I have become introduced to Tinnitus....

Hello,

I'm 23 years old and woke up nearly two weeks ago with ringing in my ears after going to see live music. I hoped it would disappear but no such luck as of yet. I have always regularly worn ear plugs to concerts and clubs - my mum is deaf and also a tinnitus sufferer.

There has been tears, frustration and anger at how annoying this sound can be. I find it raises the volume when I get on the bus to walking to work. I've managed to download an app of soundscapes that can be relaxing in bed. Night-time is the worst - sat in bed constantly haunted by this high-pitched whistling noise.

I am meant to be moving to Thailand in a few weeks time to teach English. This is meant to be an exciting time for me but I am now distracted by this illness that doesn't seem to want to disappear. I have not seen a doctor yet.

Any tips or advice would be grateful. I feel like I will never hear silence again...

Emmy

 

Hi Emmy,

I'm sorry you are experiencing Tinnitus, but still: welcome to Tinnitus Talk!
First of all 2 weeks isn't a lot of time, it might still go away for you, so don't worry too much at this point.
And then: as your mother has hearing problems and Tinnitus, it might also be hereditary for you and not really connected to the music thing you went too, especially as you were wearing earplugs. So in your case especially I would recommend seeing an ENT/audiologist to get your hearing tested.

For Thailand I would say that this is probably a very good thing to do, you will have tons of other things on your mind which will help you not to focus on the Tinnitus ( if it stays ) and habituate soon. Usually obsessing about the Tinnitus makes it worse and if you keep busy that helps with that.

Stay strong Emmy, you will get through this difficult time, don't worry!

 

The first weeks are the hardest. I remember that very well. I also think that your moving is a good thing, since it more or less forces you not to think about tinnitus, which is exactly what you should do - as hard as it sounds!

I just wrote about the first stress with tinnitus and what one should do. Or at least what helped in my case. Hope this helps. (link)

 

depending on your location, you could enroll into am-101 study.

btw teaching english in thailand is the worst thing to do, you might want to reconsider that.

 

Can I ask why that is the worst thing I can do...?

 

1st : salaries are always low, i got a mate teaching english in bangkok and he's paid 50k baht a month, that's quite high for a teacher

2nd : the school system in here is quite different than it is in western world, you"ll be here mainly to speak in front of the classroom, nothing more.

3rd : anyone can be an english teacher in thailand, as long as you have a TEFL (obtained after 4 weeks)

4th : you might be working illegally because the school doesn"t want to provide the appropriate paper work and apply for a work permit at the local labour department, when a problem arises, you're on your own that means fined, jailed, deported and blacklisted.


i recommend that you read thaivisa.com forum, this topic of becoming an english teacher in thailand is often spoken about.

 

Hi Emmy,
I am so sorry that you have the high pitch ringing! 2 weeks is not that long and it could possibly go away. The big thing is to stay as calm as you can. I have noticed with my T.. that caffeine makes it worse... or too much salt. I know this is a very difficult time for you. When my T started it was so loud and intrusive... I noticed after a few months that it did begin to fade into the back round. I pray that your T will go away. If you find that sleep is impossible and your anxiety level is heightened because of the T.. there are medications that can help. If you need support you can message me. I have had T since 2010 .. onset ear infection... with a spike this past Jan. due to a upper respiratory virus. Hang in there... and don't give up your dreams. It does get better.

 

Hey Emmy !

Sorry that you are suffering!! I am glad you found us here on TT though!! You will find great support, info, and shoulders to cry on here!!!

Tinnitus is always worst early on. Your brain is freaking out at this "noise", and it throws everything off. I remember feeling just like you(I have had T a year and a half)!! It seems impossible, I know, but it WILL get better. You WILL get stabilized and have a quality life!! It may even go away!! Too soon to say. But be confident and assured (especially by those of us who have gone thru what you are experiencing and have prevailed!) that things will get better!

SLEEP is paramount!! Make sure you can establish a good sleep cycle (I know, it's hard). Exercise and get naturally tired, maybe try OTC sleep aids, sleepytime hot tea before bed, even as Tandpiano mentioned, possible prescription meds to get you stabilized and sleeping. Get your sleep on!!!

Also, I echo Seal's recommendation to see an audiologist!! There may be something they can do or recommend.

Stay connected to your life, to your friends and family (and to us here at TT). Don't withdraw!!

Best to you!!

 

Hey there @emmy2405 ! I wouldn't get too scared about going to Thailand. Going abroad always presents some risks, but it can also be wonderful. None of that advice is tinnitus related, just my opinion since it was mentioned above. As long as you're doing things by the book and don't feel sketched out - go and teach. Even just talking to kids in the classroom will mean you meet a lot of great people and get to be immersed in another culture.

That aside, as everyone else has said, the way you feel about tinnitus absolutely will get better. I echo @Jeff M. in saying that sleep is absolutely at the top of the list with doing things to calm your nerves. Whatever you can do to work towards normalizing those two parts of your life will help and the rest will follow. Above all, while you're working at these things, be patient, all things take some time, but they will change.

Do go see a doctor or ENT just to rule out anything more serious going on - especially if you're going to travel for a long period of time.

We're here for you and good luck on your adventures! Don't panic if you don't feel your mood improving right away - for me I didn't see how much better I was until I was already over the hill looking back and this happened over months, but it happens. I never would have believed I could feel this good again, but here I am - you'll get there

 

@seal @Sound Wave @tandpiano @Jeff M. @awbw8

Thanks for your kind words - they made me quite emotional. This evening my tinnitus has been very loud, to the point where I can't concentrate or fixate on anything else. Gah, this is horrendous....

I admire all of you for coping with this. I hope I get to the stage where the noise 'blends into the background' ....

 

You will!! But you might be a little in the meantime!! But you will prevail!!

 

I'm relatively knew to t as well and was also looking forward to a new part of my life. Stay positive it's slowly getting better for me. Lots of ups and downs but I am having more good days then bad. It's a slow process and the people on this site are a knowledgeable and compassionate bunch. Don't let t stop you from doing the things you love. Your t is still new so maybe once your ears heal it'll go away.

 

You will absolutely get there Emmy. And going to Thailand could be a perfect therapy too, the best way many of us find in dealing with this is distraction. What better way to be distracted than immersing yourself in another culture?

In the early stages the best thing for you is to not listen to it at all - which isn't easy. Don't try and hear it, don't wonder how loud it is, just try and forget it. Finding the right sounds can be useful in distracting yourself, have a listen to the player on the right hand side of the main page and see if any of those help. I've got plenty more and I can mail them to you to use on an Mp3 player if they work.

 

@Steve Thanks Steve, that's great. I will give them a go soon.

@cullenbohannon - I'm sorry to hear you have T too... thank you for your kind words.

 

Read my advice given here:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/silence-is-gone-in-sweden.4083/#post-38881

Tinnitus which develops from acoustic trauma is different than tinnitus which develops from long term noise exposure.

You are too young to live with this for the rest of your life. I advise you to put in an effort at the early stage.

 

Ageofscience... How is it different? .... Different as far as treatment, progression?

 

There is no treatment for tinnitus which develops due to long term noise exposure (except masking the symptoms). There is a slight/some chance of reversing the damage of hearing loss if steriods are administered early on (in the event of acoustic trauma = eg. going to a concert). Some ENTs are willing to experiment a bit more than others. The best advice I can give is to see an ENT specialist (not an ENT doctor); discuss the options such as steriods in the form of pills, intravenous injections, or injections directly to the middle/inner ear.

There are currently other (experimental) procedures being investigated (which I am testing myself). But, that is another story...

 

welcome!