Help I'm Terrified!

Hi All
First time on here. I got blockage and tinnitus about two weeks ago, it seems mainly in my left ear. I just woke up like this one morning. I am extremely terrified as it is not improving and i cant seem to switch off my fight or flight mode. The doctor has prescribed doxycycline and prednisoline. Please help!
Regards
Jason.

 

Hello there.
Could it be fluid behind your eardrums perhaps?
Is there a crackling sound when you swallow?

 

Just try to calm down. If you have a blockage it'll probably go away, sounds like an infection based on the blockage and you having antibiotics prescribed, you have a way better chance of the tinnitus going away than 80% of the people here (rough estimate).

 

Thankyou for the reply, i appreciate it
I think it has impacted hard because i kind of went crazy researching it and then freaked out whether i was doing more damage using the antibiotics as i know some can be ototoxic. The tinnutis started to increase after i started the antibiotics. I know i am over thinking.

 

Overthinking and focusing on the T can make it louder. As has been said, try to relax a bit.
Can you pop your ears properly? (Be careful with that, mind you.)

 

Hi Phendran
I know you guys are right. I can seem to push air through my ears when blocking my nose but they are not popping as such.

 

Oh and there is no popping or cracking when i swallow.

 

Might be just regular infection with some blockage.
Hold out, mate.

 

I too have have had tinnitus in my left ear for a long time now. I just finished a fight with a bad head cold and sinus infection last week which is my personal hell on earth. First, antibiotics takes a few days to start working so be patient. Took me 5 days before I started to notice some relief. Secondly, be cautious when popping your ears, you could build up pressure behind the ear drums and it doesn't release. For me, it's instant panic attacks when that happens. I discovered during my head cold this time by pushing hard on my ear lobes to close my ears it would create an inward pressure that would counter act against the outward pressure behind the ear drums and it would give me temporary relief from the pressure and the loud ringing.
When you feel you're at the end of your rope and can't take the ringing anymore, get your mind busy by concentrating on something else. In my case, I have a PS3 and when the tinnitus gets bad, I get on and play a game, 63 years old and still playing video games but it helps, (mostly during the winter months). In the other seasons, I'll go outside and work on something.
I hope these tips helps you, wishing you quiet times in the near future.

 

Thanks Phendran and Marcel
i appreciate you spending the time to reply. I will sit it out and see what happens. It is ringing like hell tonight though! Marcel i love that you are gaming at 63. Thats awesome. I am 45 and have no intention of stopping!

 

Doxy aggravated my t ...

 

Hi Jason and welcome!
You probably can't completely control the fight or flight response but it's great that you recognize it is happening. It seems like knowing about it would make it a little less scary.
What is your diagnosis? Did your GP prescribe the meds you are taking, or was it an ENT?

 

Hi don't really know how to do this but just need to ask my GP gave me Betahistine dihydrochloriide will help my tinnitus ..have had it for around 2years now never been a trouble but it's just really gone bad since having ear suction a couple of weeks ago

 

Prednisolone is the right choice as it has helped in many cases, however I have heard some cases where doxycycline has caused/worsened tinnitus. But that doesn't mean it will happen to you, just from what I heard.

Happy holidays and best of wishes! Good luck ^^.

 

Welcome to the forum. Your T is very new. So it is understandable that your brain considers it a threat because it is so alien, intrusive and difficult to figure it out at the start of the T journey. Given some time and by staying positive, the brain will learn that T is not a threat but perhaps an irritation. You can then begin to train it to accept the new normal without the negative response which keeps the fight or flight mode going. There is such a thing call neuroplasticity which means you brain can change over time in its response to T. You gain more experience and knowledge about T as time goes by and so you will be less stressed out by T.

Try to do some relaxing, stress-free activities such as interesting hobbies or mild exercises, or going outdoor. These will help to distract from T and let the brain rest. In time, the limbic system which is responsible for the fight or flight mode of functioning will be less dominant and the normal parasympathetic nervous system will take over, making things a lot easier to handle. The pre-frontal cortex will also take over from the Amygdala in processing the T ringing signal, and your response to it will be less frightening and more manageable. All these take some time. So don't try to push your brain to switch off the fight or flight mode with impatience. It will only generate more anxiety and stress which are bad for T.

Have you been masking your T? If you are really bothered by T, try masking them. I remember having to mask all day initially just to survive my ultra high pitch T and severe H. I had PTSD and anxiety/panic disorder for decades prior to T & H. So I was in a mess initially and I never thought I would see good life again. But today I live a normal and absolutely enjoyable life. Don't fear and lose heart over T. Things will get better. If you are interested to read some of the helpful strategies I used to turn myself around, here is the link to my success story. Take good care. May God speed your recovery.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-to-light-how-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

Thankyou billie48 for all that info and all that are helping me right now. I really appreciate your help so much. I am having a bad morning with it as i woke up with it louder than usual. I think i will see the doctor tonight about possibly getting off the doxycycline as i am noticing T more in the daytime now. I admire how you all cope. Why does it come out of nowhere? I literally woke up one morning with fullness and ringing in the left ear. Does anyone have any ideas why it is sudden onset?

 

Hi Lorac

Thankyou, my medication was prescribed by a GP