New Tinnitus Outbreak with Sudden Hearing Loss After 4 Years TMJ

Four years ago my T started when I visited a swimming pool and a couple of days later it started in my right ear. No internal ear infection seen only some red ears and outer ear infection (opinions differ from ENT to ENT). Got the ear drops and that was it.

I rushed to ER, got prednisone 10 days taper and had a hell of a time for more than a year. No hearing loss was found but audiograms fluctuated. After a month I found out that I got TMJ and started treatment. This worked and my T became lower and lower. All posts you can find on this forum. I documented every specialist I saw.

Last year, it spread to the left side of my face giving T also there. But I thought okay I'm still under frequent treatment so no worries. And my T was very fluctuating luckily.

I had tons of pain, destroyed my masters degree and had a lot of fights with officials to even believe that I was a chronic pain patient.

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Last week, hell broke loose again. I woke up after 3 hours of sleep and an insanely loud T started in my left ear. So I rushed to ER again and they tested with a tuning fork: almost nothing in the left ear....

I got 6 days of prednisone which I'm tapering down now. The insanely loud beep is mostly gone but my left ear is now hit: 250 and 500 hz are -40 dB on the audiometry test. Still a lot of facial pain both left and right.

I did not stand in loud noise, don't use earphones, and absolutely had a great future planned with my T lowering. But this new outbreak makes me cry. Cry that the ENT stared at me saying: I don't know. Cry that she doesnt know anything about the TMJ and Tinnitus connection (which is already researched for 30 years) and cry that I had perfectly fine ears that one ear is partially destroyed now.

And this T is even worse, since it's the hearing loss T. The TMJ T had a high controllability rate although came with pain. I was quite positive about it. TMJ is an insanely long road but it definitely progressing in my right ear and right side of my face.

But hearing loss, that is a whole different ballgame. I miss bass tones in that ear. I'm really destroyed.

What is it: is it sudden hearing loss, is it just a huge TMJ spike, or worse? Nothing is seen as they only check your ears with a light.

I please advise anyone with a sudden T start: rush to ER. There is no time to loose. Even if it is not payed by insurance.

I already forgot how insanely loud T could be. I already habituated with 2-3/10 T to the point that I could do some cinema again with -25 dB earplugs.

But now with an ear that is hit I won't dare it. In a month I have a recheck on the audiogram if the prednisone taper did it's job. The ENT said: "well, if you believe it had some positive results it probably will continue". But there are no guarantees on that.

Chances are getting slimmer as these days progress. I'm actually quite shocked that I rushed to ER. If I didn't do that, nobody would have urged me to do it. Nobody would have said: this was needed.

I'm so scared it will return or get worse in 3-5 years time. I even managed to stay off this forum for months. But hell is back.

 

Get your dentist or Maxillofacial specialist check out your jaw.
They can give you exercises to do and advice like-
Dont over stretch your jaw eating a burger or apple or thick sandwich or steak etc
They can check your bite and how far your mouth opens and jaw aliment etc.
Love glynis

 

While I'm on oral prednisone she will not treat me. Have to do another 11 day course.