I've not been able to discuss my T with anyone and am looking to hopefully speak to people who could in theory help. I've had T since April. It started off with the same ringing tone in the left ear. It's gotten louder over the past few months. My right ear also has a hiss to it but is bearable. I was told I had mucus behind the ear drum and used a nasal spray for 3 months, this didn't help. I finally had an ENT appointment over the weekend, hearing was fine which I knew. Other than that he said my ears look fine, no mucus and here's a leaflet, deal with it.
My ears tend to itch a fair bit, they pop at random times, like swallowing and itching when eating sometimes.
More recently I get this fuzzy sound which is like it comes from all over my head. I don't have a pattern for this, it first happened when I was run down and had a cold. When I move my head or yawn the fuzziness changes pitch but the constant noise in my left ear never changes.
I don't understand my T at all, not sure what started it. I've not yet tried anything other than the nasal spray. I was waiting to speak to the ENT but he was so numb and unhelpful it was ridiculous, a waste of time.
I've recently realised I grind and clench my teeth at night so I'm also going to look into this, my jaw has also always clicked and I frequently get headaches. I'm hoping someone can guide me or advise me on what to do/try next.
I don't understand all of the different types of T, like somatic etc.
I don't smoke or drink, have a pretty stress free job, exercise plenty.
Thank you for listening
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JennoB
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I've known for decades that popping of the ear can be down to mucus in the Eustachian tube, blocking it. I'm a great mucus producer, or at least used to be. To deal with it, I've had to cut down on my beloved cheese. But it's done the trick. No more mucus problem.
Itchy ear - that's a Johnson cotton bud dipped in cold water. Ideally from a cup of water with an ice cube floating in it. If you think I put chemical treatments to the back of the queue to try practical solutions first, you'd be right.
Would you get a second opinion? I was told there wasn't any mucus recently. I do like my cheese that's for sure. It's difficult to know who to speak to and what to do next!
Why a second opinion? Cheese produces mucus. It's not a controversial thing. I'm not saying eliminate cheese. Just cut down on it. We probably need mucus, just not too much of it.
Because I was told I had it and it was visible in both ears, to then be told I don't have it by someone who didn't seem to care in the first place. He was reluctant to help
I wouldn't assume that excessive mucus is for you a chronic condition. I would say it comes and goes for most. If there's too much of it every now and then it can be detected. It comes from what we eat. Too much cheese at one sitting perhaps...
Grinding teeth and clenching them at night can be a sign of TMJ in some folks, and that's something which initially can be investigated by a dentist, who can advise on whether bruxism is a problem and potentially take a cast for a mouth guard, if that's felt to be a good option to treat this part of the difficulties which are being had.
ENT are often the first port of call for a lot of people and its arguable how relevant they are to a lot of people with tinnitus - there are limited underlying conditions causing tinnitus which an ENT skillset will address, so perhaps the answer is to change the expectation that someone with tinnitus has to see an ENT before they see audiology, audio-vestibular (balance difficulties originating in the inner ear) or physiotherapy, who can be helpful with causes of tinnitus which are related to muscular pain or dysfunction.
Thanks for the reply. I will contact my dentist and go from there. I have suffered from neck pain in the past, again I'm never sure who to reach out to to get the best advice and help with it all
As an addendum, Jenno, you may also want to think about physiotherapy with neck issues. That's discussed in this TMJ guide on our website - tinnitus.org.uk/understandi... - but it may also be worth looking at Sarah Michiels talking about TMJ and physiotherapy treatment on YouTube as she's spent a large part of her professional career supporting patients with it:
Oh, also, in theory can the ringing increase in sound maybe due to more ear wax build-up, I had them cleaned out around April-May time but I am prone to getting wax build-up.
My T started in April too, following warring head phones and then Covid
I have had a similar experience to you and the fact that professionals are so unhelpful doesn’t support or help. I’m trying to get nhs hearing aids to give them a try to ease me T.
Hi,I have exactly the same as you apart from it's in my right ear and don't get headaches, mucus entered my ear tubes on a plane while I had a cold,NHS have drawn a line under it saying they don't know,this was 7 years ago I've just learnt to live with it which was hard as first but now don't take any notice,best thing for me is the otovent which is a balloon you blow up with your nose,it gives some relief. Hope yours gets better soon
Sorry you're suffering this. It can be a nightmare when it's so frequent. Mine comes and goes and it took a lot of fight to get me to the right place. Audiology is definitely your best answer - as well as dentist - because they can do a range of test. Unfortunately, there's not much of a solution, other than masking if it's a certain pitch. They can come on with migraines too, which could explain your neck pain, which would be analysed by audiology. Sometimes, migraines aren't always as they're expected to present.
I have to say, my tinnitus improved after getting b12 shots, though everyone is different. A lot of things improved for me after this actually, but I do still get T just not as often.
Hope you find comfort and support here. The journey can feel quite lonely sometimes.
Thanks for the reply. Yes it has been very frustrating and I have had some very low days. It's more so the frustration about what is causing/caused it and who to speak to about it. Trying to chalk things off as I go. I was holding out for the ENT appointment and maybe being told yes it is a mucus problem, at least it was a first step. They were just so useless. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow so hopefully that will also rule a few things out. That's great yours has improved. At this stage I hope mine will reduce just slightly but it is noticeably louder and I have no idea why!!
Yeah, it's really hard. And so destabilizing because what can you really do when a loud noise is buzzing at you all day?!
I actually got referred to audiology through ENT, but I have to say my experience with ENT was much the same. Told to come back when I had an infection, because i kept getting ear infections, except of course you can't get an appointment for months, so it didn't really work.
It takes a lot of luck to come across the right person. Luckily for me I saw a surgeon in ENT who referred me to audiology and helped in diagnosing something else. But it really felt like potluck that I came across him because the first ENT would have sent me away.
I'm convinced I have eustachian dysfunction but never had a confirmation of that. For me, for the most part, I have one dodgy ear.
You can ask your GP for a referral to audiology, it doesn't have to go through ENT.
Hi JennoB - glad to see you’ve had so many supportive sounding & practical pieces of advice. I have chronic tinnitus which I have broadly habituated to, yet still impacts my life and some days can feel more of a challenge than others.
I also had TMJ disorder for several months during the pandemic. My dentist was v helpful ‘n well informed. I still definitely jaw clench somewhat & teeth grind a tad (!), yet I know that this, with me, is a kind of automatic tension/stress reaction and part of the anxiety prone side of me! For me, I have to say, a prolonged period of stress, a few years ago, seemed to spark the tinnitus ‘n other possibly related symptoms. Thankfully no recurrence of TMJ disorder as yet …
All the best for your upcoming dental appointment and going forwards. This Forum seems, from my experience, such a great source of support & advice - & it’s so great to get the input from Tinnitus UK too - so v helpful & timely responses. Vee cat.
I completely get how frustrating this can be, especially when you feel like you're not getting the answers you need from specialists. It sounds like you’ve been dealing with a lot of different symptoms—not just the tinnitus, but also the jaw issues, which could be related. If you grind your teeth or have jaw problems (like TMJ), it’s possible this could be contributing to your tinnitus. I’d definitely look into getting a mouthguard or seeing a dentist who specializes in TMJ disorders, as some people have found relief when addressing jaw-related issues.
In terms of tinnitus types, somatic tinnitus can sometimes be influenced by movements like yawning, clenching your teeth, or changing head position—kind of sounds like what you’ve described. It might be worth exploring sound therapies or even customized music therapy, which some people find helpful for managing their symptoms. These therapies focus on reducing the perception of tinnitus by training the brain to focus on different sounds.
Has anyone here tried sound therapy for their tinnitus, especially if it’s influenced by head/jaw movements? I’ve heard some interesting success stories about it helping people regain some control."
If you’re looking for something to try alongside other treatments, I’ve found this tinnitus music therapy resource to be quite helpful.
Morning, thank you for your reply and for the therapy music, an hour into the day and this had helped a lot! It's very calming and all round just really relaxing and takes my mind off it allowing me to work in a quiet room.
I'm in the process of getting a night guard and doing jaw exercises.
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