After Thirty Years My Tinnitus Has Become a Problem

Hello Everybody,

Since it's the wee, small hours here in Scotland and I cannot sleep due to my tinnitus I thought I would introduce myself on this forum.

I first developed tinnitus around 30 years ago. I had gone to a number of concerts where my hearing seemed to dip a few days afterwards each time. Then one day I became aware of a hissing, ringing noise. It was around 1991 and very few people had heard of tinnitus at that time. I don't even remember going to the doctor for it, but I'm sure I must have done and am also sure I must have been told there was nothing I could about it.

That was a hard blow for my 17-year old self and I struggled greatly with my new circumstances. I remember breaking every mirror in our house out of frustration and rage. And I remember how concerned my mum and dad were after it. My dad was in tears at how much his son was struggling.

Most friends were less than helpful. When I explained what I had to one friend she responded with great interest, "oh, yes. Dogs get that. It makes them go mad and that is why they sometimes rub their ears on lampposts". Whether that is true or not, I don't know. But it was a crushing reply when I was feeling very depressed about my new inner circumstances.

Over time less and less of my attention was given to the noises in my ear. I moved abroad when I was 20 and spent 5 years living in Germany and Austria. There were times when my tinnitus would flare, but usually after unplanned exposure to loud noise. I started to carry wax earplugs with me at all time which allowed me to partake in social activities, like clubs, without any detriment to my hearing.

Fast forward to 2020 and following a bout of sinus pain I decided to do a sinus rinse as suggested by an ENT consultant (the suggestion was made about 2015). Unfortunately, the water became trapped in both middle ears and an infection developed (according to my GP) and so I took two courses of antibiotics. At various points my left eardrum felt painful and swollen. My GP said that it looked like some gunk was leaking out of left ear drum.

Within a few days of the water being trapped the noise in my ears went from its background state to something much worse. I comforted myself with the thought that once the water drained/infection cleared up the noise would reduce.

Last week, after renewed pain in my left ear I paid for a consultation with a private ENT specialist (the NHS is currently overwhelmed). He told me that my ears looked healthy and there was no fluid left in my middle ear. He also did a test to check how my Eustachian tubes are - fine apparently.

That was three nights ago. I still feel discomfort and a dull pain in my middle ears - especially my left ear - and the tinnitus noise has been unprecedented. My hearing feels a bit woolly. I've really been struggling.

I guess in writing this post I'm just trying to get my experience down - perhaps there is cathartic value in it, at any rate I feel better than I did an hour ago - as well as hoping for some words of comfort from fellow-sufferers. I feel very alone right now. I wish I could sleep. But above all, I just need hope. I'm telling myself that it's very soon after a lot of trauma to my middle ears - which I can still feel as discomfort and pain - and that it may take some time to settle down which means the noise may settle down too.

On top of all this is a severe attack of stress. I don't remember the tinnitus being quite so loud yesterday. The day before that I had actually meditated (which I can't imagine even trying to do at the moment). But I have been badly affected - as so many are - by the situation with the current Corona virus strain. I'm less afraid of the virus - more concerned for older relatives - as of people's reactions to the virus: the panic-buying, people I know losing their jobs, the uncertainty about the future, anxieties for the well-being of my wife and daughter, and our current debts. I feel I'm on a peak of stress that isn't ending.

So, my tinnitus is through the roof. I think it's a combination of the recent trauma on the middle ear and stress. I also wonder if the test on my Eustachian tubes has caused it to spike. A tone was played directly inside each ear. I wonder if my inner ear perceived it as a renewed trauma. Just my luck. At any rate, I have been distraught about this spike, which really just feels like Tinnitus 2.0 to me.

For me, the thought that there are positive things I can do to help my tinnitus is vital. I'm not sure what those things are yet.

 

Welcome Syd, you've come to the right place. I'm glad you've shared your story with us. There's strength in numbers.

I feel the same way. Writing and talking to others that are suffering here has been a liferaft for me when I'm drowning in depression, anxiety, and lonliness.

Do you take anything to help sleep? I've found great success with valerian root and melatonin. I take a large dose of valerian before bed and it really helps to relax my body. You can also buy smaller doses to take during the daytime to help with anxiety. I also take 25mg amitriptyline when it calls for it, which it usually does.

The best hope I can give you is by pointing out that we've got a pipeline of regenerative medicine currently undergoing clinical trials to treat hearing loss/damage, and thereby tinnitus (hopefully). Have you been following any of this?

Frequency Therapeutics is the leader of the pack with their candidate FX-322 currently in P2. Otonomy's OTO-413, Pipeline's PIPE-515, and Hough's Pill & Injection are also ones for us to keep our eyes on. It's looking like 3 to 5 years until we have this first wave of cochlear medicine. Hopefully coronavirus doesn't delay things too much. Take a look at the research news section for more info.

If you're feeling up for more writing, you could help all of us out by submitting answers to this survey to demand more funding for tinnitus research.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/lets-increase-tinnitus-research-funding-in-the-us-—-our-input-for-nidcds-strategic-plan.40065/

 

Ears take forever to heal. I've read posts describing how months after the infection clears, tinnitus begins fading (and takes months/years to fade). So don't assume that what you are hearing now is what you will end up getting stuck with. There's a good chance that eventually you will get back to your baseline.

 

Hi @Syd Barrett -- If you're open to "alternative" approaches, you may want to check out THIS POST, which includes the following:

If you're open to what I consider a "spiritual tool" to possibly improve things (not a meditation), you may want to check out these two posts where I describe what helps me a great deal. Post #1, Post #2

 

HI @Syd Barrett

Welcome to the forum.

You have had tinnitus a long time and have gained plenty of experience managing it. This will help keep your resolve even though you are going through a difficult time at the moment. I believe things will improve and suggest to try slowing things down which will help reduce stress and any anxiety and give your ears time to heal, since you have already had tests at ENT. I have placed some links at the end of this post and ask that you read my articles which might be of help. Before doing so please read my comments below.

The onset of your tinnitus 30 years ago was caused by exposure to loud noise. Once a person habituates to this type of tinnitus, with or without hyperacusis it will usually remain stable. One of the most common things to make it worse is further exposure to loud noise or using headphones, either too regularly or at too high a volume. Anyone that has noise induced tinnitus, I recommend they don't use headphones even at low volume as there's a risk of it increasing. I hasten to add not everyone with NIT is adversely affected by headphone use but many people are. The same applies to attending places where loud music is played: clubs, concerts etc. Some people believe by wearing earplugs they are safe which is not necessarily the case. If external sounds are loud enough they can pass through the head/skull and transferred to the inner ear by bone conduction, and spike the tinnitus which might increase it to a new permanent level. Therefore, I suggest to be careful and think about what I have said.

From the sounds of things I don't think the increase in your tinnitus is related to sound. However, as a precaution if use headphones or headset I suggest not using them until the tinnitus settles down. If you attend clubs and concerts, its probably a good idea to keep away from these place for a while and until the tinnitus calms down.

All the best
Michael
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https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

 

Certainly, my ears feel very inflamed inside right now. As if both middle ears were stuffed with cotton wool. I'm also interested in the theory that inflammation is behind a great many illnesses. I think I need to find something that will reduce the inflammation and will certainly give the Mullein Garlic oil a go. I used to eat raw garlic with shredded carrot and olive oil many years ago. It's maybe time to give that another go if it helps reduce inflammation.

I will also look at the two posts concerning a spiritual approach. Thank you.

 

That's very good advice. Right now my ears are very sensitive to noise and I am making every effort to protect them from unnecessary noise. I will start carrying ear plugs around with me as a precaution as I did when I first got tinnitus. Thank you.

 

Last night, I crushed about 2 garlic bulbs added olive oil and started to eat them raw. I had to give up after a few minutes as I actually found the raw garlic painful on my tongue. Today, I've noticed less of a clogged feeling in my left ear. Actually, it was a vast improvement on what it was like before. Also, I experienced a strong muculent discharge down the back of my throat.

I'm going to continue trying to eat at least one raw garlic clove a day to see if that helps further.

 

Interesting, I saw garlic tablets on my last trip to the pharmacy but passed on them. I wonder if the tablets would be as effective.

 

That's very comforting. Thank you.

 

Cut the garlic bulbs in very small pieces place on spoon then add honey. Shallow them and follow with drink of choice. Do not chew them. Swallow them with the honey.

 

Did you notice an improvement on the wooly hearing at all?

 

Yes, I did.

 

Hello @Syd Barrett, your tinnitus timeline is similar to mine.

When I was first diagnosed in 1991 the the doctor's attitude was pretty much the same as that which I hear now in general, i.e. go home and deal with it. That said the lack of an Internet back then upon which to pour over for hours on end was actually a good thing I feel because in my case I think it helped me work through what was happening. In one's own space there's not much else left to do but get on with things.

Tinnitus 2.0 (you've nailed it with that nomenclature) is proving to be a very different experience. For starters the volume is much higher and therefore more intrusive and ultimately bothersome than Tinnitus 1.0. And of course we now have the added dimension of the Internet. During the past couple of years that my own Tinnitus 2.0 has been doing it's thing I've scoured the Internet (like most) and seen lots of evidence of exciting treatments in the pipeline. One gets hope up with this because the science is amazing, however, ultimately on a practical level I'm afraid I don't see the world of tinnitus treatment being that much more advanced than it was back in '91. To be honest I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing either - we worked through it once, we'll do so again.

Notwithstanding general ear health, much of tinnitus is about coping mechanisms that over time coerce that rascally side of the brain that forms the precept that it's wasting it's time and energy. At the end of the day our bodies are designed to run in harmony with themselves and will always try and heal. These days my coping/coercesion strategy is more complex but not too much. I think food plays a major part (I'm going to try your garlic trick). I also believe inflammation underlies a lot of issues including tinnitus and it seems the modern diet can be very inflammatory. The apple a day thing I think is important, I also eat a lot of spinach to help absorb whatever iron is in my diet for that part of the day/week, and drink water regularly.

Sound enrichment also plays a huge role for me. Websites like mynoise.net have some stuff that have helped divert attention for a while when needed. There are also some good people out there to help with bits and pieces. Although I don't subscribe to all his ideas, Glenn Schweitzer wrote an interesting article recently about how we can stress ourselves out worrying about that time in the day when we know through experience that our tinnitus is going to be bothersome. Simply having some sound enrichment already in place and ready to go and alleviate that situation, and the stress involved leading up to it is, I think, a very good tactic in dealing with the tinnitus stress loop. Tinnitus is like an unruly family dog. It's probably going to be around for a while but it can be taught proper behaviour, and as such, over time, will require less attention.