Hi I'm Sue

I'll be brief because I have my daily headache from this ear issue... I think I need to lie down a bit.

I've had tinnitus for about a year and a half (left ear). Mostly, it doesn't bother me. I only notice it when external noises are pretty quiet. Hear it more when I've had a cpl glasses of wine! lol

But, I'm here for this new thing (right ear), and the ENT says he thinks it's tinnitus. It's VASTLY different than the tinnitus in my left ear.

The tinnitus in the left, I got from an untreated ear infection. I kept calling the doc and day after day, they kept blowing me off. At about week 3, I was able to get in to see the Nurse Practitioner who said "yup... it's red and bulging, but let's give it a few more days!" I explained that it had been 3 weeks and she still felt we should wait. Now I have tinnitus, thank you very much.

This thing in the right ear is awful. I'm super-sensitive to noise. So much so that I can't watch TV, can't listen to the radio, have trouble with 1:1 conversations, have trouble going to the grocery store... In the beginning, I couldn't even tolerate the sound of the heater going on in the basement, and it's a new model... not loud.

I'm isolating myself from as much as possible, trying to get my family to whisper (yah right! with a teenager in the house! ...who's also hearing impaired!) I'm living in my bedroom almost all the time. Door shut at my office. Missed the office Christmas party...

Went to the ENT, did a hearing test and "passed". I could have told him I'd hear the tones! I'm sensitive, not hard of hearing. I asked if pressure would have anything to do with it and he said "absolutely NOT!" (emphatically). I was thinking tympanogram... my son has had a lot of them, and I know they are easy-peasy. Instead, I go to get an ABR done at the end of the month. Seems that's just going to say my brainwaves indicate I am hearing the sounds. okay.... seems like that's not my issue here.

ENT doc said I'd get used to the tinnitus and eventually not even really hear it unless I am in a quiet environment. Well, this issue seems to get amplified by external noises, so not sure how that equates. All i know is I am frustrated and exhausted.

ookay, so this wasn't so brief. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated!