Tinnitus Since 1993, Worse This Year: Could Loud Fax or Call Center Sounds Have Made It This Bad?

Hi everyone.

I thought I would post a thread here to get some support since I am having a tough time this year especially with my tinnitus.

I have had the first signs of tinnitus in left ear as far back as 1993 of March, according to my medical records.

On and off over the years but nothing like this year at all.

From what I remember I do recall having some loud fax in the ear episodes and loud call center days perhaps around that time. So there is a chance that I have had some noise damage, but could really a few loud fax noises or loud episodes at a call center have caused this? I have no idea...

Compounded by the fact that I had a terrible accident back in 2001, and the left front side of my forehead was hit and I was knocked out. Not to mention my neck is translated to the left, and I have had dental work on a bad tooth on my left as well, 2 root canals. So I have no idea if any of this could have compounded my tinnitus.

What I do know is that this year has been so bad that I don't ever recall it going on for so long being so bothersome. I also had wisdom teeth removed on the left. Yet I have TMJ on my right - but the tinnitus issue is on my left though. Explain that one. Strange.

In my left ear it's almost like a hiss, or high pitched noise, doubling up with a tone from an old radio as it were.

Some days during the summer when it was very humid it was very bad, but even now with the cooler weather I am still suffering. Some days during the week, very few if any, it almost dies down to nothing, barely noticeable, but if I get stressed it comes right back... And I wake up at night, and I feel it's augmented. I have to get up and get distracted or until I am really tired and then I can try sleeping with the ear against the pillow to try to muffle the sound.

When I was younger I did have to have one of my ears flushed out for wax, not sure which ear at this point.

When I had my bad accident back in 2001 I did have an MRI but nothing was mentioned about any internal issues at that point, unless the accident could have caused damage internally in my head and it was not apparent.

Strangely enough when I am going through the tinnitus episodes, when I press on my left mandibular joint the noise does increase a little. And when I move my jaw forward, I get tinnitus on my right ear but when I move the jaw back to normal the tinnitus in the right ear stops. But nothing really relieves the tinnitus on my left meaning no jaw or neck or back movement.

So I thought I would take a chance and reach out to this community to see if anything like this sounds familiar.

Thanks in advance.