Diagnosed with Tinnitus Just Yesterday

Dear all,

Yesterday night after having a drink with a friend and then taking with my family by Skype (I am from Mexico but living in Austria), I started noticing this noise in my left ear and this sensation of deafness when, for example, you have some water in your ears, or a change of pressure on a flight. However, it did not go away after 4 hours, so I decided to go to the hospital around 1am.

The nurses that made the first check immediately said it was Tinnitus (I have made a small research on internet before heading to the hospital, so I knew already a little bit about it). For me it was a big deal to know that, since as far as I have read, it is very possible to be permanent. But they behaved like if I got just a cold or something. Then I was sent to the specialist, where he made me some acoustic tests. And yes, I had some hearing loss also in the left ear.

He gave me a shot of Cortisone, and asked me to come in two days. He was nice and trying not to be alarmist (to be honest, I am extremely sad and worried), and answered all my questions. But he acted like if it was not big deal . But also he was honest. For example, when I asked him what the Cortisone was for, he told me that the exact effects are not known, but it is one of the few things that are proven to work some times.

I am sad and kind of angry with life, since it appeared so suddenly. I was not in a loud concert, or listening to music so loud. I think it might have appeared because I had a lot of pressure in these moments, I just broke with my girlfriend and also got some bad news talking to my family. However, it is quite unfair to get a permanent damage in something as important as hearing.

Sorry for being so pessimistic, but it seems that most of the cases that I have read so far are related to learning how to live dealing with it, than people that are really cured, which is very frustrating.

I would like in some time to share also a possible success story to encourage other people, but for the moment these are my true feelings after these very recent news.

However, it is very nice that it exists this forum where we can share our experiences with other people in similar cases, and at least we do not feel so lonely.

By the way, I just read some good news for the not so far future:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/drugs-treat-tinnitus-hearing-problems-5527073


So it may be just a matter of time.

Best wishes to all of you,

Victor

 

I feel your pain. I am a newbie. I have had it for a little over 3 weeks. The first 3 weeks were the worst ever. But today I am feeling okay. I did cut out all alcohol, caffeine etc. I also noticed the more you stress the worse it is. If I got really upset I would notice a direct increase in the loudness of the T. I am still hopeful mine will resolve and hopefully yours will too!

 

You have sudden hearing loss.
This is an ultra emergency and needs intesive therapy with cortisone.
3x40mg methylprednisolone every day for 10 days.
Don't loose time and go to a specialist.
I passed the same and recovered my hearing with this treatment.
Again don't loose time is ultra emergency contition and needs the right amount of cortisone and right amount of time immediately.
Every second you loose without proper treatment the posibilities to recover decrease.
Again go back to hospital to get full correct treatment with cortisone.
3x40mg methylprednisolone every day for 10 days iv

 

Thanks for your kind words. I could barely sleep last night. However, today, when I lied down for a while, the sound reduced also in a big percentage.

I am taking the pills that the doctor prescribed me. After making some research, it seems quite logical what he is doing. He applied cortisone, since it seems to work in certain cases, and the opposite effects are minimum compared to the probability of certain recovery. Also he gave me some magnesium complement. So in these research that I found, it seems that it also helps. Tomorrow I have another appointment for another shot of cortisone, and on Monday there is a more precise study it seems. So as far as I know, he is doing the right thing.

So the good news is that, even if it seems that T. is something complex and difficult to treat, at least the probability of recovery is not zero.

So please do not lose hope, and I am wishing you also a successful recovery.

 

That's awesome! My doctor didn't say anything about steroid injections. I am wondering if I should call him and inquire. We are lucky in that a lot of people recover from initial T within 1-3 months. Mine has significantly improved in the last 3 days. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but a positive attitude and low stress directly impacts how I feel! Best of luck to you- please let me know how the steroid injections go!

 

Hi Victor

A recent article in a newspaper in the UK is calming that the first drug to treat tinnitus will be available within 5 years. 5 drugs are in final stages of clinical testing and 13 more are in development. So there's hope out there that they're doing constant research.
I too am new to the world of tinnitus and not liking it one bit. The injections you are having have never been offered to me. But maybe it not available in the uk. Only only help is a sound box that helps me sleep at night. Wishing you all the best .

 

pills are low dose for sudden hearing loss needs iv cortisone higher doses of cortisone

 

You should be on a tapered course of Prednisone immediately! You only have 2-4 weeks for Prednisone to be effective in possibly, reversing your hearing loss. Ask your ENT about this quickly!

God Bless,

Sailboardman