Unilateral Tinnitus with Other Symptoms: Nerve Tingling, Muscle Twitching, Ice Pick Headaches

Hi,

53-year-old male from Canada. I have been having on and off unilateral (left ear) tinnitus since last December. Mostly fleeting, lasting a few seconds, but sometimes lasting longer.

I had a hearing test a couple of months ago and it came back normal. I am worried that it may be due to an acoustic neuroma or something.

Other symptoms: nerve tingling (having them for the past 3 years - visited neurologist, did EMG, blood work, and a cervical MRI a couple of years back - all normal), random muscle twitching (doctor doesn't care about it), occasional ice pick type headaches (again doctor not concerned about it).

Looking for help and support in this forum.

 

Hi @partha - Welcome to the forum. I'm somewhat new here too.

My experience is somewhat similar to yours. I'm 51, male, and have primarily unilateral tinnitus in the right ear since late March.

From what you describe, it sounds like your periods of ringing is quite intermittent. Does it come and go frequently throughout the day? My frequency is day by day. So some days I hear it (like today), and some days I barely hear it (like yesterday). Whatever I hear in the morning is the loudness and quality I hear for the whole day.

Have you had an MRI to detect whether you have acoustic neuroma? Mine is scheduled next week.

Where in your body do you experience nerve tingling? I get occasional tingling in my left arm--it feels like my arm woke up from being asleep. I think my tingling is due to seeing a chiropractor. Since I have unilateral tinnitus, one of the recommendations is to see a chiropractor or osteopath. They can evaluate whether your neck/spine muscular/skeletal system is a factor.

Also, seeing a dentist who is familiar with TMJ issues might help if you haven't tried that yet. I visited a dentist, and she found that one of my jaw muscles was quite large from clenching. She showed me how to massage it back to a normal size (without over-massaging in order to avoid inflammation). And she fit me with a mouth guard to prevent clenching at night. This did help remove one factor with my tinnitus.

One other thing I did was got a sleep study done. I learned that I have sleep apnea. So I got a CPAP machine. This helps since obstructive breathing was causing stress on my neck and throat muscles.

 

Hi Joe,

What a coincidence. I have sleep apnea as well and use ResMed CPAP machine. I have been using it for the past 3 years. My tinnitus is relatively new though, started around Christmas last year. At first, it was just a fleeting one lasting a few seconds, but of late it has increased in frequency and duration. My nerve tingling is random and at random locations. It was bad 2 years ago when it started, but now it seems to have subsided somewhat after I went gluten free and started taking some supplements. The tinnitus seems to be more worrisome now. I did not have an MRI for acoustic neuroma so far, only a cervical MRI a couple of years back.

The doctors are no help on this.

Are you taking any meds for your tinnitus?

Good luck with your MRI.

 

Hi partha -

I'll let you know how my MRI goes, my wife just informed me it's actually tomorrow, so wish me luck. I hate MRIs, they're so loud, and this one is with contrast.

Oh that is coincidental that you have sleep apnea. If you read the other thread I've been posting on (my Introduce Yourself thread), I've been chatting with @Uklawyer about our sleep apnea and CPAP experiences (feel free to join in). I'm new to using a CPAP, but I'm accounting well.

I am taking medication for anxiety and depression. I'm on Zoloft, Ativan as necessary, and Trazodone at night to help with sleep. How about you?

I too have found that the doctors have limited knowledge on how to treat tinnitus. My primary care physician actually has tinnitus, but she just says the usual: There's no cure; just get used to it. What advice.

I live in the Bay Area, and fortunately UCSF has a specialty in tinnitus, so I have an appointment this Monday to speak with them about treatment options: like CBT and TRT. I can tell you what I learn.

 

Wishing you all the luck for your MRI man. Hopefully everything turns out fine and no serious issues. I will definitely join in the other thread you mentioned and chime in with my experiences with CPAP.

 

Hey thanks, awesome, will look for your reply.