2 Days In

[Brian Greco]

Hi everyone,

The fact that you are all still around makes you true warriors and give me hope for humanity .

I could not find the section where new members post but anyway here's my story and any advice is appreciated:

On the morning of 1/25 at 5am I woke with ringing in my left ear although the day before it rang more than normal for 3-5 seconds at a time. (I have 3-5 second rings once a week on average and I never thought much of them.) The same day I noticed that I was beginning to have some drainage down the very back of my throat. I went to the minute clinic and the nurse checked my ear and said she saw some fluid behind the ear drum but no infection. By the evening the ringing had nearly subsided. I thought I was cured but knew deep down it could be there when I woke up.

Surely at 6am on the morning on 1/26 i awoke but this time it was different. A loud "eeeee" noise persisted for the remainder of the day. I read forums and talks about caused and had a panic attack at about 2pm. Then it subsided and I said "fuck this." My drainage was also much worse and I could tell that there was blockage in my left ear. I determined the eustachian tubes were clogged. Then I went to a physician so he could look inside for any obstructions ( I was worried i pushed something in with a q-tip). Just fluid behind ear drum. He prescribed amoxicillin and flonase. I can't take amoxicillin because I was deemed potentially allergic and need an allergy test before I can be cleared to take it. So he prescribed z-pack, i said "no" based on these forums. His final antibiotic was bactrim which I also refused to take based on ototoxicity which I learned about in these forums. Tomorrow I am taking a day off of work since I have not slept and cried for about 4 hours tonight. I plan to get tested for allergy to amoxicillin to be safe and then get a script for it and take it. I want to take an antibiotic in case the infection in my ear is caused by a bacteria....


btw.. I have no pain only the ringing and drainage so I am not keen to think it is an infection. The hardest part is my body's response to the rash. Yes I want to cure the infection but also want to not make the problem worse by taking bactrim.

Please let me know what you all think. Should I just take the bactrim, will by tinnitus go away once inflammation is down and eustachian tubes are opened? I'm so terrified of not being able to work and losing my job and having this affliction permanently.

Thoughts?

God Bless and goodnight.

 

[Fangen]

Hello Brian,

Your T should disappear once the tubes are opened and the inflammation is gone. It can take a while for the ringing ti subside even if the inflammation is gone, so don't panic if it doesn't happen around the same time period.
Until then, don't think too much about it. I was very anxious on my onset of T and it didn't help me in anyway at all. It just made me feel worse and the ringing seemed louder. Unfortunately, I have very little hope that my T will go away since it is noise induced and I'm 2 months in.
Again, keep doing what you have always done (but protect your ears of course) and try to live normal as much as possible. Regarding the meds, you should listen to your doctor, I'd suggest to get yourself tested for the allergy or ask them to give you something else.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon!

 

[billie48]

Regarding the meds, I am with Fangen. Working with your doctor(s) should be the way to go and not depending on bad experiences reported by others. Remember drug reaction is a highly personal thing. I have taken benzo, ADs, sleeping pills, and yes amoxicillin too (as recent as 2 weeks ago due to a throat infection) all with the supervision of a good family doctor. My T stays the same regardless. So that is my experience. You may have or have no reaction to the prescribed drugs. Drug side effects are just that. Side effects for some but not all. Use meds with moderation and caution under doctor's supervision. Phase them out once the need is not there for them.

 

[Brian Greco]

So after a trip to the ENT one week ago, my ears checked out perfectly healthy and the fluid was gone. This sunday will be 3 weeks into the ringing. The ENT suggested TMJ and the crackling sound was not fluid but the joint.

The facial pains and pressure has gotten better but still comes on occassion. The ringing wakes me up at 5am. I had been struggling but found hope in Dr. Ralph Garcia in Tampa, FL. He is supposedly one of the best in conservative TMJ treatments.

I had noticed a new jaw pop since my symptoms started. It is good to note here that I did get an open lockjaw when I chewed a piece of hard candy before this all started. I get the splints Tuesday. Total cost of treatment up to this point is $4100 for the TMJ treatment and another $500 for the ENT and immediate care doctors I saw. Not to mention the $300 I spent on over the counter medication and supplements.

Unfortunately my TMJ doctor does not take insurance from my provider so I am stuck footing the bill out of pocket. I'm not wealthy and have only be out of college a year but it is all worth it to get the ringing to go away.

He tells me the ringing will subside once fluid drains and he moves the joint off of the nerves and tendons in my left side. He is supposedly one of the best who travels all over the world lecturing on TMJ and his students are the best at treating TMJ. When I was being fitted for splints, there was a lady from canada and one from jersey being treated for TMJ. My case is not particularly bad and is minimally painful but the ringing drove me to tears almost every day.

I am in good spirits which is the single most valuable weapon against T from what I have experience. Depression and grief over T only makes you focus on it more. I feel good today and I get scared now and then and I may be a little poorer but I am confident my T will get better along with my Jaw.

I will be certain to return to post the success story because far too many do not return. I cannot forget the people here because they have suffered so much and I have only experienced a small amount of that but I will never forget it. If the T doesn't leave I will likely get a hearing aid to mask it for a while, but for now I remain optimistic the splints will gradually reduce the T by relieving pressure on my left ear.

Thank you to those who have read and/or replied. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Stay strong. Peace.