A Lot to Think About Above the Noise

Hi all. Happy to have found this group. I’m 65 and have had tinnitus in my “left” ear only a few weeks now but thinking about it, it might have been coming on before this at a milder level. I’ve gone to an ENT who removed an ear impaction with no improvement. Hearing test indicated my hearing was actually pretty good with some bilateral loss worse on the “left”. He felt it was age related hearing loss and showed me some tinnitus apps and said to come back if it worsened. I’m a mess right now trying to deal with this and some sleepless nights. It does increase and decrease in intensity with mornings and nights being the worse. Masking does help.

Health and social history: I was a medical transcriptionist and lived in headphones for many years but that was a long time ago and had no tinnitus then. I’ve had no head or ear injury, no TMJ and no depression/anxiety problems although I’m certainly anxious now. I lost my “left” kidney to cancer this year and a few months later had a parathyroid tumor removed. I needed no treatment beyond surgery for both. I have one medication that falls in the ototoxic category I just stopped. I’m down to one prescription med for cholesterol, a baby aspirin and supplements of calcium, magnesium, and B12.

Questions:
1. Right now I need tips on dealing with night time anxiety as I tense up worrying about being able to fall asleep. I’ve had nights where I lay awake all night. The noise is twofold—kind of like the sound of the ocean when you hold a seashell up to your ear with a higher pitched buzz. Days are not fun but tolerable right now. I really don't want to use a prescription sleep med. After a couple of sleepless nights I take a generic Benadryl and that with the exhaustion helps me sleep.

2. Has there been any studies on surgical related tinnitus? I’m wondering because I lost my left kidney, have swelling under my left arm not thought to be a lymph node and now the left tinnitus. Or is it all just coincidence and unrelated?

Sorry for the length. I really appreciate any and all recommendations on how to deal with this. Honestly, it was easier dealing with the cancer diagnosis than tinnitus. I’m not normally a person who stresses easily but this is getting the better of me. Thanks!!!