Intro

Hi, my name is Al. It's nice to meet you. And it's comforting to meet people who are having similar issues.

I don't know how long I've had tinnitus and I've never been diagnosed. Things have gotten worse since the year started, however. I seem to recall having a ringing in my ears rarely a couple years ago but now it's every night before I sleep (in a quiet room) and it's especially bad when I first wake up in the morning. Almost to the point where I feel dazed. It is a wake-up call for sure. I have anxiety problems so I kinda chalked it up to that being a major cause because I become hyper aware of the T if I am left to think about it more. Sometimes my left ear will hurt inside but that's not every day or every hour either. I am very sensitive to loud noises because I am used to being around loud people. I do like my environment to be quiet but that's kind of hard to have when your brain is firing off these signals.

Is it worth going to an ENT? I see a lot of people here having doctors just shrug them off. I've been there before with other symptoms and doctors not taking me seriously. With it being a specialist, how much does it cost to see one? Can they typically perform the necessary tests on the first visit or will it be a series of visits? I likely can't even go somewhere until summer because of work. I have a fear of losing my hearing now even though I am only 26..

Thank you for reading and I look forward to talking to you!

 

Welcome to the forum. Seeing a doctor or ENT is the first step recommended in this TT thread:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

The ENT can check if you have a problem with the ears such as infection, inflammation, blockage, ear fluid buildup, ear wax, ETD, ear drum injury, hearing loss etc. These all can contribute to the cause of your increased tennis. Since your T is spiking, it may be due to one or more of causes and so it is better to check out. Take care. God bless.

 

@Fruits I think that Billie's comments and advice is spot on. An ENT can certainly check for any infection, ear wax and other mentions from Billie.