Will I Ever Find Out Why?

[Vaba]

Honestly, at this point in my adventure with T, I really just want to know why, specifically, I have it.

As is the case with a few other users here, I have very minimal hearing loss at subclinical levels that does not have any effect on my ability to detect faint sound at great distance or in background noise. My T is not a conventional noise-induced sound either (one pitch, hiss, or tone) - the sounds I hear are split evenly down the center of my head, with my left ear having the classic high pitched ring, and my right ear having an indescribable airy, metallic whistle that can't pick a freaking tone. It changes between 2 or 3 different pitches constantly.

The most baffling things about my T are A. how severe it is for my apparent level of hearing loss and B. how it changes in reaction to the slightest stimuli. The left side's ringing pitch changes dramatically when I move my neck in any direction, EVEN SLIGHTLY, but the right side's whistle doesn't change at all. It's unilaterally somatic.

The right side's airy whistle changes dramatically with increasing blood/air pressure in my head and ears. The Valsalva maneuver, blowing my nose, altitude changes, or simply even hanging upside down (which only changes the amount of bloodflow to my head) drastically and immediately reduce the volume of the noise, reducing it from 3 tones to a single tone and decreasing the volume to about 20% of its normal levels.

Additionally, my hearing seems to bizarrely improve a little when I'm surrounded by background noise, and I struggle slightly to hear in silence. Silence is, to me, physically deafening. My head feels like it's in an electrified vice when things are quiet, and my left ear hurts all the time.

I can't seem to get the attention of any very good audiologists/otoneurologists/head, neck, or ear specialists; despite telling them my long story of jaw, neck, eye, and shoulder problems, I just can't seem to get the top of the line doctors' attention! Every single test I've had comes back great. I'm thoroughly convinced that there's something I missed - because for a few years before this, I did have T - but it was one tone in both ears, and quiet enough to tune out. It seems like it's been getting worse gradually with no additional damage.

Is it true that multi-tonal, painful, highly reactive T can just suddenly appear BY ITSELF with no underlying pathology, or did I miss something?

 

[The Red Viper]

There's gotta be a pathology. They just don't know what it is yet.

 

[mary oj]

Hello @Vaba,

Thank you so much for your post. This has been the closest description to my T situation too. I can see that yours is progressive, has it been getting louder since this is an old post?
Mine stem from TMD too I guess and I might be able to tolerate it if it stays at the same level it is right now... but it would affect my mental health badly if it gets louder considering I'm having a feeling of numbness/light-headedness and neck and headache all the time too.

Thanks in advance and hope you are getting better by day.

Honestly, at this point in my adventure with T, I really just want to know why, specifically, I have it.

As is the case with a few other users here, I have very minimal hearing loss at subclinical levels that does not have any effect on my ability to detect faint sound at great distance or in background noise. My T is not a conventional noise-induced sound either (one pitch, hiss, or tone) - the sounds I hear are split evenly down the center of my head, with my left ear having the classic high pitched ring, and my right ear having an indescribable airy, metallic whistle that can't pick a freaking tone. It changes between 2 or 3 different pitches constantly.

The most baffling things about my T are A. how severe it is for my apparent level of hearing loss and B. how it changes in reaction to the slightest stimuli. The left side's ringing pitch changes dramatically when I move my neck in any direction, EVEN SLIGHTLY, but the right side's whistle doesn't change at all. It's unilaterally somatic.

The right side's airy whistle changes dramatically with increasing blood/air pressure in my head and ears. The Valsalva maneuver, blowing my nose, altitude changes, or simply even hanging upside down (which only changes the amount of bloodflow to my head) drastically and immediately reduce the volume of the noise, reducing it from 3 tones to a single tone and decreasing the volume to about 20% of its normal levels.

Additionally, my hearing seems to bizarrely improve a little when I'm surrounded by background noise, and I struggle slightly to hear in silence. Silence is, to me, physically deafening. My head feels like it's in an electrified vice when things are quiet, and my left ear hurts all the time.

I can't seem to get the attention of any very good audiologists/otoneurologists/head, neck, or ear specialists; despite telling them my long story of jaw, neck, eye, and shoulder problems, I just can't seem to get the top of the line doctors' attention! Every single test I've had comes back great. I'm thoroughly convinced that there's something I missed - because for a few years before this, I did have T - but it was one tone in both ears, and quiet enough to tune out. It seems like it's been getting worse gradually with no additional damage.

Is it true that multi-tonal, painful, highly reactive T can just suddenly appear BY ITSELF with no underlying pathology, or did I miss something?