Hello Everyone; Learning to Live with Tinnitus After a Year

[Janjo]

Hi, I am a retired lady from the UK, and I just wanted to say hello.

I have had tinnitus now for a year. I have a history of frequent fungal infections in my left ear, and strangely only in my left ear.
I have often seen doctors who have said that they didn't know why I was in such pain, when my ear didn't look that bad, but I am convinced that at least much of the time the infection was real enough. After all it repeatedly cleared up after being treated with a "wick" covered in anti fungal creme.
This time last year the tinnitus started. Usually this has been caused by the ear canal being blocked with medication and debris and once it has been micro-suctioned it has gone away,
This time I had it cleared and the pain and the tinnitus remained.
In the end the ear was treated with six weeks of Canesten ear drops.
It got a lot less painful, but the tinnitus still remained.
I saw an ENT specialist privately who said my ear was definitely not infected, checked me out under the microscope, and sent me for a CT scan.
Thank God, everything came back completely normal.

One year later, I still have very loud tinnitus in my left ear, and occasional mild pain, but I am assured there is nothing wrong with my ear.
So, where does that leave me?
The ENT specialist said I could have neuralgia of the nerve to my ear, or possibly it was being affected by the herpes virus, which I get frequently on my face.
I suspect that whatever is going on, playing around with my ear is maybe what has caused the frequent infections, and maybe, just maybe, there is something else going on as well.

I have been coming to this forum for a few weeks now, and have found it very helpful. I am trying to "habituate" myself by keeping a fan or a radio going, and ignoring the tinnitus and going out and getting on with life, and it is certainly helping.
I love the free tinnitus masker the forum supplies, and by running it quietly and constantly through headphones I am now able to read books again in bed, without disturbing my husband.
I hope I will succeed in my efforts.
When I get down about it I read the "Success Stories," which never fails to cheer me up.
So thank you to all of you that post there.

 

[billie48]

Welcome @Janjo to the TT support forum. You do have a good attitude and the right approach and that is helping you to habituate to T. Glad to know you are using the forum masking resources and reading the success stories. They were my life-line back then when I was struggling and they sure had helped me greatly to give me hope. Hope you will find the useful info on TT helpful to your journey of reaching habituation. If you find it necessary to help ease your loud T, members here recommend the use of some useful natural supplements such as NAC, Magnesium, Zinc, B12, D3 etc., and cutting back on the intake of salt, sugar, caffeine, MSG, alcohol etc.

 

[PMc]

Hi Janjo ... very kind of you to post your individual story with T, including all the details that have affected your life, as well as your husbands.

As billie48 says, above, you strike me as having a marvellous attitude to help get you through all this. So has the T in your left ear got worse over the past year, or is it just the same?

I can certainly understand a part of what you have been through. With me, my GP said that I had water trapped in both ears, but she thought that eardrops would remedy it ... so for 2 weeks, I just treated it as a temporary annoyance. But it seemed like the world suddenly stopped when 2 weeks later, the eardrops had had no effect, and she told me that it would most likely be permanent!

Still, that was several months ago, and life has to go on ... and it strikes me that you have that same approach. But there's one thing that my GP doesn't believe in, which I do ... I believe in miracles ... and one of these days, you just never know what might happen!!

Blessings on you and your husband, Janjo ..... Paul

 

[Janjo]

Thank you Billie and Paul for your very kind replies.
I haven't really tried any of the food supplements that you suggest, Billie, apart from the fact I did take some magnesium for a couple of weeks, which probably didn't prove anything really.
I shall though. I promise. I used to teach research skills to degree students with Dyslexia, so I will get on to it and see what the claims and counter claims are, and then I will give them a try!
Paul you ask if the T has got worse...........interesting..............it is very loud today,,,,,,,,,,,,,,sometimes it isn't that noticeable and can be easily drowned out with a little music, my problem is, I can't as yet work out what makes it better and what makes it worse.
As seems to be quite common amongst those affected by tinnitus, I have a history of anxiety and depression, although I regard it as being well under control with medication, and it has been now for many years.
It hasn't gone away, but I manage it effectively with help from my GP,
This leaves one always wondering whether "stress" has something to do with any symptoms that may arise!
I am still being positive, and today when the T was loud I went for a walk by the Thames, (we live on the estuary) bought a coffee in a tea garden and came back feeling at least a little more relaxed about it.

I was amazed to see here that there are clinical trials for new medications for this disorder, I had no idea.
What an excellent forum this is.