New Here — Could Somebody Help Me Please?

Hello, my name is Matty, I live in the UK, am 23 years old and have been having tinnitus, as well as various other symptoms, in my left ear for 7 weeks last night.

I’m making this account and posting here because I’m finding it increasingly difficult to cope and I’m still utterly confused and dismayed as to what my problem even is 7 weeks after the onset. I’m hoping some of the more knowledgeable posters on here can help me understand what exactly is wrong with me and hopefully allay some of my fears.

As I mentioned previously, my tinnitus started 7 weeks ago about the start of August. I stayed up late one night and when I went to bed I noticed my ear was ringing. I ignored it, assuming it would go away by the morning but obviously it didn’t. The next night the ringing remained but this time came with a significant amount of pressure in the back of my head. This caused me to start panicking like never before in my life and just about everyday of the first week or two I was completely distressed, my life at a total standstill.

The first thing I did was go to urgent care, I was looked at by a doctor who told me I had fluid behind my left eardrum and a lot of wax, I was given 5 days of Amoxicillin for possible ear infection and told to put olive oil drops in my ear for the wax. I finished the course, used Earol drops for the wax and no relief.

Next I went to a private ear clinic where the doctor removed the wax in both my ears via microsuction, looked in my ears and told me I had fluid behind both eardrums but moreso the left. She also told me that my left eardrum was retracted and said it could be caused by a problem with the Eustachian tube, told me it would take a few months to heal and gave me Mometasone nasal spray to take everyday and also suggested I use Otovent. I felt some comfort after this appointment that whatever is wrong with me would resolve itself in time.

However, not long after I began having debilitating dizzy spells. It’d feel like the ground wasn’t stable or I was on a boat. Sometimes when I sit down it feels like I’m sitting on a slope and am about to slide to one side or that I will somehow fall upwards to the ceiling. I went to my GP for this who was very unhelpful. I was told to “drink water” for the dizziness and that the cause of my tinnitus is most likely earwax even though I had had it removed not long before.

So here I am now with still not really an idea of what is actually wrong with me and feeling very hopeless and helpless about my situation. All of the doctors I have seen have told me that it will most likely go away by itself, but I can’t help but doubt and worry that this might be permanent. If anyone could respond to this with some help or reassurance I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

 

Did that change or exacerbate you tinnitus?

Sounds like Meniere's disease.

By a POS wanna be doctor.

It might but it also might not. Go get a second opinion from an ENT or otolaryngologist. Also, cruize the forums on this site because there is a huge knowledge and experience base here. Also know that we are a mere handful of years away from tinnitus and possibly Meniere's disease being treatable.

 

Ears take forever to heal (as in years), so it is likely that months after your infection clears, you will begin to feel better and eventually your tinnitus will be gone.

 

Welcome to the forum. Tinnitus plus dizziness may mean meniere's disease. Google search about it. Also search YouTube for video about eustachian tube drainage maneuvers if it is blocked. Good luck. God bless.

 

I'm two months in from what seems like an ear or ear/bone/jaw infection. The actual Tinnitus in my ear is mostly gone but the somatic hypersensitivity isn't improving at all (yet) granted the ear was still infected as of 3 weeks ago so I will be patient. Your posts have been great btw.. If my nerves have been damaged I know it'll take at least 6 months.

Matty1996.. Was an energy drink involved in your late night?

 

I don't think it did at all, though I'm not going to get it done again after reading about it on here.

That's reassuring, but I'm uncertain if I ever actually had an infection. The doctors that have looked in my ears have told me I have fluid behind my eardrums, which I think can happen without an infection? I have noticed that my tinnitus has began to fluctuate recently and sometimes when I wake up I can't really hear it and it generally seems much less oppressive for the first half of the day - like more of a hiss or the sound of air escaping rather than a ringing. This wasn't at all the case in the first week or two, so is that an indication it's recovering or of something else?

I've read a little about meniere's in this time and it seems like the main symptom is vertigo. My dizziness started weeks into my tinnitus (I think about 3 or 4) and it is very inconsistent. It also seems to radiate from the back of my head or my spine. Is it possible for meniere's to start this way? And if it isn't meniere's are there any other explanations that come to mind for these dizzy spells?

No, I seldom drink those. I simply stayed up while on my laptop and when I went to bed noticed the ringing was there. Gradually after that I began getting other symptoms one by one - head pressure, aural fullness, very occasional and slight ear pains, contractions in my ear which I think might be TTTS and of course episodes of dizziness. I also noticed I can manipulate the sound of my tinnitus by moving my jaw or clenching my teeth.

Thank you all for your replies!

 

The fact is that tinnitus doesn't turn off right after whatever was wrong with your ears is over. It takes a long time (many months) to fade.

Yes, this is a very encouraging sign. The worst sign is when it is relentlessly at the same level. In your case not only is it changing, but you are getting periods when it is easier to ignore. A hiss is a huge improvement over a tone. It ought to continue to fade.

 

Usually it is the other way around - people's H disappears before their tinnitus. Hypearcusis ought to get better after about 6 months, and many people (myself included) see their hyperacusis disappear after about 12 months.

Thank you!

 

I see, thank you very much. I'm not yet 2 months in, so I hope it continues to fade. The aural fullness seems more consistent than the tinnitus at this point (if not as distressing), which I hope will also dissipate in time. This has been the most stressful incident in my life by far and the prospect of having this permanently terrifies me.

 

Aural fullness usually goes away, but again it takes time.

There is a chance that as it fades, it doesn't completely go away. One might get to and then stay at the "quiet room stage" where you can hear it only in quiet rooms. You will get used to tinnitus (and it is easy to get used to), but it would still continue to be annoying whenever you listen for it and hear it or whenever you are in a quiet room and notice it.

 

It's often like this already I've noticed. I struggle to hear it if I am distracted or there are enough people around me talking. Usually it only becomes oppressive at night when there is nobody around and nothing going on. Does this indicate anything? Is it still possible for the noise to fade beyond this?

I hope I'm not spamming this board, it's just the only useful resource I've found so far - doctors really haven't helped me yet.

 

Welcome to the world of tinnitus where the medical professionals know less than the patients!

Hard to know what to recommend, without knowing the etiology of your T. Be aware that noise induced is by far the most common. Is your job noisy? Pubs/bars/restaurants? Concerts? Gym classes? Last rock concert? Power tools, lawn mowing? Noise is everywhere, and the culprit behind a lot of misery around here.

Any medications or supplements? Many are associated with T/H also.

 

See I'm actually uncertain, which has been a major contributing factor to the stress and anxiety I've experienced about this. As I've mentioned in my other posts I've been told I have fluid behind my eardrums by 2 different doctors and apparently my left eardrum, so the bad ear, is retracted. The doctor said it may be eustachian tube related.

Now as far as noise goes, I've not been anywhere noisey recently, no concerts or anything like that. I have used headphones frequently however, but not actually in my left ear. Just a quirk of mine, I would more often than not have just one headphone in my right ear, so it'd baffle me if I got noise induced tinnitus in my left ear while my right ear seems perfectly fine.

With medication the only thing I can think of would be a 1 week course of Ciprofloxacin which I was given in May this year. I am aware that Cipro is considered ototoxic but could it really be the culprit with just 1 week and the tinnitus surfacing months after the course was done?

It's possible that it could be a jaw or neck related issue. I know that I have some malocclusions in my teeth and a slightly misaligned jaw, which can cause sounds in my left ear if I open it. I'm also prone to clenching my teeth as I sleep and I know for a fact that I can manipulate the sound of my tinnitus by moving my jaw/clenching my teeth.

I did have an MRI which came out clean, barring a "prominence of CSF" in the left side of my head, no idea if that can impact anything.

The only other thing I can think of would be stress or anxiety, both of which I have a long history with.

 

Yes, there are other causes for vertigo too. Check this site out:
https://facty.com/conditions/vertig...U0Bm5WtWjL2JEHJCpOTUXSjH3v9MkDxwaApYREALw_wcB

One is BPPV which is due to some particles in the cochlear being dislodged from its normal spot in the inner ears. You can try the 'Half Somersault' technique the next time you have the vertigo. It is a method invented by a lady MD. I had this condition one time and I vomited badly. I did this once and the vertigo never comes back. Check this link:

Dr Carol Foster - Half Somersault Maneuver -...

 

You took a short time to get to where others get to after 6-12 months. So there is still a chance that you will get to hear silence again.

 

I find this interesting.. because I almost always only use my headphones on my right ear and spend the quite nights listening to the near silence with my left ear, with the loose headphone hooked behind my left ear... My right (headphone ear) is perfectly great !

 

@Matty1996 Seventy percent of vertigo is caused by loose crystals in the inner ear. This can be caused by whiplash - hitting head with developing BPPV and Meniere's, but unlikely. This could have taken place years ago and now with improper head extension, clenching of teeth happens as the atlanto axial joint becomes out of place. Study the relationship of this joint and C1 and how it associates with the jaw. This joint can cause ETD and sinus problems as well.

The other possibility is opposite - jaw to neck. The spinal trigeminal tract can brings information from the jaw joint to the sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve in the neck.

Control forward bending - use a mouth guard if needed - see a physical therapist for neck - get a physical - then all can certainly can be well.

 

This thread has given me newfound hope. I had some similar symptoms like Matty when my 2nd onset of tinnitus began, not all of them, but the development has mostly been positive and I'm now down to a faint hiss. Reading about how this could potentially mean complete recovery months or a few years from now has made me feel good about myself. I will still pursue Lenire, but at least now things don't look so bleak anymore. Thank you for this.

 

@Greg Sacramento I'm not sure if its significant at all, but for last year and the first half of this year I was doing physical training every single day practically. I then had a break beginning in about May due to an unrelated health issue, where I was very inactive, and didn't properly get back into my training until right before my tinnitus started at the start of August. I made the mistake of impatiently excercising as I had before I had my pause instead of properly building up to where I had been, could I have aggravated something in my neck or spine by doing so? And could this have potentially caused or contributed to my tinnitus also?

 

In general the past 2 days have been quite okay, my tinnitus doesn't seem particularly bad, only properly noticeable when I'm by myself or as I'm about to go to bed. No dizzy episodes either, so I'm hoping that these are encouraging signs that this might dissipate on its own.

My reaction to the tinnitus however has been poor somehow. Even if I can logically see improvement since the start of this incident I can't seem to stop myself from total panic that this will be permanent or that I will never get my old life back.

Thankyou to everyone who responded to my thread, I was worried I wouldn't get any replies and I couldn't have been more wrong. You're good people and my heart goes out to any of you that experience this worse than myself, I truly don't know how you cope.

 

Yes - the C1 and axis joints, maybe the C4 and below also. This can cause vein or artery pressure. Be careful with lifting neck from a sitting back or from a laying down position and then turning head. Muscle spasms can then pressure the C spine. Sit ups may not be a good exercise for you. It appears that you just received a warning sign.

 

Thanks a lot! I'm going to follow up this possibility at my next appointment as I think its quite likely.

 

Greg ! since you know a lot... tell me, do you know anything about a calcified /ossified styloid processes, the ligament that joins to it? I have crazy theory that this is my problem, I can literally feel bone behind my jaw on one side.. only one side.. I was like holy crap what is this... I'm going to ask the chiropractor that took an xray of my neck to have a real good look at that area tomorrow when I see him

 

Yes and it's complicated as it can involve a lot of anatomy and biological processes. Do you have intense pain, maybe sharp pain in the neck, face or throat? You probably don't have a condition called Eagle Syndrome, but with a large styloid you would have cranial pressure in the neck. Do you have mandibular movement or restriction?

The bone that you feel is the hyoid bone. Answer the two questions and we can talk more.

 

My jaw pops to one side when opening and I have VERY stiff neck, my tinnitus inside the ear has basically gone at this point but I still have intense brain ringing overnight and during the daytime. It slowly gets less during the day.. The weird part is I don't wake up with a sore neck but it gets more sore as the day goes on.. It feels almost like the soreness you get after a surgery.. I don't get it. Hyoid bone you say.. well at least I finally have an answer about why I can feel bone in my neck when every doctor told me that you can't feel a bone in the side of your neck. One important thing to note here is I have a large benign tumor in my neck.. part of a immune system disease I have, it certainly causes some compression and displacement of things but hasn't caused me any physical or neurological problems up till now. I saw an ENT today and he said it's very unusual for people with hearing as good as mine come into his office with tinnitus, he's quite suspicious my disease is playing a part, he says he's going to read up on it and call me back. Edit: Hrm this hard lump is not where the Hyoid bone should be, it's directly under the depression under the ear. basically right where the sytloid bone should be, really does feel like where the ligaments are but it's bone hard.

 

First, if your ENT said this, move on - move on to a maxillofacial dentist where a panoramic radiograph can be ordered if he feels it's needed. If so it will be read by an oral & maxillofacial radiologist.

Would really need to see a panoramic radiograph. Need to mention this: If you get one, make sure that a shield jacket is also placed over your thyroid.

I have many pathway thoughts to what you have mentioned. Your benign tumor and related biology called neck stress biology (not a big deal) is probably part cause of sore neck, but oral possibilities may cause neck discomfort at end of day as well.

Oral - possibilities - but again need a PR to confirm.
Posterior joint may be wide. The palatal vault may be deep and narrow. Both usually not a big deal. Your problem may be only that the mandibular plane is steep with an angle causing a slight transverse condition where this can associate to other nerves, the hyoid bone - neck, and neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. When sleeping all this will rest, but during the day the level of the base of the mandible in the front and the third cervical vertebra (C3) can become active and cause tenseness.

If your tinnitus is under control, rest your jaw, control forward jaw and neck movement, use warmth on neck and jaw if needed. If wished, PM me about your immune system disease.

Update: I also based my thoughts on your jaw popping when opening mouth. You may need treatment for that. We can discuss this in more association to the oral stuff above as processes from this to the ear may be cause of tinnitus.

 

Greg your profile seems locked up as far as sending PMs go. But send me one if you can.

 

So last night marked 2 months with tinnitus. I'd say in general my past few days have been rather mild, with the exception of the nights, and a few isolated periods of dizziness. It seems that my tinnitus spikes at the end of each day, I wonder if it's caused by improper sitting posture or simply sitting down for too long.

I'm cautiously optimistic that this might still resolve itself or at worst case I need some physiotherapy and a mouthguard. I'll get an appointment soon to see if anything can be confirmed.

 

I just discovered I can manipulate the sound of my tinnitus with my neck. Does anybody know if this is another indication that my T comes from a cervical issue?

 

That is normal Matty, it's because your central nervous system is ramped up, at that stage anything that isn't working 100% will be picked up as sound. Jaw, Neck usual suspects.