Totally Freaking Out Over Sudden Hearing Loss

Okay so I am trying to keep calm but something is terribly wrong with me. I don't understand what is happening, I have suddenly lost like 50% hearing in my left ear and it feels like it weighs 10kg and is plugged with an earplug. Terrible distortion and broken speaker sound, muffled hearing.

I will call my doctor tomorrow but what should I do? I don't know how this will progress, only yesterday it was fine more less and I even listened to music, felt so good. Then last night it started and today it has become really bad. I also feel that the ringing has gone up like 500%.

Honestly I am scared to death...

 

Nathalie, are you using still using earbuds?

 

No I am not. I listened to music yesterday using my phone speaker.

 

Hard to guess what could be wrong. Like you said, call your doctor tomorrow. Good luck.

 

New T is known to be unpredictable and can be morphing with varying symptoms, like spikes, changing tones, jumping ears, morse code like beep, ear fullness/ache feeling pressure and thus the hearing feeling cocooned etc. These are things very alien and foreign to a new sufferer, and thus they can generate stress and anxiety. This is almost like the T bully throwing different jabs and punches to test out our patience and stamina. Once we take the bite then we sink into a mental blackhole and T will get its new fuel to perpetuate the suffering. If the doctors check things out and nothing is wrong, such as ETD or ear fluid etc. If nothing then the best thing is to wait out the storm, using masking or whatever to help the process. It is often said that it will take the ears 6 months to 18 months to settle down, some as fast as a few months. So hope you will do your best to stay calm and positive. It can only help and not hurt the recovery. Take good care. God bless.

 

I get random beeps at the moment, one ear at a time at different frequencies. What the heck.... Also there is throbbing in my left ear as if something inside was kicking and punching.

 

My tinnitus was all over the place for the first 4 weeks of getting it... If you have hearing loss though I would definitely go to the doctor tomorrow. Don't wait on that!

 

If you have sudden hearing loss in one or both ears you should see a doctor and get on prednisone within 48 hours if possible.

 

Yeah that's tinnitus, you never know how going too reactive, stupid condition has no cure no treatment. Here I'm , 5 different sounds, left ear like big flute take all my heat , power transformer and hyperacusiss.

 

Yes that I am aware of, I will go tomorrow.

 

Are you doing better now?

 

We are with you in all this

If it really is sudden hearing loss, you have every chance to recover completely.

 

You are doing the right thing by getting your ears checked out.

The sudden hearing loss could be caused by numerous things, such as:

• Earwax pressing against your eardrum
• Fluid behind your eardrum
• Blocked Eustachian tube (allergies, cold, sinusitis etc)
• ETD
•TTTS

Tinnitus is often most unpredictable in the earlier months after onset. The kicking and distortion you are describing sounds like TTTS, which is usually brought on by anxiety. It causes the Tensor Tympani muscle to go into spasm, causing a clicking/thumping/ fluttering sensation. This can also affect the tightness of your eardrum directly affecting your hearing.

Further reading on TTTS:http://www.noiseandhealth.org/artic...;issue=63;spage=117;epage=128;aulast=Westcott

The beeping noises you describe are very typical of tinnitus. This can all get worse under anxiety, so you must try and remain calm. Let a Dr or ENT examine you, and in the mean time you must try and relax as best as you can. It's extremely hard to do under the circumstances, but you must try.

 

It isn't sudden loss,she's had repeated noise exposures over the last few days as she posted here about all of them.

She had a T increase from a loud electro stimulation machine followed by her brother screaming in her ears then again followed by her listening to her IPod on high volume for over half an hour.

Her T increased along with the hearing loss following all of these events,there's nothing sudden about it.

Go to your doctor and try steroids if you can,REST YOUR EARS FROM ALL LOUD NOISE FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,take NAC/Magnesium/Vit B12 everyday religiously.

Sit in your room and watch movies or go for long walks in quite places to take your mind off of your T.If your going for walks bring someone with you to distract you even further.
Don't go anywhere loud and if you must go somewhere noisy like the city wear earplugs at all times.

Give your ears a chance to recover,repeatedly blasting them with noise is not going to do you any favours only worsen it.

Goodluck.

 

I've read the other threads Bill, but in this case her symptoms sound just like TTTS to me. This needs to be looked at by an ENT though, as it could be anything.

One thing for sure though is that anxiety/stress will only make it worse. However, as must of us know, it is incredibly hard to control our emotions in stressful situations. Mindfulness is probably one of the best ways: meditation, deep breathing etc.

 

This site also gives a good explaination of TTTS and is worth reading. I'll copy and paste some of it below for easy access:

HOME EAR PROBLEMS DO I HAVE TONIC TENSOR TYMPANI SYNDROME (TTTS)?
Do I Have Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS)?


by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man asked,

How do I know if I have Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome?

Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS) is probably not a familiar condition to most people. In fact, few people have ever heard of it.

The tensor tympani muscle, from which Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome gets its name, is one of the two tiny muscles in your middle ears. (The other is the stapedius muscle.)

The tensor tympani muscle reacts to sudden loud sounds—called the startle reflex. This startle reflex is made worse if you are particularly stressed or anxious. (1) The job of the tensor tympani muscle is to pull the tiny malleus (hammer) bone away from the eardrum (tympani), thus tensing the eardrum (hence its name tensor tympani). This reduces the volume of sounds that are transmitted to the inner ear, which helps protect the delicate inner ear structures from noise damage.

The tensor tympani muscle also has other functions. For example, it also contracts (tenses) immediately before you begin talking. This reduces the sound of your own voice so it doesn’t “deafen” you. (1) It also tenses to reduce the volume of sounds produced when you chew your food. (2) (Aren’t you glad it does this?)

The word “tonic” in this syndrome name describes the continuous or pulsing action of the tensor tympani muscle. Quite often the word “tonic” is omitted and people just refer to this syndrome as “Tensor Tympani Syndrome”.

When everything is working properly, you aren’t even aware you have two tensor tympani muscles working for you. Their actions are totally automatic. However, when something disturbs their normal functions, you may become painfully aware of their existence.

In numbers of people who have hyperacusis (where normal sounds are now abnormally loud), and who also typically have misophonia (where you have negative emotional reactions to certain specific sounds) increased (abnormal) activity develops in the tensor tympani muscle as part of the startle response to some sounds. This is called Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome.

“Tonic tensor tympani syndrome is an involuntary, anxiety-based condition where the reflex threshold for tensor tympani muscle activity is reduced, thus causing frequent spasms.” (4)

Since TTTS is an involuntary reaction, some people with hyperacusis/misophonia don’t actually even need to hear a loud sound in order to send their tensor tympani muscles into spasms. (2) This can happen when they just think about about specific sounds to which they have an aversion. Thus this condition is not really due to the hyperacusis as much as it is due to misophonia.

Misophonia frequently results in some degree of Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome. The good news is that when you successfully treat misophonia, typically the TTTS also goes away. (3)

If you have Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome you will experience one or more of the following symptoms. Typically, the worse your hyperacusis/misophonia, the more symptoms of TTTS you will exhibit. Also, you are more likely to have more TTTS symptoms if you have both tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Classic Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome symptoms include:

Pain: You may experience a sharp pain in your ear when the tensor tympani muscle tightens and stretches your eardrum, or you may experience a dull ache in your ear. You may also experience pain in your cheek, pain in your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) area or pain along the side of your neck due to irritation of the trigeminal nerve that activates the tensor tympani muscle. In addition, you may have a headache.

Numbness and/or burning sensation:Irritation of the trigeminal nerve can also lead to numbness and burning sensations in and around your ear, along your cheek, the side of your neck and in the temporomandibular joint area.

Tinnitus: This may sound like a series of clicks as your tensor tympani muscle rapidly contracts and relaxes.

Fluttering sensation: You may experience rhythmic sensations such as your eardrum fluttering. This occurs when the tensor tympani muscle continually and rhythmically contracts and relaxes.

Feeling of fullness: You ear may feel “full” or blocked. As a result, you may frequently experience a popping sensation.

Muffled hearing: You may feel your hearing is fluctuating or is muffled although typically neither is true. Your hearing may also seem distorted.

Balance problems: You may have mild vertigo or “disordered” balance—often described as “swaying” like being on a boat. This may lead to feelings of nausea. (1)

In one study, “the most common symptoms were aural fullness (33.0%); headache (21.2%); disordered balance (20.3%); TMJ pain (20.0%); pain along the side of the neck (20.0%); tympanic flutter (19.1%); dull ache in ear (19.1%); sharp pain in ear (17.7%); “muffled” hearing (12.5%); and “distorted” hearing (11.0%).” (1)

In people with either hyperacusis, or both tinnitus and hyperacusis, the most common symptoms which developed or were made worse by exposure to loud/intolerable sounds were: “distorted” hearing 78.6%, “muffled” hearing 75.9%, dull ache in ear 74.0%, sharp pain in ear 66.7%, tympanic flutter 59.2% and aural fullness 53.3%. (1)

Other things to consider when determining whether you might have TTTS include: Are your symptoms constant as opposed to occurring relatively infrequently? Do your symptoms appear after you have exposed your ears to loud/ intolerable sounds. If you have TTTS symptoms all the time, are they made worse when you expose your ears to loud/intolerable sounds? (1)

If you answered yes to these above questions, this indicates that you likely have TTTS.

Here are several interesting findings related to Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome.

1. People with Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome typically ended up with their tinnitus and/or hyperacusis/misophonia as a result of exposure to loud sounds, whereas those people whose tinnitus/hyperacusis was not the result of exposure to loud sounds are unlikely to have TTTS.

2. The more severe your tinnitus and/or hyperacusis is, the more likely you are to have more/multiple symptoms of TTTS.

3. In people with Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome, there is a link between their emotional states and their resulting middle ear muscle contractions. Thus, if you form a negative emotional attachment to your tinnitus and/or hyperacusis, you may develop one or more TTTS symptoms. Conversely, if you don’t let your tinnitus and/or hyperacusis become a problem to you (remain emotionally neutral towards them), you are unlikely to develop TTTS. In this sense, Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome is a psychosomatic condition.

4. If you believe that certain loud (to you) sounds have damaged your ears (when they haven’t), you are setting yourself up for developing various TTTS symptoms. Conversely, if you treat such incidents as no big deal (no emotional involvement), you are unlikely to develop TTTS and will much more readily habituate to your tinnitus and hyperacusis if any develops.

This is borne out by the conclusions of researchers who concluded that “74.0% of hyperacusis patients with the symptom of dull ache in the ear and 66.7% of hyperacusis patients with the symptom of sharp pain in the ear reported these symptoms developed or were exacerbated by loud/intolerable sound exposure. These patients readily believe that their ears are no longer able to physically tolerate these sounds, or that these sounds are causing damage to their ears or hearing, and should be avoided. This unpleasant consequence of exposure to sounds perceived as intolerable and the threat of further exposure is likely to play a significant role in tinnitus escalation and the development, persistence and escalation of hyperacusis.” (1)

If you have Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome, you need to realize that it does not harm your ears, even though you might swear that it is damaging your ears. This is because you perceive the sounds as louder than they really are. The truth is that moderate, everyday sounds do not harm your ears or cause hearing loss.

5. Effective hyperacusis and misophonia therapy reduces the frequency and severity of TTTS symptoms.

6. Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome symptoms “are subjective and can cause high levels of anxiety. This can lead to tinnitus escalation, the development and escalation of hyperacusis, and limit the efficacy of tinnitus/hyperacusis therapy.” (1) In other words, the more you worry about your tinnitus, hyperacusis and resulting TTTS symptoms, the worse they get.

Therefore, if you have Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome, you need to seek effective treatment for your tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia. When you do that, there is a good chance that your TTTS will go away on its own.

http://hearinglosshelp.com/blog/do-i-have-tonic-tensor-tympani-syndrome-ttts/