Al4
07-29-2003, 08:59 PM
What was the nature of your tennitus you had before your successful splint therapy? Was it constant throughout the day, or did it vary a lot? Did you have quiet moments and high moments, and what caused the changes in loudness? Any detailed info you can give may help me compare the nature of tennitus in TMJ vs inner ear. I have a murky situation where doctors cannot agree whether my tinnitus is inner-ear related (I have hearing loss in one ear) or TMJ-related (have TMJ symptoms)? Therefore it makes it very tough to decide on priorities where to spend $$$$$$ for treatment (TMJ, tennitus habituation therapies, etc.). I learn much more from you all than from all the doctors combined. Thanks. Alex
[This message has been edited by Al4 (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Al4 (edited 07-30-2003).]
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Anastasia
07-29-2003, 09:13 PM
hi al4
sorry to hear you have tenn. it sux. mine is fairly constant, like a very low rumbling niose but it can excellerate to a high pitched squeal, usually when i go to sleep. i also have signifiacnt ear pain, i hope you don't have that too.
i do have other problems that could be causing my tennitus, my neck is all bent out of shape and could be impacting my e-tubes. i'm curious to see all of the other replies to this post. i 'd hate to see you put out alot of money for the wrong treatment.
best of luck
Anastasia
sorry to hear you have tenn. it sux. mine is fairly constant, like a very low rumbling niose but it can excellerate to a high pitched squeal, usually when i go to sleep. i also have signifiacnt ear pain, i hope you don't have that too.
i do have other problems that could be causing my tennitus, my neck is all bent out of shape and could be impacting my e-tubes. i'm curious to see all of the other replies to this post. i 'd hate to see you put out alot of money for the wrong treatment.
best of luck
Anastasia
Cymy Sue
07-30-2003, 06:29 AM
Hi Al,
My Tinnitus started about 3 years ago. At worst, it was like a Roaring Jet, a low frequency Chirping, and at best, a Hissing noise. It was constant in some form. I had all the tests and had no hearing problems or nerve damage to my ears. I have no idea why it started 23 years after I was diagnosed with TMJD, when many people have it to begin with.
I've had hearing tests over the years due to ear pain, Hyperacusis and a brief period (about a year) of Pulsatile Tinnitus. The Pulsing was caused by muscle spasms. I always had hearing that was off the charts and it would escalate to Hyperacusis after a surgery and take a long time to go back to my normal, hearing a pin drop a mile away.
The TRT did help me not go crazy and it did work for me. Before my splint therapy, I had been in the TRT for a year and I was becoming use to the noise. It did not bother me so bad. So I believe the theory on training the brain not to listen to the noise is a good one.
With the splint therapy, I no longer have the Jet nor the Chirp. I have a little Hissing noise on & off, but believe it will eventually go away.
My Tinnitus is completely (TMJD) muscle related. I was told that these are the cases that splint therapy can do the most for. I was told the TRT works for other types of Tinnitus in 80% of cases.
The Jastreboff Method is the one I used and do not in any way regret getting into this therapy. I believe I would have gone nuts without it.
Trying to get the correct diagnosis on "what" is causing the noise is so very hard. This makes it hard to know what to do.
The ENT, who checked my ears, did tests for the Tinnitus and referred me to his Resident Audiologist who does the TRT, told me it had nothing to do with the TMJD problems. He was about the 5th ENT who had told me this during a years time that I had searched for help for the T. Most ENT's don't have a clue how TMJD problems affect the ears. (I do not like this ENT, but the Audiologist in his office is the only one trained in my area in the Jastreboff Method, and she's great)
I was told by a Neurotologist right before my splint was ready, that if it was made to relax the muscles and worked, my Tinnitus would most likely completely go away. (I had been in the TRT program about a year and it had helped me deal with the noise better, but it had not gone away.)
I had seen this Neurotologist on & off over the years due to the Hyperacusis and other ear problems, and he had always said he believed all of my ear problems were caused by the TMJD. I didn't want to believe him, because I was under the false belief that nothing else could be done about the TMJD. I wanted him to fix my ears, especially after the "T" started and there was nothing "he" could fix. He was "right" about it all. He is the only Doctor in the Ear Specialist Field that has ever connected the ear problems to TMJD (for me) and can explain in detail how & why everything happens.
I don't know if this helps you. I think you have to at least, get an idea of what's causing the noise to know what to do.
One thing is for sure, most people with TMJD have ear problems and many have Tinnitus.
Also, from my personal experience, Tinnitus causes stress, stress causes muscles to tense and spasm and this causes the Tinnitus to be worse. It's a vicious cycle and I would think it's possible that a splint to relax muscles might help in some way break the cycle.
Take care and I hope you find the answers you're looking for,
Cymy Sue
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
My Tinnitus started about 3 years ago. At worst, it was like a Roaring Jet, a low frequency Chirping, and at best, a Hissing noise. It was constant in some form. I had all the tests and had no hearing problems or nerve damage to my ears. I have no idea why it started 23 years after I was diagnosed with TMJD, when many people have it to begin with.
I've had hearing tests over the years due to ear pain, Hyperacusis and a brief period (about a year) of Pulsatile Tinnitus. The Pulsing was caused by muscle spasms. I always had hearing that was off the charts and it would escalate to Hyperacusis after a surgery and take a long time to go back to my normal, hearing a pin drop a mile away.
The TRT did help me not go crazy and it did work for me. Before my splint therapy, I had been in the TRT for a year and I was becoming use to the noise. It did not bother me so bad. So I believe the theory on training the brain not to listen to the noise is a good one.
With the splint therapy, I no longer have the Jet nor the Chirp. I have a little Hissing noise on & off, but believe it will eventually go away.
My Tinnitus is completely (TMJD) muscle related. I was told that these are the cases that splint therapy can do the most for. I was told the TRT works for other types of Tinnitus in 80% of cases.
The Jastreboff Method is the one I used and do not in any way regret getting into this therapy. I believe I would have gone nuts without it.
Trying to get the correct diagnosis on "what" is causing the noise is so very hard. This makes it hard to know what to do.
The ENT, who checked my ears, did tests for the Tinnitus and referred me to his Resident Audiologist who does the TRT, told me it had nothing to do with the TMJD problems. He was about the 5th ENT who had told me this during a years time that I had searched for help for the T. Most ENT's don't have a clue how TMJD problems affect the ears. (I do not like this ENT, but the Audiologist in his office is the only one trained in my area in the Jastreboff Method, and she's great)
I was told by a Neurotologist right before my splint was ready, that if it was made to relax the muscles and worked, my Tinnitus would most likely completely go away. (I had been in the TRT program about a year and it had helped me deal with the noise better, but it had not gone away.)
I had seen this Neurotologist on & off over the years due to the Hyperacusis and other ear problems, and he had always said he believed all of my ear problems were caused by the TMJD. I didn't want to believe him, because I was under the false belief that nothing else could be done about the TMJD. I wanted him to fix my ears, especially after the "T" started and there was nothing "he" could fix. He was "right" about it all. He is the only Doctor in the Ear Specialist Field that has ever connected the ear problems to TMJD (for me) and can explain in detail how & why everything happens.
I don't know if this helps you. I think you have to at least, get an idea of what's causing the noise to know what to do.
One thing is for sure, most people with TMJD have ear problems and many have Tinnitus.
Also, from my personal experience, Tinnitus causes stress, stress causes muscles to tense and spasm and this causes the Tinnitus to be worse. It's a vicious cycle and I would think it's possible that a splint to relax muscles might help in some way break the cycle.
Take care and I hope you find the answers you're looking for,
Cymy Sue
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
[This message has been edited by Cymy Sue (edited 07-30-2003).]
Al4
07-30-2003, 01:22 PM
Thank you Cymy Sue and anastasia for your responses.
Cymy Sue:
My ear problems started after a DDS did my dental surgery over a year ago. I was given a medication that had ear and tennitus side effects. He insisted the problems were caused by TMJ that he could feel by palpation, not the medication. I disagreed since I did not have any TMJ symptoms (no pain, no joint noises). I felt he was deliberately trying to blame something else. He referred me to this TMJ doc that he knew. I initially hesitated going to him because of lack of any TMJ symptoms, but I finally ended up going for a visit to see what he had to say. In the visit he pulled and pushed my lower jaw so hard to one side until I started to get very sharp joint pain on that side and I had to ask him to stop. After the visit (the same day) I started hearing clicking on that side. That was the start of my TMJ symptoms. I was naïve to not know he should not force the lower jaw like that, and for not getting an opinion from a doc of my own choosing first. I can’t help but feel they had interest in deliberately confusing the situation by the addition of TMJ symptoms. Anyway, they may have succeeded in muddying the situation, since I now have both TMJ and probably nerve damage from the medication, and it is no longer easy to say what caused the ear problems. If I can determine from the nature of my tennitus that it is due to TMJ, I can prioritize treatment and reduce expenses. Otherwise, I will have to spend a lot more money on more TMJ treatment, and at the same time try some TRT or other treatments for the tinnitus and ear problems. No wonder I have a hard time trusting doctors now. Alex
[This message has been edited by Al4 (edited 07-30-2003).]
Cymy Sue:
My ear problems started after a DDS did my dental surgery over a year ago. I was given a medication that had ear and tennitus side effects. He insisted the problems were caused by TMJ that he could feel by palpation, not the medication. I disagreed since I did not have any TMJ symptoms (no pain, no joint noises). I felt he was deliberately trying to blame something else. He referred me to this TMJ doc that he knew. I initially hesitated going to him because of lack of any TMJ symptoms, but I finally ended up going for a visit to see what he had to say. In the visit he pulled and pushed my lower jaw so hard to one side until I started to get very sharp joint pain on that side and I had to ask him to stop. After the visit (the same day) I started hearing clicking on that side. That was the start of my TMJ symptoms. I was naïve to not know he should not force the lower jaw like that, and for not getting an opinion from a doc of my own choosing first. I can’t help but feel they had interest in deliberately confusing the situation by the addition of TMJ symptoms. Anyway, they may have succeeded in muddying the situation, since I now have both TMJ and probably nerve damage from the medication, and it is no longer easy to say what caused the ear problems. If I can determine from the nature of my tennitus that it is due to TMJ, I can prioritize treatment and reduce expenses. Otherwise, I will have to spend a lot more money on more TMJ treatment, and at the same time try some TRT or other treatments for the tinnitus and ear problems. No wonder I have a hard time trusting doctors now. Alex
[This message has been edited by Al4 (edited 07-30-2003).]