Absolutely Consumed by Causality

I’m a few days away from hitting four months with tinnitus and I’m absolutely consumed by what caused it. It’s been such a whirlwind that I can’t keep events straight. Things I thought weren’t important now seem like big deals. I’m seriously sweating the hints I missed and things I did in the early stages that may have made it worse.

I feel like my early actions/inactions have absolutely destroyed any chance of a natural recovery. I don’t know how to get past this.

 

What did you do?

Same here. I did Valsalva maneuver a lot (my initial symptom was ear fullness). Now I suspect that it might have caused my T.

 

@spedgas

It is a very common problem to be consumed about the cause and early days actions. Remember that very few people know well what is tinnitus and what to do at the first signs. We become experts after the fact unfortunately. In my case, it took me a week to go to the doctor and get prednisome. I doubt that it will have worked out any better by going earlier, but indeed, I will never know. At the end of the day, once the T becomes chronic, one has to face it independently of the cause. It does not matter if it was your fault or somebody’s else.

 

I saw a doctor less than a week after onset, but he refused to prescribe Prednisone to me...

 

I know how you feel. I put my head over a simmering pot of hot water thinking I had a sinus/ear issue and about an hour later full blown vertigo with vomiting came on. Eventually things eased up quite some time later but I’m back a few years later with the same stuff. However, it was four years in between bouts with no real problems. You can’t change the past but you can help the future. Make a list of things that could be making things worse and start working on each item one at a time. The more you stress about the past the worse it can it. I have a problem with rehashing the past as well and it’s a daily reminder for me to chill. I’m so hoping you feel better real soon!


Finn

 

In late July I went to an outdoor concert. A day or two later I woke up in the morning with tinnitus. I only heard it in the morning while getting dressed in a quiet room. I didn't hear it the rest of the day or even while going to sleep that night. It barely registered with me. I then go all of August and the beginning of September without noticing any tinnitus at all. At this point I've completely forgotten about the stuff in July. In the second week September I went to bed one night without tinnitus and woke up in the morning with it. I hear it in the middle of my head, not in my ears. Again, I made a note of it. I had no exposure to noise at all. I wish then I would have sought out medical advice. Two days later I went to another concert with the finest ear plugs I could find. It didn't change my tinnitus at all. Nothing changed since that first morning I woke up in September. A single high pitched tone. Sometimes I hear a lower woosh sound too. There is some hyperausis as well. Some sounds are distorted or "tinny" sounding. The tinnitus seems to compete with sounds and will increase in volume. In the mornings its relatively quiet and increases in volume as the day progresses. I'm walking that fine line between protecting and over protecting my ears.

I had some trouble getting an appointment to see a doctor. My clinic was offering me an appointment a month out. I went another week without seeing a doctor. During that week I flew for work and went to an NFL game. Wearing ear plugs for both. I had no idea what I was dealing with.

I finally saw a GP and an ENT the next week. The ENT told me my hearing test was flawless and I would just have to learn to live with it. I didn't work for the next two months. I lost my mind and had appointment after appointment. The only thing that kept me from suicide is my two kids. I'm starting to question how long my suicide reluctance will last.
About ten days later the ENT gave me prednisone after I begged him for it. While I was on the medication the volume of my tinnitus decreased by about 80 percent. It returned to baseline after that.

I keep thinking of variables and events and have no idea if they bear any importance. I've had headaches several times a week in my temples and behind my eyes for as long as can remember. They always appear in the same place. I've had bruxism for years along with extremely high anxiety. I have a painful and clicking jaw along with facial muscle pain. My tinnitus modulates with jaw movements, but I hear that isn't all that uncommon. Long story short I began TMJ treatment hoping it is a factor in the tinnitus. My ears have a slight fullness and crack loudly and make noise with swallowing and neck movements. About a week before the tinnitus appeared overnight I had some dental work done. During this work I had a painful bite block on the side of my jaw that is the worst.

I could go on and on. I don't know what plays a role in this and what doesn't. Maybe it's some sort of combination of these events that left me this way. I know patience is key. The tinnitus has changed slightly since the start. A few times a week it will shift to one ear or the other for just a few minutes. I'm also experiencing extended times when it changes to an electrical sound where the tone fluctuates.

Damn, this post has turned into a mess. Anyway, I'm having difficulty identifying what of all this nonsense caused this. I feel like I need to be honest with myself about how I got to this point, but I can't figure it out. This is scary stuff and I need to find hope if I'm going to make it.

 

Horrible... I was fortunate to have read about T years before I got it. When I first heard it, I knew what it was. Also, mine was loud right away, so I couldn't ignore it.

I had been ignoring that line, and went all in with protecting my ears. I watched TV at moderate volume to ensure that I don't make my H worse. In any case, I don't regret doing that, and I recommend it to others, at least during their first year after onset.

T might fade. If it doesn't, eventually you might find that you won't have as strong of an emotional reaction to it as you do now. Many people report experiencing this at around 18-24 months mark... Consider riding it out for the next 20 months, and weighing your options at that time...

Some people on this forum (e.g., @threefirefour ) got rid of their tinnitus when they had successfully treated their TMJ.

This is likely what it was that pushed you over. @Greg Sacramento got his T this way. Any advice, for @spedgas , @Greg Sacramento ?

This is an encouraging sign.

In case you haven't seen it before, check out the post below. I believe some of the information there will be useful to you. The first tip there will hopefully provide some hope.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822