Isobelj

Jamie, I have had such similar symptoms to yours,it was my ears, not jaw pain or headpains or aches which drove me initially to the ENT who did an endoscopy of my inner ears and said my ears (inside only, the outer ear looks and is perfectly normal) are very inflamed but the cause is not in the ear but the jaw joint which is pressing on the middle ear. In short, he said I have TMJ. One thing, has anybody done an endoscopy on your ears to check for inflammation, I think it must be there or you wouldn't have this vibration, rumbling, sensitivity to noise and so on?

Anyway, I believe I do have TMJ, and the cause is bad dentistry done some monthsago which left me biting on one side and with an irregular bite. I also grind and clench a lot. But, I also am starting to think I have a separate but linked ear problem, perhaps started by exposure to loud noise (for me the rumbling started after hearing very loud noise for hours), and that the two, the probably increasing joint stress in these months and then this noise, plus my being stressed and tense rather a lot all fed into eachother and gave me something evolved enough to be called TMJ, plus somekind of ear strain, swelling. I read hbep's description of myoclonus below, it really sounds like what I do have. Possibly you too? I dont really understand how/why that starts though.

Anyway, I saw a maxillo facial surgeon on Wednesday (to refit a new nightguard which I couldn't wear because it was too tigh and uneven), and he said (he is a surgeon who operates on bad TMJ cases and so he sees a lot of tmj folks) my ear issues sound as if I have a separate ear problem maybe overlooked to him and relatively few of his patients have ear sensitivity to such an extent. (I also now don't have any jaw pain or head pain, though I did somewhat for a few weeks, it developed after I first saw the ENT). I did tell him that on a net group I joined (here!) a large percentage have ear problems too, but I want to see someone to check out my ears better also. (Though still, that drs and dentist are not more aware that a TMJ can, it seems clear from this board, be strongly symptomised by ear sensitivity seems strange to me.) The first ENT I saw was pretty useless really.

A good thing, my ears have got better recently, perhaps because I relaxed a bit and that was all it needed, I still can't stand loud music, or car engines and noise triggers spasms and shaking down my face (these start off the ear noises, rumbling and humming), but the constant rumbling in them is sometimes not there now for hours at a time(this happened in the last 8 days or so, and is an odd feeling in itself, as if an insular barrier is gone). I had that rumbling non stop for 7 weeks and right now I can hear a vibration like a distant car engine. I sympathize with you so much, you can't go to see films, bear music, go to parties, I am sure you are not fine as your dr said and for a dr to say that to someone suffering is so irresponsible and cruel, grrrr.

Good luck in finding out what is wrong and I hope you feel better soon.

hugs, Isobel

[This message has been edited by Isobelj (edited 09-19-2003).]