I know it's been quite a while since my last response and, unfortunately, I wish I had better news.
I have had no luck with the TMJ therapists.
I started seeing another dr who is AMAZINGLY thorough. He's really been fantastic. He refuses to see reports. He wants to see all the film himself. He ordered a special high-frequency audio test as well as an MRI of my brain/skull area to look at my ear.
He looked at both my CAT scan and the MRI and said that the good news is that I don't have anything life-threatening. The high-frequency test showed that my left ear (the problem ear) was stronger in the high frequencies but is about 10db lower than the right in the low/mid-range frequencies.
The tech said it absolutely isn't noise-induced hearing loss.
This dr. still doesn't seem to know what it is.
He performed a myringotomy a day and a half ago. The pressure definitely seems to have subsided but the ringing is still there...and I haven't gained back any of my hearing. He said that could be instantaneous or it could take several days...or never...depending. If it gets better, than we know it was a malfunctioning eustacian tube. He doesn't seem to believe in TMJ being a factor.
However, I'm feeling quite hopeless these days. I cried a lot last night. This is affecting not only my work but my personal life. My hearing was/is attached to all of my passions and my core as a human being. I'm absolutely miserable and I feel like this is never going to be fixed. It's so frustrating to constantly feel like nothing is ever going to change...or help.
I guess I half expected the pop that I felt when he opened up my ear to miraculously change everything.
Obviously it hasn't.
