Hi — Another One Searching for Answers and Relief

Hi everyone. I've come across this forum a few times through googling about tinnitus, and finally decide to join.

Mine started acting up late last year, and pretty much came out of the blue. At least it didn't follow any trauma or illness related to the ears. Mine is a constant high pitched ringing sound in both ears, a bit louder on the left side.

I recently went to an ENT, got a hearing test and ear exam. My hearing is excellent, with some dropoff in the high frequencies in the left ear. The ENT said my eardrums look great, and I'm not suffering from things like dizziness, ear pain, etc. Though there is lately some slight feelings of "fullness" in the ears.

I have been to my share of loud concerts in the past, but I started wearing earplugs all the time as I got older and wiser. I also did have a loud firework explode near me as a kid that seemed to do some damage, but no visible damage to the eardrum.

So after the ENT to make sure I didn't need to do anything to save my hearing, I went to my primary care doc, who wants to rule out acoustic neuroma etc with the neurologist.

Some background on me that may be relevant: In the spring of last year I started suffering from some kind of anxiety attacks, which are hard to describe. I would start feeling unwell in a non-specific way and then start worrying that something was really wrong with me, that I could have a serious illness, that I could die soon, etc. I would get really freaked out and it was hard to tell if I was feeling bad from anxiety or if it was something physical.

It started with an episode where I suddenly felt a little faint and got a feeling of impending doom, and couldn't shake it, so I went to the ER, where they found nothing wrong with me, and I felt better after getting checked out. After that the feeling would return in some form, but never as serious as the first time, every few days to every couple weeks. I went to my primary doc and had heart scans, blood tests, etc, where everything seemed to be fine.

Except one blood test showed reduced kidney function. This really scared me, as I thought this is it, this is what I've been feeling, my kidneys are failing, etc. I went to the kidney doctor and he dismissed it as not that big of a deal, said my function would have to be a lot worse to be feeling any effects, and to test it again in a month and see. The next test showed everything back to normal, to my great relief, and I chalked my feelings up to anxiety, exhaustion, etc.

I work full time and have small kids and have not gotten much good sleep over the last few years, so it is entirely possible that's what it was.

So now few months ago, just after I got the good news about kidney function being normal again and feeling like I was over those episodes of anxiety, the tinnitus started kicking in, and now it's pretty loud to the point where I'm starting to freak out a little bit. Wondering what's causing it, maybe there is something going on with my kidneys or something else internally wrong and not knowing where to turn.

One other tidbit on my T: it seems to get worse when I run or work out. Which is a shame, because I'm pretty hooked on exercise. It's a important part of my life and well-being.

Anyway, that's my long intro and history. I look forward to being part of the community.

 

Welcome bro. I m also suffering T since November 2016. Still now I don't know why I have this which is killing me every second!!

 

Thanks! Best wishes to you to find some peace. Have you ever tried meditation? Probably won't fix your T, but it does help reduce anxiety and could help you deal with it.

It's not hard to do: just sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus your mind on your breathing, taking slow deep breaths. Your mind will wander all over the place and that's OK, just keep coming back to thinking about your breathing. That's it.

Do it for 10-20 minutes at least once a day. At first it will feel like all you did was think about everything but your breath, but gradually over time you get better at it and start feeling real benefits. The key is doing it regularly. I use an app on my phone to time it and ring a nice bell sound at the beginning and end.

I find it hard to make myself do it every day because I'm so busy, but it really does help if done regularly. And there's a lot of science to back up the mental and physical benefits of it.

 

@az-g sounds like good advice. I should do this more often!

 

For some people when their BP goes up during exercise it can spike tinnitus.

For some people the impact of exercise through the body can spike tinnitus and swimming could be a better option for them but I would wear molded ear plugs in water to minimize ear infections...lots of love glynis

 

Thanks, Glynis. I have suspected that it could be related to blood pressure, as I can notice the increase especially if I'm doing strength training and squeezing/pushing/pulling hard.

The running seems different, but maybe it's the same effect.

The worst for me though is just the anxiety that it all brings up. I tend to overthink things and so I'll be googling all kinds of things, trying to figure it all out, convincing myself it's this or that, and then I really do start feeling bad and I can't tell if it's anxiety or something genuinely wrong. It's an exhausting cycle.

 

Anxiety can be a problem and spike tinnitus but try think positively and think that we can not control tinnitus but we are in total control over what makes us happy...a nice thought to think when our brain throws a wobble...lots of love glynis

 

I m taking some medications for relaxation and doing yoga pranayama breathing exercise regularly. I will download now the meditation which u hv sent and of course try. Thx a lot.
Best