New Tone in My Ears

Hey guys,

Been posting somewhat more frequently lately.

I know that this subject has probably been discussed before, but how do you tell if a new tone is permanent or not? What could be the causes?

I have gotten a new tone in my (bad) right ear, a clear eeeeee-"tone", that is higher than my normal "eeee" and buzzing. At night it is more pulsating, like it goes EEEeeEEEeeeEEEeeEEEeee, if that makes any sense. I never had that before, and usually when I wake up its back to a constant tone maybe some what lower then in the evening but still higher than my normal baseline. My left ear can also increase in volume but usually goes somewhat down in the mornings. Like it reset it self sort of. But the overall volume is still higher than before, especially in my right ear.

I am worried that this won't go away, and I have not changed my diet since onset, I have not taken any medicine nor have I been exposed to any loud noises (beside a restaurant visit in 70-80 db environment for 45 min before putting plugs in) without plugs (been to movies and all with no spikes after) so I cannot really see why this tone came out of nowhere. I sort of suspect that I have some problems with TMJ that can be the cause, but I still want some advice on why this happens? Why is it getting worse? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks.

 

No one? :/

 

You are probably doing nothing wrong. I'm touching two years and what started as shushing sound in my left ear has now morphed into an intense hissing/ fizzing sounds and eeeuuueeuuu at night and just recently a very low bass sound that at first I mistook to be the fridge. My right ear comes and goes. I've a also developed thumping and clicking. Like you, I haven't done anything different either, so I can understand your frustration and concern. I'm afraid some people have consistent T, whilst others just keep getting worse. Sorry.

 

Hello @truesilence

Sorry to hear that you have gotten new tones as well
I just hoped that I could do something to prevent changes (well change is ok as long as it is not louder) and maybe find some cause for it. It sucks that nothing is really consistent, and that it can change so much over the course of the day. I still hope that my TMJ is causing this spike or whatever it is, so hopefully going to a TMJ specialist would have some positive effect on the T. It feels like it is just getting worse and it makes me really anxious since I am scared that I will come to the point that I cannot function or live normally (or suicidal).
Geez, I thought my T at onset was bad but now I really wish for it to come back. I could not hear it superclear in a silent room but now it just shouts loudly.

 

Did you have TJMD before T? If you're stressed, maybe you're grinding/ clenching. When I yawn or open my mouth, I hear a shocking loud cracking sound on my left ear and when I move my jaw it sounds like I've got sand or grit in my joints!

 

Not sure to be honest. A year prior to my T, I know I woke up a few times every one and then with sore jaw and headaches.
I know I was some what stressed about the restaurant exposure just a week before the increase, first I was thinking that I was just being anxious and it was just a "perceived loudness" since I got aware of it again. But since I can clearly hear new tones and in places I couldn't before I am sure that the loudness is in fact very real.
I have been clenching my jaw/putting pressure/grinding my teeth in my sleep the past week, I notice that it came down a bit when I tried to relax and sleep with my mouth a little open to avoid pressure. But now that I am getting more and more worried since it has not passed yet, and the tones keeps coming at night, I guess I start to grind/clench at night. Today I can feel that I am a little sore in my teeth on the right side if I just clench my jaw carefully. I can hear a small crack when I open and close my mouth but it is not super duper loud. Just a small cracking sound. Do you think this could be the cause of the increase?

 

Some would say yes, but two ENTs I saw totally disagreed with the idea that TMJD could cause T or even aggravate the condition. My understanding is if you can fully open your mouth without any significant discomfort or pain, then you really don't have TMJD.

 

From what I have understood, it depends on the definition. Some say that T can be aggrevated or causes by like clenching or "biting wrong". But yeah I guess it depends on who you have talked to. When I used to clench my jaw back around onset, I could get high spikes that lasted a few hours. Then went down when I relaxed, so yes clenching can defininently aggrevate T. Not sure how well it fits this increase though :/

 

Yeah, T is certainly strange!!! I've developed some pretty weird symptoms since this all started. I also have a ton of tension and soreness around my jaw, neck and shoulder, base of skull. Prior to T, I was under ALOT of stress, and spending hours in front a computer. To me it seems logical that these two things have contributed to me developing T, but unfortunately everyone except my doctor seems to think otherwise. My only advice is be careful who you go to in regards to TMJD. Many will say anything to get a buck in their pocket.

 

Yeah I believe so too! There is clear r evidence of the correlation between TMJ and T but I lost a lot of trust in doctors since T started. Not that I had too much trust to begin with. I have talked to a private one, she has been on TV (morning news) to raise awarness about T and TMJ related issues (one patient told about his story and that having issues with his jaw for 42 years and TMJ had caused his T). So she seems like she knows what she is doing, and also she didnt try to sell herself on the show at all, just to create some awareness. Morning shows in Sweden are nothing like the ones in US for example, so I have hopes in her. It'd be nice if she did find something, just to confirm that it might be some relief for my T even if I know it won't cure it (noise-induced).
Have you tried massages?

 

About 2 weeks into it, I did some heavy ACRN-based sound therapy that I think may have triggered a new sound over night. Originally my T was just a hiss and a ring in each ear, and after that day, I woke up with a very loud ticking sound that replaced my T for a good portion of that day. Then it stayed with me for awhile as a new tone along with my T. And even after the ringing subsided when I was left with just a hiss, even when my T was low, the ticking was still present faintly along with hissing. I had days when it would move through my head stereo from one ear to another. Very weird feeling. I had days where the ticking would constantly disappear and come back throughout the day. I even thought at times it could be from me having 2 different frequencies that sometimes overlapped as my T was changing or lowering and created an intermittent tick.

Anyway, it gradually lowered in volume and I haven't really noticed it in at least about a week, if not longer. But if I listen to my very low hiss, I still have a sensation that's more like hearing a phantom version of it. Glad I didn't get stuck with that since that one would have made it much harder to habituate. So yes, new sounds can disappear, or subside. At least in my case it did.

 

Funny thing, woke up today and the T was back to baseline. I was just laying in bed for good 10-15 min just to listen to it and feel somewhat relieved that the T can go back in volume. That clear tone wasn't present as loudly, and I mostly just heard hissing. I wanted to see if it was just my brain not being awoken yet, but it seemed like it is a better day today. I did hear the clear tone come back a little after doing my bathroom routine, so I hope it was just reactive to the running water and so forth. At least I know it is not permanent increase if it can go back, even if not 100%. I took a very light sleeping/anxiety pill yesterday (so mild it can be given to young kids, no risk for addiction). Not sure if that could play a roll in the decrease or if it is just that I relaxed during sleep more. Feels better in my jaw too.
I did notice something though. When I lie down on my left side (right ear is the one with the clear tone), depending how I put my head on the pillow, I can either bring the tone out again or remove it. Really strange.

Glad to hear that your tone went away, it is really scary when they just pop up for no reason.

 

Yes anxiety pills can help and do that. If you are noticing changes like you are describing when you are putting physical pressure on your jaw/ear, your T could still be in your ear and not centralized in the brain yet.

 

The hissing is always present and can't be changed in that kind of sense, the clear tone (that was not present before a few weeks ago) is changeable. Which makes me believe that I must have some kind of jaw problems since it can be easily provoked. I was hoping the anxiety pills only helped with sleep, not too much with the sound since it has not done any type of decrease or increase in volume before. Just made me tired (but I can be awake all night with them if I like, they help to induce sleep but not forcing). Will not take one tonight and see how I feel tomorrow. If anxiety pills helps to relax my body, and the increase is due to tenseness in jaw and neck, then there must be some kind of correlation. Worth to test

 

Yeah it's possible some sort of TMJ is having an effect on your new tone. It's also possible that event caused new inflammation, and your jaw or position is having an effect on that.

Anxiety pills are going to put you in a more level mood, and likely lower your brain activity or keep it more level. Which should also help with neurons that are firing randomly creating our T, but you are saying you don't think it's doing anything to your baseline T. Quite a few people have reported improvement while on anxiety medication, but it should affect everything, not just a particular tone, so if you are seeing a more definitive change just from laying down that only targets that tone, then perhaps it's either something directly physical, like a nerve that's getting pinched, or something physical that's affecting new inflammation and not from the pill.

I took Xanax for about 5 days, and I felt more calm and noticed better habituation with T overall while on it but I didn't like the idea of staying on them. I thought the best thing to do is to try and learn from the pill how it's affecting my mood, and try to figure out a way to do that naturally. I would only use them if your T is unbearable, or having a bad spike, otherwise you may cause more problems, and might make it harder do to habituate naturally.

 

It have not had any impact before, it was rather that it took of the edge of the feelings towards it, and the loudness was still the same. Now I cannot vouch 100% that the pill didn't affect my T in a positive way, that is why I need to try to not take one today to compare it. I know it has gone down once after a really bad T day without any medications so I do believe the tenseness could play a larger role.
I am seeing a GP tomorrow and pushing for a referral to the TMJ Specialist, hopefully I can get an final answer on what is wrong.

Xanax is rather strong, mine is given to kids with rashes and barely cost $7-8 for like 20 pills. I have never taken real AD or anxiety pills before, and these just makes me more tired and maybe less stressed/anxious but not enough that I feel a big difference (and maybe some placebo effect too)

 

Additional Note:

My T is being real loud-pitched right now, the medicine only last 12 hours so it should be out by at least 8 h ago. Usually get some kind of spikes during the day, so it could be one of that too.

 

fangen, I'm not sure there's any real way to know if a new tone is permanent or not. I hope for you that it isn't. But unfortunately, there's not much you can do about it. I've spent way too much time in my life trying to figure out what caused my tinnitus in the first place. it was, by and large, wasted time. I really have no idea what caused it. And other than take reasonable precautions with your hearing, I'm not sure that there's anything else to do. You're pretty new to tinnitus, and you're bound to be obsessing about it more than the average person. My tinnitus does what it does, and I don't know why. Spikes and fleeting tinnitus are part of the 'grab bag' which is tinnitus. Try and not get yourself too worried about a new tone. Tinnitus diaries and obsessing over your diet are two sure ways to slow down or block the pathways to habituation. You aren't doing anything wrong. Given enough time, things will slowly get better, and you'll put this largely behind you.

good luck,

eric

 

How are you feeling now Fangen? I hope you are experiencing some relief today.

Best wishes.

 

@eric peterson, Thank you for your post. It makes a lot of sense. I know it is not use to trying to figure it out, there is no answer and I know that. But I guess I just go into self-blame mode instantly, since I were responsible for inducing my T to begin with. I guess you're looking for logic in a place where there is none, T is really a pain since it doesn't have logic at all. Hope you're doing good!

@Bobbie7, Hi Bobbie! I am feeling a little better today, I didn't take an anxiety pill before going to bed last night. Woke up and the T was more on my regular baseline. Anxiety pills did nothing to change it, must have been more relaxed when I went to bed. Feels good to know that is seems to back off a little bit, really worried me that it was a permanent increase.
How are you doing?

Best,
F

 

Good day Fangen! I'm glad you are feeling better today and to hear your T has returned to baseline so the new tone has not replaced it. As for myself, yesterday I went to the dentist for a cleaning, thought I had put my "better" ear plugs in my purse which I had changed but somehow didn't and only had foam so I had to use those instead. When I first walked into the office and took a seat in the waiting room, the radio was way too loud and uncomfortable so, of course, I requested the receptionist lower it and she did but still not enough to suit me so I sat nearer to her where it was softer. At any rate, when I was in the chair and explained to the doctor I had T, I believe his assistant was nearby and heard me but he still came into the room several times to place something in the closet and slammed the door making a loud noise. That, as you can imagine, was certainly not music to my ears! (I almost feel I would like to control the audio volume in every situation I encounter but, of course, I can not) Then I had to open my mouth wide for the cleaning which lasted a little while and although I had my plugs in I still heard if and it was disquieting to be sure.

You speak of hearing a new tone and I can commiserate with you on that for this morning my tone which normally ranges from a hissssssss to a shhhhhhh has today become a rather sharp and piercing alarm-type sound which awakened me far earlier than I usually arise. I, too, hope this new tone will not remain. Not sure whether it was due to keeping my mouth widely opened for a while or the combination of radio, loud cabinet-closing and drill sounds. I can certainly understand your apprehension about the new tone being permanent but as Eric so wisely pointed out, it doesn't even pay to spend time worrying about it for that won't help. The T monster will have his way and unfortunately we have the task of becoming accustomed. I trust I eventually will.

Here's wishing you a peaceful day.

 

Sorry to hear that Bobbie, I don't understand why people cannot take T-suffers seriously when you tell them that you have T and are sensitive to noises. It is just inconsiderate as hell for that person to come and slam the door.
From what I have experienced, I vacuumed the floor with plugs in and as soon as I turned of the vacuum cleaner, the T was just raging. I think your T is just being reactive right now, to the drill noise. But I am sure it will settle down, you did wear plugs after all so there is no risk that you have damaged your ears in anyway. I hope it goes back to normal for you soon!

 

Did it go away?

 

It did. My T still can go a bit nuts now and then but nothing permanent!

 

Thank goodness.