Unilateral Muffled / Slight Pressure Feeling, Followed by Tinnitus Tripling in Volume

I got tinnitus nearly exactly 2 months ago from what I think was either loud headphones + clubbing or stress (or both).

Well I’ve been coping with my tinnitus much better of recent and started not focus on it all the time, I also honestly thought I had seen maybe a 15-20% reduction in volume since the onset.

Roughly 30 minutes ago I was just chilling in my room scrolling on my phone, when suddenly I got a slight pressure and muffled sensation in my left ear, which caused my tinnitus tone to nearly triple in volume.

I am freaking out as I write this because it sounds like there is a vacuum in my left ear, I don’t know what’s going on and how this is possible because I have literally not done anything to exacerbate my tinnitus? Could this mean my tinnitus could be related to a health issue and has nothing to do with noise?

I sometimes have something like this similar happen to me in both ears, where I get a muffled/full sensation in my ear and my tinnitus gets really loud for maybe 5-30 seconds but it slowly goes back to baseline. But this time it hasn’t and it has remained at a torturous level?

I’m really freaked out right now and am begging for advice...

If this spike stays till tomorrow morning should I rush to an ENT? Should I also go for an MRI? What do you guys think?

 

What I believe you encountered is fleeting tinnitus. Lots of members with tinnitus get them. Sometimes they last seconds or longer. It usually settles back down. Just make sure to protect from loud sounds and don't use earbuds or headphones even at low volume.

 

It's unusual for fleeting tinnitus to go on for more than a few minutes, sometimes it goes for a few hours though...

If it isn't gone back to baseline before tomorrow morning, please see a doctor and maybe get Prednisone as soon as possible.

REPORT BACK HOW IT GOES!

 

This morning I woke up with a red itchy rash all over my body. Around my neck, face, chest, shoulders, stomach, back, legs etc. Basically all over my body and it was itching like crazy. I've never experienced this and wonder if it's connected to my tinnitus spike. Very strange...

Anyway, I woke up the next morning and it was still loud as hell, but definitely reduced. Throughout the day it remained at that level, although I just came back from the gym and now it seems it's closer to baseline. Unfortunately all ENTs in my area are closed on Saturday and Sunday. I don't think it's anything serious because I didn't experience any hearing loss when the spike happened.

I would say it's at a 5/10 instead of a 8-9/10 like it was last night. I don't know what the hell happened last night and what caused that spike.

When I get fleeting tinnitus it's typically a ringing sound for a few seconds to a minute, then it stabilizes. This was a static noise that sounded like a hissing.