Just Got What I Believe to Be Tinnitus ...

Hi All -

Earlier today I answered the following question on the Doctors' Corner:

"Just got what I believe to be tinnitus... What should I do immediately to help?"

I started out by stating that there are any number of good answers. I then proceeded to respond to the question posed, freely admitting that my answer comes from a point of bias.

I am re-stating the question here in this thread so that any who might wish to can have the opportunity to present their own thoughts on what step or steps a tinnitus newbie should take immediately. It's really an excellent question on an important topic. I suspect others will have far better answers than the one I came up with, which is why I am starting this thread.

For my own (bound to be unpopular) response, CLICK HERE.

 

For someone who just got tinnitus, my suggestion would be to try to relax. Easier said than done, I know. But relax, drink some warm beverage, or do something to take your mind off of it as much as possible.

Next, I'd suggest seeing a doctor immediately... The sooner, the better. If one can afford it, go to the emergency room if it'll be a while before a doctor can make an appointment.

I think this is important because we can't forget that tinnitus is a symptom. It could be that the person has something that is treatable and the sooner, the better.

Assuming they get the clear from the doctor that there isn't anything to worry about, I'd suggest telling friend and family about it. That way they can be supportive and you may be pleasantly surprised to know you aren't alone. One of the things that helped me was when I opened up, I found that many family members and close friends of mine have it and I didn't even know. The fact that all of them live normal lives helped me.

I agree, stay away from tinnitus boards and the Internet in general regarding tinnitus. Stop researching and let go.

 

user @attheedgeofscience has nice information about that on his profile. See first aid
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/members/attheedgeofscience.1629/

 

Really good suggestions, Matt. Better response than mine. Thanks.

 

Ha ha ha! I read that and then HAD to go see what your response was! Haven't looked to see how unpopular it is yet but I could not agree more with what you said and I didn't expect to.
The fact is I think that is true of many ailments. You can wallow in your "whatever it might be," which never helps with any complaint you could have including T. Or try to use your thinking processes to deal with it in the best way possible.
Of course any normal human reaction is to react badly at least in the beginning. And I think coming to sites like this, at least in the early stages, can lead to wallowing. And for some I've seen on this site it seems they never really get out of the wallowing stage but get stuck in a rut.
I hope any newbies reading these posts can understand what's being said.

 

An absolutely fantastic response! Genius!! Relax, remove worry of anything serious or life threatening and get support from people close to you and RELAX!

 

In fact, I think this forum is really the less depressive on the internet, yes there is discussions about problems, difficulties but in fact this forum is also FULL of support, it really helped me!

But i totaly agree, forums should not be the first step with T. Because of panic and misunderstanding it’s impossible for someone to step back on his/her own situation with this.

So it’s good to see all the good tips to new T sufferers .

Nice initiative!

 

1. Get yourself corticosteroids (prednisone) within 24-48 hours for maximum impact.
2. Try all experimental treatments as early on as possible (including, but not limited to, HBOT, NAC, other antioxidants, also ask a doctor for a prescription of Trobalt which may prevent the tinnitus from "sticking" in the brain). All this as soon as possible after onset.
3. Donate all your wealth to tinnitus researchers, you will help other people avoid similar fate.
4. Accept your tinnitus and don't fight it. Make peace with it. Not easy to do but they say it is possible.

 

When I first got tinnitus 9 years ago I went to see an ENT about 9 days after onset and his response was: "There is nothing we can do for you. I could sit down and explain to you what tinnitus is and how it works but I think it's better if you look it up by yourself on the internet. Goodbye."

But I agree. I remember looking around for a little while and became a member at several forums. But then I just stopped, the solution wasn't there for me, and when I did I eventually habituated. It took a while to do it by myself but I finally got there. Now I'm in a bad spot again and here I am crawling back. So I fully agree that these places aren't for newbies. It's full of people like me, that are hurting and looking for comfort or answers of some kind.

 

I agree with many of the points @Dr. Nagler made in his post regarding forums, including this one. You are getting a negatively skewed perspective, and some incorrect information, at the time you least need it.

But I have to say, don't know how I would of made it in the beginning without Tinnitus Talk. My early-on doctors were no help and downright callous (I fired them all and eventually got better doctors). My sweet husband was kind and worried but totally flummoxed and didn't know what to do. My local "support" group was run by a guy who wanted to sell hearing aids and filled with senior citizens who wanted to do nothing but bitch about Medicare. My local anxiety group had a facilitator who thought it was a good idea to meet in a noisy bar and with members who thought I should be taking more benzos.

It was the people here who lifted me up -- who supported me and helped me hang on. I felt like I had people all over the world rooting for me and holding my hand in dark times. I went to my first tinnitus specialist consultation out of town clutching a print-out of a success story posted here. I read it over and over the night before the doctor saw me. It made me believe I could get better. And I did.

I owe Tinnitus Talk more than I can ever repay. But that's just my experience.
Sorry, would not have posted this here, but can't comment on a Doctors Corner post.

One newcomer piece of advice I would add:
If your tinnitus kicks off extreme anxiety, gotta deal with the anxiety before you can deal with the tinnitus (after you have gotten all the first-tier tinnitus testing out of the way).

 

That's my job to go on about trobalt! But yeah, I would get it as early as possible, that is, if it's really bad.

 

If you want to waste money on an ENT, treat it as them being interviewed by you, not the other way around, which is usually how they see it: them interviewing you to see if they can make money off you, which is a "privilege" they of course have you pay plenty for. If they can give you no Specialist information beyond GP level, refuse to pay them as they haven't done their job and shouldn't have accepted the referral.

 

I wouldn't quite say it's a total waste though. Becuase if nothing else, the ENT can rule out any serious risk to your health. I know that's not what a patient is hoping for, but at least it's something.

 

I was luckily enough to attend a tinnitus clinic through the NHS, it was so helpful, they suggested exersice even if it's just a walk, go outside nature is an amazing distraction. Audiobooks, they work wonders for me. Have a shower instead of a bath, it gives momentary relief, I find. My hearing is affected they said the kitchen is the worst room in the house to hear conservations, which I find true. Use tablecloths, rugs if you don't have a carpet, it dampens the sound. Meditation, which I've done for a long time helps hugely although I'm not sure what it would be like just starting it with tinnitus. Sleep hygiene program also helped.

 

The Radiologist reports on the results of the scan the GP can order, The GP can also read the test provided by the Audiologist, and can perform basic physical examination. ENT adds nothing to the process except to take lots of money for confirming the work others have done. That's how it is here. We exist in a void somewhere between ENT and Neurology that no-one wants to deal with.