent fall (fell asleep in a chair & fell off, struck my head on a dresser) that resulted in a severe head laceration (32 staples), which could be playing a role, but I also tend to think it's just as likely a coincidence; because I had the tinnitus & distorted hearing in that ear before this fall happened to me. Ironically, I had an appointment with an ENT to check out my hearing loss, when the fall happened and I had to cancel.

So all my diatribe really is to ask how you are doing/coping since July 2015?

 

[Shoegaze]

My distorted hearing is still affecting my right ear. Some days are better than others. I honestly do feel the level of distortion can be worse some days than others which is encouraging in a way because that may mean that whatever is causing this could be reperable? I want to say there has been some improvement in general but it could be that I am just getting used to it. The brain can and will compensate for things over time. It's definitely not gone though. I have however noticed that after loud noises I will hear a popping sound in my right ear just after the sound. It's sort of like a water bubble popping like there is something not quite attached properly in there or the parts in there are rusty and weather worn. I continue to seek out information on remedies but to no avail. It is manageable but man it is annoying. Here's hoping someone somewhere is researching this and wants their name in lights as the pioneer of solving this problem.