College Student Worried About Possible Tinnitus. Help/Advice.

I haven't been diagnosed, but I'm definitely having the high pitched buzzing in my ears. Going to a doctor later this week.

Long story short, I made a few recent mistakes with my ears and since then I've had the buzzing.

Mistake 1: Took high doses of ibuprofen for pain for 3-4 days Mistake 2: Slept with earplugs in ONE night.

So, I guess what I'm wondering is, do I have any hope? These two things above occurred about 3-4 days ago and have been experiencing the buzzing ever since. I'm going to a general practitioner this week to talk to him about it.

 

What is the mistake? I used to wear my earplugs to bed for years (before I got my acoustic trauma).
I think "mistake 2" has nothing to do with the problem you have been experiencing.

A considerable fraction of people get better (or even recover) - see my "stats" post in the Success Stories section of this site. The fact that you are young means you are probably even more likely to get better. It will most likely go away with 2 weeks. If it doesn't, you will most likely have to wait 6-12 months for it to go away... The volume will hopefully diminish in a month of two. Tinnitus takes a lot of time to get rid of...

 

Make sure to protect your ears from noise. Don't vacuum or mow the lawn. Wear earplugs when riding a subway. You may want to do this even after you recover from tinnitus. Once your ears are compromised, it is a lot easier to get tinnitus a second time...

 

Thanks for the response Bill. I'd read that if you're a restless sleeper you could toss and turn and bury the earplug too deep into your canal, or push earwax deeper. I realize that this was just one night, but I thought it was mentionable regardless.

I'll be avoiding earplugs/headsets for the time being while i wait to talk to the doctor/give it some time.

Thanks for your reply!

 

If you read this forum, you will encounter countless posts made by people wishing they had been wearing earplugs.

The only way earplugs can hurt your ears is if you pull them out too fast, causing a loud "pop" sound. This may lead to a tinnitus spike in ears that are already experiencing tinnitus. I can't imagine this being the primary cause of tinnitus.

Have you been exposed to a loud noise recently?

 

None of the "mistakes" you list sound like mistakes to me...
If you feel like your T comes from the meds, there's a high chance it's going to get better in time.
And sleeping with ear plugs doesn't give T, AFAIK.

 

If you're worried about damage to your ear because of the plugs, then have an ENT doc check them.

 

The T most likely came from the heavy doses of the meds in that 3-5 day span..

I'm going to see a HBOT specialist tomorrow, should i go to an ENT doctor instead?

 

Nothing louder than ordinary, no. I thought it might be best to avoid any earplugs or headphones for the time being anyways so I can potentially "heal".

I've been told a lot of different things, but it seems most suggest HBOT as soon as possible if I can afford it. I'd rather spend the money and not have any regrets than not spend it and regret it.

 

HBOT will probably not hurt. Having said this, ask them to use the lowest setting for airflow (if your HBOT provides individual chambers), to reduce the noise. That noise may lead to a temporary T spike - don't worry about it.

The only thing I am worried about is that it is possible that HBOT is done only for victims of acoustic trauma. But nobody really knows how HBOT helps the body heal, so I would try it, if I were you.

 

I didn't know it was specifically for acoustic. I though the otoxicity technically causes the same issue that the acoustic damage causes.

 

You are most likely right.

I have T due to acoustic trauma, and I know that HBOT is useful for that, as it helps the body to repair recently damaged cells. Like you said, it is possible that ototoxic drugs cause similar damage that could be repaired in a similar way.

Make sure you eat plenty of anti-oxidants (eat blueberries by the kilogram) during your treatment. It sounds good that you get lots of oxygen, but oxygen also produces free-radicals...

I had five treatments. I quit when my t spiked. Later I learned that I had reactive T (which would spike after a shower). The spike was most likely caused by the loud hiss of the oxygen in my tank - it ended up being temporary. I shouldn't have stopped...

 

I'm a college student without insurance, so obviously the HBOT treatments are going to be hard for me to afford. But honestly, I think it's worth it. I don't want to live wondering "what if" I had sprung for the treatments. I will eat lots of anti-oxidants, thank you.

 

Your username sounded Eastern European. I thought that HBOT was cheap where you lived. If you live in the United States, but not far from Canada, you might want to take into account that the treatments in Canada are $110-220 USD per session. It is my understanding that it is cheaper than in the US.

I know Exactly how you feel about not wanting to wonder "what if"! Getting a Chance to get rid of this horrible condition would be worth it. Also keep in mind that even if it doesn't work right away, you may still recover (possibly because of HBOT) in 3-12 months. Most of those recruits (in that recovery stats thread) had recovered, and they got HBOT...

 

My last name is Viechec , I'm an American though. I'm going to the consultation for HBOT tomorrow, today i'm going to get some OTC sudafed, as I've heard that can help as well. Might try to get the doc to write me a prednisone script tomorrow.

 

How much do HBOT sessions cost where you live?

 

Only thing is, mine couldn't have been an acoustic issue and these are referencing acoustic damage. But I assume it's somewhat similar as the root issue is the same, don't know.

I see you posted on that thread saying drug induced has a good recovery rating, which would be good news for me.

 

200$ each I believe.

 

Will it be an individual chamber, or a group chamber?

 

I'm not sure, I have my appointment set in the morning. I'll be going if the Sudafed doesn't help me any over night. the consultation is 150$ something//set my first HBOT appointment.

 

Good luck. I hope that one way or anther you will feel better soon.

 

Thanks very much.

 

@cviechec - note that HBOT, like many other procedures, carries some risks... Read up about it and decide with all the info in your head.

 

Quoting previous post below..

I haven't been diagnosed, but I'm definitely having the high pitched buzzing in my ears. Going to a doctor later this week.

Long story short, I made a few recent mistakes with my ears and since then I've had the buzzing.

Mistake 1: Took high doses of ibuprofen for pain for 3-4 days Mistake 2: Slept with earplugs in ONE night.

So, I guess what I'm wondering is, do I have any hope? These two things above occurred about 3-4 days ago and have been experiencing the buzzing ever since. I'm going to a general practitioner this week to talk to him about it.

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Update:
I went to a doctor that perscribed me with Prednisone and Glutathione. It's been 4-5 days now since the onset of symptoms, and I'm starting a regimen on the above as well as Vitamin C.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this, just want to keep in contact with people in this community. I've been doing research in other places that are a lot less positive, and one person told me I had "no chance".

--------------------------------

See below..

Taking high doses of ototoxic medication is dumb. It's shown to destroy not only the haircells, but the supporting cells of the inner ear too.

Then nothing, not even the novel treatment of regrowing your cochlear haircells can treat your Tinnitus.

You've joined the club. Sorry to say. Stock up on gingko biloba and white noise generators. This will be your life from now on.

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Honestly, just looking for some positive reinforcement from some people on here. I don't have any insurance so I've been paying for everything out of pocket, and I'm kind of scared shitless right now.

Thanks for listening.

 

How much are you going to be taking?

 

If you haven't seen the thread below, check it out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

 

The doctor recommended 3,000.

 

I really appreciate this board for it's positive reinforcement. I'm scared, but I'm going to power through. Gonna try to stay away from the Internet because I don't want to be depressed by anything else I read, honestly. lol.

I will update here in 2 weeks when I'm supposed to go back to the doctor.

 

Please do.