Tinnitus, muffled hearing and pain
Posted , 4 users are following.
I've been having some problems with my hearing lately, and don't really know who to turn to about this. A bit of background, Im a twenty year old male student who has a history of anxiety, and everyone I talk to about this, including the GP says its down to that. The hearing problems I've had have been getting so bad that theyre all I can think and I've been really depressed as a consequence. Music is my passion ever since I was young and the thought of going deaf makes me incredibly low. I spend a lot of my time involved in music: I'm in a band, DJing and produce a lot of my own music
The problems started at around Christmas time when I was producing a new song, which involved spending many hours in front of speakers tweaking and changing things repeatitively over days. I've been doing this for around a year now and never had any problems before. The volume itself was never uncomfortably loud, and I could easily talk to someone sat next to me but I'm starting to expect that the extended exposure has caused some problems.
It started with tinnitus, which I had had before. From my own experience the best way to deal with it from before was to try and ignore it, so that is what I did. However the tinnitus got worse whenever I would listen to music (never through headphones) and I would get a sensation of fullness in my ears and muffled hearing accompanied with an extreme sensitivity to noise. After this had lasted for about a week and a half I decided to go the GP about it who told me it was probably viral and would go away on its own
Whilst admittedly it did get a bit better over the course of about 3 months, mainly from taking it incredibly easy in terms of noise exposure (earplugs whenever i felt they were necessary) whenever I would start to make music again the fullness, tinnitus and pain would come back. I've also noticed that whenver background noise is high I find it hard to hear detail in things (for example in the supermarket, or on a busy street Ill find the sound of cars quieter than usual or not hear my footsteps etc almost if what Im hearing is being blended) Right now it is at an all time high and I really don't know what to do about it. The tinnitus is louder and I find it very hard to tolerate noise, my ears are really full and whenever I blow into them i get a loud squeak.
I had a hearing test last week at an opticians (odd i know) but was told my hearing was fine and not to worry about it, but I've been reading a lot about hidden hearing loss that is extremely common in people my situation and think I may try and see an audiologisst about it. As someone who has suffered from depression in the past music was always my escape and something that managed to keep my mind occupied, the thought of having to give it up makes me incredibly low, but equally what im experiencing right now is making me very depressed.
0 likes, 6 replies
tom88274
Posted
pistal666 tom88274
Posted
Hello Mate, sounds like your feed up, I know how you feel. It could be a number of different things. The good news is you had a good hearing test. I hope you are ok me asking questions
Does it feel like you have a fluid in the Ear, or when it's sensative, sound like you kinda under water or really distorted flat bass? Does it hurt when you swallow (from jus behind the Ear lobe, down the side of your Neck)? Do you wear earplugs or Headphones often? Do you remember when you first noticed they were painful? Was it a stabbing pain or a ache? Have you noticed any discharge? Do you keep hydrated with plenty of water? With your depression, how much does it bother you? Are you seeing anyone for it? Sorry about all the questions, just wondering what you got.
tom88274
Posted
Thank you so much for the reply, even just seeing someone getting back to me has made me feel better!
I feel like although the hearing test was good, the woman who did it was a bit off with me as she said I was too young to be having a hearing test! She then told me to "concentrate harder" when i didnt press a button but then again the people outside the room were a little noisy
It doesnt really feel like fluid, just a dull sort of ache thats mainly in my right ear, ive also noticed that sound is a little quieter in my right ear than in my left from when i rub my finger of my tragus on both ears in succession. The pain is not too bad but can be sometimes, its more of an ache than a pain and can sometimes switch between my eight ear to my left on certain days which is really odd
Ive used headphones maybe once or twice since this all had started maybe for 10 minutes a time, ive definitely tried to avoid them since ive been having problems. I think the worst pain was after listneing to music through headphones quite loud 3 months ago when this all started
I haveto admit my diet is pretty poor and I dont drink that much water during the day but I do drink quite a lot of tea and green tea every now and then
The depression fluctuates ansd seems to come in waves, sometimes its bad and then will go for months on end until something else triggers it, I have mentined it to doctors before but never have been ggiven antidepressants. However, after episodes of panic attacks about two weeks ago the doctor prescribed me beta blockers and suggested that anti depresseants maybe suitable if the anxiety was still a problem. The anxiety has subsided a bit but I can feel it come right back whenever my ears get bad after making music etc
tom88274
Posted
teresa97191 tom88274
Posted
Hi. I'm so sorry you have been going through such a difficult time with your ears. I can totally relate. I've been struggling with the same sort of thing for the past year.
In February of 2016 I decided to go to a night club as a one off to celebrate a new job. The music was very loud and I left there with tinnitus which sounded like a million crickets and my hearing was muffled. This lasted for about two days and then everything went back to normal or so I thought. A couple of weeks after the insult I noticed my ears suddenly began feeling full. Then I noticed a slight ringing in my ears. Since then the fullness and ringing have continued. I have also had other odd symptoms including hyperacusis. I had my hearing tested two months after the insult to my ears and it was within the normal range. I had it tested 6 months later and I had some hearing loss in my right ear although my hearing was still within the normal range. I have seen several ENT doctors and none of them have been able to give me any answers. What I have concluded is that the noise probably damaged my inner ear or hearing nerve. Unfortunately there seem to be no tests that can provide a definite and immediate diagnosis hence the anxiety of not knowing continues to date.I just have to repeat my hearing tests every 6 months and only time will tell what damage I've caused to my hearing. I certainly know noise is the culprit in my case. In your case I would suggest that you certainly protect your ears from loud noise as I'm living proof that even one night of loud noise can damage your hearing permanently. You may want to consider looking into whether any side of effects of your medications may be causing your hearing issues. It certainly would be a good idea to go to an ENT or audiologist so they can test your hearing regularly to determine if there are any changes. From what I've read diet can help lessen tinnitus. Usually what's recommended is a low sodium and sugar diet. I have also been taking lots of vitamins as I've heard that vitamin difficency can sometimes cause or aggregate tinnitus. I take a vitamin specifically geared to inner ear health along with fish oils and lots of other stuff. At this point I'm pretty much desperate and trying anything I can to help stop my hearing loss and prevent my tinnitus from worsening. Like you this has caused me to fall into depression as the thought of possible deafness is unbearable. It feels like no one really can understand what it's like to go through something like this. I personally don't know anyone who has. I have good and bad days. What I try to do is to focus on all my blessings and the positive things in my life. Praying helps to calm and comfort me and reminds me that with Jesus I can get through anything. Also warning others about the dangers of loud noise also helps. To be honest with you I never had even heard of tinnitus. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that one night out would have changed the course of my life the way it has. You are not alone and if I can help you in anyway I would be happy to.
teresa97191 tom88274
Posted
In relation to your family history of hearing loss please Note that if you ever experience sudden hearing loss that's considered an emergency and you should go to an ENT immediately. There are treatments they can administer but from what I've read these are most effective if administered immediately.