Unilateral Tinnitus + Vertigo from Unknown Cause

Well I was hoping I wouldn't have to post here but, after a solid 30 days, it seems like I may need to.

Background: 37-year-old with an admitted history of loud music, live music, etc. I started taking a bit more care of the ears around 10 years ago though, but nothing drastic. Heck, I attended a show last fall and was front row.

How It Started: Around March 28 I was working on the computer and suddenly noticed that I was hearing an electronic sound in the background on mostly my left side -- you know what I mean, that electronic super-high pitched 16 kHz hiss/ring when something is turned on at first (most electronics don't do it anymore). It persisted and has brought bouts of mild to med vertigo with it. The louder and more piercing the noise, the stronger the vertigo.

How It's Going: It's still here and that SUCKS. My PCP looked at the ears after 1.5 weeks and said the ear structures are fine, no visible issues. I was referred to an ENT. The ENT, 2.5 weeks after onset, confirmed same and prescribed a course of Prednisolone and a Z-Pak for possible inner ear infection. I took those and a week later (last Friday) got in for a CT scan -- no visible issues. Bummer, was hoping maybe a neuroma or something fixable. Tuesday (3 days ago) was a really great day for unknown reasons, both tinnitus and vertigo were extremely weak and almost the entire day was enjoyable except for end of night when it started to return.

What's Next: ECoG/balance testing w/ audiologist next Tuesday. I don't know what exactly this is going to tell them. It's starting to get in the weeds a tad.

Possible Causes: I can't come up with anything I did around the time it started except maybe bump my head a tiny bit on the top against a door frame when going down some stairs that morning. It didn't even make a knot on the head and I would find it extremely hard to believe it was the cause -- that and I can't say 100% for sure that it actually happened before. It could've been after, it took several days for me to go "ok this is a problem" and then start backtracking timelines.

One possible cause is simply that I'm paying the price now for loving live and loud music in the past (and still to this day, to be honest with myself).

I suppose it could still be inner ear infection taking absolutely forever to fully heal (or possibly even caused permanent or slow-to-heal damage), but as each additional day passes (day 31 now), hopes of it simply disappearing or being a temporary issue are fading.

 

HI @nickmv.

Exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Although you started to take more care of being exposed to loud noise over the years, I suspect this may not have been enough and you probably have had low-level tinnitus for some time which your brain has been able to comfortably ignore, so you have been unaware of the presence of tinnitus. Please don't be surprised about this because it can happen.

You have said that you were at a venue last fall and was in the front row. If the music was loud, this wouldn't have been good for your ears and auditory system. If you frequently listen to audio through any type of headphones, including earbuds, AirPods, headsets and bone conduction headphones, then I suspect your tinnitus is noise induced.

It is good that you are having additional tests with your audiologist, to make sure that your ears and auditory system are functioning correctly. This is important since you are experiencing vertigo. If no underlying medical condition can be found that is causing the tinnitus, then the probability of it being noise induced increases. Many things can cause tinnitus, including stress. Tinnitus has been known to appear for no reason, then subside and eventually go away. However, since you have a history of being exposed to loud noise and if you are a regular user of any type of headphones, then it's my belief you have noise-induced tinnitus.

If this is the case, I advise that you don't use headphones even at low volume. Please click on the links below and read my posts. Start using low-level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night, more about this is explained in the links.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Welcome to the forum. @Michael Leigh has given you great advisc on tinnitus. So I will only talk about the vertigo. Tinnitus with vertigo may suggest Meniere's. Perhaps get an ENT to check it over. Sometimes vertigo can be caused by other causes. One such cause is BPPV. I had it a few times in the past. I learned from a lady MD on YouTube how to help myself with her maneuver called Half Somersault technique. It works every time for me. I have shared this with my wife and some friends who have had BPPV vertigo and it helps them recover too. Try it if you have vertigo from BPPV.

Vertigo can also be caused by sudden sensorineural hearing loss or SSHL. I had it 2 years ago. Violent vertigo happened right after my left ear lost hearing suddenly. This time the vertigo couldn't be solved by the Half Somersault technique. I had to take some medication for the vertigo to fade out in a day or 2.

Take care. God bless.

Half Somersault technique:

Carol Foster, MD Vertigo Treatment Oct 11