Hello! This Place Is Amazing!

Hello Tinnitus Talk

First I have to say that this must be the most pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful internet forum I have every come across! My journey has just begun, but already this place has been a great source of help.

I developed a noticeable mixture of "static" + ringing in my left ear a few days ago. It's very noticeable in the late evening and morning, whilst I'm lying in bed, and hangs around in the background when it's otherwise quiet around me. During the day at work (cube farm) it doesn't really bother me. So I would say a very mild case when compared to other cases I've read about here. It's definitely a change, and not pleasant, and hopefully it won't deteriorate.

Cause? I had a serious cold with an upper respiratory infection, and was prescribed antibiotics (cefpodoxime/cephalosporin). I just finished my course yesterday. My ears and sinuses are still recovering, I still have problems with "blocked" ears and I am constantly trying to "equalise". While lying in bed at home feeling sick and sorry for myself I noticed the tinnitus. I was not exposed to any recent loud noises or had any physical accident.

For a few years now I have been paranoid about my hearing, finding it difficult to make out conversation where there is lots of background noise. Last year I went to an audiologist who did various tests and told me there was nothing obviously wrong, I had the hearing of a someone a few years older than me. I used to frequent bars, clubs, live music, etc, but never experienced anything other than temporary ringing in my 20s.

For the last year I have been using ear plugs (LiveMus!c HearSafe silicon plugs I bought from Amazon - they seem to work?) when going out - and probably only needed and used them a handful of times.

Maybe this is temporary? Reading this forum it sounds like tinnitus can take so many directions it's too hard to say.

I hope to update with good news, but even if not, I know I've found the right place.

d.

 

@dinofizz Welcome! Yes, this forum is really impressive and goes above and beyond. I bet your tinnitus eventually goes away since you've just recently acquired it. But if not, we're here for ya! Rosemary

 

It is encouraging that your tinnitus is mild even in this early stage. Most people's T ends within a week or two. If it lasts longer, there is a high chance that eventually the volume will get lower and the pitch will change so that it is easier to ignore.

 

I respectfully disagree with this assessment. T can be caused by so many factors. Some have come from a medical condition and so they can be fixed once the condition is fixed by whatever means. The words 'nothing to relieve it' are too strong and too absolute and this just isn't the case, especially if it is about 'relieve' and not 'cure'. Yes, curing it may not be easy for some types of T, but relieving it can be achieved by so many ways, whether by CBT, TRT, mindfulness meditation, taking supplements, changing diet or life style, habituation etc., etc. No one approach will fix for all conditions of T, but people do find relieve with an approach that works for them. If you need evidence of the 'relieve' aspect on TT, just spend your time reading through as many success stories as you can. You are entitled to your own 'negative' opinion on this forum, or that it is your own personal experience, but don't spread mis-information about what this forum has done for many T sufferers through the years. It has helped to 'relieve' T suffering for many. I can sympathize with your suffering with T but can't tolerate spreading negativity and mis-information about this forum and its value as this type of biased opinion can adversely affect any new T sufferers on here.

 

I've been reading the success stories on this forum for about 5 months now. There are two major types of success stories: T either goes away on its own, or people habituate. There are also stories like "I fell into a cold lake and T went away" or "I got stung by a bee, and T went away." So I am not sure why you would say that there is anything one could do to change the sound of T in any way.

Some people can work with a psychiatrist or do CBT to change their reaction to T. This is not what the person you were replying to had in mind when he or she used the term "relieve." The person you were replying to clearly had a reduction in volume in mind...

 

Just be careful at this point not get get any additional damage to your ears. So watch out with loud bars, clubs and concerts. I would try and stay away from any in ear headphones (at least for a while), and be careful with any ototoxic medications. They cause major damage to the ear (as you noticed). I hope all goes better soon for you!

 

p.s. Back in March I jumped into a bathtub filled with icy water. Sadly (and contrary to the experience described in the Success Stories Forum) it had no impact on my T. I got a cold, though.

 

Agree. But he/she should know that one of the factors that can really aggravate T to spikes or loudness is stress/anxiety. Many of the approaches used by people who wrote their success stories have to do with lowering their anxiety/stress level and to calm their hyperactive neurons, where by the limbic system and the fight or flight mode can be replaced by the more normal parasympathetic nervous system. This process can lead to reduction of the T volume even though it is not a cure.

 

With all due respect... I - and I expect many others - will disagree with your statement. Perhaps you need to read even more of the "success stories" and "positivity thread".

 

You're victim of sampling bias. Have you read the "success stories" hidden in plain sight in medical studies that show that about in about 50% of the cases, Tinnitus due to otosclerosis goes away after surgery? (stapedotomy)

Also right next to me, my wife had T after an ear infection, and it went away after a couple of weeks. She didn't write a success story because she didn't even sign up to this site. The members here are a very biased subset of the T population.

 

At times while reading certain posts in various threads I ask myself: "Why is it that those without any semblance of hope choose to dishearten those who seek it?"

 

A lot can be done to help relieve the symptoms of tinnitus or rather its severity. Counselling with a Hearing therapist or Audiologist. Sound therapy. Relaxation exercises. TRT, CBT and some medications.
Michael

 

First of all, welcome @GregCA . I believe you are correct, members here are a biased subset of the population, but that is to be expected. Like emails/phone calls to companies, complaints tend to greatly outnumber complements. That being said, I hope that you do not discount the experiences of those who post here. While some are "worst case scenarios", there are some success stories throughout the forum. I, personally, feel it is a good ratio; we would not want to create a false sense of hope because, as I am sure you have read either here or in your research, tinnitus can drive people to extreme/permanent/fatal measures to end their suffering. I would fear that providing false hope, or a site that is overwhelmingly filled with people stating "I was cured" or "It just went away by itself in a couple of weeks" would potentially cause those for whom that does not occur to give up hoe to the point where they could take such drastic action.

While this forum provides a lot of excellent advice, everyone's particular experience with tinnitus is different, not only from what they experience, but how they are able to deal with that.

Personally I feel that one of the major benefits of this site is the support that fellow sufferers provide each other. It is that this community shows you that you are not alone, and that there are people who do understand what you are experiencing as it is difficult for those who do not have tinnitus to understand the depth of the despair that it can cause.

I hope that no one writes this forum off just because there is a bias in the population; by doing so they would miss out on the main benefit of this community.

 

I have wondered this myself @Bobbie7 Some people (not all) that have a negative outlook on life and tinnitus and probably miserable want people to feel like they do. What is that saying: misery loves company.
Michael

 

I had T due to acoustic trauma in mind.

Thank you for sharing this. Many people on this site get their T as a result of an ear infection. I will keep the above in mind the next time one of them posts here.

Most of my posts are there to give hope (e.g., the post on stats regarding spontaneous recovery, my numerous replies to newbies asking about what to expect, etc.). However, in my opinion, there is nothing worse than pretending that things are ok, when they are not. If there is no reason to hope, then it is best to be honest about it.

 

There is always a reason for hope, as negative thinking is a sure way of never making improvement with tinnitus.
Michael

 

Thanks all for the comments and interesting discussion! I am going to continue being hopeful, protecting my ears and hearing, and will have to see how it plays out.

Right now I'm sitting at my desk in the office and I can't hear it. Being slightly anxious about this I do find myself often trying to hear it, which is probably not a good thing. I still have the pressure/blocked feeling in my left ear, which I think is related to my sinus/cold.

The quiet evenings and mornings are a different story, with peak T occurring in the middle of the night. I usually wake up once a night between 2 - 4 AM, and the last few nights I have woken up with a distinct constant ringing tone in my left ear. Although it does make me anxious, I seem to fall back asleep as usual, watching some Netflix or YouTube. It seems to decrease throughout the morning as the ambient noise floor increases.

Question: Should I wait a bit before seeing an ENT specialist? Should I wait to get over my sinus cold?

I'm moving to a coastal city in 2 months, I'm also hoping that getting away from my current altitude (~1700m / ~6000 ft) and related dryness will improve my sinus issues.

 

Update:

So last week I went to my GP and told him about my tinnitus. He prescribed me 7 days of prednisone and a decongestant to help clear my sinuses. He also prescribed a nasal spray to help decongest my sinus, but it included Betnesol-N, which contains neomycin, which I see is an ototoxic antibiotic. I'm not sure what effect it will have on my ears if I spray it up my nose, so I've just not used it at all. Anyways, Dr said to give it a week or two, and then we'll discuss visiting an ENT specialist.

Unfortunately no change in my tinnitus. As before, hardly noticeable during the work day, but definitely noticeable in a quiet room, especially in the evenings, nights and mornings.

This weekend I spent most of the time at home alone (where it's quiet), and I was feeling quite anxious, upset, depressed. I found watching TV with my phone playing some white noise helped mask the T.

I'm going to try my best to ignore this thing and stay positive. I think I need to keep myself distracted and in good company.

I hope to continue updating here, if not for others to read, than for myself to keep a record.

d.

 

@dinofizz I have been following your thread and appreciate the update. Maybe you should let your Dr. know your reason for not wanting to take the neomycin so he can order you another one? It is a shame to suffer with Tinnitus if it is sinus/cold related and there is treatment available. Take care, it sounds like your tinnitus is related to your sinus infection and go away in a short time.

 

Thank you @Sonic17 for your kind words. I've read your own posts about your T, and I truly hope you find some peace in your own journey with tinnitus!

 

Hello there !

I would not say "Welcome" because we all would prefer not to be on this forum...

But still you did right to come here and share your story...

Peace

Christophe

 

Latest update...

Finished the 15mg daily Prednisone prescribed by my GP. No change. Waited a few days and then went to see an ENT specialist. He reckons this was brought on by a viral infection, related to my recent flu. He prescribed another week of Prednisone, this time 30 mg daily, as well as some anti-viral medication, and said to do a hearing test at an audiologist after the course of meds has been completed.

No change in T. Went to Audiologist, hearing profile is normal, everything looks OK.

ENT said there's not much else to do, other than wait and see. It may dissipate, disappear, or maybe it's permanent. He recommended another hearing assessment in 3 months time.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As I've said before, during the day, whilst surrounded by background noise, or when keeping busy/distracted it's not really noticeable. When it's quiet I am aware of it. I've started playing white noise at low volume in the bedroom.

Hopefully it will go away, but I do feel I'll probably get used to it ("habituate"?) over time if it doesn't.

d.