Punch/Kick to Ear and Tinnitus

Hello there!
I thought it will be a good idea to share my experience with T. It can give me some insight but mostly to shed some light on this so it might help other people who suffer the same cause of T.

I had the same thing happen to my right ear twice! I practiced martial arts (can't do that anymore) and about 3 months ago, in the beginning os September, I got a pretty hard punch directly on my right ear and it started ringing (beeping) instantly with the intensity of around 5. I didn't sleep that night and I got a bit freaked out.

I went to the doctor the next day and he said it would pass. It did get better after a couple of days but then it changed character, stopped beeping, and instead started to fluctuate from day to day and I heard noises like swooshing, hissing, crickets, morse code etc. with an intensity from 1-8. Now it really scared me and I got depressed and anxious.

I went to a couple of doctors until I came to a specialist ENT about two weeks after onset. I did a hearing test but I didn't have any drops in hearing. I actually had slightly better hearing on my right ear (with T) than my left one. I already had a bit of hearing loss on high frequency from about 8kHz and up on both ears but never had more than short temporary T before. The doctor just said "Ah, don't you worry. That happens often. I will pass, don't worry about it!". I believed her, and can you imagine, the T went away totally (100%) about two days after that, 2,5 weeks after onset. I felt blessed and happy. So far so good!

I didn't practice martial arts for a month and came back with headgear and everything and told my partner (we always practice in pairs) to be very gentle with me because of what happened. And on the first damn practice when i came back my partner accidentally gave me a kick to the the same right ear (I had headgear on). It wasn't very hard but fast. It started swooshing about 30 minutes later after practice. Next day it was already spiking with loud hissing coupled with rattling and morse code. This fluctuated between 1-8 the first two weeks, from day to day.

Then after a couple of weeks the spikes lowered to about 6-7. After 5 weeks from onset it spikes at around 5-6 after getting Remeron 15mg from a T doctor specialist (I'm now going to her about every second week). She said it's very important I sleep and recover better and the pills help with that no doubt. Two days ago, 6,5 weeks from onset and two weeks after getting Remeron, I had a spike again in the regions of about 7. It has been better since that day but still T is there everyday. I have short durations about two times a week of almost complete silence. I have less bad days I think now then the first couple of weeks, but also less good days. It's more medium days now, if you could call it that.

I try to not react to the T but I do wish it will disappear one day or will be so reduced so I don't notice it anymore. My doctor, who's an expert in the field, says the chances are pretty good for it to happen. My damage it due to some form on cochlear inner ear trauma probably caused by barotrauma. But she also said that maybe I won't heal but I'll manage to habituate. Right now it feels very distant but I'm really trying.

I have a close friend who had the same thing (got punched on the ear) with pretty much the same symptoms. He said that it was a nightmare for the first couple of months but then slowly it got better and it took a year for it to disappear completely.

Don't know if this helps anyone out there in the same situation, but the important thing is that I got it once and it totally healed. Now I'm in the same situation again (can't believe it), for a much longer time, and I can only hope that it will get better.

Sincerely and best wishes to all of you!
/Patrick

P.S. Please don't mention about it was a bad idea going back to martial arts practice. If I knew the consequences (which the doctors didn't mention at all) I wouldn't be back there.

 

Hi Patrick,
I use to go Jiu jitsu and loved every minute and got a few belts.
I hope you get to carry on going but I know the dangers of head blows are common.
I got kicked in the head and ear and needed hospital check as was bleeding from the ear but all was well .
Hope you get to carry on but I know tinnitus can be caused with blows to the head.
My tinnitus was due to Menieres Disease...not jiu jitsu....lots of love glynis

 

Thanks for reply Glynis

Yes I know you can get T from blows to the head. But in these two cases I got it from direct blow to the ear. A bit different I think. Most people get better in a days so don't know how it will end. Hanging in there. Lots of love to you too

 

Hi guys! I'm now just over 3 months in and it hasn't got any better I'm afraid. I still have multiple sounds which are fluctuating constantly. Intensity between 3 and 8 (mostly around 6-7). My good days are less and less I used to have a sound which was the worst, which sounded like an electric mosquito. The positive thing it seems to have disappeared since a couple of weeks back. The negative thing is that it has been replaced by a very high pitched intermittent sound around 12kHz. It really brings me down. Every day is a struggle. I do have the occasional better moments where that sounds is gone and all the other sounds are so much easier to cope with. I wish nothing more than that sound will be gone forever. If you have any encouraging words, I'd love to hear them...

To something more interesting. I'm an expert in digital development, one of my closest friend is an audio expert (has T too) and we're starting to build some sort off app to help relieve the T. We do this together with an doctor specialized in ears and T. This is just in the starting phase. As soon as something concrete comes out of this, I'll let you know!

 

Hi Patrick,

I read your post, and as most of us, the first months are the worst. The habituation process is just like you describe it "I feel beter... ho, no I don't, it has just spiked... wait! its better again, it is lower now... no, false alarm.." So dont worry if you have setbacks, is normal.

The very big problem, the worst, is the anxiety, stress and depression that T brings on. Our mind and body find Tinnitus as an intruder, sometimes against the rules, something bad... so we REACT in the same way.

Habituation means that, Tinnitus becomes "the norm" in your mind. That your new silence includes that sound.

Take care on your mind first, keep taking care of your ears, and keep talking with doctors to find out things that may help (but don't rush for a cure!, because that makes you more anxious).

Keep going you are in the right path.

Take care!

 

Thanks for your reply and time @JohnnyMx ! Really appreciated. Are you habituated? If yes, how long did it take?

 

Yes I'm. I still have bad moments when i have a headache, but the pain bothers me 80% and T just 20% on those moments.

It took me almost 2 years. But, my worst problem was anxiety and depression, related not only with my Tinnitus, but with other health problems, my kids health, and finantials.

Once I started taking care of my stress, my anxiety and depression (only with positive thinking, no drugs) it took me just months to recover my life, like 6 months to be where I',m now, with ringing all day, but does not bother me, affects me, or makes me anxious anymore. I'm a software engineer, and I can work just fine with the sound, and i dont use any maskers, may be weird, but i prefer silence!

Take Care,

 

Hang in there Patrick. The "healing" process is slow with tinnitus. Believe me, I know. Just keep in mind all the success stories on this site while doing your best to ignore the negative, self-recriminations. Eventually you should come to a good place in life.

 

You know, I have faith yours will go away one day. My friend's mom said she had tinnitus after a bad car accident for like 2 or 3 years. She got used to it after a few months and suddenly one day her ears stopped ringing! She didn't do anything special. Just happened that way.
Hope you're well bud
Ricardo

 

Thanks so much for your kind words @Ricardo1991 It really cheered me up today. Hope you are doing well and all the best to you

 

Hang in there! I hope that it goes away again for you. Maybe it will just take a bit longer the second time around?
It's interesting how doctors tend to differ - I got hit really hard in the head/neck near my ear just prior to mine starting, and then ended up with a flu which led to me hitting my head a second time within a short period of time. My ENT didn't seem to think getting hit had anything to do with my issues. (I know yours is more direct actually getting hit in the ear). I know it's a struggle sometimes, but just try to be as positive as you can-its a real process. At least it sounds like the electric mosquito sound has left you alone!

And that app idea sounds super exciting!

 

@PatrickG dont worry.
Recovering from Tinnitus takes a slow processus . I had it from 2.5 months.
I prepared myself to hubituate it. I feel better now and there are days where i dont remember that i have T.
Yes , I feel that it is going down day after day.
Just give it some time , patience .and do not take alot of supplements.

 

I am pained for you because of your loss. I love boxing and kickboxing so much and it HURTS me to tears not being able to train! One of my sparring partners used to frequently punch me in my right ear when we'd spar. The same sparring partner who sprained my left foot use to do that. I have been out of mixed martial arts for over a year trying to recover from the foot injury alone. But my tinnitus was noise damage. That is what finally did my right ear in. My right ear was always more prone to ear infections than my left ear. I used to have too much built up earwax in both my ears. Just thinking about my sparring partner makes my ears ring and pulsate louder and louder and louder! I hope I don't have to give up on boxing completely now! Anyway I feel your pain and suffering all to well. I am an adorer of the martial arts and boxing. I want to train again so bad! I admire strong bold people like you. Please look up Jacob Romo. He is my favourite "FIGHTER" of all time and you'll see for yourself why. Please let me know how your evil tinnitus is doing? I really have to know. I really hope we don't have to give up our martial arts and boxing dreams (especially just because of sparring partners)! Oh that would sure make my sparring partner feel tough, proud, and happy! I must say my ear is ringing and hurting off the charts now! I don't blame you for going back to martial arts. Martial arts is what made you feel the best about yourself. Martial arts made you, you. Martial arts was and still is you. I feel that exact same way about myself. Nothing else in my entire life has ever made me feel so real, natural, happy, peaceful, confident, courageous, strong, attractive, centered, peaceful, in love and respect with myself, and just plain heavenly as martial arts and boxing! Oh I will miss it for sure. Maybe try some other form of training like Yoga, Tai Chi, Krav Maga or whatever that doesn't involve having to receive any strikes but delivers great exercise and self defense? If your doctor clears you of course. I hope we can live to train again someday. I'm watching this thread and following you. You're strong you'll make it bro! Respect!

 

Hi all! Again, I'm incredibly thankful for all your replies. It keeps me going. It's still fluctuating like crazy and today it's really bad. It hasn't gotten any better and I haven't habituated at all yet, but somewhere I still have hope for me doing so one day. I'll post here in the future if there will be any changes at all... Best wishes to all of you

 

It's been 6 months today since onset. When it started I wished that after 6 months it would be better, but it hasn't gotten any better. The problem is that I have different sounds from day to day, and and any given moment it's always changing up and down and different pitches. I don't have the usual signal noise. I have tea kettle, whistling, white noise, metallic rattling... It's so god damn hard to get used to.

I've been doing Back To Silence method for a month now and maybe the number responses has gone down somewhat, but I still feel I hear it almost all the time, because it's changing all the time. How can I ever habituate to this?

As you can read I'm pissed off today and being really low. Nothing, I mean nothing, contributes to the changes in my T. I can't alter it with i.e. different head positions. Food, stress, sleep... Nothing changes it. It lives it's own life just as it wants.

Sorry for being negative. It's just tough right now. I know it could be worse, but honestly that way of thinking doesn't work for me. I'm suffering and that's that. Of course I wish that everyone who has it worse than me will get rid of their pain. I really do. I can only imagine how it is...

Love to all of you. Wishing you the best.

 

I wish that neurologists could just zap the auditory system back into shape and rewire it before tinnitus! Or at least zap it and make us who suffer from the evil tinnitus truly deaf. I am so sorry to read that you are still doing horrible! I hope yo habituate soon!

 

Appreciate your words @notquiet! Usually I'm strong. I've gone through a shit loads in my life but this is the king of problems. Everything I had before seems like a walk in the park. I know many here feels the same...

 

oh man, i can relate to this, all problems in the past seems like a piece of cake.
Have you tried craneosacral? i have had 5 sessions, and these past weeks it has been very low
if you havent, you should try it

 

Yeah me too. But this foot injury prevents me from taking a walk in the park! So freaking annoying because if I was able to at least walk more then that would make a great distraction to my evil tinnitus! So I'm stuck trapped prisoner of my own body and brain! Thankfully I'm not wheelchair trapped or bedridden imprisoned and tinnitus tormented! Oh my gosh how horrible would that be?! I just miss my boxing and martial arts training. I still want to sing my songs that I have written and learn to play the drums! What can you do for fun or a distraction? I am so freaking lonely that distractions are hard to come by. So I just have to use my laptop all day and night most of the time. Almost anything beats this evil tinnitus though! I can't work because of my foot injury or go out and have fun because of it either! Least the internet distracts me! Please take care. Punch and kick your evil tinnitus' sound waves!

 

That I have not tried. I am to housebound and broke! I just need to listen to masking sounds when my evil tinnitus spikes and use a fan all night to help me sleep. I hope it continues to lower! I am happy for you! Good job man! Well don't give up on it! How exciting! Please keep us posted on how it works for you later Mario!

 

Same here. Probably due to damage to the cochlear inner ear trauma caused by barotrauma.

 

Hi there @notquiet! I'm happy for your thoughts about me! I'm sorry for your T and your foot... It must be hard for you. How long have you had your foot injury and how long before it will heal? We share the same passion for martial arts. Your previous post about how it makes you feel is exactly how I felt about it... I still dream about it and wake up in tears how much I miss it. And the irony/destiny that my passion was also my curse. How old are you and what do you do during the days?

 

@Mario martz ! No I haven't tried it. I have an appointment with a new T specialist in middle of May. He said on the phone today "Don't worry Patrick, I will fix you". That was some bold claim. Maybe it was just to calm me...
How much of your T do you have left now?

 

@NineNails yes probably. How did you get your T and for how long have you had it? Tell me more about it if you want. It's interesting to know. Hope you are hanging in there. Let me know if you want some pep talk or support!

 

@PatrickG ,

Karma decided a blunt forced trauma to my skull with a metal rod was due. Two months later, T suddenly started when I lay down in bed and never stopped. I've severe hearing loss in one ear plus multiple reactive noises.
Still, I try to do some martial arts. Though, no direct blows to the head.

 

Yeah karma. Have thought a lot about that too. I'm really sorry the situation happened to you...
How long time ago did it happened? Do you have hearing aids?

 

sounds good!!!
but you can also give it a try, i cant say my T is gone... god i wish hahah
but it has helped me, i more good days than bad days to be honest.

 

Oh geez I feel the exact same way about it. I love boxing and martial arts so much! Even more than creative writing! My sparring sparring partner was a bully a. hole or better yet a c.c. He would kick my feet, push me around and slap my arms and shoulders and demand I get in the right fighting stance when he would train me if I got out of proper form. He threatened to break my shins if I kicked him to hard. But I was afraid of him and like a coward I didn't defend myself against him like I should of. I was not about to tell my trainer or any other man in the gym I trained with either because I would of seemed like a bigger weakling than just by taking it! The omega male is always going to be stronger than the alpha female at any gym period. He was the weakest man in the gym but he was still a lot stronger than me. I still would love to go another round with him in a boxing ring and do all sorts of illegal moves on him out of justice for myself though. I still cry to this very day not being able to train. He injured me on 2/5/15 by stomping on my left foot as hard as he could and gave me a lisfranc foot sprain. I don't know when it will heal or if it ever will heal. I need an m.r.i. on it. I don't want pity I want a rematch! That is what I get for holding back. That is what I get for being too nice. I am 29 and my youth is almost over now. I just stay home most of the time. I go out when I have to take care of business or go to medical appointments. I go out for a little fun when my best friend and sister takes us somewhere. Yeah BORING! I have no other family or friends. Most people can't stand me. In fact they HATE me! Well I HATE them too! Well it's back to my first passion creative writing. I can't get injured doing that besides carpel tunnel! HAHA

 

Also recommend craniosacral, it makes the volume go down for me too.

 

Today is exactly a year ago when I got my tinnitus. The darkest day of my life. And now a year later it's still as bad as it was in the beginning. I can handle it a little bit better but because it changes ALL THE TIME I can never seem to habituate. What a ride it's been. Wonder how it will be a year from now... Best wishes to all of you.