Just Saying Hello — In the Last Few Days My Tinnitus Has Got Worse

Hi, My name is Owen and I live in London, UK. 18 months ago I had a bad chest infection which caused breathing problems. This was eventually diagnosed as a form of asthma.

In the period since then it has been brought under control, and I would say with the help of inhalers it is now a minor issue. However, six months later I lost my sense of smell, this is commonly associated with the specific type of asthma I have.

Around this time I started having problems with my left ear i.e. infection causing slight loss of sound. This is when the tinnitus started. It was low volume and alternated between hissing and medium pitch ringing. I coped ok with it, and it was only on my left side. The last few days things have got worse. It's now moved central and is on both left and right sides. It now consists of a high pitch sound that doesn't fluctuate in intensity. I have this 24/7.

I did mention the tinnitus last time I saw my doctor, she said to let her know if it gets worse, so I am going to make an appointment and hope to get referred to a clinic. In the meantime I am just about managing during the day. I have it constantly. The noise is on a layer above all other sounds. Nothing masks it. I only sleep through sheer tiredness.

 

Hopefully your tinnitus will begin fading several months after your you clear that infection.

 

Welcome to the den of sufferers. Sorry to hear that life has thrown you some awful lemons lately. At least there is hope your hearing problems will resolve once the infection is dealt with.