Starting to Suspect My Problems May Actually Be TMJ Related

A while back, I posted about how I developed tinnitus shortly after having my ears irrigated, and that I was suspicious that that was what caused it. Well, I went to my GP, and basically got told: "Everything looks fine, go see a specialist." So, in other words, that appointment was a complete waste of time, though I suppose I kind of expected that. But that's beside the current point.

Since then, I've grown to notice gradually increasing discomfort in my jaw, which peaked when I went to eat my lunch the other day, and encountered considerable difficulty opening my mouth wide enough to fit the sandwich into my mouth. As in, my jaw hesitated, and then popped, specifically in my right side. There wasn't much accompanying pain, but I definitely felt very uncomfortable.

Of course, I'm now growing to fully suspect that the whole problem is in fact because I did something to screw my jaw up. I neglected to mention that after having gotten my ears irrigated, I made the mistake of sliding my jaw left and right pretty much obsessively because I was so nervous about my ears and was "testing" to see if I could still hear the foamy liquid still sloshing around inside of them. I did this until at last my left jaw went *crack* and then any and all movement from it felt bizarrely grainy, like sand had gotten into the joint. It didn't hurt though, and it quickly went back to feeling normal after a mere few minutes. I suppose this is why I discounted it as a possibility.

On the next day, the tinnitus started AFTER having been doing something physically strenuous that prompted me to clench my jaw, which was the exact moment that it started. Fast forward to now, and my jaw feels quite tense. It still moves smoothly, to a point, but feels like it's shifting off to the right when I open it more than a little wide. The left side in particular feels a little swollen, and the tinnitus is now noticeably louder in that ear too. So much so that I can hardly tell that it's also in my other ear.

I'm starting to think it's a herniated jaw disc. Or two. Which is/are pinching my auditory nerve(s), causing the high-pitched, tea-kettle sounding noise. Either that, or I managed to wiggle my own jaw slightly out of place.

 

I am in the exact same boat. I think my tinnitus in the left ear was probably induced by TMJ (and maybe the stupid COVID-19 vaccine as well...). A little less than two weeks ago I had no problems, and then suddenly I've got muscle spasms in my neck and back, clicking in the jaw on the affected side... Not much pain in my case but tension, ear fullness, and, of course, this awful fucking bullshit tinnitus.

It feels like TMJ is at the source of all this pain, but I haven't been able to see an ENT or dentist to confirm yet (earliest appointments in the next two weeks...)

Stay strong brother, if it's affected by something physical like tension in our jaws then that means it should be able to be solved through physical intervention by skilled doctors.

 

True. Sorry to hear that you're going through that. I, too, have yet to see either an ENT or a dentist. Kinda wish I had realized that it's probably a jaw problem sooner, 'cause then I'd have just gone straight to trying to get an appointment with a dentist and not the ENT I currently have one upcoming with, but oh well.

There is comfort in knowing that there is hope that it's not permanent, though. Trying to maintain an air of optimism does help with coping.