A Bad Week

Hello all,

I had a brief run-in with tinnitus last November when I shot a gun. It was gone within a week but started some very bad anxiety. Fast forward to the middle of February and me yawning one day in class has me noticing a ringing in both ears. Roughly 2 later weeks brought ear pressure, pain, and sound sensitivity. ENT said the audiology tests came back negative for ETD, but symptoms matched up so I was prescribed a nasal spray. It's been 2 weeks and while the pressure and pain seems to have subsided, the ringing is still there.

The weird things are when I become inebriated everything seems to get louder. Much to the point where I'll have to put earplugs in. The other day I put a nail in a pallet and my T got temporary louder! I worked construction for 2 years and that never happened!

I guess what I'm looking for is will this get better? Will the T go away along with the sensitivity to sounds? I graduate college soon and I've worked so hard to get here and I feel like this ringing is going to ruin it all. I'm not strong enough to deal with this.

 

I know you said the test was negative for ETD but did the audiology test show any hearing loss?

As for not being strong enough to deal with this, of course you are strong enough. You're just going through the anxiety and depression phase of this malady. We've all gone through it. It feels horrible while it's happening, like the world is ending and no one understands and we're all alone -- but that's just the amygdala in our brain scaring us. Don't believe the lie because there's a very good chance that you will eventually get back to feeling good about your life. I know it doesn't seem like it right now but it is possible to climb out of this hole. A year from now you will most likely be in a much, much better place mentally.

Hang in there.

 

Welcome to the forum. It is a question most new members ask. Most likely will particularly by following some good strategies. You are not alone here as most members have been where you are. We understand the challenges you are facing with a new and alien tinnitus ringing 7/24 and at times reactive to other sounds. That surely make most people anxious as to what is happening to the ears and hearing. Neverthless anxiety and stress are bad for T. So try your best to remain calm and positive. To do that the best way is to read up the success stories so you know that people who suffered a lot initially can still get better. You can also learn their insights and strategies and try to copy their success. You also may need to mask your T so you can keep anxiety and stress at bay


I have ultra high pitch T a few years back which soon followed by piercingly hurtful hyperacusis and what seemed to be reactive tinnitus. It was scary to know that even other normal sounds can hurt your ears. Ya, I remember having to wear earplugs when I ventured to go out. Those were the days. Members advised me back then to avoid loud venues but don't overprotect from normal sounds to avoid developing sound sensitivity. So I followed their advice and within the year my hyperacusis just faded.

You seem to have suffered acoustic trauma. As such it will take 6 months or more for your ears to settle down. But if you keep positive and stay calm, relaxing your body tension as much as you can, then T will generally drop to more tolerable level. You need to learn some helpful strategies to cope. I wrote my success story and listed some helpful strategies I used to turn around my suffering. Check it out with the link below. Good luck. Take care, God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

Yes, just barely though. It was the same frequency as the ringing. Thanks for all the support guys. I will definitely do the steps above. This whole thing just feels like a bad dream.

 

You are stronger than you think! Don't place a limit on yourself. I hope your tinnitus does go away, but if it doesn't then you shall cope and adapt. Just take care of your ears and avoid loud places/noises..