9 Weeks of Tinnitus — Possibly Getting Better

So, I'll start with the positives. My hypercauscis is pretty much gone, which I'm really happy about. My earache only comes up occasionally and only for a few seconds, compared to how I had earache for days on end in the beginning. Sometimes I find my ringing gets replaced by a lower rattle, which I'll take as an improvement. Also last week there were times when I thought my ringing had definitely gone down in volume. I've had a bad few days with it recently due to exams stressing me out, which you can guess makes tinnitus a whole lot worse. My tinnitus was about 9/10 when it first started and now its averaging around 5/6 and on good days sometimes even a four! Praying that these are all signs my tinnitus will go, as I have finally stopped coughing fluid up. However, I know it takes at least 6 weeks for inflammation in the ear to heal up, so I know I have a way to go yet. Does this all sound like good signs to you guys??

 

Great to hear your being so positive and fingers crossed for you that your tinnitus goes away
...lots of love glynis

 

I would suspect that your Eustachian tubes became inflammed (as you have probably suspected yourself). If that's what's causing your ringing than I would also presume, barring any other unknown variables, that your T should subside. I know myself, personally, had a day last week where I had complete silence! The ringing came back the next morning but that was a clue that perhaps it wasn't ototoxicity that was causing my T but just inflammed Eustachian tubes (particularly my right ear). That same day I also had no headaches and no ear fullness/popping. I just saw another ENT today for a second opinion and I finally got a diagnosis: Eustachian tube dysfunction. Doc prescribed Dymista nasal spray and I'll give it a go and see if it helps...

PS: My first ENT told me that with Eustachian tube dysfunction one would normally see a retracted eardrum with an otoscope. The ENT I just saw today informed me, as I suspected, that it's not always the case that there a retracted eardrum. He used the analogy of a car tire. If a tire is clearly deflated, it's easy to "diagnose." However, a tire can look fine from the outside and even function but still lack the required or "normal" pressure. I showed the doc multiple tympanograms and he said that tympanometry cannot definitively show intermittent or partial Eustachian tube dysfunction.

 

Yeah, pretty sure I do have some form of etd as some ent's have said I have a retracted eardrum. My GP told me today that they do now believe I had some sort of glue ear and my ear's are probably still inflamed and will be for some time. It must have been so great to hear silence again, I would love that even for a day! Ive had about two occasions of around 20 minutes of silence, which was heaven. How long have you had your tinnitus for??