Looking for Support, Knowledge and Encouragement

Hello,

Tinnitus is not new to me, I've had it in my right ear for 9 or 10 years but 2 weeks ago, it started in my left ear for the first time, and my right ear got worse. When I first developed tinnitus, I went though everything new tinitus sufferers experience. I was obsessed with it, scared, anxious, searching constantly for answers. Over time, I completely habituated to the original tinnitus. I would go a week and not even notice it. When for some reason it would flare up, I would notice but not dwell on it.

With this new tinnitus, I'm going through everything I went through when it first appeared all over again. I'm nearly positive that my new problems were caused by medication, Ciprodix, Clindamycin and possibly the medication in Nasanex which I was using through a nebulizer. I could shoot myself for taking those meds, especially the Cipro without researching their side effects. It's a whole other story but I've since found out that the doctor who prescribed these meds is unscrupulous on many levels. Of course, I won't be seeing him again but I'm so upset with myself for trusting him.

Night time has never been a big problem for me, but with this new tinnitus, I dread it. The sound at night seems to be more in my head and very pervasive. I'm anxious and scared and my previous experience with getting use to tinnitus isn't helping right now. I have a pretty bad hearing loss and of course this has flared up my fears concerning hearing loss also. I would appreciate so much any help you might give me in the form of your experience, encouragement, things that help, etc. Thank you in advance.

 

Hi sgal, sorry to read about your increased tinnitus, I was in the same situation as you, habituated to tinnitus, then it increased because of loud noise, I was a mess again, couldn't sleep, annoyed with myself that I wasn't more careful, I couldn't even sit in a quiet room anymore because it was so overwhelming. The good news is 3 months later I have habituated to this new level, all the negative emotions have gone and I'm back to normal, all I could think about was how much quieter my tinnitus was before but now I'm totally fine. Hopefully your tinnitus will fade back to baseline levels, if not you will habituate to this new level, give it a few months, I could have written the same post a few months ago, now I'm fine, you habituated once, you will again.

 

Thanks so much for your encouraging reply. Was there anything you did to help you get though the rough patch when you were still very upset about the new level? You habituated quickly. I hope I will be able to do the same or that things will go back to the me I have gotten use to.

 

Hi Karen,

Since medicine caused your problem to escalate, I'm sure you understand how upset I am about the medicine which caused me additional problems. Did the blood pressure medicine cause hearing loss as well? I think one of the most difficult things about tinnitus is that you are grieving what you've lost. You've lost control and you've lost the quiet and perhaps a sense that your hearing is healthy. At least, that is how I feel. Since I didn't have any tinnitus in my left ear before now, I took it as a sign that my hearing in that ear was pretty healthy. I find myself just wishing I had taken the time to research the medicine I was given. I was seeing signs that something was wrong with the practice I was going to but I just couldn't see them clearly. So, I feel regret that I'm pretty sure you and mick, who also answered my post, have felt. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me. This is definitely something only those who have experienced it themselves can help me with.

 

Hi, sgal. Welcome. I too can relate somewhat having habituated to my T many years ago and then suddenly in December it simply reconfigured with additional tones. Your comment about medication, as well as what
Karen has also said about medication affecting her T, has my attention! I think one of my biggest concerns is the possibility of being prescribed something and being vulnerable to an ever increasing T! Here's to a quick habituation for you!!!

 

I ran to the alcohol when it increased, i was so freaked out I needed to be drunk every night to go to sleep, I quit drinking new years eve, but by then I was used to this new tinnitus. I thought to myself if it took me over a year to get used to my "milder" tinnitus, its going to take another year to get used to this louder tinnitus but I was wrong. What I kept doing was comparing my new T to my lower T before, how much worse it is, how I'm always going to think how much better it was before, basically I thought I was back to the start again. It was in the third month I actually had forgotten that I had "milder" tinnitus before, this louder T was the "new normal" and the anxiety, depression over it changing so much has now gone. You will get there too, give it a few months and let the shock wear off, time helps a lot, take care.

 

Thanks to everyone who has written. I still wish I could go back to before I took the medicine that I think worsened my problem. It's only been several weeks since then. It seems to get worse at night when I get tired and in the night in general. I wake up with a buzz that's in my head and ears but it usually goes away soon after I'm up and becomes a quieter sound. Your encouragement is something I'm holding on to now, a promise I cling to when I'm feeling very frightened.

 

you could have an over active inflammatory response to the medication ...heres link ...http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james178.htm

 

You just described me to a T!

I'm in the same ototoxic boat. I feel sadness and anger and loss.

I know this is an old post but I hope you've found peace since then!

 

Hi John, I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. I hope you will be encouraged by letting you know that I am much better. It took time, 4 to 6 months I'd say. I did have some additional hearing loss but it's unclear if it occurred with the original episode I speak of in this thread or a later time when I got sick again with a bad virus. Be sure to keep a check on your hearing. Check it now and then again in a few months. I was able to regain some of mine with steroid treatment. At present, I once again am barely aware of my tinnitus. It will get better, the mind and body adjust. I wouldn't have believed that in the middle of that terrible tinnitus spike. My whole head sounded like a jet at take off. For a few months, I listened to Pandora at night. That really helped a lot. White noise doesn't help me, I need soothing sounds that very in tone. I listened to a lot of instrumental music. I hope this helps you. I know your pain and I feel for you. You'll be OK. If I can be OK anyone can, trust me.