two years of tinnitus next month. lord, save me.

i guess i should start out by telling each of you that i have no idea where my tinnitus stemmed from. i never listened to loud music, i am 31 years old, and that i am aware of, i have never had any serious health issues and/or concerns. however, i am a 31 year old who started having panic attacks out of nowhere approximately three years ago. it;s a battle i still have not won. because of these panic attacks, i do not go to see doctors. here i am, looking for support for my tinnitus issue.

in feb. of 2012, i started to get a ringing in my ear. a week before, i remember having pain in my ear. i don't remember having earaches as a child, so this was new to me at 29 years old and i chalked it up to being an earache. i recall being slightly sick but nothing serious at the time. as i said, a week later. the ringing started and it never left. it doesn't stop during the day or in the mornings. it's constantly there. i hate it, but in two years time, i have learned to deal with it and ignore it until it is time to go to sleep. luckily, i sleep fine.

i'm not sure why i am here. tonight was one of those random nights where i actually notice the T ringing in my ears. i suppose i am here to see if anyone has a story similar to mine. someone who can relate. call it reassurance, whatever you may want to call it -- i just want to know that i am not alone.

because of my HA [health anxiety] and panic attacks, i am not supposed to "google" symptoms, causes, risk factors, etc. and low and behold, i looked up "chronic tinnitus" and found things that immediately scared me. so here's to hearing it firsthand from those like me, the T sufferers.

 

PS: i also forgot to add that this is my left ear that has the T. not my right at all. but when i plug my right ear with my finger or an earpiece, i cannot hear out of my left ear [with the T] at all. is this normal?

 

you must be deaf in the left ear but if it's the case you're lucky to not have an unbearable tinnitus

 

?

 

You know, Tinnitus is a very common symptom of anxiety. often symptoms such as a lump in the throat, tingling in legs and hands, dizziness are also included with anxiety. Maybe you would benefit from some anxiety meds?

 

Most of us are not native english talking people, he may not understand your previous post (me probably too) It is possible, you had virus infection in the past and this made damage of your hearing sensors in the cochlea. If not virus, then chemical inbalance in inner ear can cause this damage (yours panic attacks). Damaged hair cells with damaged metabolism are now firing phantom sounds to your auditory center in the brain. It is possible, than my Lord - AM101 can help you soon in the future.

 

I believe I also had a virus or allergy related complications which caused my T.

I also suffer from anxiety and stree and I have no doubt this helped push me over the edge so to speak. And I totally know how evil "Dr Google" can be.

You most certinally aren't alone xxx

 

hey guys, thanks for all of the replies. i'm not sure what to say other than i am still new to all of this, although i've been "dealing" with T for going on two years now.

stina - i don't feel that anxiety caused the tinnitus. i'm sure a lot of folks read my post and jump to that, which i understand, but i highly doubt it.

amelia - always good to know that i'm not alone.

 

does anyone else here on the forums have issue with not being able to hear out of the one ear they have tinnitus? i think that is the thing that is scaring me the most right now. i understand that everyone is different - but sometimes, reassurance does a person good.

 

Yes terri, I sure do as I am sure most others with do with with the ear the T is in. That's why you need to see an ENT and get a hearing test to confirm how bad the loss is, and and how the hearing is in the other ear.

Terri, I believe Stina is correct about her thoughts on what anxiety, a lot of people don't like to admit they have problems related to anxiety..

 

thanks so much for the response. like i said above, i am glad to know that i am not alone. i am not discounting what said, i just have to recall what happened that led up to the T. and it was a horrible earache along with a sickness. that is when it started and it never went away.

i will have to make an appointment to see an ENT when my husband is home. lord knows, with him in the military, he is never home.

 

Terri, I don't mean to be harsh, but don't let your husband not being there, stop you from going to see an ENT. The sooner the better, if he is going to gone for over a month, make the appointment, get a friend to go with you. I might take a month just to see a good ENT. How do you find a good ENT, well easier said then done. I was lucky to find one that I like, he has a full time audiologist on staff, so it is like one stop shopping, all tests & visits done on the same day at the same place. You can call around and see if ENT's in your area have these one stop conveniences.
Keep us updated

 

thanks gary. unfortunately, with my panic disorder, going alone is easier said than done. we just got to florida so i know nobody here. i am from virginia, originally.

 

OK Terri, I do understand. When I was about your age, there was a point in my life when I was the exact same way.
In the mean time, hang out here and browse the forums, read what others are doing. I know I have drawn strength from others that have posted here. Remember you are not alone in this, just take a look around...