Hello all.

Hi I'm Bridget, from the uk. I have had tinnitus now for 5 weeks and it's slowly driving me insane.
I got it 5 weeks after septal surgery, the nose healed and the ears started.
I am waiting to see my ENT but now holding out much hope. Im completely miserable at the moment the panic attacks are the worst, TV is a no-go as my T tries to compete with the noise, and i dream about T when i do get to sleep.
Oh well moan over. Thanks for listening.

 

Hello Bridget. First, I hope your T will go away soon, it's possible if the reason is a surgery, or it can lower too, sure.
I have had Tinnitus for 2 months: in the first weeks I was in a terrific loop insomnia-anxiety, then a psychiatrist friend of mine helped me with some light drugs, so I could sleep again and face the test and the therapy. I know it's hard: here around you'll find a lot of friends and good advices that will help you to better take on this new challenge.
Carlo

 

Hi Bridget,

One good thing about your case is that your ENT will have some sense of direction in looking to find a cause for your tinnitus as it only appeared after your surgery. For most of us there doesn't seem to be any clear cut reason that can be pinned down and as a result makes a diagnoses difficult, or in most cases, one cannot be made at all.

Hope you feel better soon. Tinnitus can really be a drain.

 

Hi Bridget,

Welcome to the forum. There are some great people on here who will help and understand your/our condition. You will also see people who are making good progress and be able to give you some good advice. At the moment just do what's right for you, to keep yourself busy and distracted. You will get bad days, but just remember they are nearly always followed by better days. So when it's bad, keep yourself upbeat by knowing a good day is just around the corner. Try and get out as much as possible, to keep the mind busy and the body ready for rest at night. Try some camomile tea just before bed, a few relaxation techniques that suit you & a little white noise. Don't look to the past or to far into the future, just take it one day at a time and find a combination that helps you. It WILL get better.

Take care

 

Hey Bridget: You are only five weeks from onset, and this happened immediately post surgery. So it is very possible your tinnitus may go away. Still, if you are having panic attacks, you need to treat those while you wait to see what happens. I developed them, along with extreme anxiety, a few weeks into my tinnitus. Many people do. It's because your brain feeds its reaction to that unfamiliar noise (ironically, the noise that same brain itself is making) into your automatic and limbic nervous system, responsible for our "fight or flight" fear reaction.

There was a thread on anxiety that was helpful recently. I have two posts on it, so I won't repeat them here. Plus others had interesting things to say, too.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/please-help-very-scared.1976/#post-17128

Panic often needs to be initially treated with medication. Don't be afraid of it if you need it. Work with a psychiatrist (not a GP) if you can and follow instructions carefully, as you are tinkering with your brain chemistry. Also find a good therapist who can teach you relaxation and deep-breathing techniques. You probably won't need the meds that long, but relaxation and breathing will be helpful for all kinds of stress control for the rest of your life.
Again, the above thread will tell you more.

I'll be thinking of you. No one understands how debilitating panic and anxiety can be unless they have experienced it.

 

I'm 5 weeks in too so totally understand where you are coming from. Big hugs. I'm also waiting to see my ENT but like you I'm not expecting much, even though my onset started after my ENT suggested nasal flushes for sinus issues.

Everyone here is such an amazing support and have some really good tips and info on how to cope with T.

Completely normal to feel the way you do. I feel like these 5 weeks have been the longest of my life and it's exhausting trying to carry on, keep things noisy in the background and I feel like I'm either noticing my T or telling myself off for noticing it. It's such a viscous cycle.

Have you seen a GP for something to help you relax/sleep? I was prescribed valium and took it for a few nights which just helped me sleep (although my T seemed louder the day after) and I've used melatonin. Im also taking Vit B12 and magnesium for stress and to help relax me as I'm pretty sure stress plays a factor in mine.

Stay strong and try hard to distract yourself x

 

Thanks for the kind replies, it helps to talk to others who understand. I would not wish this on my worst enemy, it's so darn intrusive. All the best to all you fellow sufferers,

 

Bridget, you came to the right place. I am thinking this may be fixable, as most of us here know the eyes ears nose are all connected. Curious, what led you to this site?

I was just telling my wife that sooner or later pretty much most T suffers find us....

Keep us updated, and try to keep those Hebbie Jebbies in check, they will only make the T worse.
I used to get panic attacks for years, I know it must be horrible along with the T