Beat COVID-19, Until Tinnitus Had Other Plans

Like many others, I developed tinnitus after a bout with COVID-19. Although COVID-19 itself was unpleasant, my body rebounded fairly well, all things considered. I lost a lot of my taste and smell, but with smell therapy, they started to return gradually each day. Thankfully, I had no other lingering symptoms.

However, five days ago, out of nowhere, it felt like someone rang a bell right in front of my face, leaving me with the aftereffect—a very high-frequency noise around 16-16.5 kHz, which seems higher than most people experience. The intensity varies, but the tone has remained the same. When it's severe, I can't function without sound masking, which, if used for too long, gives me headaches. I'm only on day five, and I truly empathize with those who have endured this terrible symptom for years. It is truly awful.

I'm trying to cope as best I can, but it hasn't been easy. Last night, I had a panic attack because of the anxiety fueling the tinnitus and vice versa. I'm not going to lie; reading about people's mixed experiences with treatments and care hasn't been comforting. My primary care physician was naturally useless (Optum is absolutely awful), and many ENT places I've called knew next to nothing about tinnitus when pressed about what an exam entails and what treatment options look like.

I have an appointment with an ENT/audiologist office associated with NY Langone in 1.5 weeks, but I don't have high hopes. If anyone has any recommendations for doctors in the greater NY area, I'm... no pun intended... all ears.

My hearing has always been really good (about five years better than my age), and I've never exposed myself to loud sounds for extended periods. I've also always been able to tune out background noise. While I've had tinnitus in the past, it was always induced by very high levels of stress (like when I rushed my dad to the hospital while he was in VTAC—he's okay, thank God) and was mild. It's so frustrating going from "totally healthy" to this.

I'm open to trying pretty much anything at this point. Vitamins, supplements, and better nutrition seem like an easy, low-risk place to start. Lifestyle changes may be harder, but hopefully, those around me can accommodate. The rest seems a bit more complicated: in-ear devices, steroids, other treatments, and even clinical trials. I'll at least be an active lurker here trying to figure this all out.

While I am not a religious person, I pray we all find solace from this.

If anyone else has had a similar experience with tinnitus post-COVID-19, let me know.

 

Hi,

I’ve had really awful reactive tinnitus that spiked and fluctuated after both of my bouts with tinnitus, following 17 years of mild tinnitus.

The first spike, after my initial infection, took 18 months to calm down. The second spike, after the second infection, took a few weeks.

I followed Dr. McCullough's COVID-19 protocol the second time to help with the spike protein and inflammation after the post-acute infection. I did this for three months.

Your priority should be lowering inflammation resulting from the infection. I wish I had known and done this sooner the first time.

What personally helped me was:

- Magnesium Threonate
- Now Foods CurcuBrain
- Nordic Naturals Omegas

I experienced headaches, blurred vision, and brain fog, all of which improved significantly after I started working on the inflammation. As a result, my severe tinnitus also settled down.

If you're mentally struggling, check out YouTube channels like T-Minus and Humans with Tinnitus. They’re both positive channels that can help you learn and cope during this time.

All the best.

 

Thanks for the advice. Out of curiosity, what frequency is your ringing?

Many people I trust have also advised me to focus on anti-inflammation regimes, which is logical. I'm taking Magnesium (but just vanilla Magnesium) daily and will shift my diet to more Mediterranean. Fish oil is a good idea as well. I'm unfamiliar with CurcuBrain, but I'll dig into it.

Right now, the mental struggle is... how f'n long am I going to have this crap? I worried about my smell and taste never returning... but that was all wasted energy, as it's much better now. Maybe this will be the same... but not knowing is unsettling.

 

Drink hydrogen water because it reduces inflammation. Buy high-end bottles for better results, as cheap ones produce little hydrogen. Research backs its positive effects on the brain and many other conditions. I drink it every day and use the Echo-Go.