Having a Hard Time at the Moment!

I'm feeling very panicky at the moment about my T. Even though it is mild & I know I'm lucky that I can get relief throughout the day, I still think about it all the time & know that I will hear it if I plug my ears or when I try to sleep

I keep getting fluid in my middle ear as well which gives me this kind of echoing low noise in one ear...like I can hear what's going on in the inside of my ear if that makes sense & it gets to me more than the ringing/static sound in my other ear

I just want to go back in time 14 months ago to when I didn't have this condition and life was easy I'm nearly 23 & the prospect of having this for the rest of my life is horrible and I feel like it has changed me as person. It annoys me as well because I habituated to the T completely to the point that I didn't ever think about it for weeks at a time but since going through a stressful period it has made me so anxious about it My hearing test came back with normal hearing which is why I don't hear it unless in complete silence and I don't have any sound sensitivity. I just need to know that I will get through this and get to the point where I don't care about it anymore again any positive feedback would be great right now. It's hard to talk to family about it cause they don't understand really apart from my Dad who has it but he doesn't seem fazed by his or ever talk about it! Sorry for the long post.

I really respect all of the people who have worse T than me and thank you for your support x

 

Hey there, saw your post and it made me join. I've had it since I can remember and I think it has gotten worse. I've been to a few concerts and I stupidly stood close to a speaker at one. I'm too paranoid to go to more now, even though Ive bought some ear defenders. I don't want it to stop me emjoying music!

That said, I've always been able to forget about it for long periods of time. In some respects I almost find it comforting at night- strange I know.

Do you know what triggered it for you?

 

Hello! I've been clubbing a few times with T, wearing ear plugs obviously & it hasn't effected my T at all I don't come out with painful ears or loud ringing after so that's one good thing that I haven't had to completely stop enjoying myself

Was yours made worse by going to concerts without ear protection? I wouldn't say that mine has gotten worse but the fear of it has started to affect me

I'm not sure entirely..I started out with a low wind type sound in my right ear that would come and go which was due to ETD and my ear drums were being 'sucked in' (worse in my right ear so that's why I could hear the noise) then after that whenever I went clubbing I would get ringing in my ears...so it's probably due to noise exposure even though I went to the tinnitus clinic & the audiologist said from my results it wasn't due to noise exposure..so god knows why I have it

 

I know how you feel! I had been getting on so well too, then it seems like my ear is blocked with fluid and my T and H are awful now. We just have to try and accept it and realise it's just a noise. We can let it control us or take control of it ourselves and live life to the full.

 

Also, I'm only 22 as well, it is scary but as long as we be careful with our ears we should be okay!

 

@geg1992 we will both get through this again This fluid is a pain in the ass! It's why I keep relapsing cause every time I'm fine about my T & then I get fluid in my ear & it bugs me again I'm going to the docs on Monday to get referred to an ENT so hopefully they can see what's going on with my crappy ears

 

Yes we will
Does it like constantly crackle, pop and stuff? Like when you go on a plane and need to pop your ears but can't? I've been referred but it takes ages

 

Hey, that's quite reassuring to me as right now, I'm tempted to forfeit the gigs I have planned and just not go. I forgot my Downbeats for a gig at the weekend and now I'm sueor analysing my tinnitus, measuring it to figure out if it's louder.

Don't know if concerts have made it worse really. I've had it as far as I can remember, I thought everyone had it until I was a teenager! I can remember a kid screaming in my ear in primary school (I'm not violent but I wish I'd punched him in the face now!). I saw A band at the O2 a few years ago and was right next to a speaker st the front. That was stupid. My ears range for two days afterwards.

I've been to about.. Ten or so gigs? So I'm not a heavy gig goer, and I always try and stay in the quieter areas naturally, but I've only recently considered that they may be hurting my ears. I used to club sort of oftem between 18-21 (25 now). It scares me that it could get worse and reslly Impact me.

What is ETD, sorry? I didn't know they could tell if it was from sound trauma or not-- what do they look for to judge that?

If it's any consolation to yourself, until recently I've barely though about it. Mines like a constant high pitched noise in both ears, combined with a really low hum if I really listen for it, with perhaps an extra whine in my left ear. It's hard to judge what's what, it's difficult to measure and concentrate on it precisely!

 

@geg1992 yeah it crackles when I move my jaw or swallow & if i put my finger in my ear like a suction I can feel the fluid move in my ear You probably aren't meant to do that though. I would put hot water in a bowl and breath in the steam to see if that helps. Yeah I know..I'm annoyed my doctor hasn't referred me sooner to the ENT!

 

@Surfacemadness I think if you don't feel comfortable going to the gig then you shouldn't but with good ear protection you should be fine as it really takes the edge off the noise

That's crazy that you have had it since that age but it's good that it hasn't affected your life too much in that time. I'm only 14 months in & already having a relapse

ETD is eustachian tube dysfunction which basically means the inner ear doesn't open or let air in properly causing problems with draining fluid and pressure problems in the ear.

Yeah I didn't think they could tell either but she measured the sound of my tinnitus against my hearing test and there is no loss in hearing at the frequency of my T if that makes sense? Usually with noise induced T there is a big drop on that frequency level I think but I'm no expert I do however think clubbing has triggered my T in some way

I only use ear protection when going clubbing really or to the cinema, which I don't do that often anymore but my T isn't sensitive to sound so I don't wear them unless around loud sounds

What do you think has made yours worse?

 

That's weird, it sounds like we're suffering from the same problem!

Mine seems to come and go, I have a bit of a sore throat at the moment so I'm hoping it goes away when the sore throat does! I had it 2 weeks ago too which made things difficult. Bring on the summer when there's no cold and flu around!

Does yours come and go too?

 

I only usually get it in one ear at a time which is weird but yeah it comes and goes which is a pain in the ass! I'm guessing it's probably due to allergies...I have ordered some cats claw tea which is meant to help with inflammation so It might help!

 

Oh yeah, I've read a few people go on about that stuff now! Please may you let me know how you get on? As I may try too.

 

@geg1992 It should be here tomorrow so yeah I will let you know if I get any good results!

 

Awesome, thank you!

 

I always thought that it was normal so I never paid much attention to it! Wow, never knew about EDT. When I swallow my ears sorta, crunch or click. If I tense the muscles in my head I can reproduce that noise at will. Perhaps this isn't normal, either? Blimey.

It must be the gig I went to. I stayed as far away as I could and around a corner so my left ear was more exposed. I don't think kt effects my hearing too much, but that said, I feel a little sensitive tk sharp treble in music in the car now. But prior to the gig I was walking through London and the squeal of brakes from the buses was cutting through me, so perhaps that isn't new.

It frustrates me that places will play sound so loud as to damage peoples hearing. Surely this should be regulated in some way, or at least common sense?

 

Hey Rachiejo,

The fact that you have habituated and have no sensitivity in your ears is GREAT! That's exactly where you want to be. From there you can have a perfectly normal life.

Tinnitus is trauma and that trauma is still quite fresh. I remember that I was still quite paranoid about my hearing for a couple of years after I first got it, even at times when I had habituated. But as I got on with my life I stopped thinking about it less and less. Eventually it stopped having any impact in my life at all. I knew I had tinnitus every night when I went to sleep, but all I had to do was put on some white noise and I didn't notice it. It had no effect on me whatsoever. What you need to do is just give it time and reassure yourself that you are through the worst of it...which you are!

The stress and focus are things that you can work out. If it's chronic you may wish to see a physiologist to help you manage this in a drug free way.

Mark

PS.. Take good care of your ears going forward. If it's louder than 85db and sustained, like a concert, movie or club wear decent hearing protection. Don't believe for a second that you can get away without using them. Whilst you may at first, if you are anything like me, 5 years later BOOM...haha...and then the whole process again...if not worse than before. Sorry not trying to be discouraging but you MUST take good care of your ears going forward. Being vigilant will not in anyway detract from your quality of life and what you can or can't experience.

 

@Mark Beehre thanks for your post i don't tend to mask at night cause I don't have trouble sleeping with the static sound in my left ear...it's just the echoing low wind type noise that I have trouble with it comes and goes whenever I have pressure problems with my ear so I'm going to the ENT to see if anything can be done about this.

I always wear ear protection when in loud places which I rarely go to now anyway so hopefully I will be ok and it won't get worse than it is now

 

Hey there
It's really shitty to have this at any age but really bad when you're this young (got it just before my 24th bday) The way the world is nowadays requires you to be in loud places to socialise & that's usually where the fun is at! Since getting this almost 18 months ago I've avoided clubs, pub & even town if I can! It makes for a really lonely existence

 

@Kopesy

Hello

It sucks that you have had to avoid going to certain places Since getting my T I haven't avoided doing normal things I used to like going to the pub or our to eat..I have been clubbing a few times with ear protection & my ears have been fine so far but I don't do it very often 'cause it gets boring after a while hopefully there will be a cure at some point for us but who knows

How did you get your T & is it mild or loud?

 

@Rachiejo

That's great that you haven't been avoiding things, something I did wrong when I first got T, wish I could go back & tell myself to deal with it calmly, that said, if I could go back at all I wouldn't have listened to my music so loud! Not 100% sure if that's the reason but it's a good guess.

Mine started mild, like a low pitched humming sound in my right ear, that quickly turned into a washine machine like noise but that sound was more in my head (thought I was going insane ) After a while it went & I'm now left with a high pitched noise in my right ear with a sort of 'tv static' noise in my head.

How about yourself?

 

@Kopesy Do you think you have gotten used to it or not really and do you think yours will get better over time?

I went clubbing a lot so I guess that's why mine started...it took a lot of nights out for it to stay permanently so I feel a bit stupid now for not protecting my ears when it could have been avoided but I do have normal hearing which is one good thing

When I first got my T it bothered me for the first week & then I forgot about it most of the time! Since I haven't been working I've had more time to think about it it's mild & started off as a high pitched ring & now has changed to static type sound in one ear but sometimes it feels like it's coming from my head

Have you had a hearing test or anything?

 

@Rachiejo

Sounds very similar to mine!

I reckon I've got used to it somewhat, it's more my hearing that is really bothering me atm & thus makes me concerntrate on the T. ENT have said my ears are fine both times & that it was due to the stress of having T that's making it difficult for my brain to process sound like it used to. I got 20dB for both ears although I deffo can tell that my right ear; the one with T, isn't as 'sharp' as my left.

I too am out of work as I'm suffering from depression really bad atm, nothing seems to be going right in my life & the little things seem like big ones stacking up with the rest of them! Hit me harder too as a few months before this started I quit my job & started going self employed. That ended a few months after getting T as it was so bad I couldn't cope

I take it you also had your ears tested?

 

@Kopesy

I know how you feel about everything going wrong but I can't be that way forever & something has got to give! Do you have a supportive family? I got a new job doing admin at a doctors surgery but I quit cause I hated it and now I'm looking for something else.

Yeah I've had my hearing tested which came back fine but I haven't been to an ENT yet...I doubt they will help much though

 

@Rachiejo

A job is deffo something I want, just got to snap out of the depression first, doctor wrote me off as unable to work atm -_- Filling my time with excercise atm but it'll filled with a lot of thinking too..

Really small family myself, speak to my mum & that's about it, she's actually getting me in to see an ENT privately bless her. I'd deffo go get an appointment with an ENT asap if you haven't, they can deffo help, too bad the waiting times here are stupidly long

How's your family & friends helping?