Hello, Everyone!

Hi, I luckily stumbled upon this support forum in the midst of a mad internet search for something that would help my recently invigorated ear noise. I've been dealing with tinnitus since the summer of 2008 (or '09?). I woke up one morning with vertigo and a plugged up right ear. Eventually, the vertigo subsided, but the ear remained plugged. My first weird hearing issue was hypersensitivity, the kind where the rustling of a newspaper is unbearable. Needless to say, this put me at odds with most of the world, and the people around me were mystified. A day or so later I was doing some work on one of the cabins my partner and I own, and without thinking, I banged on a nail (I was cleaning up after some construction work that had left lots of nail heads sticking up where people could potentially get snagged on them.), and voila! The very loud and metallic sound of the nail being struck set up a vibration in my already vulnerable ear, and that's when my unbearable tinnitus started.

Conventional medicine had nothing to offer me, except to assure me that my ear structures were normal. I didn't stick around long enough to hear that oft-repeated common wisdom that the condition can't be cured and I'd have to learn to live with it. When it first began, it sounded like someone was running a vacuum cleaner in the next room. At other times it was such a high pitch, and so loud, that I thought I was going to go crazy. Believe me when I tell you, I curse, I prayed, I despaired, and then ... I went to my naturopathic doctor.

She did a few things that really helped calm down the whole situation. First, an acupuncture treatment cleared up the hypersensitivity. Then, with an herbal salve on her gloved finger, she gently rubbed a pressure point behind my last upper molar, the spot, she explained, where the eustachian tube empties into the throat. She said if there was any congestion there, that would help drain it, and she said I could do that, too, at home. It seemed to help. She also told me to do hot and cold packs on the right ear, alternating, daily, beginning and ending with hot (warm). She said this would increase circulation to the ear. She also gave me a dropper bottle of hypericum oil, which is a remedy for nerve damage and one of the major ingredients in a product called Ring Relief, which I use sometimes with mixed results.

Needless to say, and I'm sure you can all relate, dealing with this has been quite a journey. It's almost as if the tinnitus is a barometer for something that I don't even know exists, until I stop and think about any of the following: my general stress level and emotional upset, my diet, my sleep, and my connection with my spirituality. You won't believe some of the things that help, and I'm sure you will believe some of the things that make it worse, prime among them: Aspirin and aspirin products, including Aspercreme, a topical analgesic, and anything with willow in it. (Aspirin is derived from white willow bark, but a Native American friend gave me some red willow oil, and I couldn't believe how it exacerbated the tinnitus!)

Lately, I've wondered about the following and wonder if any of you have any input on: peppermint, salt, caffeine, other NSAIDS (alleve, ibuprophen, tylenol). I've been looking into the magnesium stuff that a few of you are talking about in another part of the forum. Lastly, does anyone have experience with the Tinnitus Miracle (tm) product that's out there, a pdf book with a regimen that's supposed to help eliminate it in 30 days, and is also apparently top secret until you pay the $37 bucks. (grrrr.)

OK, that's me.

Thanks, you guys.

Phyllis

 

Hi Phyllis. I dont have the hypersensitivity to sound, but is is pretty amazing that yours went away with the accupuncture treatment. i am sure some here would like to hear some more details. I am wondering if you have any TMJ issues since the cause of your tinnitus seems so mysterious. Did you do a hearing test?

My ent gave me some literauture that stated I should avoid salt, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, and tobacco. Supposedly they make tinnitus worse.

 

Hi Emma,
No TMJ. I don't think the cause is all that mysterious. I think I damaged the ear with a very loud noise at a time when it was already hypersensitive. I have always assumed the whole incident with the vertigo was some kind of ear infection or local virus attack. And, no hearing test. I had one years ago, and it was excellent. Now it is not excellent, since the tinnitus is sometimes louder than the sounds in my environment. How would a hearing test help?

 

Welcome Phyllis!

You gave a comprehensive picture of what you are experiencing and have done to combat our mutual condition/s relating to tinnitus.

I am familiar with hypericum for hives/itching, but not as an oil for external use. Interesting.

So out of a scale from 1-10, what would you say your tinnitus volume is these days? Or, does it vary?

About Tinnitus Miracle. I bought the ebook along with others here. And I think a good many of us have tried the "cures". All I can say is, we are still here and no one has been cured yet. I like others have tried the supplements and other things the ebook suggested. Many of the suggested "cures" are here on this forum.

If you look on You tube you will find dozens and dozens of people advertising for it. You will see that the length of the videos are around 1-3 minutes. My suggestion.... don't buy it. Look around in this forum for threads that look like something you could get behind and try it. Heck, it wouldn't hurt unless let's say it is a supplement and it is contraindicative (?) of any medications you are taking.

If you do a search here or google for ototoxic medications, you will find that NSAIDs/aspirin are such meds. In fact, many here now will check the side effects for OTC and prescribed meds from now on.

You may be interested in looking at the Alternative Treatments and then post what you have tried so far... like the hypericum oil and give a summary about how it has or has not helped you.

There are also polls in the "Support" area that would be helpful if you take. It may give you an idea about what others here have been through and tried. The polls are new, so we have yet to get the bigger picture.

Nice to meet you and we are happy to have you join us in our quest for relief.


Calin

 

My tinnitus started July 17th 2012.

 

My tinnitus started on July 17th, 2012. I served in the Navy from 1980-1986. I was around noisy equipment. I am bipolar so I listen to very loud music during my mixced episodes during my younger years plus I had to listen to my son's drumming for four years. I don't think that help. My husband said the hearing lost and tinnitus wasn't from my son drumming because it would effect both ears and he was in livingroom with me. I lost the high frequency hearing in my left ear. The tinnitus isn't bad when I'm alone concentrating or trying to get to sleep but I have problems being in the classroom with kids. The sound is very distracting. I went to the VA and I'm being fitted with a special masking hearing aid so I can work.

I should count my blessings. I been married for 26 years and I have two wonderful grown children. Things could be worst. I could be suffering from chronic pain. I go to the gym to stay in shape and to avoid getting a heart attack or a stroke. I eat right and I don't smoke or drink. Just had a neighbor who had a stroke and he died at the age of 56.

So we should sit down and count our blessings.

 

Yes, I did read about the incident with the hammer, I meant to say the hypersensitivity to sound you experienced seems to have a mysterious cause- unless you think you know what caused it.

A hearing test can be helpful because my ENT told me that when someone has hearing loss, sometimes using a hearing aid can actually suppress the sound of the tinnitus while the hearing aid is being worn. Tinnitus may also be possibly supressed for hours after the hearing aid is taken out. One ent I went to refused to schedule me a folow-up appointment until I scheduled a hearing test.

 

It does vary. When I found this forum, it was up around 7/10. Today, it's about a 4/10. When it first started, 10/10. When it gets up around 7, I start going mad....

Yes, I figured out it's all part of an affiliate program at Clickbank, the outfit that handles the financial transaction. Since I couldn't find a single real person giving a review not for kickbacks, I decided to skip it.

Thanks for the tip. These are things even the ENTs and MDs don't seem to know.

I will check that part of the forum out. Obviously, one has to eat and work in between spending time here!
So happy to have found you. Thanks for the welcome!

 

Thanks for the info, Emma, I think I'll get a hearing test!