I’m 18 and Very Worried

[Sage Tromson]

Hi, I am posting this because just when I thought it couldn't get worse it has. I am only 18 and I've had tinnitus since January after a few sinus infections that didn't even effect my ear, which makes me very confused. I have horrible health anxiety so this made it worse. Originally it was only in one ear and not as loud.

I went to the ENT in February for tinnitus in the right ear and she said my hearing was fine and didn't help at all.

A few weeks ago I heard pulsing so I focused on the sound more and suddenly it's just loud all the time JUST when I started to cope and it's making a hissing noise in my left ear now especially if I lay on my pillow.

My parents won't take me back to the ENT and I'm just very scared and feel lost as to what happened that would cause this and if it will ever get better.

I sleep with masking sounds because if I didn't it's a deafening ring. I have had horrible health anxiety issues for years so this is my worst nightmare and I don't understand how I could even get this so young.

 

[dayma]

Welcome to the forums first off.

Couple of thoughts/questions here for you:

- You could have had something viral in the ear that caused damage. You may not have experienced any symptoms when the virus attacked. This is my situation most likely.
- Is you T Pulsatile all the time or just randomly? If there are any problems with blood flow or you have Thyroid issues it could lead to this.
- If you are having struggles handling your anxiety I would encourage you to seek a therapist (psychologist/psychiatrist) to help cope with some of the anxiety/stress. Anxiety in general "can" aggravate it more so you want to try to cope and bring that down in general.

 

[Sage Tromson]

Hi! Thanks for replying. I only have had the pulsing once after I was at a comedy club a month ago and a few times randomly but it's not really there. I do see a therapist but it's making me scared that lately I wake up hearing it even with masking sounds on, usually in whatever ear I sleep in. And wouldn't I have hearing loss if my infections damaged my ears? I'm trying to force my parents to bring me back

 

[Sage Tromson]

I did post here a while ago but I am posting again because I am going insane. I am an 18 year old girl who got tinnitus beginning in early January. I had had a lung infection, plus two sinus infections from November-January. My bronchitis involved some full ears but nothing much else. Then one night in January with the second cold which wasn't even that bad I heard light rattling/ringing in my right ear only.

Sinus infection went away--it didn't. Went to an ENT who didn't give me an MRI even though it was one ear because she claimed I have perfect hearing after the audiologist tested me (although I thought my right looked a tiny bit lower on the chart-but I can't really read the graph). She told me it was going to be something I get used to but gave me NO explanation as why I have it. I was sick a lot but that seems more like a coincidence. Anyways I have anxiety issues but that was reassuring to hear. So for a month it was stable.

Well late March it suddenly got worse. It is suddenly so deafeningly loud in any type of silence. I am so terrified of an acoustic neuroma but I can't go back to get the MRI because my mom says the ENT would have just done it. It sometimes creeps into my left ear especially if I pop them it will change pitches. It is so ridiculously loud at night that it is giving panic attacks on top of the fact that it could be an acoustic neuroma.

 

[GregCA]

It is so ridiculously loud at night that it is giving panic attacks on top of the fact that it could be an acoustic neuroma.

It is unlikely to be an acoustic neuroma, especially since you don't have any hearing loss showing on your audiogram. Also, you have a pretty strong correlation between your sickness and the onset of T. If it were an AN, it'd be quite a coincidence that the onset would match your sickness window.
Still, it's always good to rule it out, for your own peace of mind.