Desperate for Help

Hello everyone and thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.

My name is Serge and I have been suffering from what explained to me as tinnitus for well over a year. What I have is so different from what I read everyone else describe here or anywhere else that I feel like I am all alone in the entire world suffering every minute of every day without a slightest shred of light in sight.

Where do I begin..

Well I would like to say that I am an otherwise healthy 34 year old male.

I’ve had sinus problems for years in my early to late 20s. The problem was that I could not breath well through my nose and kept getting sinus infections.

I wound up getting my first sinus surgery around the time I was 23 and went on to have a few more until I found an ent that that told me that he sees on a scan that surgeries done prior are not very good and that he will put several different procedures together into just one and my problem will be resolved. He performed the surgery and eureka, I was finally able to breath through my nose.
Though I did have chronic sinusitis afterwards for 5 years it never really bothered me much because I was able to breath. About March of last year, I was going through a really tough time and wasn’t paying much attention what I was doing to myself or putting my body through. I won’t get into much of that but will say I did use a whole lot of Afrin and Vaped non stop while under tremendous amount of stress.

One day I was bending down to put my phone on the charge and it felt like my head was like a balloon that was about to pop. I panicked, went to er. They did the scan and it did show Minor sinusitis. Nothing major. At that time I began hearing almost like a dental tool someplace far away. That followed my taking antibiotics, steroids...and even though my facial pain improves sometime and this sound is a little less than me ready to bash my head into the wall, it’s always there. Worst at night when I lay down. I know this has nothing to do with anxiety, I am not anxious. I tried taking volume and Xanax for a few days with no relief. I’ve gone to many ents and none even want to listen to what I am telling them. I’ve been told anxiety med, I’ve been told some sort of hearing aid, though my ears are fine (I had 3 hearing tests so far at different places and all show nothing wrong there), I’ve been told allergies which prompted me to take anti histamines but I truly believe I simply felt a little more relaxed from them, that’s all.

Now here is a kicker, and I believe a key to the solution. I always was a big sneezer. I would sneeze a lot and often. Since I developed this issue I have not sneezed once. I felt like I was about to 2 times since, but it went away as quickly as I thought I would. I believe I have done something to myself, burned something to make the matters worst to create this situation. No one wants to listen, at least I don’t know where else to turn and who to tell. Now, for the past 6 months, and this I believe is from me not being able to sleep for many nights at a time because of this sound, I first began to have nightmares nightly, turning to polyuria now. I am literally prong at least every hour though nothing is wrong with my bladder based on all tests. I do not have high blood pressure, I do not have diabetes or diabetes insipidis. Like I said this sound sounds like a far away dentist drill, not ringing. Though based on what I am doing, laying down on the side etc, I could get ringing in one ear or other for a few minutes that does go away. I don’t know what else to do or where to go. My life has become a living hell. There is nothing at all I can enjoy anymore. I am ready to go to any part of the world for help if I knew it was there, do anything...

It would even help tremendously to hear another person say I have the exact same, under exact same circumstances...

I understand that you can get this later in life, it will be impacted by loosing hearing. With me it’s not that. I haven’t lost any hearing. If anything, I hear louder and better than ever...

I pray there is someone out there that stumbles on this and can help.

I will be forever greatful.
Sincerely,
Serge from West Chester pa

 

Welcome to the forum. Tinnitus doesn't just come from hearing loss.There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including but not limited to drug reaction or side-effects from ototoxic drugs, ear wax build-up, ear or Eustachian tube infection or ETD, ear drum injury, fluid build-up in ears feeling pressured or fullness, sinus infection & congestion especially with a bad cold, TMJ, TTTS, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma/shock, head trauma & injury, neck injury or muscle problems, hearing loss, Meniere's Decease, barotrauma from sudden change of air pressure such as during landing & taking off on flights especially with blocked nose causing failure to balance the pressure changes, slapping of the ears, deep grief for the loss of loved ones, untreated sleep apnea, extreme, extended stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc., etc.

Have you tried to mask your tinnitus? If not, here are some suggestions. Take care. God bless.

1) Mask at bed time if having trouble sleeping, by using a sound pillow or sound machine with pillow speakers. There are good sound machine & pillow therapy systems like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Oasis-...d-Oasis-Therapy-System-Speakers/dp/B00MH5HKTA

2) If you need masking on the go, try load an ipod with nature sounds or music using itune. If you have a smart phone, you can download free APPs for soothing or T-masking sounds. Use wisdom in the use of headphones or earbuds as extended use or excessive volume may hurt your ears. Try set the volume slightly below that of your tinnitus.

3) With PC & speakers, you can try these excellent masking sounds to see which one masks best:

TT's excellent audio player: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/audioplayer/

or this online sound library, particularly the self-mix nature sounds: https://mynoise.net

or download free sound generator ‘aire freshener’: http://www.peterhirschberg.com/mysoftware.html

or click play to mix these sounds with this simple sound generator: http://asoftmurmur.com/

or search youtube with words like 'tinnitus masking sounds', 'white noise', 'rain sound' etc

 

Billie,
I thank you for a response. It means a lot that someone took time to give any kind of support. I pray that I somehow figure out the cause behind this. I would literally give my left arm to get this solved.

 

@Serge,
It still could be down to your sinuses .
If you get sinusitis or rhinitis you can get mucous going down the back of your throat (post naisal drip) this will fill up your eustation tubes and cause tinnitus and infections if it does not clear.
I have cronic rhinitis and having that problem and going ENT in November and might need nose surgery.
Love glynis

 

Hey Glynis, I am always slightly stuffed up. Does this mean I may have sinusitis or rhinitis contributing to my ETD?

 

@threefirefour ,
Yes it could be the cause if have a nasil problem.
Im going be seen quickly as my nose wont work as mucous goes down my throat and in my tubes and lungs wont work so its like a pillow over my face ....
Need it done to breath and making ears worse.
Love glynis

 

Thanks for the advice. I will mention it when I see my ENT. I've tried allergy medicine like Zyrtec but it's not working. Flonase helps reduce the tinnitus and ear crackling but that's about it.

 

@threefirefour ,
I have to take fexofenadine 180mg and Nasonex and carbocysteine to help the mucous.
Love glynis

 

I’ve tried pretty much everything there is and my problem seems to be quite deeper while these same solutions may help you.
1. Ear popper
Cost me $180 but like I earlier said, I’ll gladky give up my left arm to be rid of this sound. Does it get rid of the tinnitus? Not mine, although it clearly takes care of any liquid in the tubes by pushing air through them. People also claim that liquid sitting on top of tubes gets pushed through.
2 navage
Not your mothers Netti pot.
This, I am still experimenting with.
Problem is that with netti pot, the liquid gets stuck in sinus pockets because of all the surgery I had. It seems to not do it to others that did not have surgeries yet so it could be an answer.
At $90 people swear by it so may be worth it.
Good luck and I hope you find an answer
It seems like I am doomed to have this for the rest of my life and I’m just 34

 

I would also like to point out that my tinnitus gets a whole lot worst to the point I cannot sleep whatsoever, when I’m stressed out. Got in an argument with my fiancé (god knows she lives to discuss all issues at one am) I’ve noticed it gets very loud, everything in my face begins to feel weird and my body fully exhausted.
I am not sure if stress/anxiety are the main culprit or something that makes the T from sinuses worst.
I know that I cannot take Xanax and it’s family to deal with it.
I just really wish there was a doctor that dealt specifically with this, figured out the cause and put together a treatment plan.
No matter where in US.
I also want to add that when t began, I had a series of panic attacks. I never had anything like that before in my life. The panic attacks are gone now, for 3-4 months.

 

Is there anyone out there that can make a concrete suggestion? A specific doctor or thing to do? Rather then just a bunch of sounds to mask that clearly do not work for me..I’m truly lost now. At 34 and I just don’t see myself living much longer with this..