Anxious and Frustrated

Hi. So I posted on the intro. forum a little while ago and people have been really helpful. I hope they can be helpful again.

Thing is, I am getting frustrated. Basically my tinnitus is a ringing in my left ear after a cold. I had a cold, and I should mention I had earache a week prior to noticing the noise, but I assumed this was the cold (I had earache in BOTH ears). On Friday 17th Jan., after listening to my iPod I turned it off and noticed a ringing. I didn't worry too much because I had listened to music before and it had caused a ringing, and I managed to fall asleep. I feel that the noise level of my T did go down. When I woke up the next day I didn't really notice it until the middle of the day when I blocked my ear and realised "Hey, the ringing hasn't gone".

The worst point was the previous week. I had headaches, couldn't eat and kept feeling sick - I actually threw up a couple times. I do not know whether that was to do with a cold or not. Anyway, I've calmed down now and am doing much better. However, T is still presence.

I went to the doctor and she said that there was pressure behind my ear that was causing this because of the cold I had. While at first I was disbelieving, I actually think she is right. For example, when I try to unblock my ears (block my nose, try to blow it, and swallow - the doctor advised me to do this) my right ear will pop, but the other one won't. I've also noticed that when yawning, if I try to yawn a few times in a row, that ear will hurt. I was also in the show last night and used the former technique and it actually popped! But now it's back to not popping.

Another good sign is that my T is not always presence. Two nights ago I went to bed and listened for the T, something I know I shouldn't do. But I couldn't find it! For a night I had quiet. I actually thought my ears were getting better, but then yesterday it came back.

My T is very mild and I can successfully sleep with it. My other ear makes noises too, and I think that I have had a bit of T for years, only know it's gotten worse. I just want the ringing in my left ear to go! I am coping by telling myself that it is because of my cold and it will go away, and because it was getting better I was feeling more confident. Now it's ringing again and I am frustrated and confused.

My question is do people think my T will go away, looking at these symptoms?

I am taking metatone tonic and zinc and vitamin C tablets; the doctor also gave my a nasal spray for this T. Is there anything else people can recommend? I have had a bad experience with drugs and am reluctant to take anything because I'm certain it'll make things worse.

 

I should also mention that two nights ago my ear "went" - by which I mean I had a louder ringing in my ear for about ten/fifteen seconds. I have had this before and even though I was worried, this did go away. This happened again in the middle of the night. Also that evening my left ear got hot. I can't really explain it any other way except when I touched both ears the other one was definitely warmer. I don't know whether that means anything or not.

 

I sounds like it will greatly be reduced or might even go away. Tinnitus and colds can be temporary. It may also appear louder because your sinuses could be clogged or if there is fluid in your ears. If you are anxious you will focus on it more and even lose your appetite. All symptoms of anxiety. I know it's tough to hear, but try to relax and focus on positive thoughts, even if they are mixed with anxiety or negativity.

I am suffering right now too, I usually can manage my T, but I went to the dentist and it made my T a lot louder and I feel very hopeless and sad at the moment. But I try focusing on remembering good thoughts, about my family and how much I love them. I try in these moments to reflect on what is valuable.

I have a good feeling you will get through this and it will go away.

 

hi Citigirl,

I am glad to read you are feeling better after your cold. Nausea is the pits!

I wouldn't recommend you continue to pop your ears. I was advised against this practice.

If you have pressure changes behind your drum post the cold, then you will need to let it equalise.

I never found sprays helpful; though I know doctors often trial steroidal and antihistamine sprays for Eustachian tube dysfunction etc.

Remember, t is a benign sound. It wont hurt you. It isn't getting louder. You are monitoring your sound. There are several references in your post to carefully monitoring the sound, straining to hear it at times. You know the moment you start doing this, your brain thinks it needs take notice in case of a potential threat.

If you have lived with t for several years, you will know that it wont hurt you...so relax!

I am sure you know anxiety about the noise causes your brain to focus on it.

You do need to remind yourself that we do not live in a silent bubble. There are noises (yes even in the quiet) that our brains are constantly prioritising and filtering. t is just another totally benign sound. Your brain will eventually learn to ignore it once you learn to let go of your anxiety.

In answer to your question, your t may go away? Noone can answer this with certainty.

I became aware of my t two months ago following an ear infection. I was an emotional mess.

I can assure you that you will be OK even if your t stays with you. Once you change your negative perception of the sound, then you will see your t as a minor annoyance at its worst. One day, you are going to wonder what all the fuss was about..

I am on the fence about supplements so far as a cure of t.

 

addit: sleep. you need it! if your anxiety (not your t) is keeping you awake. then you need to better manage that. everything is so much harder to deal with when our brains/bodies are exhausted. be kind to yourself. accept that for now, you will need to get plenty of rest as anxiety is emotionally draining. if you find you cant get off to sleep easily, then try some relaxing music/hypno cds/white/blue/pink noise or even just a fan. Find something that works for you. If you still find youself laying awake for hours focused on your t, then yes take the melatonin or a pharmaceutical script from your doctor.

have a look at this site. really helpful.

www.tinnitus.org.au

 

citigirl13: It definitely sounds to me as if your T is mainly caused by your cold and the pressure in your ears. It is very likely it will go away when the pressure eases. It may take time before that happens, if you still feel the pressure after a couple of weeks I should go back to the doctor and she will probably be able to help. Sprays never helped me either except to clear my nose. There is a trick to spraying it so that it actually reaches the eustachian tubes, and even then I read somewhere that only 50% of people are helped by these sprays. As for the the valsalva manuever (blocking your nose and blowing), my GP, my ENT and my audiologist have all said I should do it. I think you shouldn't do it too often, and only blow gently. And don't do it if you have stuff in your nose and throat (you know what kind of stuff!), you may blow it into the eustachian tubes. You can also try moving your jaw from side to side, that may pop them. You could also look up Lymphatic massage for the face and ears on YouTube, it's quite easy to do yourself.
I see you're in England, did the doctor say anything about Sudafed? It helped me unblock my ears when I last flew over there, but some people are wary of them because they act as a stimulant.

 

Hi Citigirl,

There's a reasonable possibility that it will go away. Mine started with a similar thing, and I know that I made it worse paying constant attention to it, always plugging my ears to see if it was still there, popping them, trying to dig wax out etc. This was pretty much due to my lack of understanding or information about tinnitus. The best thing is to stop paying it any attention to it, as best as you can anyway.

Being that you're in the same kind of locality as me, I know that three was a horrible flu-like cold going around at Christmas. It knocked me out for a good couple of weeks and totally blocked my ears, giving me an infection on one side and making my tinnitus a lot worse. It lingered on this side for weeks afterwards, so there's every chance that it's the cold and ear infection causing this and that it will fade away over time.

Steve

 

Thank you everyone! You are all so kind. This forum is so important to me because only the people on it seem to understand.

The ringing is definitely coming and going. At one point it was really high and I was worried about sleeping. But just a few minutes later it went! Of course now I'm awake and it is higher again.

This is why it emus so frustrating! It goes and I think "maybe it won't come back" and then it does. I know I should focus on other things and most of the day I can ignore it, but at night I hear it. That being said I am sleeping very well, getting about 6-8 hours a night so the T has not changed that, albeit I'm a bit more restless.

You're right Steve, there have been a lot of colds going round. Everyone I know is at least sniffling. No one with ringing in ears though.

Once again thank you. I am optimistic that this will go and I just need to get through it. Everyone here had reassured me that I can get through this, even if the T is here for a long time (hopefully not forever)

 

Does anyone else's ears ring/make noises loudly when they wake up and decrease when they're up?

 

It varies. Mine is generally better when I first wake up, but plenty of people are the opposite and find it gets better as the day goes on.

It's difficult to pigeon-hole tinnitus symptoms, we all tend to have our own experiences and reactions to things.