1 Year of Tinnitus + Treatment Plans + Future Plans

Hi All,

I am a 31-year-old male living on east coast. I started noticing my tinnitus late November 2019, didn't know what to think and just tried to ignore it. Before tinnitus I was drinking 2 energy drinks a day, getting drunk multiple times per week, and smoking weed regularly, and listening to loud music a lot. I want to say it really started in November of 2019, with me having memories recalling back to times when I think i heard it before. I remember thinking earlier in the year,

"man one of my PC monitors must be nearing its death and making some weird noise" or
"man these lights the landlord installed really make some weird high pitched noise".

I remember flying in November 2019 and remember getting off the plane and hearing it, but just kind of forgetting about it. But yeah, after November 2019 it's been a daily annoyance. In January it got really bad one day, and I was dizzy and felt like I couldn't see out of my left eye, so I went to the ER, they did a CAT scan, checked my eye for any damage, nothing. That led to an MRI, also found nothing. Saw an ENT, he checked my ears for fluid or damage, nothing was found. Also did a hearing test, they found no hearing loss, but I am getting that checked up again soon (see later section). I was pretty bummed. I of course searched Reddit and the internet, tried all of the supplements you could find, Ginkgo Biloba, Lipoflavonoid, that Benfotiamine, vitamin D, Magnesium, nothing has solved my tinnitus.

I have high pitched sounds coming from both ears, sounds like an old CRT monitor or TV that's just been left on with a blank channel. A few months ago, after drinking hard for like 2 months I think I caused morse code also coming out of my left ear. Since then I have completely stopped drinking, and very very seldomly have any caffeine.

I am also taking Finasteride for preventing any hair loss, that I started in April, and I heard it can make tinnitus worse so I stopped taking that last week.

But yeah, it sucks, it makes me depressed sometimes, I don't know if it's real depression, but I just get real bummed about being afraid of life. I know I can't go to concerts anymore, movies, bars, even loud restaurants, I really liked drinking too, all of gone just like that.

I am only 31, and it's not like CRAZZZZZY loud, just like 4/10 loud. I just watch my tablet in bed to fall asleep, and that works. Waking up and trying to stay in bed annoys me because I just focus on the ringing.

What I am doing now:
-I've already stopped drinking as of September, stopped smoking weed as of last January
-Continue my regimen of flavonoids, vitamins, etc
-Continue my online research for help
-University of Maryland Tinnitus Treatment Program (just did the first general meeting and PowerPoint, stage 2 is soon and i get another hearing test and to talk to a specialized tinnitus doctor)
-Stage 3 is an in-ear noise generator you wear for 9-18 months, that supposedly has a 80% of people reporting significant improvement, so I am hopeful to try that

I am hoping that by stage 3 kicking in, that will hold me off for 2-7 years when some of this on-going research pays off and a cure is real. Until then I just keep my ear plugs on my key chain just in case, avoid loud stuff, and try to distract myself.

Any questions / comments / hello's, please say HI : )

 

Hi,

Sounds like you have a good plan. Let us know how the noise generators work.

Blessings,
twa

 

Hey there,

My main T tone is the same as yours!
How's it going so far? Would love to hear an update!