Tinnitus During Loud Noises; Diagnosis Inconclusive

[McMatt]

Hello all, I'm new here. I've been dealing with left ear tinnitus since ~2011. First doc I went to in 2012 thought it was earwax, but that didn't help. I let it be for a few years after that. Recently, my primary care doc thought it was sinus trouble, so I did the regimen of Claritin and Flonase, but no change (my sinuses felt great, though!). Went to ENT, had the audiogram and other hearing tests--everything normal. The ENT told me my left ear is probably just more sensitive to noise. He sees it more in children, but said it wasn't out of the question for me (I'm 30 y.o.).

My symptoms are:

• Buzzing, crackling noise in my left ear when I'm in a loud or enclosed environment. Think bar, restaurant, church, car, etc...
• It feels like I can relieve the sound by popping my ear, but it's only a little helpful and only for a moment.
• Oddly enough, I also experience it when I'm laying on my left side and talking to my wife. It's a quiet environment, but something about laying on that side causes it to happen.
• I've had headaches and migraines since I was a kid, but they seem to be more frequent lately.

So, I'm...unsatisfied with the diagnosis. I'm happy my hearing is normal, but the buzzing isn't normal. And I'm not sure why I became more sensitive to noises when I was 25. I'm debating on whether it's worth getting a second opinion. How often is there a "cause" associated with tinnitus if the normal things (exposure to noise, jaw issues, etc..) are ruled out?

 

[NineNails]

How often is there a "cause" associated with tinnitus if the normal things (exposure to noise, jaw issues, etc..) are ruled out?

What does it matter? They can't do anything about the noise anyway. Nor do they care.

audiogram and other hearing tests--everything normal

Hearing tests are subjective. They say absolutely nothing about the damage, which can be in the cochlea, the cochlea nerve, brain etc.