16-Year-Old with Tinnitus from Middle Ear Infection: Will I Have It for the Rest of My Life?

Hi my name is Celina. I got tinnitus 6 months ago due to a nasty ear infection lasting two weeks. It left me with nothing but tinnitus. So there is a doctor in my area who is like the best doctor ever. Everyone is trying to scramble to get an appointment with him because he knows situations with the ear like tinnitus. He told (and promised me) it would go away in 6 months to 12 months of onset. I was crying so much before seeing him and hadn't slept for three days. I wanted to ask anyone who can give me an answer.

Do doctors sometimes give false hope? I don't exactly think so because it didn't seem like it. He has had so many patients with tinnitus who have recovered in that time span. My dad had tinnitus from a fungal ear infection ten years ago and he recovered in just under a year. Because of my dad's recovery, that's basically the only thing that gives me hope, otherwise I would've committed suicide (don't worry I'm not suicidal now.)

Could posture have something to do with it? I have really really bad posture and I am currently working on it.

My tinnitus has definitely started improving since the last 2 months. It used scream at me 24/7 but now it reduces sometimes especially in the morning. I've had a few moments of silence as well which my doctor says is a good sign and my time is coming.

I just can't have this for the rest of my life and to be honest I don't really think I will. I used to refuse anyone who said I would have tinnitus forever because that would make me just brake down for the rest of the day. I know some people have had it for life and I have all respect for them but please for me and my tears, please don't tell me I have tinnitus for life. It could wind up being true but I just can't cry anymore. I've cried too much.

Thank you to anyone who can answer or anyone who hanged around to read this. I hope for everyone a brighter future.

 

Hi Celina,

I will tell you what I read here from someone (sorry can't remember who): What you have now is not what you are going to have for the rest of your life. Your tinnitus may decrease (or not) but you WILL get to a point that "life go on". Your tinnitus may be the same but your reaction to it will decrease to a point when it's just a silly joke that is not funny anymore. Hope is important, but don't rely on it to much. Stay healthy, do what you love so that life is worth it.

Remember, it's just a sound. You will be better!

If you have some moment of silence, it's a good sign, you are in the good path

I'm a veteran of tinnitus (was 18 the first time), trust me. I don't know the level of yours but it is not important. When my tinnitus when nuts last January I was in pit (really) and keep remember myself the sentence I quote, it really help. Now my tinnitus is the same, but my reaction to it decreased and I'm better. I simply wish I didn't react like that (it was really bad) but you can't redo the past & question like "if" are useless.

Use sound enrichment, protect your ears, consult a therapist, get medication if need (to sleep).

Wish you the best!

 

Hi,

Sorry you're going through this. Many of us feel desperate in the early stages.

Given that the cause is an ear infection, I believe you have a good chance of recovery. But be very careful not to make things worse through noise exposure. You should avoid loud environment like concerts, headphone usage etc for at least the next few months.

You will probably be able to return to these activities in time and enjoy life to the full, but I would strongly recommend wearing ear plugs for all concert goers/clubbers given that they can be up to 120dB for 2 hours or more which for those whose hearing has ever been compromised can cause permanent damage.

 

How can you not care if you only sleep 2-4 hours a night?
How loud is your tinnitus, how many sounds?

 

Hi @dan, I don't care anymore because I have others health issues (it's getting better yeah!!!), sleep is the last of my worries. At first it was very hard, I was in a fight with my T & H & the lost of hearing. Strangely, since I force my mind to not care about it, I sleep better (I learn that with my therapist). I don't want to put a level of dB on my Tinnitus, it is the nuisance that is important. On a scale of 1-10, when my new T came it was 10/10 (read my introduction post if you want), now it's 4-5/10, sometimes 7-8/10 (the occurrence decrease week after week). I think I will be able to sleep with my wife again at some point. I miss my bed haha ! If you have questions : pm me please so we don't hack celina's thread. Cheers !

 

Hi. From what I read many people recover, but it takes a long time, even up to a year.

 

Thank you everyone for helping me here and giving me hope. Sry I don't know how to reply properly

 

Really? That makes me feel a lot better (I acc have to stop crying I've been crying for too long.)

 

I never knew that I had a better chance of recovery! Thank you! How long would you say though? I've had it for 6 months now, maybe in six months more I could be in a recovered position?

 

16-year olds should not be allowed to have tinnitus! They should be out playing and enjoying their lives. Teenage years are the most precious of your life, you won't get them back later. It makes me angry and sad to hear that you've gotten tinnitus this young. I'm crossing my fingers that your doctor is right and it will pass in 6 months or less. No one deserves tinnitus (maybe except Donald Trump) but teenagers the least of all.

 

I understand you, it’s hard to accept new reality. There was a post from a man who recovered from awful, dreaful T after 9 months. Just look after yourself, avoid noisy events and earbuds. If it’s not noise induced, it should most likely go. You are very young and your body has great healing ability.

 

I don't think mine is noise induced. The last time I even used headphones the night I got tinnitus was well before. How long would you say I would have tinnitus? If someone even told me I'll have it for a year, I would be in relief but not for my whole life. I have my GCSE soon (exams) and I'm really scared ;(

 

Do you think my doctor is right. A lot of doctors told me I will be able to recover because of my age and the cause. I just hope they are right and not just trying to make me feel better...

 

The ear infection was 5 months ago. I'm starting to lose hope ;( Maybe someday I will be in a better place

 

Thought I would say bye just so someone knows

 

Are you ok?

 

Dear @Celina -- Big hugs to you; please don't get discouraged. I think there's still hope for your situation, where your tinnitus started with a middle ear infection. I would recommend you check out THIS POST. The following is the finish of that fairly long post. -- Oh, and did I mention Big HUGs!

As soon as I realized that my Tinnitus could have an inflammatory aspect, I looked for medicines with an anti-inflammatory effect (on my Tinnitus) and tried a few different things including Mullein Garlic Oil.
As soon as I tried this ear oil I noticed a huge change in my Tinnitus - literally the volume was cut in half. This simple ear oil brought my Tinnitus completely under control. I only need to use it now and then and it will stay subdued and under control for weeks.

I know that this is a bit of a long story but I wanted to make a bigger point (like other threads that I read) that some of this is psychosomatic and that part of it is paying enough attention to what your body is trying to tell you. Do you get enough sleep? Do you try to avoid stress and be honest about it with yourself?

Discovering that my type of Tinnitus is treatable has improved my quality of life a lot. I hope this story helps others to find their best approach to deal with and treat Tinnitus successfully.

Yours truly, Roger

https://www.amazon.com/Herb-Pharm-Mullein-Garlic-Herbal/dp/B001E8DBU8/​

 

Thank you for your help but I just can't move, can't think and haven't smiled in months. Isn't it true that after 6 months it becomes chronic? I get little sleep but I'm starting to improve. I never took stress before tinnitus and it could definitely not have been the cause. I was probably in the happiest moments of my life. Tinnitus has made me want to give up everything, in including myself.

Also I have tried anti-inflammatory medicines (they weren't ototoxic) but they had no effect. Didn't make it worse and didn't make it better.

 

@Celina -- Emphatically NO. There are many reports of tinnitus going away after a year, 2 years, even many years. Every situation is different, but it's not unusual for people to track down some specifics of what caused their tinnitus, or what makes it worse after significant time has gone by. The fact that your's started with an ear infection tells me there's a good chance disinfecting your ear thoroughly might make a big difference. Most people's tinnitus improves with time, along with our ability to deal with it. I didn't really feel I could "cope" until after my 2-year mark. Interesting, because I told myself in the beginning, "just give it at least 2 years to see what happens". Interesting how that turned out!

 

2 years noo Sorry I started crying again I cry too much. It could probably be affecting my tinnitus

 

@Celina -- 2 years was MY sitution--yours could (likely) be much shorter. It sounds like doing things that might help your body and overall system deal with stress could be very helpful. There's a number of angles to work on that, from physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, etc. Each of us has to find our own orientation that works best for us. Learning new strategies was very helpful for me in my own journey.

 

I really don't want to do anything harmful but I feel the urge to. I' crying all over my laptop fearing I might damage the keyboard. I just don't want to cause damage to myself physically. There's a knife in the back of a wooden draw in the corner of my room

 

Can you go for a walk? Perhaps get out in nature. I love going down by the creek, which I find soothing (and nourishing). Plus, the sound of the rapids helps me forget about tinnitus for a while. If that's not an option, perhaps there's something else you can do to "shift" things for yourself. How about a hot bath? That works great for some people to be able to calm down, and get into more of a meditative state without necessarily doing a meditation. How about finding a kitty that would LOVE to have you pet it?

 

@Celina please don't give us hope. There are lots of us here who have been fighting this thing, and found ways not just to survive but to thrive despite their ongoing tinnitus. And there are many reports of people whose tinnitus has faded to become bearable again. Read the "Success Stories" forum here - look at some of the frequent posters and if you find someone who seems to be on your wavelength, read their posts. You can use the Inbox feature to start a private conversation with someone. See your doctor if you are depressed or need help sleeping. Look for "tinnitus treatment", "acoustic neuromodulation", "nature sounds" etc on YouTube. Good luck finding the help you need.

 

It's impossible to say exactly what's going to happen, but personally I believe you have a good chance of recovery. I've been dealing with this crap for almost 2 years now and I can say I'm doing much better than when it first started. Although I'm on some drugs, 70% of the time I can manage just fine if I have some kind of external stimuli like netflix, video games, reading a book etc. 20% of the time it's bothering me and 10% of the time it's reeeeally bothering me. But just a year ago, those numbers were completely different. One year ago, I felt extremely debilitated 90% of the time. I was suicidal non-stop around the clock and constantly crying, just like you. It's not like that anymore.

The advice I have for you is this

1) Be careful with drugs, only take them if you really need them. I'm one some drugs (olanzapine) and I had to take them because I got so bad anxiety I was a complete mess without them. I wish I was never put in that position, but I was. I've always been very concerned with being "natural", as in not take any stuff that's going to affect me mentally. So it was a bit of a setback, and I tried to come off them 2 weeks ago, I quit them cold turkey. That didn't go so well, so I've decided I'm just gonna take the drugs for now. Drugs can be hard to come off once you've started, so you have to make an informed decsicion about them. Also try to find out of the drugs you're going to take are ototoxic, if they are you should stay away from them.

2) Don't make ultimatums to yourself about your tinnitus. Don't say stuff like "If I still have tinnitus in 6 months, I'm going to give up" or "If I dont have this result in that amount of time, I'm never going to improve". It doesn't work like that. You don't know how long your body needs to heal, nobody knows that. You just have to give it time. Change usually comes very slowly, day by day. You won't notice the change gradually, because it's so miniscule and slow. But most people actually get better from this.

3) Don't read too much stuff online. It can scare you and put your mind in a specific state, lock your mindset in a bad way. Try not to think about suicide or other horrible stuff like that. Actively work every day to fight suicidal thoughts. Do something good for yourself once in a while, create opportunities for you to smile. That will keep your mind off the tinnitus.

4) Don't let other people diminish your self worth by defining the suffering you feel. My mom also has tinnitus and she's had it for quite some time. A third of her life. For the first year and a half, I was really suffering, crying every day and everything was horrible. I was a mess. I still struggle sometimes and if I try to give my mom a hint that I'm tired of the noise, she usually just scolds me to give me the impression that I'm weak. That tinnitus is "just a sound", and if I feel depressed by it, it's because I'm weak. Don't let anyone get to you like that. How your tinnitus affects you is your business and your personal subjective experience. A lot of people live with tinnitus without feeling pain from it. But a lot of people also suffer from it on a daily basis.

Try to take one day at a time and feel confident that it's not always going to be the way it is now. Even if the sound takes a long time to disappear, you're going to feel better in time. I'm really sorry you've developed tinnitus in the first place, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Also, big hugs from me.

 

Thank you so much for this <3 I'm not on any drugs and I try my best to refrain from them. Hugs to you too.

 

Random question if I may, how long did your mom have tinnitus? My brain is just begging to know.

 

Dear Celina.

I've decided to keep that information to myself. The last thing you need right now is more stuff to trigger anxiety and suicidal thoughts. This condition is horrible enough as it is. I was also struggling quite a lot with the knowledge of my mom's tinnitus and her history with it. Like I told you before, you need to be careful with where you put your focus right now. If you think you can handle it without feeling anxiety, I can tell you in a private message. I just don't want to contribute to making it worse for you.

 

@Celina FYI: 15 years. you can find this from one of his previous posts.

 

Hi sweetheart,
This video was very encouraging to me. Please watch. Keep the faith.

How I Live With Tinnitus