A few questions

Hi, everyone: I've had tinnitus for about a month. I'm assuming it's probably from going to too many rock concerts in my life, but I also wonder how much of it might be due to my job. I have been a transcriptionist for 28 years and wear headphones all the time for it. I work a lot of hours too, so over the years, I can't even imagine how many thousands of hours that adds up to. I am trying just to transcribe with the speakers now, not using headphones, just in case that makes it worse. I'm having a really hard time with my job, because I work so much and I have to have total silence in order to hear what I'm typing. So many of the things that I transcribe have horrible audio to begin with, so I'm constantly struggling to hear, and I can't even have a fan on low in the background. I think I'm going to lose my mind with this job and tinnitus!! Actually, I've noticed twice now, though, that when I take a shower, it is pretty much gone for the day, which is what happened today. A week or so ago when I took a shower, it was gone for two days. Has anyone experienced this? What are your thoughts on wearing headphones for my job? I can hear so much better with them on, and it seems to drown out the hissing somewhat, but if it's going to make my situation even worse, I'm not wearing them anymore.

Thanks for any advice!!

Dawn

 

Dawn be kind to yourself your in a very early stage and T might go away entirely try to stay calm.
Hang in there

 

Thank you!! I hope you're right. I'm seeing an audiologist on Monday, and I'm going to try some trigger point massage. You've given me a little hope!

 

Dawn
I'm assuming you have to wear headphones for your job (true)? My audiologist has told me that your ears must breath; that is the main problem with so many kids listening to their headphone 24/7 -- it causes hearing damage (and tinnitus). Do your headphones breath at all? Are you able to take them off throughout the day (say 5-10 minutes at a time)? If they breath or you can let your ears have periodic breaks then you should be ok.

As far as the shower thing is concerned, mine turns off in the shower too (don't know why) and it will stay off for a couple days. You may have cyclical T (like mine). Count your blessings for having days off, but it does make habituation quite a bit more challenging.

How are you coming along with your T? Has it gone down since you are not wearing your headphones?

Mark

 

Youl get through this!! So many people have this its crazy! What it comes down to is youl end up having better days then bad! And i agree that yours is way too new yet and that it could potentially go away all together! Just try to stay positive i know its hard at first.. If you need help with the anxiety you can always discuss that with your doctor cause it seems when you get that under control, then things will seem to get better and it will just become another thing in life.

 

I do take my headphones off a lot, but I put in a ridiculous amount of hours working, so I'm sure I've worn them way too much over the years. I have the padded kind that go over your ears. I'm going to wear them as little as possible now. The day before yesterday the tinnitus was pretty loud all day and night. Yesterday I woke up and it was present but like somewhere in the distance, if that makes sense, and it wasn't nearly as obnoxious. Last night I went out for the first time in a long time with family and had some drinks. The music wasn't overly loud, but there was a lot of noise just from everyone talking everywhere we went. I got home last night and it was completely gone! This morning I woke up and it was off in the distance again, not bad at all. I took a shower, and now it's completely gone again. It's the strangest thing. I've only noticed this association with the shower in the last week, but i'm going to start keeping track of it now. Does yours go away every time you take a shower, or is it just randomly? From what I understand, it must be noise of everyone talking last night and the noise of the shower that makes it go away from a while. It is really strange.

 

Hi dawn do you have a history of allergies if not get it cheek it might be E usation tube dysfunction I have that my t also gose when I take a shower if you have allergies go to your ENT for allergies shots and also get Nasonex it works wonders

 

Thank you, Grace! I have had a much more positive attitude towards it since reading everything on this board. It has been so helpful. Marias21, I have actually been wondering about allergies. I've never been diagnosed with it, but I've pretty much been stuffed up my whole life, so I wouldn't doubt it. I also had a few episodes in the last week where my ear felt full, is the only way I can describe it. From what I've read, that can be from eustachian tube dysfunction, but it also sounds like it can just be part of tinnitus too. I don't have insurance and can't go to the doctor, and I think Nasonex is RX only. I'm going to see if there's anything over the counter that would be good. If the T goes away when you take a shower, is that something that you think will last indefinitely, or is there a good chance that eventually a shower won't make it go away anymore? I took a nap today and it came back, but then I vacuumed, and it went away and hasn't come back yet again. Looks like I will be having a really clean house from now on. LOL

 

Perhaps hot water is loosening up tense neck muscles? Most people with T have a somatic element. Also, see if you notice some correlation (relationship) between quality of sleep, stress, and perceived T volume. Good luck.

 

That is a very good question about the hot showers. I have no idea what it could be. I have been way less stressed than usual, but it hasn't really changed. It has been really bad today. I definitely think there is something more going on now, though. When I went to the doctor a few weeks ago, I just had the tinnitus and he said my ears looked normal, but since then I've developed fullness and a weird feeling in my left ear. Today I was driving up and down hills and I could hear a crackling noise in it, and then when I got out of the car, I was so dizzy I could barely walk. I think I need to go back and have my ears looked at again.

 

That's eustation tube dysfunction I get the cracking too

 

That's what I thought. So am I likely to have tinnitus forever with this?

 

cracking is not a sign of ETD, i've had cracking all my life when i swallow, it's simply some air going trough the circuitry

 

Yes, it is actually a sign of UTD

 

ETD I meant

 

I wanted to give an update, just in case it helps anyone else. I went for a free hearing test. My hearing is perfect, but when they did the test on the bone behind my ear, there was what he called a gap, meaning there's something going on behind my eardrum. He said I needed to see an ENT doctor. I called a local clinic, and it was $600 just to be seen. I don't have insurance and couldn't afford it, so I went and bought Sudafed and have been using that and the Nasacort, and I feel like a new person. I think I've had allergies for years and didn't know it, and it got to the point where my tube was completely blocked. When I yawn, I can actually feel my ear opening up, and the clogged feeling is gone. Best of all, the tinnitus was mild the last two days, and today it's gone. I'm not going to get overly excited, because I know it could come back, but I definitely feel 100 times better. If anyone has similar symptoms to what I had, which started out with hearing my heartbeat in my head for well over a month and then progressing to the other symptoms, it can't hurt to try what I used.

 

That is fantastic news! Could you elaborate a little more on the medicine you used? I might try the same thing!

But great news! Aren't you glad you found T Talk?

 

Yes, I am so glad I found it! I seriously feel like a new person. I'm using Nasacort Allergy 24 Hr. I think it's important to use that one. It just became available over the counter, and I think it's the only steroid one there is. It says to use it once a day, but the manufacturer said it can be used twice a day, so two sprays twice a day or one four times a day to both sides. I'm also taking Walgreen's brand of Sudafed, the one behind the counter that you have to sign for. It's Wal-Phed Nasal Decongestant with Pseudoephedrine, 30 mg, but the Sudafed behind the counter would be good too. Also I'm doing a lot of really deep and wide yawning and also blowing up balloons. LOL. It actually helps a lot, especially the yawning, and I can feel the tube in there opening when I yawn now, whereas before it was just clogged all the time. Also, I'm sleeping with lots of pillows, sitting up pretty straight, because it all drains back in the ear in the middle of the night. I've read that guafenesin is really good too. I have read that it can take a long time to completely clear up, so I'm going to stick with it for a while. I hope it can help you too. I will post back in a couple of days.

 

I forgot to mention that I had called an ENT nurse at a very large facility here the other day, and she argued with me that tinnitus could be caused by eustachian tube dysfunction, despite the fact that you can find tons of articles about it on the Internet, even from places like Baylor. Sometimes I'm amazed at their lack of knowledge!! I'm still not going to let myself get all worked up that it might not be permanent, but I'm really hopeful.

 

And I also forgot to say that I'm taking six of the Wal-Phed a day. It makes total sense now why a shower sometimes made the ringing go away, from the steam, and why naps made it come right back on days that I was feeling good after a shower!

 

I'm so glald you are getting better I might try try the otc, spray I've actually tryed Sudafed and it took my ringing away too

 

An ENT nurse actually tried to tell you NOT to bother with trying to clear out your tubes, because it won't do anything about your T? Wow. There's jaded, and then there's that.

Forget her, keep doing what you're doing. And thanks for all the feedback!

 

Yes, she seriously did!! I was pretty stunned.

You're very welcome!

 

Marias21, it can't hurt to try the spray. It's definitely helping me.