I Was Watching TV When My Tinnitus Started: What Could Have Caused It?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been experiencing tinnitus since Thursday so looking for any help or suggestions!

I was sat on the sofa watching TV last Thursday when I heard a strange whistling noise. Since then I’ve heard a faint buzzing/static noise about 90% of the time.

I’m 33 & I’ve never been one that listens to their music overly loud, I haven’t used earphones for calls for months & haven’t had any significant noise trauma.

I do live near a busy road but I found the tinnitus is with me when I’m not at home so I don’t think it’s that?

I spoke to a doctor on Monday (just over the phone due to COVID-19 restrictions) who prescribed me Amoxicillin for a potential inner ear infection and I’m on day 3 of the 5 day course of that. I think it’s getting quieter but it’s definitely still there. When I’m talking or doing something that actively engages me I can drown it out.

I saw an audiologist yesterday who said I had no wax issues, good hearing, good nerves and no ear damage. But she doesn’t have access to all the equipment that the ENT does.

I do have a very full feeling in my ears, I can’t pop them. I have always had strange nostrils (?!), one always feels blocked more than the other?

I also have very poor shoulder/neck muscles. I’ve heard that this can aggravate ear issues?

I am going to continue with the Amoxicillin. But I am keen to try anything that will make this go away for good as it’s so frustrating, I miss silence so much already.

I have a chiropractor booked next week. Are there any other steps I can take? Does anyone know what may be causing this?

Any suggestions are really appreciated!
Thanks all & Merry Christmas.

 

Ears take months (or even years) to heal. So if your tinnitus is due to an ear infection, your tinnitus ought to go away months after your infection is gone.

Stop trying to pop your ears. This full ear sensation is your body's way of telling you that your ears got hurt. Trying to pop your ears can actually cause damage and tinnitus. The full ears sensation normally goes away first (followed by tinnitus). But again it can take months or over a year.

Now that you've had tinnitus your ears might have been compromised. Once your tinnitus goes away, it Might be easier for you to trigger another tinnitus outbreak. Noises that the people with healthier ears might not even notice could cause tinnitus to return. So you will want to avoid going to concerts, and in the first few years avoid even the kind of loud noises that you might be exposed to at a movie theater. Also, from now on whenever you get prescribed a new drug, make sure that it isn't ototoxic. You might also think twice before doing an MRI, as they carry a risk of causing tinnitus that doesn't go away. I would only do an MRI if it was life threatening to not have one.

You will want to make sure that you don't hurt your ears during this period of vulnerability as your body is healing. You will want to avoid taking ototoxic drugs, avoid microsuction or syringing (performed when you need to clean wax out of your ears; a manual tool should be used), and not let your dental hygienist use an ultrasonic scaling tool on you (a manual tool should be used). For more details, see

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822