Another New Tinnitus Sufferer

Hi Everyone, new to this forum hope others here can shed some light on my situation.

A brief history of myself. About 10 years ago i used to swim a lot and suffered a few ear infections. My right ear developed a hole that wouldn't close so had surgery. I remember back then going for an audiogram and struggling to hear some frequencies as i had a ringing in my ear.. nevertheless my results showed a 10 % decrease in my right ear. the ringing in my ears stopped and i never noticed the hearing loss. fast forward a few years and a friend burst my left eardrum(we were wrestling) i remember ringing but back then it didn't bother me. Ear healed and ringing vanished. If i think back to the past i can always remember ringing in my ears but it went away or i forgot about it. I remember going to clubs and coming home with ringing that would be gone the next day, I would often leave when the club closed and thinking back now makes me angry that i took my ears for granted, I just didn't know tinnitus was such a terrible and chronic thing. If i'm going to lose my hearing fine, you think silence, i like silence. But why we have to have an annoying ringing is a mystery to me, just one of the many things life can throw at you i guess. I mean what is next its so hard to stay positive these days. Without your health you have nothing. Anyway to my current situation I developed tinnitus almost three weeks ago in both ears, I can't remember the exact day it started i think i thought oh here is the ringing it'll go away, but it didn't. I didn't go out to any loud club it was a chilled weekend, which i think it started on. Only thing I can think is I was swimming quite frequently prior without my ear plugs, and i played soccer and just remembered my ear hurting really bad afterwards. So I noticed this ringing is staying with me and it had been a couple of days, I haven't had any ear fullness but i was getting alot of those random ringing deafening spike that last few seconds before i got this constant ringing. I went to GP and he said i had a post nasal drip and the ringing would go away after treating it. After seeing the gp i went out to a bar for a friends birthday i didn't use ear protection and they were playing loud music, i was there for probably 4 hours( so stupid) now its been two weeks since that and I still have loud ringing and have noticed my ears are sensitive to loud noises(high pitched) aswell. I'm so angry with myself and feel that going to that bar without protection has given me permanent tinnitus and hypercusis and thats why it has stayed for so long. I went to the ENT a week ago and he says i still have post nasal drip and has put me on steriods and stronger nose spray but no improvement. I honestly don't know how i can live like this it is so annoying I am now putting cotton in my ears to try and rest them. But as the days go on I'm becoming less hopeful. I just want to go back in time. I'm 25 years old and can't imagine living like this for the rest of my life. What if it gets worse, its already loud i can hear it when watching tv, seems louder in my right but both ears definitely have. Thanks you to anyone who took the time to read my story.

 

Hang in there man if you need to take meds to get by this period see your doc.a
Time is the only thing that teaches us how to handle T ...I've had T for 9 months now and at first I didn't think I could live this way and as time passed I have accepted it more and more and in turn my desperation has loosened its grip on me.
Try to stay strong

 

Stay strong. Hang in there, I have mines for 1 month now , I think it is due to a thyroid problems..All the best ..take care!

 

Thanks guys. I just feel that I've messed up. I don't understand why it started in the first place, I remember taking ibuforen around the time it started. But after going to that bar the hypercusis started, so worried that one bad decision is gonna make this permanent. Good luck to everyone else there that is going through this.

 

Get tested for Food and Inhalant (pollen, mold, animal...) ALLERGIES ASAP. Pollen this time of year is really bad. Get your blood work done. You might have already had a low level of T and aggravated it some how. Hopefully it's not perm. Also stop any kind of stimulants, coffee, sodas, 5hour, etc.. and alcohol too. PERIOD. Clean up your diet, reduce sodium (most all fast foods) and don't get your blood pressure up from getting mad. Go workout ...in a quiet gym or go run ...but no headphones.

 

Hang in there! It might still go away but even if it doesn't your life isn't over. As someone said above, if you have to take meds to get a better quallity of life again don't feel bad about it, it will only help you. Time will heal as well as you will get used to it. Try to avoid loud places or use protection from now on. You are still young and you will be able to live your life. I know the thought of ' being young and how am I going to live with this for the rest of my life?' as I am 23 myself. But things will get better in the end and you will see there is a good way to live with it. You will still be able to enjoy the things in life Keep yourself busy and try to think as positive as you can! Read the succes stories on this website, it will help

 

Thanks Jay I do often get post nasal drip but never with tinnitus. I think you right about me having a low level of T and probably just became accustomed to it and something has flared it up. I'm on anti histamines at the moment and was taking some even before T started, I've always been against meds wouldn't even take anything for headaches but this year I've been on quite a bit, also my diet and exercise has always been great, I have switched to rooibos tea now, the less caffeine has actually helped my sleep so i got that going for me . I'm just so shocked by this, does having T mean i have to wear ear plugs to every loud place. I thought hearing lose was gradual. And the bar I went to was loud but you could still have a conversation. I just fear i was there for too long. It's strange how you can have loud ringing that goes away the next day as if you've healed, and then one day boom it's with you for life. I tell all my friends now to be proactive and protect their ears, wish I had someone telling me that. @Anke thank you for the positivity, I have been very negative lately have been going through a rough phase in my life. Glad you doing well, I'm thinking about meds just don't want to put anything more into my body that can aggravate this. I've always looked after myself health wise but now feeling I'm not as strong as I thought.

 

I'm been a healthy guy all my life and I just posted a detailed intro on another thread too "Hello My Name Is Jay and I Have T...". I'm not out of the woods, my ears are ringing now and I have Hypercusis too but all I can do is hope, investigate, read and apply a healthy aggressive plan for healing my ears. If it's T that's not directly related to Loud Noise Exposure or disease then there's a chance it's a symptom of something else going on in our bodies aggravating existing low T. Loud Noise Exposure is not good as many of us find out too late. I would not go into any loud places including bars, live bands, concerts, movies or even loud restaurants for the next 10months at least. Period. Give your ears a chance to resolve if they still can. You're ONLY priority right now (like me) is YOU, YOUR HEALTH (mentally and physically) AND YOUR EARS. Everything else is a distant second. If you are eating and drinking toxic foods and beverages. Stop. If you have toxic friends. Say goodbye. This condition sucks but you have to give your body the absolute best opportunity to heal without excuses. But keep in mind even if you have some kind of resolve, your ears will never be the same and you should not expose them to loud events, places, etc... w/o protecting them. Google and read up on Safe Hearing Levels and OTOXICITY. Down load apps on your phone like decibel meters (dB Decibel 10th?) and p0llen c0m's allergy alert.

 

Hey @Mr. Unlucky. Try to stay calm. T is frightening, H worse so, but you can pull through this. H is the worst thing, even though T is extremely annoying. The general rule is that if you have to raise your voice to be heard, you have to wear earplugs; otherwise it is fine. Hopefully the bar was not too loud.

With H you have to be careful. Wearing earplugs can make your ears even worse, before if you protect your ears too much they become even more sensitive to noise which makes the H worse. Yes wear earplugs, but NOT ALL THE TIME. I am not an expert in H, but I believe that allowing your ears to get use to noise again helps them heal. People with H tend to heal, but this can take a while. There is another forum below this one specifically for H suffers, so if you are anxious about it and need advice that would be a good place to start.

T is easily a mental condition as a physical one. I had ear pain a week before my T came on, but a week after I only had those two symptoms - yet that week was one of the worse of my life. I keep being sick, not from the cold I had only a week before but from fear; sleep was a nightmare, though I manage to get at least four or five hours; I couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop worrying about it. Many people with T start out like this. But many people with T heal. As others have said, you are new to T and there is a good chance it will go. If it doesn't go, the volume could go down. If it stays the same, you will habituate. Many people with T do. For example, today I have been in the house by myself and barely heard my T. I will admit to it being low, but even so, when I am distracted I can ignore it. I am typing this and the only noise is my computer, and yet I cannot particularly hear my T - only when I listen for it.

I know you are thinking, "YOU may be able to live T, but I can't - I can't live like this". I thought the same thing as you did when I first had T. I thought the only chance of living my life was for it to go. Yet I had a wonderful day today, and I had T. I believed that I would never be able to get used to the sound. But I can be reading in my room and not notice it, only when I remember. You will get there too.

Still, there are a few things you can do to help your body which may hopefully stop the T:

1) SLEEP. Sleep is the most important thing yet as T sufferers we generally struggle. I hear my T most when I am going to sleep or waking up. It is difficult to ignore when the house is quiet. But if there is something wrong with your body then sleep is important, as you body usually fixes itself when we are sleeping. If you are struggling I would suggest putting on some relaxing noises, or a fan in your bedroom if you prefer. It can help distract your mind. Try distracting yourself by playing games, or thinking of other things, or tell yourself a story while trying to go to sleep. I can sleep without maskers because when I was going to sleep, whenever my mind would go to the T, I would say "No" and drag it back to another thing. Thinking back now it seems exhausting, yet now I sleep without effort. If you still struggle, speak to your doctor about getting some meds to help you. I would try not to use them long-term, but for now I think it would be wise to use them.

2) See a doctor. As already mentioned, T is a symptom, not a disease; something is causing it. It would be best to try to find out what it is. Unfortunately with T there are so many reasons that it is difficult. I would see an ENT to check for hearing loss and general well-being of ears (when I saw my doctor for the THIRD time he saw fluid in my ears); if he thinks they are find schedule an appointment with your doctor. Check your blood pressure, have a blood test to look for diabetes etc. If you are really concerned have an MRI. Since T can be a sign of a brain tumour (though this is very rare) your doctor should allow this.

3) Keep healthy. Exercise and eat well. This should help your body heal if there is a physical problem.

4) Distract yourself. The worst thing you can do is sit around thinking about your T, so stop. See some friends (though try to avoid going to loud places and if you must, wear earplugs), watch a film, spend time with family, read a book - do whatever you enjoy. It is hard at first, but eventually you stop faking it and actually enjoy yourself.

Take care Mr. Unlucky. Don't worry. It seems like the end of the world right now but I promise you, it isn't. Stay strong and think positive.

 

Thank you for the post, I have mines a month now , not only that I am dizzy and wobbley , nt sure if this has to do with my thyroid , which is low and went up high , then my t started.. hanging in there , hope they find a cure for s soon ..keep in touch

 

Thank you for this, I'm waiting for my day to come when I give someone else some encouraging words on how I got over this.

 

@alifalijohn, you might want to ask your doctor about Meniere's disease (if you're having balance problems along with your T). I'm not a doctor, but just an idea - sounds familiar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ménière's_disease

 

Hi guys. Just something I want to ask you, were we suppose to be protecting our hearing from a young from normal things that everyone does all the time, like movies, bars, restaurants, clubs. I've asked a quite few people if they protect their ears when they go out and they laugh. I find it so strange that this can just pop out of nowhere one day from exposing yourself to everyday sounds. I'm just trying to not blame myself for being naive with all the loud places I've been to in my life. My T is still the same I am getting a bit used to it, still annoying, but I'm trying to protect them so they can heal. I just can't believe my ears have reached their breaking point at my age. surely this must be very common.

 

You can be around loud sound for a limited amount of time per day and week and be okay. T is highly suspected to be a symptom of an underlying health condition if it's not directly related to an actual immediate hearing damaging event such as an explosion, head trauma and/or (ototoxcity) taking certain kinds of meds for a long period of time OR you've worked in a loud environment for many years. I also think some forms of T can be our bodies own alarm system that lets us know that something is not right particularly in the head and neck area or for those with allergies and the air we're breathing (like me). Every one's journey with T is different but only similar in a few ways.

Stop asking your buddies and go get the medical work done but don't expect ANY of these professionals to have a miracle answer and cure for T. Instead look for something else BUT don't go in or make an appointment based on Tinnitus. Think check up and overall health evaluation. Only inform them you have Tinnitus until after they've potentially diagnosed, found something of concern or near the end of your discussion with them.
1. See an Allergist and get completely tested for food, animal and inhalant allergies.
2. See your Doctor, get complete lab work done on your blood and then consult with him about your results.
3. See your Dentist and get an overall evaluation of your dental health.
4. Find a highly recommended ENT.
5. Find a highly recommended Chiropractor to get an over evaluation of your spine. Nerves run into every part of the body including the ears!
6. Determine if a second opinion from any of the above is necessary.
7. Ask for any prescribed medications to be low or no ototoxcity and then check for yourself.

Again don't go in talking about Tinnitus UNLESS they have a sign on the door that says, "We Can Reduce or Eliminate Tinnitus, Guaranteed!" or they've found some thing else that needs to be addressed.

Good luck

 

Hey man. I agree you should take a healthy life style change. But don't avoid life. I gave up coffee and alcohol for two months after my chronic T set in and I'll tell you, it didn't really do much for me but give me a false sense of hope that it would be better if I didn't drink coffee. There have been many studies that show it doesn't have an effect on your overall T. I think as long as you're consuming in moderation, you'll be fine. I have a cup of iced coffee a day and a drink maybe once every two months or month at most. Gave up herb and started cooking all my own food. Low SODIUM, high magnesium. I am also about to go see an ENT whose name I got from the ATA website.

 

So today I did one of those high frequency test to see if i had any loss of hearing in those ranges. I can hear up to 15khz(16khz with volume up) with my left ear and I can hear 12khz (14khz if i turn the volume all the way up) with my right, this seems to explain why my right ear has worse ringing. I have no idea why it just came out of the blue though without going to a loud event, I'm assuming I couldn't hear those ranges before T started not sure. But yeah just some info. Some of you can hear the higher frequency and still have T, if I'm right. As you get older you lose the higher frequency, but why doesn't everyone that is losing these frequencies (1khz every decade) get T. Argh it's frustrating.

 

I'm sorry Mr. Unlucky. I wish I knew. I wish someone would figure T out, because there are so many reasons why people get T, and that T is linked to hearing loss, yet not everyone with hearing loss has T. I don't understand it, but I wish somebody could.

 

Stay strong buddy. A life without regrets is a life not lived, eh? I wish I would have worn hearing protection multiple times, even after having tinnitus, but, similar to you, I had become so habituated to it that I became complacent. I will never make that mistake again. I got my tinnitus when I was 17, I'm 28 now and it hasn't killed me or prevented me from living what can be considered a normal life. I was just in Vegas this last weekend, it was loud everywhere but I packed ear plugs with me everywhere I went. Anywhere the sound levels got up, I just popped them in. Nobody said anything and I wouldn't have cared if they did.

If your tinnitus is recent onset as you have said, you might want to look into the AM-101 clinical trials that are in Phase III right now. I would give them a shot if I were you. I tried, but they won't let me on the trial

 

Your list of possible contributors sounds as long as mine. The point is, no one really knows the cause. It can be a number of issues compounded together. All you can do is take steps to deal with each and see where you end up. Hire a psycho-therapist to walk through this with you. It will really help if you find the right person. Glad you got your hearing tested. For most of us it isn't the ears at all, it is the auditory nerve confusing the brain or something of that nature. People have had their hearing nerve severed and still have tinnitus so I'm convinced it's brain ringing. Let yourself off the hook by understanding even experts don't really know the cause.

If you're anxious, tell your doctor and get on an anti-anxiety pill. Doing so helped me somewhat. Be cautious though, whenever I mention the tinnitus doctors don't listen and brush me off. I finally had to discuss the symptoms of what it was doing to me instead. That got quick attention. Anxiety can make tinnitus worse. I found this article helpful http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety/symptoms/ringing-in-the-ears.shtml