Hello to Everyone

Hi there, I've been lurking on the forum for a few days and thought I'd sign up and introduce myself. Sorry for what I suspect will be a lengthy post.

I have had ringing/humming in my head for one week. I'm not sure what caused it. It could be damage from loud noise; it could be ETD; it could be TMJ. There are lots of variables.

My story begins last Thursday when I went to an outdoor rally that had presenters with microphones and speakers, and loads of cheering. I wasn't anywhere near the speakers and didn't consider it to be too loud but suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right ear. Afterwards I could hear a ring/hum in my head. I'm not sure if it's in one ear, both ears, or in my head. I got zero sleep that night, from the noise and the ensuing panic and dread.

The next day I went to a walk-in clinic and the doctor, after looking at my ears and at my tongue, told me he believed my eustachian tubes were blocked as there was fluid in my right ear. He prescribed nasal spray (Avamys - fluticasone furoate). He told me if there was no improvement in 5 - 7 days, come back to the clinic. The chemist said it would be fairer to give it 2 weeks. He said if I see improvement after 1 week to continue taking it. I started taking the nasal spray that day. I'd told the doctor about the loud rally and the pain in my ear and he'd seemed to think that was merely a coincidence, that ETD had messed with the pressure in my ear and it was not chronic tinnitus. He said 90% of people get better with no lasting effects. That reassured me.

However, on Monday, I went to another walk-in clinic for a second opinion from another doctor. I gave her the same information I'd given the first doctor. She examined me and said she couldn't tell what was going on (no inflammation or fluid in ear that she could see). She told me it wasn't uncommon for someone who'd attended a large event like a rally or a concert to have some ringing for a week or so. She agreed that I should give the nasal spray a week. She said if there was no improvement during that time, I should go back to that clinic as they have a resident ENT. Tomorrow is the one week mark. I'll be making the call tomorrow to see the doctor again. Things seemed to have gotten a bit better, and then worse again.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a fan on level 2 or 3 helped mask the sound of the noise in my head. Not ideal but I did manage to get some fitful sleep. In addition to doing the nasal spray, I started steaming my head with euchalyptus for 10 minutes on Monday night.

On Tuesday as I steamed my head I felt my left ear give a soft "squish" sound and it seemed finally to unplug. Later that ear felt a bit moist, as if something was draining. Later that evening, the right ear seemed to unplug as well.

On Monday and Tuesday I was pleasantly surprised to find the noise seemed to have abated and when I put my ears on the pillow there was no amplification. Tuesday night was bliss, laying there listening to the relative quiet (the noise was there but very hushed). Last night (Wednesday) I steamed my head again and went to bed, hoping for the best. But it was a nightmare. The noise was back up to its original level and I couldn't sleep. Even the fan didn't help but rather just irritated me more. Finally BBC Radio 4 Xtra on my iphone gave me some relief and I fell asleep to that. Problem is, I've always needed silence in which to stay asleep so although music or nature sounds can help me sleep, they always interfere with me staying asleep. This morning when I got up I bawled like a baby. Where I've been fairly optimistic and positive the last two days, I'm back to fighting a rising panic.

I have a previously-scheduled appointment this evening with my naturopath and another with my chiropractor tomorrow. I'm going to discuss options with both of them. The next step as well will be seeing an ENT and trying to figure out what has caused my head-noise and whether there is anything I can do about it.

In the meantime, I'm logging everything I eat and drink (not eating much thought to be honest although am still managing to get my usual green smoothie down first thing in the morning) to see if perhaps I can recognize any spikes or remissions of the noise and try to pinpoint things that may help me cope if this is here to stay with me permanently.

I've found some really helpful information on this forum and am grateful to everyone for their posts and encouragement to other members. I stopped reading the scary stuff though and have been reading success stories of people who adopted successful coping strategies or got rid of their T entirely.

Right now I find being at work very stressful as there is a constant ringing/whining at my desk from the computer and office equipment and I find myself wondering if it's really the computer or my head and whether my noise is getting louder or changing in pitch or will be aggravated by the noise of the computer. Turning on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Xtra help with it but I'm not supposed to be on the internet while working. I might have to buy a radio and listen to crappy Canadian stations. If I can't get this anxiety under control, I know I'm going to have to take time off work.

It's been one injury after another for me for the past few years - torn muscles, severe bruising, soft tissue injuries, popped ribs, sprained ankles, shin splints, most recently a fractured foot and now THIS. Before I'm even out of the cast I get THIS. God, I'm SO tired to trying to "look on the bright side" and "think positively" and saying "Aw well, it could be worse". So tired of it.

Again, sorry for the long post and thanks to those who read the entire thing

 

Couldn't edit my original post so that I'd add that during the day I find it easier to cope, as it's not screeching or overly loud. I can sit in a room with ambient outdoor sounds and although I know the noise is there, if I don't focus on it I don't hear it. I miss the silence, but that's life. If I'm surrounded by normal sounds or having a conversation with someone, I don't hear it. I know it's there, but I focus away from it. Sometimes I have to look for it (although I know that's a no-no and I don't do that anymore). But at night ... night is difficult.

I know I'm lucky that my noise isn't overly-loud during the day and not as disruptive as others' and that I'm only a week into it and shouldn't be freaking out as much as I am. I need to calm down, keep thinking positively and see what the ENT says. But it's a emotional rollercoaster, that's for sure.

Oh, and I won't let my chiropractor do anything drastic to me. I get a monthly adjustment from her for my spine and she's done some amazing work to help me with TMJ (along with an excellent massage therapist) but I'll wait to see what the ENT says before I go down a new road with the chiro.

 

Products like
https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Koala-Concentration-Relaxation-Sufferers/dp/B01FRW2WBA/
or
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Oasis-S-5000-Deluxe-Therapy/dp/B018KUVEOM
allow you to program them to turn off after a set time. It could be on for an hour to allow you to fall asleep, and then it would turn off by itself.

The fact that you are only one week in, and you are seeing some improvement is a very good sign. It ought to continue to fade (while also allowing you to experience countless setbacks). Give it 3-6-12-24 months. Many people have their T go away:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

Between the second and sixth week after onset, I cried uncontrollably every day, multiple times a day (and up until that time I had never cried as an adult, not counting the one time when I learned that my dad had brain cancer). Crying is normal when it comes to T.

Get yourself a pair of
https://www.amazon.com/PELTOR-Ear-Muff-Headband-X5A/dp/B00BBCTQK6/
You can slip them on fast in case a fire alarm goes off at your office. When you wear them, you will also know whether the noise you are hearing is tinnitus.

Don't get your hopes up. Most ENTs just know that tinnitus is not something that they can treat, so as soon as they hear you complain about T, they will try to get you out of their office so that they can see patients that they can actually help.

You can use those sound machines above (or your smartphone) to listen to nature sounds. Cricket sounds are effective for high pitch T.

You can even try
https://purrli.com/
Also, check out
https://mynoise.net/

Another really good sign! It took me months to get to that stage. Your T might take only 3-4 months to completely fade.

When I was in that acute stage, I found that amitriptyline would help me sleep. It is non-addictive and it wouldn't make me feel drowsy the next morning.

Makes sense!

 

There's some recovery stats - tinnitus on page S5


http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0194599814545325

 

Bill, thank you so much for your reply! Your comments and suggestions are much appreciated! You've given me alot of hope too

Sadly, the S-5000 Deluxe is over $300 Canadian, but I did find this model which I've ordered. It also has the timer function and I can get sound cards to plug in if I get bored with the six that are included. And it comes with Summer Night, which has crickets! I love the sound of crickets and can sleep to that sound.

https://www.trianglehealing.com/brands/sound-oasis/sleep-sound-therapy-system-s-550-05.html

I hope you're right! I had another good night last night, it was quite faint again but it seemed a bit louder once I was up and drinking my coffee. I'm switching to organic green tea tomorrow. Bye-bye coffee I'm going to read those spontaneous recovery stats, thanks for that!

Oh god, that's terrible How are you doing now? How long have you had T and what's the status of it now? My Dad died of lung cancer, so I feel your pain there.

Thank you for that recommendation. I'll get that one and keep it in my desk at work. The fire alarm in the stairwell is brutal and I avoid this place when there's a drill coming up. I'm also going to pick up some earplugs for when I'm walking downtown, as the traffic is incredibly loud.

Wouldn't that be great!

I wouldn't be able to take amitriptyline, unfortunately. But my naturopath gave me a supplement called Gaba-T Sap last evening. I'm giving it a go for three days on one tablet before bed, then can try upping it to two. I'll explore other options if they don't work.

I've got an appointment with an osteopath on Tuesday for an assessment. I saw my chiropractor today for my monthly spinal adjustment and she had a look at my head and face (she also does cranial) and found a couple of spots out of whack on my face which probably weren't helping the situation. She worked miracles a couple of months ago when I was having jaw problems. She doesn't do the "crack" adjustments on me, as my body reacts very badly.

Thanks again for your reply. I appreciate it so much!

 

Thanks for that! I'll give it a read.

 

It looks very good. I have that Cherry Koala one at the first link. I was considering getting a model with more features.

In my experience, it keeps oscillating (getting better and then getting worse). I guess what matters is the monthly trend (i.e., whether you are feeling better compared to a month or two ago). It can be difficult to make these comparisons. You might try to match the volume of your T to the volume of sounds like the sound you hear when you draw air through your nose. This might allow you to make those comparisons later on.

In a couple of days I am celebrating my 8-month anniversary. It seems to be fading Slowly. However, the past 6 days the pitch changed to higher pitch, making it a little harder to ignore. I hope this is just normal short-run variation...

 

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. My Macbook at home is out of commission so the only real proper internet time I get is on breaks at work (typing on my iphone is a royal pain).

Just wanted to give an update. This past Monday I went back to the second doctor and got a prescription for Amoxicillin / Clav (checked to make sure it wasn't on the list of meds that can cause T). Was told that if I don't notice an improvement within 3 - 4 days to discontinue, as I don't need it.

I also am meeting with an ENT on October 23rd.

I met with an osteopath yesterday for the consult and it's very promising. She has a theory that what has happened is that I've caused a compression in the eustachian tube area with my teeth-clenching (caused by months of extreme - and I mean EXTREME - work-related stress). She can't guarantee treatment will stop the noise but she says she's hopeful. She said it's early days (today is my 2nd week anniversary) and I've already noticed some improvement, so there's hope. I get my first session next Friday morning. Thank goodness for insurance coverage through work. It will only cover two treatments plus the consult, but it's better than nothing.

I've been doing the nasal spray for nearly two weeks (tomorrow will be two weeks) and this is my third full day on antibiotics. Although I've been doing the nasal spray properly (aiming to the side instead of straight up), today was the FIRST day I feel it's gone where it's supposed to in my right nostril. I've had success with my left nostril, but in the right one, it seemed the liquid just seemed to hang around in the nostril and wouldn't go up. This morning, it DID! It went up and didn't come back down! My right ear also feels like it's on the verge of popping. It also feels like things are loosening up in my nasal area - ewwww. I've asked my naturopath if a neti pot might be useful to me at this point.

I believe the Gaba-T Sap I got from the naturopath is helping me sleep and keeping my anxiety to a minimum, particularly at work where the constant whine, hiss, hum and ring of the office equipment still has me a bit freaked out wondering if that noise is coming from my head...Still, I can cope with it better. Waiting for my sound therapy machine to arrive in the post.

That's great news it seems to be fading! Mine seems to also get louder at times, then softer again, or perhaps the change is really just my ability to cope on that particular day. I'm keeping a food log to see if the noise increases may be related to anything I'm eating. I had a tiny bit of Heinz tinned beans last week and it seemed to spike for a night, then settled down again. Sugar, I suspect.

Back to work for me, so that's it for now. Please let me know how you're progressing. I really appreciate all your advice and feedback.