Does anyone here have tinnitus or periodic hearing loss in the months following your concussion? Like hearing going in and out for a second, loud ringing for a couple seconds or feeling of fullness in one ear?

My doctors are unclear whether or not I got a concussion or not, but right after my fall (fell on back and neck pretty hard) I had vibrating sensation in my head that night that kept me awake, and lots of dizziness and nausea the next day. It's gotten worse: head pressure, pressure between ears, headaches, depression, anxiety, lethargy, nausea, extreme sensitivity to sound.

I've never gotten vertigo, but this ear stuff bothers me because I'm afraid of Meniere's. Does anyone else have some ear/hearing issues after your concussion?

Thank you so much.

welcome, clarabelle -
Glad that you found your way to this forum. There are lots of knowledgeable, highly intelligent and heartful, well-experienced persons who are very generous with their time and quality of information shared.

Would you share a bit more about the what/where/when/how of your fall? A ballpark range of your age? Any former head/neck trauma?
What type of doctors have you seen? Area of the country/world in which you live? This info is helpful for forum community members to be able to address your particular concerns and suggestions for perhaps someone good to see/consult in the area/region where you live.

I think you'll find lots of ear/hearing concerns in the postings herein.
Here is a thread with which you might want to start:"Hearing problems / Tinnitus / Sound sensitivity. You can type it into "search" found at top of these pages.

I, as many others here, have experienced the ear concerns you mention. (Have I gotten any help from my drs. for any of that? No.)
You'll find *lots* of helpful suggestions on these postings, e.g. ear plugs to buffer the over-sensitivity to sound, use of a fan or white-noise when you sleep at night, and more.

Glad that you found this forum. It's the best resource and support I've found in over 18 months since my mTBI/closed head injury/PCS. Keep posting, clarabelle! Welcome. Sincerely, Theta Z.

I have had everything that you have mentioned. The sudden short term silence is weird. Since it never lasts, I have not paid much attention to it. My tinnitus gets loud after I have had something to drink. Cold or room temp does not make a difference.

I even know the pitch of my tinnitus. It is between C6# and D6 on a piano.

Have you been checked out at a hearing and balance clinic?

As Theta said, what diagnostics and treatment have you had?

You doctors' vagueness is to be expected. Most doctors have very limited acceptance of concussion as a diagnosis if you did not lose consciousness or have some sort of altered consciousness.

What were your symptoms immediately after the impact and what symptoms developed over the next few days ?

Well, basically I can tell you this. As a kid and as a young adult, I
ve taken many spills...but as far as I know, I haven't ever had a concussion. (As far as I know...) On February 19th of this year, I went outside with my iPod on a cold night and the driveway was pure ice. In a moment, I went down hard on my back. I don't remember hitting my head at all and I really don't think i did. I laid there a momentand slowly got back up. Didn't think much of it and went for a walk. A couple hours later my whole body began to ache. I took a half a pill of my usual sleeping pills and tried to sleep...but noticed this really weird sensation in my head.

This is important. This is the sensation that NO doctor I've seen can really help me out with. When I put my head all the way back to sleep, and get really quiet and comfortable, swoosh...there it comes and goes. Doesn
t hurt. Doesn't "jolt" me awake...it's also *not* the same thing as when you're dreaming of falling and you suddenly wake up. I can't desribe it. But it only happens when my eyes are closed and I'm laying down, maybe every minute or so.

Basically, I went to my mom's the next day and the same thing happened when I tried to sleep the next night. I was so exhausted and my sleeping pills were at my apartment so it was day 2 without sleep. I finally dozed off for a few hours but when I awoke, had this dizziness that I'd never felt before. It wasn't vertigo but very unsettling. They told me it was a post-concussion at the e.r. and gave me Antivert. It calmed some dizziness down but did not put me to sleep or calm down that sensation in my head that I have laying back with eyes closed.

Took Ambien that night and couldn't feel the strange sensation. So this was good. But dizziness persisted, along with a pressure growing all around my head and nausea.

After a few days of hell, started to feel better. Still had an MRI scheduled so got that done. Came back negative. So did CT scan. Blood work fine.

At Day 10, felt almost totally better. Then I went for a really long walk with my iPod at kind of loud level and BAM! Dizziness and nausea back.

The next 2 months things just slowly got worse and I was able to do less and less. Was feeling more depressed, more isolated, couldn't go out and socialize because of dizziness and noise sensitivity. Hearing glasses clinking would make me miserable, so you can imagine how it was in public. I went to a chiropractor who didn't adjustments on my spine and then used a vibration thing on my head. Things got worse after that, started getting headaches that Advil wouldn't relieve. I tried to go up to Vermont but when we reached the mountains the pressure became too much and my ears felt like popping every second. Head pressure was crazy.

Headaches got worse and more frequent, dizziness never let up. Sounds would almost vibrate in the center of my head. My eyes always felt strained and would contribute to dizziness. Couldn't even stand watching TV.

The worst of it came when I went to the e.r. and they gave me Compazine. My neck and jaw seized up to the point where I could hear my jaw bones crunching and a whole team of doctors and nurses came in and held me down, giving me oxygen and Benadryl. It was terrifying and I felt really, really dizzy and nauseous for 2 days after that. That was April 18th.

From then on, anxiety and depression worsened. Was in my room all day pacing, because I couldn't really go out in car, see people, shop for myself, entertain myself (no music, television or reading) and I kind of stopped eating meals.

I should mention that most doctors think it's post-concussion sydrome, even though I didn't hit my head. The neurologists were unhelpful. I went to an ENT who did some hearing tests. They came back ok and so did the tests they do to see if there's fluid in your middle or inner ear. ENT reffered me to a neurootologist who was equally as unhelpful and told me to go back to the neurologist. Went to a new neurologist wqho said I had atypical migraines.

Around May 1st, tried Amytrpitaline and hated it. Tinnitus was happening more frequently, like every other day hearing some ringing in either ear for about a minute. I was a wreck...taking Ativan helped calm me a little but overall, not much help. Felt really deperate. Also, my asthma got worse after I'd eaten some horrible foods for 2 days with really bad heartburn. The heartburn didn't go away for over a week and breathing got worse with it. Started to feel like my throat was closing up. Now i have an Upper G.I. scheduled to see if the acid has affected my esophogus at all.

I've only been eating applesauce, carrots and a couple pieces of chicken every day. The acid reflux/throat feeling is better, but breathing is not. Last night I tried sleeping without pills and still felt that feeling my head. Plus, a new sensation. As I was drifting I jolted up gasping for air, and that happened a couple times. I was so freaked out that I stayed up for a few more hours and finally, exhausted, took a sleeping pill and fell asleep and slept most of the day.

So that's where I'm at at this point. I should point out that despitesome newer symptoms, I was able to walk around a lot this week and went grocery shopping. I drove my car. I took a couple walks around my neighborhood and even listened to some light music and watched some movies. Low volume. So that's good.

On Friday, I did have a fullness in my right ear. Just felt plugged up, but I could hear things kind of ok. It went away within a couple hours. Have felt some tinnitus and when I was really tired last night, the sound went out a couple times really quickly in my left ear.

I'm so glad to see folks posting about this.

Problems with my ears remain one of my biggest PCS problems. I have ringing, sharp stabbing pain and periodic deafness. My deafness usually lasts for a few seconds at a time several times a day. However, I have experienced deafness that has lasted up to a week. Thankfully, it has never struck both ears at the same time.

My doctors have done nothing for this problem. (Yes, I know you're all shocked. lol) They just told me that I have to "get used to it." The only explanation I was ever offered is that my auditory nerves were probably damaged by the whiplash that caused my concussion. Most doctors have looked at me like they thought I was making it up.

Cheers

Try to get your hands on a copy of the book Brainlash by Gail Denton. She also suffered a brain injury from an accident that did not not actually cause a blow to her head. There is some great stuff about accupressure and facial massage in there that is really helping my daughter with the eye strain.

The ear stuff must be maddening. I'm sorry you guys can't find any solutions for that

Hockey,

What was your incident like? How long have you had it? Have they ever tried telling you it's Meneire's Disease?

My ear problems have got progressively worse. I am sensitive to sound, I have tinnitus and have experienced the 'full' or 'plugged' sensation you've had. I wish it would improve, but I'm not expecting to ever have hearing like I used to.

[ Well, darn, Darlin' clarabelle ---I'd keyed an encouraging reply/post to you here --- but, as I am away from home-base staying overnight with TBI Support family-friends --- I'm writing on a #!+%$#@ PC/WindowsVista laptop (as a 'guest') and not on my beloved little MacApple ---> and this darn thing just totally 'dropped' me from being 'active online' on the TBI/PCS Forum and thus "all was lost" due to "You are no longer signed in. Please log on and start anew" --- (to that effect). I'll try to manage a better and again more thoughtful reply than this to you tomorrow, Darlin.
Meanwhile, please be good and gentle, caring, compassionate, better relaxed than worried, if possible, and true to your well being.

Love,
Theta

Thanks, Theta!