First Head Cold Since Getting Tinnitus 8 Years Ago

I got tinnitus, right ear only, in 2010 and the first 6 weeks were terrible, joined this forum back then. It was very helpful, so helpful that I habituated and have lived my life the past 8 years with no complications from the tinnitus. Total habituation. Only realized it was there when talking about it to someone. I even lost my password from lack of posting so had to re-register today.

Well, long story short, I got my first cold since getting tinnitus the past 2 weeks. The spike happened 3 days before I even realized I had a cold which was about Nov 28.Felt the cold around Dec 1. The cold had passed by Dec 8, my nostrils are clear, no cough, no congestion, clear head (it was never really in my chest, strictly head). Some cellophane crinkling noise in my right ear when I blow my nose before taking Flonase spray.

BUT my spike is still here.

The strange thing is, Monday low, almost silent, Tuesday screaming, Wed silent, Thursday another spike and on and on.

Today Saturday is a bad spike. I am sleeping with Melatonin 2 mg sustained release, Tylenol PM 250 mg, Benadryl 12 mg.I like to split pills in half and take more if I awake.

Treatment - Flonase spray once a day (in the morning), Vitamins Magnesium and Zinc and C. 12 mg Benadryl, steam 2 or 3 times a day and Chamomile tea and an occasional daytime Tylenol.. Sleep 1am to 4 am, wake up, take a half a Benadryl to knock me out again and sleep to 8 am. I sleep with a 10 hour YouTube shower tape with an ear bud in just my right ear to mask the ring. Some nights the past week I have gone to sleep at normal level and awaken at 4 am to a loud spike.

Every day that I have a pretty silent day, I pray it has gone back to my normal tinnitus level. It's not my first time at the rodeo so I know tinnitus has no rhyme or reason but my question is, does this behavior sound familiar post head cold tinnitus spike?. If I could put 2 good days together, I'd feel on the road to recovery.

Today I woke up to low T but nodded off at noon for like 3 minutes and awoke to a spike which I assume I'll have until bedtime. Strange, I always spike if I nod off in front of the TV for even 30 seconds.

Any suggestions if my self treatment is good/bad or can be improved. I have read the ear is the last to heal from a head cold and the spike can last a week or a month. My only comfort is that I have had some good days the past week but then the spike always returns. Thanks.

 

Follow-up to my first post of this thread

My spike started Nov 28, two days before I realized I even had a cold. Started sneezing and sniffling around Dec 1. My baseline tinnitus for 8 years (about a 2) went to about a 7 or 8 overnight. The cold was gone by Dec 10 but the spike remained. Very strong for a month and a half. Started to abate about January 2o.

Today I am at about a 3 or 4. Not at my original baseline but way down from where it was 73 days ago. I can almost ignore a 3 or 4. So for those suffering from head cold induced tinnitus spikes, hang in there, it gets better, ever so slowly.

I've used a personal steam inhaler for 2 months every day, the kind that almost fits over your face and I think it helped my eustaschian tubes. My tinnitus was always right ear only.

This was my very first cold since getting tinnitus in 2010 so the spike came as a surprise.

 

Hi all. I'm suffering with a head cold since yesterday. Nose blocked, throat stinging etc. My tinnitus is on an all time high because of this and I'm terrified it's going to remain at this level. It feels like my head is going to explode with the noise (especially on the left side). I've had 2 different spikes now since Nov 19 and I'm barely managing to cope with those... and now this!

Any advice would be welcomed on what to take, what not to take etc. TIA.

 

I’ve had a few head colds since I’ve had T and twice the noise has ramped up to stupid volumes, first time took a while to go back to baseline (3 months or so) the others a few weeks to a month.
I just took Sudafed which didn’t make anything worse, steamed my face with vix or olbus oil twice a day. I also drank honey, ginger and garlic tea (homemade) which sounds as bad as it tastes haha but it did help. I also took NAC once a day and drank fresh orange juice.
Try to eat cleanly and lay off dairy, keep as active as much as you can as well and hopefully it’ll pass quickly for you.

 

Thank you for your reply @Jcb! I have been steaming myself with Vicks etc, I'll start taking some sudafed....do you want to share how you made that yummy drink... I'll try anything! I guess I just have to ride it out and pray that the spike doesn't last too long! My 2 little girls have colds also so I think it's going to be in this household for quite some time!

 

Ha ha it’s very yummy so beware........ Yes I bet, when one person gets it, the cold then just hops from one person to another.

This is the recipe I’ve used the last few years, hope it helps

• 2 inches of ginger, sliced thinly (transverse/diagonal slices)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3-6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly transverse/diagonal slices
• 2 cups water
• 2 lemons, juiced (juice of 1 lemon per serving)
• 2 heaping tbsp of raw honey (1 tbsp per serving)
• 
  
  
• 1. In a kettle or a covered pot, boil ginger, cinnamon (or cinnamon sticks), and sliced garlic for about 15 minutes.
  2. In the cups, stir together the lemon juice and raw honey until the honey has dissolved.
  3. Pour 1 cup of the boiled ginger and garlic (don't eat the ginger/garlic stuff unless you reaaaally want to get better) into the two cups full of lemon and honey.
  4. If you are using propolis add a scant 1/2 tsp to each cup and stir quickly. Drink immediately and wash the cup as soon as possible because the propolis will stain the cup.
  5. Drink both servings if you're really sick. Rest well, keep hydrated and stay warm.

 

Hi, My T did back off after my head cold but it took a while. Weeks after the head cold was gone, even a month +. It still never returned to the baseline but it was close enough. The cold made it spike to an 8 from a 2 or 3. About 2 months later it returned to about a 3-4. Steam, benadryl, let time pass. It will get better, give it time

 

@Jcb thank you for the recipe... it sounds yummy. I'll certainly give it a try.

 

@Arjay thank you for the advice. This might sound like a silly question but when you rate your tinnitus is it just what you are marking it out of 10 or is there like a certain device you can get to measure it? I'm currently steaming myself and drinking lots of fluids. Am trying to rest as much as possible but it's easier said than done with 2 small kids.

 

No, no device. Just trying to quantify the level of T on a scale of 1 to 10. Eustachian tubes are usually the last to drain after a cold and it can take some time but your spike should subside in time. I use a Vicks Personal steam inhaler with the soft mask that fits over your nose and mouth.