My Journey to Silence

@newbieT

It was a slow fade, I just remember after 2.5 years a noticeable difference after wear my splint for a couple months. Even 1.5 years ago, my ears would ring after a hot shower or when my allergies would act up, but it would return to a low level. End of last year is when my tinnitus totally faded. Even after a hot shower or allergies, it doesn’t ring. It just took a long time, maybe it took a long time for the inflammation to accumulate??

 

It's good to read your story since it shows T can dissapear even years later. As opposed to merely just habituating. Gives people like me hope

 

@newbieT

Yes, it definitely can. I got very very lucky but I researched and didn’t stop until something worked for me. I hope the same happens for you too!

 

Hi! Thanks for this response. I just went to a doctor to check on my jaw. I've been told to stop eating anything that requires too much pressure on my jaw. Also no chewing gum or biting nails (which is probably what messed up my jaw in the first place, such a bad habit). If there's no improvement in my jaw in 1 month they will give me some jaw exercises or a splint. Lets hope I see an improvement in my tinnitus aswell.

Also another thing that's kindof bothering me is the fact that I hear crackling or popping in my ears whenever I swallow. The doctor told me this is because I'm highly allergic to grass, so my eustachian tube is basically swollen 24/7. The only way to fix this is by going on immunotherapy which involves 3 years of taking a pill daily, without missing a day or I'll have to start over. I wasn't really ready to start such a therapy but now I'm wondering if this could also have an impact on my tinnitus. The doctor told me it wouldn't but I've come to realise that doctors don't know anything about tinnitus yet.

 

Hi Roy,

If you have a chronically swollen ET, then that would strike me as a hopeful sign. Meaning: That could indeed indicate a "pre-existing" condition, and if successfully addressed, could have a positive impact on your tinnitus. -- I have VERY serious doubts that doing some kind of immunotherapy (for three years!) is going to be your best option. You may want to consider the approach I'm currently taking, which can be partially summed up fairly well in the following email I just sent out to a number of friends... -- All the Best!

It's become clear to me that any number of things going on in the body, especially in the areas around the head, ears, gums, teeth, eyes, sinuses, neck muscles, neck trigger points, etc. can have a big influence on tinnitus (including EMF exposure).

So I'm currently in the process of trying to address every single thing within my head cavity that might be compromised in some way, so that my tinnitus might possibly improve--no matter how minute that improvement might be. I've recently run across several very interesting references to various kinds of nasal rinses/cleansing techniques, but found the following one the most intriguing. The part about using the Nasya technique to help drain a congested lymphatic system in the brain was especially intriguing.

I'm currently doing simple nasal irrigation using an electronic nasal irrigator -- (SinuPulse Elite - $80). It "may" possibly be slightly improving my tinnitus, but I know for sure fit's making my sinuses feel much better. So I'll be continuing down this road of "extreme" sinus cleanliness/clarity, and using essential oils in some form to assist with that seems inevitable at this point. ..




Nasya: Sinus Cleansing and Emotional Baggage
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If you found the above interesting, you may find the following short video interesting as well....

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P.S. @engineerLA got a lot tinnitus relief from purchasing an electronic nasal irrigator and using it regularly. -- THIS POST has some good information by him, and a little more on nasal irrigation. THIS POST focuses on electro-acupuncture, but touches on nasal irrigation as well. -- @TracyJS

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@Lane and @Roy114 lol how on earth can you observe you have swollen ED?

 

Well, ummmm, ahem... you don't really need to observe it if the doctor says it's true... Right? ​

 

Whoa! Great story! I also have left side tinnitus, right side clicking.

What kind of split did he give you? Do you have the doctors information? I'd like to see it so I could know what to look for.

Thanks!

 

This is nice to read. I hate seeing all the negativity about it taking longer than two years for T to heal.

My TMJ has messed with my Eustachian tube and caused a bad case of ETD which is when my T went wild

 

@oolongmonkey

Hi, it was called the NTI splint and I also got regular neuromuscular therapy on my jaw too! Try it out. It was expensive, but very much worth it. I stopped clenching too with the splint.

 

@Shera

I hear ya, I honestly didn’t listen to that. Every body is different, everyone’s ears/jaws/etc. are different. I just figured out what worked for me. I was fortunate to find out early that steroids took away the tinnitus so my goal was to eliminate any inflammation. My jaw was so swollen on my right side, it couldn’t just been a coincidence. Good luck!

 

if the allergy *shots* helped you also, then it could also be linked to histamine

 

Hi, I got T from going to a concert. I do and always had a clicking jaw. I only got T after the concert. Do you think that working on fixing the jaw could help? thanks

 

Hi @Robert44

To answer your question--I do. I got t from an ototoxic drug, and thought all of the t was from just that. But the slight improvements I've been able to make so far have been from doing a lot of massage around my right ear (where t is centered), and going down my neck in the back, and toward the front of my face in the front. I was amazed when I pressed around the area below my right eye--not only how tender it was--but how pressing those areas made my t increase. Once I massaged out some of that tenderness, my t subsided a tad bit the following day.

Another time, I was massaging the bone area behind my right ear, and noticed it was far more tender than on the left side. When I got to one particular point, my t volume went down significantly. When I let up the pressure, it came back. When I opened my mouth wide to make the t even louder, pressing on the same point again made the volume go down significantly. So I massaged out some of that tenderness, and the following day (yesterday), my t went down another notch.

I now believe I had a "pre-existing" condition in my right ear area that made me vulnerable for the ototoxic drug to set off my t. I'm feeling at this time that if I can thoroughly address whatever is going on around my right ear, I can make further progress. I suspect many on this forum also have their own "pre-existing" condition, and need to put on their Sherlock Holmes hat, and see if they can track it down.

I think structural issues around the head and neck will be common ones, as well as sinus issues, low grade infections in the head area, etc. TMJ issues will sometimes be a major factor, and farther away joints for even others. Pete Egoscue (founder of a chain of Egoscue clinics to treat pain by addressing structural issues) believes that a lot of things that show up in one joint of the body often originate two joints away.

I also think various nutritional deficiencies will be the culprit for others. Ones that I'm aware of are zinc, CoQ10 (ubiquinol) and Vit. A, along with magnesium and others. I think gut health will turn out to be significant for others. Others will likely have to shore up their body's stress response resilience. The list is actually pretty endless. -- I've come to believe a silver lining of having t and/or h is it literally forces us to think creatively--in ways we're not necessarily used to doing. That's been the case for myself anyway.

All the Best!

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I'm starting to learn not to rely so much on the expectations of when it should get better. Many preaching the numbers never achieved those goals.

That's great. I wish I could try that to see if it would ease it. However, I'm on my own as far as treatment.

 

Have you done the bullet proof one yourself? Sometimes I feel like my netty pot is not enough and now I'm curious. Though a bit afraid to try it.

 

Hi @Shera,

I haven't done the bullet proof one yet, as I'm still in the early stages of using the SinuPulse nasal irrigator. It sort of feels like this irrigator is preparing the way for the bulletproof and nasya therapies, which I get a sense can be even more impactful, but in different ways--both physically and energetically.

When I was researching nasal irrigators, there were numerous references in the review comments that said it was so much more effective than a neti pot. That's been my experience so far as well. Doing both the Nasya and Bullet Proof techniques along with the electronic irrigation are priorities for me.

However, I also just started some physical therapy this past week that has already seemed to make a dent in my tinnitus volume--perhaps as much as 5-10%. I'll be doing weekly sessions for a while with a very talented and intuitive woman--who combines some cranial sacral in her treatments. So those nasal techniques have become a slightly lower priority than they were.​

 

@Shera

You’re not on you’re own. You have all of us for support and to help you answer any questions!!

 

I'm pretty sure I know the answer from your original post and comments. Did you get ETD from your TMJ/TMD? Ear pressure issues?

 

@Kara77 I'm so glad you came back! I have been going through this same issue. It was always a mystery why steroids would help my T, and then it would come back. I finally had an mri which revealed Disc Displacement in my jaw and fluid build up. I have since been going into the Drs. 3 times a week to have dexamethasone (steroids) administered to my jaw joints via iontophoresis. That along with exercises has been making a huge difference.

 

Did you have to use a splint?

 

I might have been past the splint stage. A fairly popular dentist (almost famous?) recommended an anterior repositioning splint. I got a second opinion from faculty at the university of Minnesota where they advise against a splint in every circumstance and instead push physical therapy.I am having a third meeting with a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. I will more than likely follow what ever direction they suggest.

 

Great information. I'm very curious about what the Mayo Clinic will have you do. Keep us posted!

 

I've been to multiple doctors that notice I have a misaligned jaw. In fact, 2 weeks before I ever experienced tinnitus I felt my jaw was off, then after listening to some loud TV show in my headphones, it came on. I really need to get religious with the splint usage. I bet it will help a great deal. @threefirefour Lets do this together brother and fix ourselves.

 

This is a lot like my story.

Wonderful you found a path to health!

 

@Shera

Yes, my ETD came from my jaw issues! All that darn inflammation!

 

@kelpiemsp

I am so happy for you! I’m happy I came back too, I honestly feel we should all write a manual/book on why inflammation causes tinnitus so we can help others find treatment. I know we aren’t doctors, but we know our bodies more than anyone else and what medicines/treatments can help alleviate inflammation. I just got very lucky when I took that round of steroids (granted, I looked like a chipmunk from being so swollen!)

 

@Tom Cnyc

Thank you, that means a lot to me. I hope everyone can find their path to health too.

 

But did you have it where every time you swallowed you had pressurization issues? Ears popping and such. Can't even elevation change while driving?

 

@Shera

It did actually. They were constantly stuffed so I could never blow them, it hurt too much.