Suffers from the Terrible Tinnitus Noise

Hi I'm new here was told 4 weeks ago I have Tinnitus,.it started after my recent car accident with a Deer(buck) 10/31/2014. had some whiplash,mild head trauma and now the ringing in my ears 24/7 won't stop.....YIKES.....Im a total mess

 

T can come from many reasons. It may be the injury, of the stress/trauma from the accident, or whatever. Mine came out of the blue a few years back. The only thing I could think of was fixing a bad smoke alarm w/o earplugs a month before that, of a plane ride a week before that night when I woke up with super loud and ultra high pitch dog whistle T. It was an unbearable alien sensation. I had to sleep right by the shower on a foldable cot. Then as it wasn't bad enough, severe hyperacusis hit which turned all normal sounds glassy and piercingly hurtful to the senses. So many of us had been where you are. But over time and with some good advice here or with some treatments, many do recover to live a normal life. Read up the success stories to get some hope and some insights how to cope. The initial stage is the hardest phase of T. Give it time. If needed, get some masking going. Youtube has some tinnitus masking sounds (search it). If you have smart phone, there are free APPs to generate sound. On PC, I use 'aire freshener' as a free sound generator with many sounds to choose from. If you are too anxious or depressed, you may want to ask your doctor to give you some prescriptions for anxiety and depression, or even sleeping meds if you have trouble sleeping with the T. Take care & God bless.

 

Thanks for some great advice. I have been seeking and searching many ways to cope with T.....and yes I am in the early stages, and its been hell. While seeing my Family doctor and going to physical therapy for my injuries(from the accident) I was referred to an ENT I needed some help dealing with the 24/7 high pitch noise. I am taking anxiety meds helping for now and also listen to white noise to silence or cover up the high pitch dog whistle/ the sound of a fans/air conditioners//roars of ocean waves/ seem to work best for me. I am also going to see a psychologist, after being told there is no medical cure and I might have to live with it and deal with it well I personally need coping skills.Thanks again Take care

 

Great that you have some masking and meds to help you already. It is a good idea to get a psychologist to help you deal with the mental side of the battle with T. But it is also a wise step to read up all the success stories because in there you can learn how people deal with the anxiety and panic of having T and their eventual triumph over T. They may not be cured but they do habituate to it to live a normal life. Many are not aware of their T unless they try to listen for it. So in that sense, it is as good as T is not there. There are more serious case which may take more effort or time, but in general, if you calm down and be positive, if you get some treatment strategies which work for you, time will be on your side to help you get better over time. You may want to ask the doctors at the Doctor's Corner if you need their advice. Dr. Nagler is specialized on TRT and Dr. Hubbard on CBT. There is also Dr. Charlie who is a retired ENT. They all have suffered initially with their own tinnitus before. So they are both endowed with personal experiences as well as medical expertise. You can also post in the support forum for any questions you may want to ask the members at large. All the best to you.

 

Could your tinnitus be caused by airbags? There are a lot of cases where people have got hearing loss / tinnitus from how loud the airbag deployment is. It's as loud if not more than firing a gun inside your car.

 

Yes I was told the air bags and/ or the impact. The "Buck" (I call him Rudy lol) was in flight jumping over the middle media of the highway and landing head on in front of my car. I never saw what hit me , it was just like one BIG blur of brown fur/ Pow. It happened so fast and it was so dark at 5:30 am on my way to work on Halloween morning.My very first accident.

 

I hit a deer a few years back .It is a sureal experience I just sat there in my car stunned for 30 minnutes before I realized what I'd hit.Luckly was not hurt but it totaledt he front of my car.I hope your tinnitus is managable I've had mine since end August 2014 .I don't like meds but klonopin has helped I did not like the A Ds trying not to take but .5 mg per day of the benzos but hey ,you do what you need to.I take melatonin sr to sleep .My T is alittle better or rather my perception and coping is better .Best advice take each day at a time .Find ways to sleep.Don't get to caught up in the stress of T stay busy with your life get back to a normal daily life as soon as you are able but also take it easy on yourself and find support from family and friends.This is a great forum to learn about T because everyone here understands some on here are very knowledgeable about tinnitus. Oh diet does play a key role.There is no miracle cure as of yet.
Take Care
Mike

 

Thanks Mike, Im just glad there are people I can talk to that understand T, most of my friends and family dont get it at all They say stuff like... Get over it.... we all get ringing the ears.....it will go away....etc. My ENT doctor is the only other person who generally cares..But I am seeking counseling to deal with the anxiety/stress etc. And Im still out of work because I work in a warehouse....I was advised on searching for a new job in a quieter environment.
Take Care
Gail

 

Dear @jovionabedofrose :

hoping to be useful in some way, check better your neck. Neck injury are frequently related with tinnitus and other simptoms:
There are many meds, with a low risk of adverse effects, can help you like muscle skeletal relaxant like Flexiban/Flexeril and more others. Check this with your Doc.

Cervical spine problems and tinnitus;

There are more officially papers of good treatment for this type of pathology:

http://www.winchesterchiroblog.com/2012/08/tinnitus-check-the-neck/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20505927

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24452662

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24047942

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23653130

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22682958

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25164906

Best wishes

 

Thanks Viking...thats alot of great information....I do go to Physical therapy for my neck,right shoulder and right arm.

 

Gail you know that those who don't have T just do not understand but support from those close to you will be of help to you at times.I've had it 4 months now.I am starting to think it is because of my neck ,mabe nerve damage .My neck over the last 2 years has been getting stiff and it cracks alot when moving but T is very complex, but sometimes when you find the root cause you can make it better or go away .Let me know if your dr. thinks neck or shoulder problems are the cause of T and that will be my next step.

 

Gail hello , i have Tinnitus over 40 years ,from serving in Vietnam Combat from 1967 to 68...Mine was from firing differant weapons over 12 months......I can tell you that there are better days when for some reason the T
just gets lower like a mild wind hiss ,unlike the usual high pitched Whistle sound...On the days when it gets loud i do get a tiny controlled panic , By controlled i mean when that happens i take a low dose Ativan and the panic or pending panic subsides .....If your told by someone not to work in a factory because of the noise, you tell them you will just put cotton in your ears or ear plugs.....You'll probably have your level of T where ever you work , though they say quiet places , make you concentrate more on the T.. your better off in a bit noisy place and trying ear plugs of some type... being busy is distracting and rewarding.....I can tell you this ,the T no matter what level you have it at . and i had it very bad after service basically wont get worse , it will level off and stay that way.Never believe anyon who sayd it gets worse and worse over the years ,ITS SIMPLY NOT TRUE ! There are herbal suppliments like Valarian root . and other safe ones that relax you in the evening.