In need of some support

Hi there everyone,

I am 17 years old and very new to this whole tinnitus thing and am need in some serious support! Around 2-3 weeks ago now, my right ear began to feel blocked/full and was accompanied by a constant ringing noise. At the time I had a slight blocked nose/cold so thought that it might be a sinus problem or fluid in the inner ear. I tried many things at home to help solve this and the blocked sensation has nearly all but gone but the ringing sensation remains!

I find it extremely hard to sleep at night and even in the day I am constantly aware of the tinnitus (even when it is masked by other sounds). I have had very dark thoughts and I find it extremely hard to see how I could possibly live the rest of my life with this constant ringing in my ear! It is quite literally driving me insane! I have an appointment with the GP tomorrow but I don't hold much hope of them being able to help!

Any words of advice or support would be greatly accepted as I am really struggling and have just sat writing this alone in my room with tears pouring down my face.

 

It will be okay! I know it doesn't seem that way, but it will. I got my T (tinnitus) from a cold, and I'm sorry to say that I am still having problems with my sinuses. But the ringing had gotten a lot better. I can ignore it now, even in the silence. I still hear the noise, but because I don't focus on it I don't really "hear" it. I should also mentioned the ringing has gotten lower. Either my brain is tuning the noise out or it has gotten better I don't know, but I have dealt with it a lot better than the first few weeks.

Unfortunately GPs aren't much help, but mine did find fluid into ear which made me greatly relieved - at least I knew the problem. There is still fluid in one ear, but the fluid in the other had gone which shows some improvement. If they don't see anything they will probably make you wait a few weeks and give you a nasal spray before getting you to see a specialist.

You are only seventeen and because you T is from a cold, there or a good chance your T will disappear. Just try to be patient. The good news is that you are healing because the blocked feeling in your ears has gone. The T is the hardest thing to get rid of, but for many people it does leave. I know a woman at my work who had T for months, and the amazing thing is she managed to ignore it. And then one night she realised she couldn't hear it. So it does go away.

It sounds like you are more anxious about the sound than the sound itself, because you think about it when you can't hear it. I know it is hard, but you need to put it out of your head. Your T is very likely to go. Really. The best thing you can do is sleep well, keep healthy and forget about your T. If you are struggling to sleep try masking sounds and force your mind away from T. If necessary get some sleeping meds from your doctor.

Stay strong. Don't worry, you will be fine.

 

Hi citigirl13,

Thank you so so much for your speedy and detailed reply! Honestly I have been in a really bad place today and your reply has really been a comfort to me. It's great to finally talk to someone who actually understands! I'm sure my family and friends think I'm crazy when I keep on mentioning this ringing in my ear, so I've taken to just keeping quiet now!

My T is definitely worse when I focus on or am anxious! I just find it so hard to ignore, even though it is not very loud and can be masked my the television or the washing machine. I just feel like I spend everyday "avoiding" hearing the ringing. And then when I do finally hear it, my heart literally sinks and I just feel so empty if that makes sense.

However your words have given me hope and from now on, I am going to try (even though I know it will be extremely hard) to remain positive.

Thank you for time and kind words

 

No problem. Trust me, all of us here at TT know how you feel; we have gone through it. But believe me when I tell you that the best way is to ignore your T. Def go to a doctor because T is a symptom of something, so it needs to be checked; otherwise just try to ignore it. It does get easier.

I know what you mean about other people not understanding: they are sympathetic but eventually get sick of hearing about it. They don't understand that we get sick of it too, but we can't turn it off! That is why this forum is so necessary.

If you need support please feel free to come on here. As you know it makes you feel so much better after we talk about our fears. It makes them seem much smaller

 

Hi Maddy dont worry im sure everything will be just fine a friend of mine went on holiday to Spain a few years ago.He had a really bad sinus infection before he left and managed to get two nasty ear infections from a dirty swimming pool over there.When he returned from Spain he was in agony with his ear infections and was complaining of a high pitch ringing in his ears.He went to the ent and was given antibiotics, nasal sprays and ear drops and about a week later his ear infection was gone and his sinuses had fully cleared up and guess what the ringing completely disappeared.So dont worry give it some time and im sure youll have the same results.All the best.Bill

 

These people sound like they know what they're talking about. Hang in there, Maddy.
Lucky for you, loud music didn't blast your inner ears apart like most of us.

 

if u are iphone user try and download ' sleep Bug' App.. the sound of a flowing river helps me to offset the tinnitus sound... it help in yr sleep too when you train yr brain to focus on the flowing river.. it help me n hope it help u too...

 

Don't worry too much about the future, Maddy. Like others say, you are young and your T being so new, it may just disappear or fade in volume. So take it easy. You are at the early stage of T suffering and so you tend to have distorted thought about the future. In CBT, these are called cognitive distortions which tend to cause you to think in unrealistic or catastrophic way about the future. Your brain is under the control of the limbic system due to the tinnitus trauma, and it functions in 'fight or flight' mode which tends to make you think that things are much worse than they are. Most of us have gone through the sufferings you are going through, fearful, worried, depressed, sleepless, not knowing how to face an uncertain future, etc.... But many of us do recover or are recovering. Many post their success stories. So you should read up these success stories to help you calm down and have a brighter hope for the future. There is an earlier thread on what to do if you are new to T. I have listed 8 steps to help a newer sufferer to cope with their new T experience. Check out this link. Take care & God bless your recovery.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-and-stressed-with-tinnitus-read-this-first.3978/#post-40275

 

Dear Billie,

Thank you very much for your kind words, I woke up this morning feeling a bit more positive and am going to start taking a new outlook on the T, even if it does still make me extremely frustrated! You're words made complete sense and I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of the psychology behind it before, especially seeing as I'm currently studying it!

Many thanks again and all the best

 

Hi there!

I will definitely look into this as I have been using the television and DVDs to help me fall asleep but this sounds a lot more relaxing!

Many thanks

 

Hey,

They really do seem like they know what they are talking about! This forum has been such a blessing, I'm so glad I have found it! Yeah I think I can definitely rule out loud music being the cause as I'm always very careful when listening to music, it's just frustrating not knowing exactly what is causing it!

 

Hi bill,

Thank you for the reassurance! I'm so glad your friend made such a speedy and good recovery! Fingers crossed I can either make a similar recovery or learn to live with it!

 

Hi Maddy im sure youll do very well it may disappear completely on its own like it did for my friend so stay strong and positive.Your only 17 Maddy your so young so get out,forget about your ears and enjoy life.Best wishes Bill

 

Hi bill, went to the GP today and he said that I probably just needed to give it time too! I think staying positive is the key to getting on with T but it is definitely not easy! But I'm trying! Thanks for the support and best wishes!

 

It definitely isn't easy - I have had T for bout 3 months now and it still annoys me. But I know I could live with the noise, and you can too! Whether the T is here to stay or just a visitor (hopefully the latter) you can cope. More than likely it will go, just give it time. This can take months, but it can go even after months or even years.

 

I guess these first few months are the hardest? Did you find that when you first got T that you were always feeling anxious and panicking about it? I'm hoping that this is something I will be able to resolve with time! I find night times the hardest as I feel ever so lonely shut up in my bedroom, listening to this constant ringing in my ear and have even taken to crawling into bed with my mum for comfort at 3am in the morning!

 

Try putting a good movie on that you really enjoy when you go to bed.Indulge yourself into the movie and focus on nothing else youll soon find yourself thinking less about the ringing and more about movie.Also it helps mask the T and helps you to fall asleep a little easier.

 

Hi like other have said it has a really good chance of going away you have eusation tube dysfunction which mean the tube from your nose to your ears are blocked I have it to but it becuse of my allergy it has gotten better I can sleep at night with no masking and sometimes when. I stay at home the ringing go away go to your GP and get a stariod nasal spray it will help

 

I saw your post yesterday, but decided not to respond as you were going to see your GP in any event. The outcome - as you correctly indicated - was predictable.

My advice to anyone who has recently developed tinnitus is to get a proper ENT examination. The reason is that +90% of all tinnitus cases are related to the inner ear. And during the early stages of tinnitus, there is a window of opportunity where a course of steriods can influence the outcome. After that, it is wait-and-see.

A course of steriods - orally or intravenously administered - seem to be most beneficial when given in cases where the onset of tinnitus is recent (24/48 hours) and when the cause is acoustic trauma. A second option is get the steriods via an intra-tympanic injection. For this treatment option, the decision to go ahead with it, is done on a case-by-case basis (ie. some ENT specialists will argue that even tinnitus acquired three months ago can still be influenced by the procedure, others will say three weeks, and so on). You therefore need to seek out a clinic where they will be willing to 1) do the procedure if necessary, and 2) see you with short notice. Discuss the options with them. Question the facts. And see what the ENT has to say.

I recommend putting in an effort during the early stages. No doubt other posters on this board will have been quick to point out that your tinnitus may go away. But, on the other hand, it may not. So put in the effort. I would not bother with a complete examination (ie. MRI, neurologic + chiropractic evaluation) unless specifically indicated by the ENT; almost always nothing is found in tinnitus patients.

I wish I could have better news for a 17-year old.

 

Hi there ,

The GP suggested waiting another 2 weeks to see if it continued but I think if it's still there this time next week then I will go back and ask for a referral to an ENT. You and others have mentioned steroids to help with T, do you think a nasal steroid spray would be any good?

 

No, I don't think nasal spray (w/ steriods) will help your tinnitus get better. It may help with other things. Nasal sprays are designed to reduce inflammation inside the nose (and hence help breathing). That is very unlikely to the be cause of your tinnitus.

The fact that you have tinnitus suggests some kind of problem with the inner ear (usually). Especially since it persists for 2-3 weeks and after your blockage has cleared.

The reason I commented on your post is because there is a window of opportunity that one can make use of... or not. With inner ear tinnitus, there is only one way available today to possibly reverse it: steriods. Oral or intravenously administered steriods will probably not help you now. But intra-tympanic injections may. There could also be other reasons behind your tinnitus. But all of that falls within the domain of an ENT. So that is where I would start.

I would not wait for a referral. I would seek out an ENT privately (ie. via the non-public route) and quickly. The GP suggested the wait-and-see approach, because there is not much else they can do (they don't know any better when it comes to tinnitus). But, as with anything in life, what you invest in a project usually also affects the outcome. So you need to take charge of the situation and deal with it. There is a guaranteed way in life to achieve no outcome - and that is by taking no action at all.

Take care.

 

I have to disagree i think because her symptoms match ETD it more likely she has that her T is not that loud it can be mask with the TV and other things that a cold can give a person ETD most likely Mucus is stuck in her Eustation tube

 

Maddy
You are right, the first few months are the hardest; however, like everyone else is saying yours may go away entirely (based on the way yours began). Either way, after the first few months you start to get back to your normal self. It's like Billie was saying about your limbic system being in control right now (you are in fight/flight mode and can't stop it); that is why you feel so anxious and scared (ugh!). Your brain will calm down in time; which, in turn, will cause your T to go down too and make it easier to ignore. But I have to admit, I sure hated the first few months too (really bad); hang in there, you have bright things in your future -- T is no reason to NOT do what you want to do.

Until then; prayers for you!

Mark

 

Since my new outbreak almost 4 months ago ive been to four doctors an ent and an audiologist and not one would give me steroidsI basically begged for them but they wouldnt prescribe them probably too late now....

 

I found the nasal spray made my T worse...try just plain nasal spray over the counter.

 

Hi Mark!

It's amazing how much a noise in your ear can change the way you feel and your outlook on life! I definitely agree and think that the biggest struggle at the moment is actually not the T but the anxiety and panicking I constantly feel!

Today I tried as hard as possible not to focus on the noise and to just get on with things and despite still having a few moments of severe anxiety (I'm a worrier and always have been) I managed to get through the day by actively ignoring it, even though in the back of my mind it is still there!

Thank you for your support, it means a lot

 

Hi there!

I do actually believe you are ight! I think my T starting was a combination of a cold and ETD. Whilst the blocked feeling in my ear has nearly all but gone, both ears seem to pop and crackle when I yawn, swallow hard, etc. do you have any tips for treating ETD?

 

Maddy
Totally agree! And I'm so glad I can be of help (I so remember those days -- bad, really bad). I've had severe and invasive T for a year now; it took me about 1-2 months to finally realize what was really bothering me -- it wasn't just the noise (though that was annoying), it was the idea that I couldn't do anything about it (so I thought) -- it was the idea more than the sound (bothering me). Once I finally came to that realization I was able to 'make peace' with it (not like it, or be friends with it, just make peace); I could start accepting my situation (though I didn't like it).

I've finally habituated to my T; some days I actually forget I even have T (so busy, so many people to take care of, so much fun to have). Habituating doesn't mean I don't hear it anymore and it doesn't even mean I 'try' to ignore it (cause trying to ignore something makes you pay attention to it ), it just means I have almost zero reaction to it in any sense of the word. I can actually sit there and actively listen to my T and simply not react to it. This is the exact opposite of how I was prior to habituation.

Emotionally speaking, my T used to be a big, hungry Siberian tiger in the room (scary as H-E-double toothpick), now it's like an old play toy with some of the stuffing torn out and one button-eye missing -- it just can't 'bring it' like it used to .

Nonetheless, I would not be surprised if your T went away with your other symptoms (based on what you have said about its origin). A good buddy of mine contracted T much the same way and though it took five months his went away entirely.

So, don't get discouraged about anything -- positive thinking and outlook is most definitely warranted! Life is just fine even with T and you may, in fact, end up T free

Mark

 

I'm so encouraged to hear that you have finally adjusted to live with T, it's easy to sit there and think why me? And to feel sorry for yourself but I think that is entirely the wrong approach!

Positive thinking is the key!

All the best

 

yes when i yawn i get a cracked felling and some time pop the best advice i can give you is go to your gp and get a nasal spray right now my ears dont fell full but i have the ringing low