tinnitus gets worse when I eat or drink 🤔

[Lakeshiker]

hi, just wondering if anyone else has this problem? When I eat and drink my tinnitus seems to get worse and I get ear pain. I have reactive tinnitus and my ears feel blocked. I’ve been clenching my teeth a lot as my tinnitus is so loud. Just wondering if it’s TmJ issue or blocked ET 🤔

[Sassyjax1]

Hello. Your dentist can check for TMJ. They can also tell if you’ve been grinding your teeth at night, etc. They can fit bite guards. There’s often exercises that can be given for TMJ. Sadly, they didn’t help mine.

[Lakeshiker in reply to Sassyjax1]

I have a mouth guard but I don’t think it helps. The dentist didn’t really say if he thought I had TMJ or not, just said try a mouth guard. The exercises don’t seem to do much either so I know what you mean. I’m seeing a chiropractor tomorrow so I’m hoping he can say whether or not I have TMJ and if I have can help me. The pain is getting unbearable 😢

[Sassyjax1 in reply to Lakeshiker]

Ask to see a Maxillo facial surgeon at your local hospital. I waited 5 months to be seen. They did an X-ray & found I had TMJ that was caused by an operation I had on my spine some months earlier. (You are positioned face down for spine ops & it causes huge pressure on the head/face/jaw/neck). My T started after the ops & is worsened by jaw and neck movements. No hearing loss. The Maxillo facial surgeon said sometimes TMJ resolves on its own. I have had it 2 years & it hasn’t improved. I just can’t habituate to the T sadly. Will just keep going. I think it’s worth you getting a referral. It may give you some answers.

[Lakeshiker in reply to Sassyjax1]

Yes my doctor has already sent a referral to the hospital but I think it’s a long waiting time. My T started 4 weeks after falling on a mountain hike. I’ve had it nearly 2 years now and has gets worse all the time. Normal T to start with and I was habituating well but then for some reason it started to become reactive to sounds, at first the odd sound like water, driving but now it’s reactive to everything. Then November last year I sorted getting pain in my ears, not all the time, just a few hours here and there but again now I have constant pain. I’ve got a new referral to ENT and one for TMJ and hopefully I’ll get an appointment soon. If not I’ll be finding the money to go private. I went to a chiropractor today but I do worry that messing around to much with these treatments just makes it worse. I pray it doesnt. My T is loud, well I think it’s loud. I can hear it 24/7 over everything but you can’t know for sure as you can’t hear anyone else’s to measure the loudness haha. I hope i habituate at some point. I read a book called A Roaring Silence, Or, How to Stop Worrying and Learn how to Cope with Tinnitus and it made a laugh and gave me hope I’ll habituate naturally at some point.

[Sassyjax1 in reply to Lakeshiker]

Oh I really do understand where you are coming from. My T came on overnight a week after my op. I told the neuro surgeon I thought it was my jaw as I noticed the issues with that the night of the surgery. I also had 2 brain fluid leaks she caused that can bring on T. She literally laughed in my face saying she’s never heard of jaw or neck issues causing T. My T has got worse and changes sound. That’s why I don’t habituate. I have friends who have T who don’t hear it until they get ill or go on certain meds. Mine just likes to mess with my head. I’ve started talking to it like it’s one of my children. 😂. Bear in mind that ENT’s are surgeons and if they can’t find a physical cause for T, they will refer you on to audiology. All 3 audiologists I saw had T themselves. It’s quite a common thing apparently. Just wish I could have a moments respite!