Just Confused About Unilateral Tinnitus Cause

Hi Tinnitus Talk,

I first developed unilateral tinnitus in my right ear in August of this year. I simply noticed it in a quiet room one night and it hasn’t left my side since. I was told a year ago that an audiogram indicated that I had minor hearing loss due to a pretty bad ear infection. However, when I took another one shortly after getting tinnitus, the audiologist indicated that I didn’t have the mild hearing loss. However, I used to listen to music too loudly when I was a dumb teenager, and my audiogram shows a 20 dB dip at 6 kHz in my right ear, the one with tinnitus.

I had an appointment with an ENT nurse practitioner, who manipulated my TMJ joint and was actually a little painful. The NP suspected that it could be caused by TMD. This made sense to me, I always heard clicks and pops when chewing and I had some dental pain and chewing difficulty for a few days a few years ago that I just ignored. I also deal with chronic neck pain due to muscle imbalances, which could be the cause or interacting with the TMD. The tinnitus is also modulated by mouth and neck movements: opening my mouth, chewing, clenching my teeth, turning my neck and flexing my neck increases it significantly. Turning my neck up and to the right lowers it ever so slightly.

However, I’ve been quite anxious about the whole thing and went to review my audiogram from August. It indicated that my OAEs are present for everything except the 6 kHz in my right ear, which could indicate that it’s from hearing loss. From my brief research, an absent OAE indicated cochlear hair damage, which is probably indicated by the 20 dB dip.

I’m not sure how I should feel about this. Is it hearing loss caused and I’m pretty much screwed? Is it TMD? Is it just anxiety?

The tinnitus is mild, really. I can only hear it in silence or in quiet rooms. It’s a high-pitched hissing noise, around 7-8 kHz. I can sleep without maskers, but it's annoying and feels like a focus for my anxiety. I know that there are people who suffer greatly from much worse tinnitus and I don’t want to come across like I’m invalidating their issues, but I’m a very anxious 20-something and I feel like my life is being thrown out of sorts from such a tiny noise.


(Here are the results from the audiogram if anyone wants to know.)

250 Hz – 5 dB (Both)

500 Hz – 0 dB (Both)

1000 Hz – 0 dB (both)

2000 Hz – 0 dB (both)

3000 Hz – 0 dB (L), 10 dB (R)

4000 Hz – 0 dB (L), 15 dB (R)

6000 Hz – 15 dB (L), 20 dB (R)

8000 Hz – 0 dB (L), 5 dB (R)

OAE (Diagnostic and Screening) 1 kHz - 12 kHz – Present except for 6 kHz in right ear



Any help/support would be greatly appreciated,

Tilts

 

Hearing Loss. Same thing with I have also damage on 3khz on Left ear where my Tinnitus is. You have damage on the right ear (Hearing), your hearing is still normal. I have 15db on left ear at 3khz and and left ear. My tinnitus was like yours, it was mild, until I decided to do a really loud ear tests which damaged my hearing further and my Tinnitus turned severe.

Absent OAE indicate hearing loss, but they only test outer hair cell function. We also need to evaluate inner hair cells by doing speech in noise. In 3 years a device will hit the market that will (like the DPOAE), will test the inner hair cells.

 

You're probably right, given the evidence. Still, part of me hopes it's somatic and can be fixed. But, I think putting stock in it just "going away one day" isn't the best idea for me. Constantly monitoring it, checking to see if it got quieter somehow...it's not a great way to live for the past few months and sure isn't a way to live for the rest of my life, if the T is here to stay. Honestly, I feel like being free from the ambiguity of it all does help me somewhat. I'll just focus on the important things in life and take care of the hearing I still have.

 

Yeah sometimes I get really depressed. I had this since September 2017 and have been struggling since. My life is sadly not the same as it was before and it will never be. I am battling with Severe H and Severe T.

 

Hello,
Could please look into my result? Does it indicate hearing loss? The audiologist said that my results were good. Does missing OAE indicate outer hair cell damage? I'm going to the clinic tomorrow and I'll request DPOAE if they can do it.
I've done OAE up to 5khz (I don't think the facility has an extended up to 12 khz)
It shows green check mark for 1khz, 2khz and 3 khz.
Then in shows at 4khz -0.6 in my right ear and -5.0 in my left ear
At 5 khz it shows 0 in both ears.
Does it mean that the result is not "normal" and the audiologist just ignored these deviations?

My audiogram shows a 15 db dip at 10000hz and at https://www.hear-it.org/Online-Hearing-Test
Speech in noise test I score about 80%. I'm confused is this a normal result?
Some of the doctors keep pushing that my tinnitus is caused by bad neck blood flow and c1 c2 problems.

Mine started in one ear too, but now I just have this "head tinnitus" along with TTTS in my left ear.