Four weeks into the unknown

Dear Dr. Nagler,

I am four weeks into my T..its origin is unknown to me or the ENT that had seen me. All i know is five weeks ago I had some bleeding in my nose (warm climate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) and a few days after I woke up with crackling noises when i swallow saliva. Swallowing food and drinks doesnt have the crackling effect.

Two days after I heard a ringing sound in my head, soft ringing. It went away a few hours later.

I feel like my ears are blocked and I did vasalva and massaged my lower jaws. During the next day the ringing came again louder this time. Doing vasalva seems to diminish it for awhile but it always comes back.

One week into this and I got to see and ENT. He prescribed Otrivin and Zyrtec. Says he sees no infections in my ears and nose and asks for me to see him in 5 days. The ringing it seems is now towards my right ear which feels blocked until i do the vasalva which diminishes the ringing somewhat but it always comes back.

The following week, told the ENT that the ringing still persists and that my right ear feels full and doing vasalva dimishes the T. He gave me some antibiotics and asked me to continue Otrivin for three more days (i was afraid of the rebound effect). He told me to continue doing vasalva if it helps.

The day after i took the antibiotics the ringing diminished greatly into just a buzz and this continues to day two. Day three it flares up again just in time for me to see the ENT.

He asked me to do a hearing test at the sound lab. I have minor hearing loss in the upper levels in my right ear, the left is normal. He gave me Gincosan (Ginko+ginseng) and asked me to see him in 30 days if the T still persists for me to do an MRI.

Its now been two weeks since i saw the ENT..i didnt only take the gincosan but i also took B12 and zinc. I also brew fenugreek tea in case i have thick mucus in the eustachian tubes. I still have crackling sounds when i swallow but my right ear doesn't feel full anymore.

I have days when the ringing is only a slight buzz but it flares up again just like today. I have abstained from salty foods, cafeine, msg and i am not a smoker or a drinker.

My T changes volume when i turn my head to the right or when i lie down to sleep. I have changed my sleeping habits by sleeping at 10pm and waking up at around 4am. I briskly walk one hour each morning for the past 2 weeks and have lost some weight. (at least some good)

Three days ago my housemate tried some soft tissue massage on my neck (he was trained) and he says my neck muscles feels very stiff. The day after the massage, the T was practically gone only a soft buzz that i can easily forget.

He massaged me again the next day saying my neck seems less stiffer but the T returned with a soft ringing and after the third massage, today. the ringing is much worse.

My housemate is going back for good to his home country in two days and so I will not have someone to do the massages.

Please advise as I am at my wits end. (I sleep with the help of some herbal pills and the sound of rain on the tent)

Kind regards

Nick (53 years old)

 

Hi @nick ahmad -

I wish I could offer you some specific suggestions, but unfortunately I cannot.

It seems to me that you are doing exactly what other individuals do when they first develop tinnitus - you are trying to "figure it out." The problem is, the only predictable thing about tinnitus is its unpredictability. The result is that you are making a number of compromises in your daily routine in the hopes that you can get control of the uncontrollable.

I have said this a number of times in other threads,. but at this point it looks like tinnitus is driving your bus. You goal is to - over time - drive your own bus, and send your tinnitus in the back row of seats.

And remember, you have only had tinnitus for a few weeks. There is a very good chance that it will just fade away on its own.

Dr. Stephen Nagler