I'm New, Confused and Have Questions

Hello! I'm new and I'm from the Philippines. It all started 4 days ago when I noticed that my lymph nodes was swollen behind my left ear. I didnt notice the buzzing until it was night time and concluded that it was just insects. The the next morning I can still hear the buzzing and still didnt mind it and assumed it was just insects and my lymph nodes was really sore so I decided to visit my doctor. All of my vital signs was normal and he asked if I had a fever and I said no. I didnt mention the buzzing noise because I wasnt able to hear it in the hospital and because I assumed it was insects and I only hear it at home. He told me to wait for it to get smaller and have a CBC if ever I'll get a fever. He prescribed me Cerebrex which are painkillers.

I got home and went to bed to sleep and there it was, it was annoying and I only got a little sleep. Then i asked my grandmother if she hears any buzzing and she said no, then I panicked. I could not understand why am I the only one who can hear it. Researched it, and it all points to tinnitus. So I decided to go to an ENT the next day.

I had disrupted sleep that night. When I got to the ENT and got me all checked up, he said that my right eardrum was inflammed and said it may be caused by an infection and gave me prescriptions for antibiotics and Nasalthea. He also said I should blow my nose while covering it to release pressures in the ear every hour as an exercise. And said that I should be back if the buzzing persists after a week and he will give me a hearing test.

And here I am after 2 days. The buzzing is still there and sometimes I panic because I think I will live with the buzzing forever. I can sleep easily without masking but I always wake up after an hour or two.

I'm still 21 and a think-positive guy before this. And now I'm depressed and worried about my future. If you have read this from the start then Thank you for your time. I have read several of the threads and helped me a lot during my first four days. Thank you and would like to wish everyone silent days in the future.

Here are my Questions:
1. Does an inflammed ear drum cause tinnitus?
2. I always hear the buzzing sound but when I cover my ears, I cant hear it. Its not external noise I'm sure because my grandmother cant hear it. Does anyone had the same situation and why dont I hear it when I cover my ears.
3. My sleep is disrupted, is T the reason I wake up in the middle of the night?
4. what can I do to so I wont get stressed and I wont panic.
5. I also can hear a ringing noise besides the buzzing noise. Which make me more nervous.

Sorry if my post is long but wish you could help me. Thank you.

 

Hi. I'll do my best to answer your questions. All the reasons we get tinnitus are still not particularly well understood. But any problem in the ear and surrounding area has the potential to cause tinnitus. So yes an inflamed eardrum could be a factor. I have no idea why it goes when you cover your ears, so I won't even attempt to answer that one. While your brain is getting used to this new noise, it can certainly wake you up. It happened to me in the early days. Also when anxious/worried, your sleep can be disrupted. As far as stress and panic go, panicking won't help, quite the opposite. And when stressed, try and keep busy. If you have any hobbies, do them. As far as the ringing and buzzing goes, it's common to have more than one noise.

 

hello im from philippines also , tinnitus i think is a rare case in our country , and only few perhaps understand it , mine started last week because i used q tip in my ear to clean it and suddenly i pushed it further inside my ear that i get hurt, and suddenly im hearing noises in my ear , im only 19 and have a good hearing condition

 

There are many causes of T. Inflamed ear drums definitely can cause ringing. Hope the doctor can help you with some treatment to get rid of the problem. Your nervous reaction to T is understandable. Most people get anxious and have distorted thought about the future, such as how to live with such a noise for life. I made the same mistake so I was very nervous too. I have ultra high pitch T and severe hyperacusis a few years back. So I had two monsters to deal with initially. I was in a mess. But T is not an end game. I am back to living a normal and happy life now. So are many people on TT board, and they write their success stories, including this lovely lady from the Philippines. AnneG's story should help you understand that if you stay positive and calm, T is livable and often when distracted you don't hear T much. Flowing with the challenge is better than resisting the reality of T. Your T may fade, disappear or you habituate to it eventually. Don't think too far down. Just one day at a time. Here is my story and AnneG's too. Take care & God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-to-light-
how-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/came-back-to-say-it-really-does-get-better.6166/

 

Yea it seems a lot of things can cause T. One thing for sure it is a change of some sort to the audio system either in the brain receptor or the pathway to it . They are doing research and trying to find something to stop or make T less bothersome . Anxiety plays a big part you have to learn not to get upset about T not easy early on but you will learn to, I believe whatever is the cause crosses into the somatic nervous system that deals with touch this makes it in some people to seem like it is physically something wrong with there ear when it may be nerve damage or brain or cochlea . A lot of doctors will say cochlea I'm not to sure it's not the pathway from the ear to the brain .Any way just all theory But hang in there it will get less bothersome in time keep busy do hobbies sleep as much as you can in between and relax. Uncle Vikin