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AnonymousBuffet
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I've had tinnitus for the past six to seven months. If anyone has advice on how to move forward in a good direction, I'd really appreciate it. Here's my story:
Back in November, while recovering from COVID, I had a week of intense coughing. Suddenly, the sound in my left ear cut out, and I heard a low tone. Shortly after that, a strange hissing noise started in my left ear, and I noticed tones in both ears. I went to urgent care and was told I had Eustachian tube dysfunction. They prescribed Flonase and Afrin. After using them for 10 days, the hissing stopped, so I stopped taking the Flonase. But the hissing came back.
I visited my primary care physician a couple of times. She said it would go away on its own, but offered to refer me to an ENT if I was really anxious. I made an appointment with the ENT and had a hearing test, which came back perfect. I left the appointment feeling great, and for two days, I had no tinnitus at all. I thought I was cured and that it had all been in my head or caused by anxiety. But of course, it came back.
While waiting for the ENT follow-up, I grew more anxious as the ringing persisted. It became more frequent and started to sound like an electrical circuit stuck between "on" and "off," unable to settle. It grew sharper and louder, and I began to notice multiple tones—maybe two or three. I also started experiencing ear pressure, fullness, sound sensitivity, and distortions. Occasionally, when I was really emotional, I would get pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear. That has only happened twice, and each time it resolved within 24 hours.
The ENT later told me that my coughing may have ruptured the Reissner's membrane. He said my ears had healed and that I no longer had Eustachian tube dysfunction, but the tinnitus would probably be with me for life.
I don't know how much of this was caused or worsened by anxiety. It feels like I made it worse by fixating on it, getting scared it would never get better, and then my brain latched onto the sound and wouldn't let go. I'm still new to all of this and feel mentally fragile, so I'm sorry if this sounds whiny. I know others are dealing with much worse.
I do wish my tinnitus were more consistent. The constantly fluctuating nature makes it hard to cope and nearly impossible to sleep. Right now, I'm focusing on lifestyle changes. I've cut out caffeine, started exercising more, meditating, and working on managing my anxiety and depression. I try to accept the sound without becoming emotionally reactive. I get some relief from sound masking when it's played just below the volume of my tinnitus. If it's too loud, it makes things worse. I was prescribed an anti-anxiety medication to help with sleep, but I've been too afraid to take it in case it makes things worse (it's a benzodiazepine).
After the initial spike, my tinnitus has settled back to a baseline of about 2 to 4 out of 10. It often decreases when I hear certain sounds, like crickets. I'm starting to ignore it more easily during the day, especially when I'm with family or doing something I enjoy. Sometimes, I don't hear it at all if I'm fully immersed in a movie, distracted by a funny TikTok, or deeply focused on creating art.
Today, I managed to keep it down to about 0.5 out of 10 for half the day, mostly because I wasn't moving much. It seems to be somatic—I hear it when I swallow or move my head. The reactivity is improving with time, but I still struggle to enjoy music. The tinnitus cuts through and interrupts the experience every few seconds.
I've always been a health hypochondriac, prone to obsessing and catastrophizing. I'm looking for any advice on what to do or avoid going forward. Thank you.
Back in November, while recovering from COVID, I had a week of intense coughing. Suddenly, the sound in my left ear cut out, and I heard a low tone. Shortly after that, a strange hissing noise started in my left ear, and I noticed tones in both ears. I went to urgent care and was told I had Eustachian tube dysfunction. They prescribed Flonase and Afrin. After using them for 10 days, the hissing stopped, so I stopped taking the Flonase. But the hissing came back.
I visited my primary care physician a couple of times. She said it would go away on its own, but offered to refer me to an ENT if I was really anxious. I made an appointment with the ENT and had a hearing test, which came back perfect. I left the appointment feeling great, and for two days, I had no tinnitus at all. I thought I was cured and that it had all been in my head or caused by anxiety. But of course, it came back.
While waiting for the ENT follow-up, I grew more anxious as the ringing persisted. It became more frequent and started to sound like an electrical circuit stuck between "on" and "off," unable to settle. It grew sharper and louder, and I began to notice multiple tones—maybe two or three. I also started experiencing ear pressure, fullness, sound sensitivity, and distortions. Occasionally, when I was really emotional, I would get pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear. That has only happened twice, and each time it resolved within 24 hours.
The ENT later told me that my coughing may have ruptured the Reissner's membrane. He said my ears had healed and that I no longer had Eustachian tube dysfunction, but the tinnitus would probably be with me for life.
I don't know how much of this was caused or worsened by anxiety. It feels like I made it worse by fixating on it, getting scared it would never get better, and then my brain latched onto the sound and wouldn't let go. I'm still new to all of this and feel mentally fragile, so I'm sorry if this sounds whiny. I know others are dealing with much worse.
I do wish my tinnitus were more consistent. The constantly fluctuating nature makes it hard to cope and nearly impossible to sleep. Right now, I'm focusing on lifestyle changes. I've cut out caffeine, started exercising more, meditating, and working on managing my anxiety and depression. I try to accept the sound without becoming emotionally reactive. I get some relief from sound masking when it's played just below the volume of my tinnitus. If it's too loud, it makes things worse. I was prescribed an anti-anxiety medication to help with sleep, but I've been too afraid to take it in case it makes things worse (it's a benzodiazepine).
After the initial spike, my tinnitus has settled back to a baseline of about 2 to 4 out of 10. It often decreases when I hear certain sounds, like crickets. I'm starting to ignore it more easily during the day, especially when I'm with family or doing something I enjoy. Sometimes, I don't hear it at all if I'm fully immersed in a movie, distracted by a funny TikTok, or deeply focused on creating art.
Today, I managed to keep it down to about 0.5 out of 10 for half the day, mostly because I wasn't moving much. It seems to be somatic—I hear it when I swallow or move my head. The reactivity is improving with time, but I still struggle to enjoy music. The tinnitus cuts through and interrupts the experience every few seconds.
I've always been a health hypochondriac, prone to obsessing and catastrophizing. I'm looking for any advice on what to do or avoid going forward. Thank you.
