Tinnitus from One Ear to Both Ears

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any experience of tinnitus starting in one ear and then spreading to the other?

My left ear began about a month ago and my right started a few days ago. The strange thing is that the ringing is different pitches and of different severity in each ear (my right ear is a lower pitch but sounds louder). Any ideas would be great.

 

There are no reasons, why this happens. Tinnitus is unpredictable in it's nature and it can start in one ear and then go to the other one as well. Infections/stress-anxiety/loud noises and certain meds can cause tinnitus to do that.

 

Yep, mine started quietly in my right ear and got sudden onsets of it in my left. My whole head now buzzes and beeps and seems to be getting louder (my right side more so). Back to the doctors next week!

So far, the doctors have mentioned these that might be factors:
- Viral infection (I've just had glandular fever)
- Small ear canals
- Ear syringing, so damage to hair cells in ear (I've had them done every yr for 4 years!)
- Jaw clenching/teeth grinding could be a reason for one side being louder than the other (I grind my teeth awfully)

I'm not an expert though, that's roughly what my doc has told me so far xx

 

Did your left ear became quieter at the time when you first realized you could hear it in your right ear?

 

I'm not sure it's necessarily quieter, it sounds quieter relative to my right because my right ear now rings fairly loudly, but I would say it is about the same as it was when it started.

 

Yes, i started in the right ear, after a TIA, and now have it severely in both.

 

Is there anyone who had it start in one ear, and after a year Didn't have it in both ears (or had began experiencing "head T")?!???

 

@lucluc Since your cause of tinnitus is unknown it's hard to say why your T started in one ear and then to the other.
The list of causes is long.

Often one sided ringing is often caused by mastoid pressure and the mastoid emissary vein or problems with the masseter muscles.

If the dorsal cochlear nucleus become hyperactive or hypersensitive, T can then become bilateral.

It can also be TMJ/D related and that could also happen in your mentioned time period.

It could be artery compression - insufficient blood flow caused from an injury. I would doubt this unless your having severe headaches and you would remember getting hit in the head or whiplash.

Many times when T moves to the other ear, it's the neck and it may not hurt. If it's TMJ, it's always felt.

 

Is there anything that could be done to reduce T when it is caused by a bad neck?

 

p.s. If I go to a physical therapist, I am not sure whether he or she will agree to treat my neck, if T is my only symptom...

 

@billbauer I just remembered my T in my other ear came back for second time after getting acupuncture. During the acupuncture the practitioner had not left me in a very comfortable position and my neck got sore. I wonder if that precipitated the return of the second tone. The neck link with T could be considerable

 

Thank you for sharing. If there is a link between the neck and T, it is very disturbing. (I heard numerous stories about T getting worse as a result of manipulating the neck, and never any stories about T getting better...)

From now on, when it comes to my neck, I will try to be extra careful...

 

I have refuse to let a chiropractor manipulate my neck in the past because I am which presents a risk for manipulation. However I know a lady who had chiropractic just yesterday and from the sounds of it he manipulated her neck and she said her T went down right away