Intro and Some Positive Words

I've been following tinnitustalk on and off for over 10 months now. It is hard to believe it's been that long since my tinnitus started last March. I had a few things happen to me all at once last spring: a very bad sinus infection that wound up lasting nearly seven months (months of antibiotics), a neck injury, and I ran a leaf blower without ear plugs - and all in the same week. I also had an abscessed lower left molar that I was holding out on getting pulled, which became a real problem. I came in from yard-work feeling really clogged up, pressure in my head, heart racing, and my neck hurt. Just felt sick as a dog - but my ears weren't ringing. I laid down on my side for a while and woke up some hours later feeling like I broke my neck, could hardly move my head and arms, pounding sinuses and head....and the ringing ears. Everything is better now. Sinus infection is gone. Neck doesn't hurt. Got the abscess tooth pulled...but the ringing never stopped. Needless to say, I am sure I will never know the exact cause of the tinnitus. Some days it is hardly noticeable, and others it is a lot worse.

In the beginning, it caused me to be very worried and I spent much time frantically scouring the Internet for answers. Dr. Internet...ha ha (doesn't help). I always wound up here eventually.....a place of reality. I've been to every Doctor in the book it seems...ENT too...and to no avail. I spent a lot of money on Doctors. One said he could not treat tinnitus because it is impossible to find a cause or cure in most cases. He said it could last a year or 10 and come or go. He basically said live with it. And so I do.

So, I'm here tonight (early morn actually) because I found myself reflecting on the cause again. I couldn't sleep and my T is a bit louder. I poked around online a bit and wound up back here...again...so I joined.

So Hello everybody. Although I am new, after 10 months and seven days of this I hope I can contribute something helpful up front to anyone who might be freaking out. You will be OK. At first it may seem overwhelming. I have no problem admitting that I sank to low levels at first. It can make you feel like something, or everything, is "wrong" with you. But after a while you just try not to worry about it anymore and move forward. I no longer mention it at home. Nobody knows I still have tinnitus, which is for the better. I'm on the Internet tonight talking about it and I am calm...ears ringing and all...and it was not always that way. You can live with this. Really.

 

A belated "welcome" (even though I'm a younger forum member than you), and I hope your todays are becoming better than your yesterdays.

 

Hi Skylark,

Welcome to the site!

I first got tinnitus back in March 2016 and I was the same way... having crazy suicidal thoughts and asking questions like "why me?" and "I'm only 44. How am I going to live out the rest of my life with this." You are exactly right - your brain acclimates to it and files it into the "not important" bucket. Sometimes I even have spikes, but I say to myself "this will not kill me" and just let it pass. Of course it takes time to accept tinnitus, but after that it's much easier to deal with it. Besides, I have plenty of other things to worry about in life besides tinnitus.

As for a root cause, that is the mystery because it is tied to the brain and unfortunately science and medicine have not unraveled all of its mysteries - yet. But... one day they will!