Hi I'm a New Sufferer

Hi guys. I've had tinnitus now for about 4 weeks. I had it in my right ear for a couple of days then just stopped. A couple of weeks later it came back,this time in my left ear.
Some nights its been so bad I've been suffering from panic attacks. The doctor gave me some sleeping tablets which I've been using for two weeks now, it's the only way I can sleep. He also gave me some propranolol tablets to calm me down. I hate taking tablets so hope to find some alternative ways of coping from you all
Thanks Pat

 

Welcome. A new tinnitus can bring much suffering to the victims. So you are being normal having issue with panic attack and sleeplessness at this new stage. Relax. Things will get better. I had much suffering too a few years back. So I have empathy for your suffering. Read up the success stories to give yourself comfort and hope that you can get better like many folks.

If you don't want to use sleeping pills, you can try other natural supplements such as chamomile tea before bed time. Masking is also another alternative to help sleep and to cut down the anxiety. It helps a lot of people. Here is a TT thread with good info for a newer T sufferer, with masking tracks and link to sleep thread, success stories, even to ATA & BTA for more help. The Positivity Thread is also a great one to uplift your spirit from the anxiety and stress of T. So check this out:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

(the icons on the left side give you instructions step by step)

 

Thanks for your help billie, I will check it out, I'm climbing up the walls at the moment !

 

Hi Patwalsh,

Firstly, you are in the right place to get help and support - this site is the best !
Secondly, don't panic - you are experiencing exactly what all of us do at your stage with T. Remember it is just a 'stage' you won't be scared/panicky for ever I promise. And when you're no longer scared you will start to feel better. The thing that makes T seem worse than it is is fear, stress and anxiety, so do what you need to do to calm yourself down. Don't beat yourself up about taking meds - take them until you feel calm and in control. I took propranolol and diazepam for 6 weeks when I developed T and it did what it needed to do - it calmed me down so that I felt in control again. You will be OK, never forget that. I know it's hard in the first few weeks to believe but you are going to be OK.
Also, please remember that there is a very good chance that your tinnitus will go away - you're only 4 weeks in. Most tinnitus lessens or disappears in time.
I'm 6 months in now and 5 months ago I thought my life was over, I was scared, anxious, stressed and a bit of a mess if I'm honest ! But you know what, things have just got better and better as time has gone by - my T hardly bothers me at all now and because of this I hardly hear it these days.

You will be OK Patwalsh. Protect your ears in loud places, have sound around you at all times (including at night when you sleep), get as much sleep as you can and get on with your life as you always have done and your brain will sort out the tinnitus - this will take time but it will sort. Yes it's crap having this thing and it's stressful at first but it does get better I promise. Try to stay positive whilst your brain sorts itself out. Xx

 

I used valerian extracts to make me calm in the initial stages.

Worked pretty good for me and their are somewhat natural

 

Thanks for the positive message Gill, it's good know I'm not alone and that the stress and anxiety will pass. It feels like I'm going crazy! Bessie I've always hated taking meds so will try some valerian as well. I must admit T is a very scary and I'm driving my wife mad. I seem to spend every evening searching for a cure.
Thanks again Pat

 

@patwalsh

Welcome. I am a year into T and it DOES get MUCH better. You will figure out some strategies. There will be good days and some really bad, anxious days. It is all part of the process. Keep connected and ask for support when you need it.

 

Hi Pat,

It will pass ! Your tinnitus will be louder and more scary right now because you are frightened and stressed - your limbic system is in hyper alert mode ! You need that to change. When that changes you will feel calmer, as you feel calmer your T will be less bothersome and scary, the less bothersome and scary your T is the more you'll calm down and so on, and so on . . . This just takes time.
Try to carry on with your life as normal, I know this will be difficult at first but please do it. Whilst you are getting on with your life your brain will sort itself out. Yes you will feel alone and frightened a lot of the time but that will lessen and your T will settle down. It's all about time and patience with this condition. So hang on in there, weather the storm whilst your brain sorts itself out. You'll be OK. Xx

 

Just be thankful you don't have reactive tinnitus or hypercusis. You should get better, if not consider trobalt.

 

Exercise like crazy, you dont want to fall into the meds or nothing for sleep!
Calm down, drink calming teas take magnesium...

 

I haven't been to the hospital yet to see a specialist as my GP wants to see if it will go on its own. I'm not sure what reative Tinintus and hypercusis is, will have to look them up.
Thanks Rubin, will go and buy some magnesium

 

Hey @patwalsh

Like you I too hate taking tablets. I also suffered from panic attacks the first few months after getting T. Try camomile tea & Valerian tablets a couple of hours before bed. Had some of my best sleep with those natural alternatives & I haven't once felt groggy the morning after, like I did on prescribed meds. Hopefully with a bit more rest you'll be able to manage the anxiety better like I did.

All the best o/

 

Thanks kopsey, I will look into this. Valerian tablets sound interesting I think I will give them a go

 

Use hobs and valerian, as they are more beneficial in conjunction than either on it's own

 

Hi,how do you think you got TInnitus?

 

I'm not sure craggy. I'm still trying to get an appointment at the hospital to a ENT specialist. I've had nasal polyps most of my life and had a number of operations to remove them and recently had some steroid drops to shrink them back. Would that have anything to do with it?
I'm having a real bad day wit T today

 

I think it's started in my other ear now, two different noises, really feeling down right now

 

Sorry that your T is giving you a hard time. When T is new, it is known to be unpredictable, often morphing into different tones, and acting out in different ears, fullness of ear drums, some ear pains, etc. etc. It is as if the T bully is having a great time playing with our misery. This seem to be quite normal among newer sufferers or when T spikes. Setbacks are common also. So it is better that we understand what Mr. T can do to us and what it can't do so we don't freak out each time.

Remember when T is new, it usually traumatizes its victims to the point that the normal parasympathetic nervous system is taken over by the limbic system which functions in 'fight or flight' mode, and things will appear a lot worse than they are. You will be easily scared and the brain will zoom in on any bad or threatening sensation and magnify its significance. You will be flooded with distorted thoughts at this stage, especially 'catastrophic thinking' about the future (like my future is doomed or there is no future), as well as 'all or nothing thinking' (like my life is not worth it with T ringing). Beware of these thoughts. They are called cognitive distortions, a term used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and they can create havoc in people mental suffering if not challenged. Our reaction to T can determine the degree of suffering or its intrusiveness. So we need to understand where these thoughts come from, defuse and counter them as much as possible. By doing so, we gradually remove the fear or phobia of T and then meaningful habituation will begin to happen over time.

So the best course of action is to look past the suffering new stage of T and be mentally prepared for setbacks, knowing that in a year of two, with some strategies, people do get better (as evident from the success stories). That way you won’t sink into a mental black hole each time T does this or that. Look past the current struggle. Focus and believe on a bright future. T is not an end game. It can get better and good life can be back. In the meantime, masking & doing something relaxing to unwind the stress. If you need masking sounds, here is a good TT thread with many sounds.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

 

Thanks for help support billie. I check out those links and let you know how I get on

It's been 6 weeks now and had began to feel a bit better. Hadn't had a panic attack for almost 2 weeks. Today was different, my T started to get really loud which has brought on another panic attack. I'm so disappointed as I thought I'd got past the worst of it

I feel like I've gone back to square one. Very upset at the moment

I don't understand why I've had this setback. It looks like I'm going to have take some of my anxiety tablets, hopefully they will calm me down. My family think I'm mad and I hate seeing them watch me breakdown in tears. They don't know how to help me. Just hope the sleeping tablets work tonight so I can at least get some sleep. I've just take a propranolol tablet, hopefully it will help me calm down. I have managed to go without them for over a week as I hate taken to many tablets. I had a camomile tea a couple of hours ago but it didn't manage to calm me down. Oh well, it's going to be a long evening and night

Is it safe to take Propranolol with a sleeping tablet?

 

I have had T for 9 weeks now. Up and down moods. Loudest when I wake up. I think I am going to sleep sitting up tonight to see if I will feel better in the morning. Do any of you experience tingling in your mouth and lips?
Thank you all of the continued positive thoughts. It does help m get through the tough times. Lots of meditation and trying to get massage once a week for a few weeks to settle my CNS. Positive cognition a as I am a psychotherapist who specializes in CBT. Ironic eh?

 

I've only had it for 7 days brother, but go to the store get on of those big wind tunnel fans stick it in your bedroom and turn it on high... Only way I've been sleeping it masks the sound almost fully.... As long as you don't have an ear on the pillow