Good afternoon,
This is a bit long (I apologize in advance
).
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Luis Miguel, and I have had high-pitched tinnitus in my right ear since May 19, 2025.
I perceive the sound if I focus on it, but I do not hear it as much near a refrigerator or with ambient noise, such as in a shopping mall, the sound of a fan, or a computer. Outside, I barely notice it, depending on the environment or how much attention I pay to it.
It began overnight. I went to bed on Sunday, May 18, without any tinnitus. The next morning, I woke up with a blocked ear, a feeling of pressure, and, of course, the ringing. I went to the emergency room, where they told me there was nothing unusual with my eardrum, but it could be an inflammatory process, possibly otitis. They advised me to consult my primary care physician and request a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
Two days later, I saw my primary care doctor. After examining me, he said the same thing: "Based on your symptoms, it could be inflammation, either due to the rhinitis you have or an ear infection." He prescribed a three-day course of antibiotics and said I should start noticing improvement in a couple of weeks.
During that time, my ear went through many changes. I constantly felt fullness and pressure. No matter how many times I did the Valsalva technique, the pressure would return after a few minutes. My voice sounded distorted in that ear, and bass tones felt very loud. Even the sound of the refrigerator reverberated. Some high-pitched sounds, like running water, felt a bit uncomfortable, as if the sound was amplified.
All of those symptoms disappeared about a week and a half after they began, and they have not returned.
The only remaining symptom is the ringing, which is very high-pitched. Depending on how much attention I give it, it can feel stronger or weaker, but honestly, I think it has stayed at the same level.
After two and a half weeks, I saw my doctor again and told him the ringing had not improved.
He referred me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, who will see me on July 7.
I do not believe I have hearing loss, since I hear equally in both ears, but the audiometry test should confirm that.
Like everyone else, the first few weeks with this condition are brutal. It completely destabilizes you and takes a huge toll on your mental health.
I feel a little better now, but like everyone else, I hope this eventually goes away.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've had tinnitus.
Several years ago, in November 2020, I experienced high-pitched ringing in the same ear after being slapped. It lasted for about a year and a half before disappearing, and I did not even realize when it stopped.
One day, I noticed that I no longer heard it. When I was in a silent room, I heard only silence—no ringing, no background noise.
That incident also caused similar symptoms: pressure, a sensation of fluid, muffled voice perception. These gradually faded over the following weeks. The tinnitus remained stable for months but slowly decreased in intensity until it vanished.
Reading about this on the internet feels like diving into a raging sea without knowing how to swim and knowing you are about to drown.
I hope that, as the weeks pass, the perception of the sound will at least begin to fade. While I would not call it catastrophic, it is certainly annoying.
According to my doctor, recovery from ear inflammation or otitis media—even if there was no pus or mucus—is a very long process. You need to be patient, which is not my strong suit.
What bothers me the most is the nighttime ringing. It is a high-pitched sound, roughly around 12.5 kHz. I can modulate the pitch by moving my jaw, but that also happened the first time I had tinnitus, so I know it should not be related to TMJ.
That's my story so far. Wishing you a good day.
This is a bit long (I apologize in advance
).Let me introduce myself.
My name is Luis Miguel, and I have had high-pitched tinnitus in my right ear since May 19, 2025.
I perceive the sound if I focus on it, but I do not hear it as much near a refrigerator or with ambient noise, such as in a shopping mall, the sound of a fan, or a computer. Outside, I barely notice it, depending on the environment or how much attention I pay to it.
It began overnight. I went to bed on Sunday, May 18, without any tinnitus. The next morning, I woke up with a blocked ear, a feeling of pressure, and, of course, the ringing. I went to the emergency room, where they told me there was nothing unusual with my eardrum, but it could be an inflammatory process, possibly otitis. They advised me to consult my primary care physician and request a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.
Two days later, I saw my primary care doctor. After examining me, he said the same thing: "Based on your symptoms, it could be inflammation, either due to the rhinitis you have or an ear infection." He prescribed a three-day course of antibiotics and said I should start noticing improvement in a couple of weeks.
During that time, my ear went through many changes. I constantly felt fullness and pressure. No matter how many times I did the Valsalva technique, the pressure would return after a few minutes. My voice sounded distorted in that ear, and bass tones felt very loud. Even the sound of the refrigerator reverberated. Some high-pitched sounds, like running water, felt a bit uncomfortable, as if the sound was amplified.
All of those symptoms disappeared about a week and a half after they began, and they have not returned.
The only remaining symptom is the ringing, which is very high-pitched. Depending on how much attention I give it, it can feel stronger or weaker, but honestly, I think it has stayed at the same level.
After two and a half weeks, I saw my doctor again and told him the ringing had not improved.
He referred me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist, who will see me on July 7.
I do not believe I have hearing loss, since I hear equally in both ears, but the audiometry test should confirm that.
Like everyone else, the first few weeks with this condition are brutal. It completely destabilizes you and takes a huge toll on your mental health.
I feel a little better now, but like everyone else, I hope this eventually goes away.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've had tinnitus.
Several years ago, in November 2020, I experienced high-pitched ringing in the same ear after being slapped. It lasted for about a year and a half before disappearing, and I did not even realize when it stopped.
One day, I noticed that I no longer heard it. When I was in a silent room, I heard only silence—no ringing, no background noise.
That incident also caused similar symptoms: pressure, a sensation of fluid, muffled voice perception. These gradually faded over the following weeks. The tinnitus remained stable for months but slowly decreased in intensity until it vanished.
Reading about this on the internet feels like diving into a raging sea without knowing how to swim and knowing you are about to drown.
I hope that, as the weeks pass, the perception of the sound will at least begin to fade. While I would not call it catastrophic, it is certainly annoying.
According to my doctor, recovery from ear inflammation or otitis media—even if there was no pus or mucus—is a very long process. You need to be patient, which is not my strong suit
.What bothers me the most is the nighttime ringing. It is a high-pitched sound, roughly around 12.5 kHz. I can modulate the pitch by moving my jaw, but that also happened the first time I had tinnitus, so I know it should not be related to TMJ.
That's my story so far. Wishing you a good day.
