I Don't Even Have a Cat

Hello there!

I'm Aridani, from the Canary Islands, Spain. I am 25 years old and I have just been diagnosed with "acúfenos" (spanish for Tinnitus).

I describe my tinnitus as a purring cat inside my ear, which I can hear AND feel. I only hear it while trying to sleep, and very very rarely while I'm awake during the day. It sometimes gives me a rest and completely disappears for a couple of days (I thought it was gone for good).

Two days ago I went to my GP and she checked my ears for any earwax blockage, which she didn't find, so she arranged a meeting with the ENT specialist on July 20. She said that I only hear it during the night because it is when there is less noise around, and she also said that it is not common to have this at my age, but at 40-50 years old and beyond. Anyways I am pretty sure it isn't that rare, since we are in the mp3 era, and I've read some posts from people younger than me around here.

I don't really know when my tinnitus started, all I know is that it became very noticeable 3 months ago after a breakup (quite traumatic for me, it was a first), whether I had it before or not I don't know, but I would bet my cochlea that I did. I started to force my mind blank in order to find some rest, and this is when I really started noticing a roaring inside of my right ear.

Yes, I do blast my ears with ridiculously loud music all day long, both at home and outside. I have never had any ear infection or anything like that, and despite living in a little island I am not fond of the beach or swimming or pools or anything like that, so I'm thinking that noise induced hearing loss might be the cause, but I wont diagnose myself. I also use qtips several times a day, but I've never had a problem with those, I'm careful.

A girl in college offered me some acupuncture in order to find some relief.

Any similar story around here? anyone who has tried acupuncture?

 

Have you done this since the onset of your acúfenos? Have you considered not doing that?

Since you can feel a vibration, it might be pulsating T. Otherwise, it sounds like it is mild. I think that if you were to protect your ears, it has a good chance of eventually going away.

 

Hey Aridani,

I'm currently trying acupuncture. I've had two sessions and I've been pleased with the results so far. But this purely anecdotal.

For me, it seems to have stopped my pulsatile tinnitus and has left me with more a hissing sound than the previous ringing that I had.

The effects aren't immediate, or at least not in my case. In fact at first I was sure it was making it worse as my ear began throb like crazy after the first session despite having no needles in it.

But it was getting a reaction out of my tinnitus, so, good or bad, I assumed it was having some sort of effect on the tinnitus. My head today is very quiet and only the hissing persists. It's much easier to forget than the ringing.

I'd say give it a go, my experience has been positive and I'll keep attending. I plan on giving it at least 10 sessions before deciding if it's been worth it.

Good luck,

Ross.

 

No, I have done that for years, blasting my ears with loud music isn't something I would do after being diagnosed. To be honest I had assumed it was just some earwax blockage, so it didn't really bother me at all, my little brother had his ears cleaned a week ago or so.

On a related note: My father has been deaf on one side for almost his entire life. Her mother (my grandmother, obviously) slapped him so hard that she destroyed his eardrum beyond repair when he was a kid. That's what I've been told, but I've read that a punctured eardrum usually has repair (it would usually heal by itself and through surgery if it's too bad), and I haven't spoken to him in a lot of years so I can't really gather any more reliable data about the hypothetical genetics about it (if any). Moreover, I never heard of anything tinnitus related from him.

Of course, this data comes from my family and, like the song says, we "ain't the sharpest tools in the shed".

About its severity, it varies through the days, but in general I would agree that it is definitely mild in comparison to what I've read around here.

Doesn't pulsating tinnitus follow the beat of the heart or something like that? Mine doesn't follow a regular pattern, it's a very irregular roaring noise.

[hr]

Thank you so much for your input, Ross McLauchlan, I will talk to this girl and see what acupuncture does to mine, if anything at all.





Greetings and thanks both for your replies!

 

Welcome to this forum...

Please stop blasting your ears with loud music, that will not help your tinnitus at all...

 

I know, that was sorted out one message ago.

Thank you for the welcome, I hope I don't stay here for too long, for it would mean the noise hasn't disappeared.

Greetings!