Let the Ringing Begin!

Ok, I guess I'm a noob in the world of Tinnitus. I was shopping at the local supermarket the evening of August 1, 2015, when my left ear started ringing, which didn't immediately phase me because I have had occasional "normal?" ringing in my ears all of my life. But a few steps further and the ringing seemed to block out all other sounds for a few seconds, almost in both ears, then stabilized at a low-moderate volume. I continued shopping and noticed the ringing did not stop. The same when I returned home, went to sleep, woke the next day, still the ringing. Flew out west on vacation and back, a ringing we go. You get the picture! I started the Google search for causes, cures, others peoples stories, etc. Started analyzing the various pitch or pitches that the ring(s) would play (notch therapy?). It's been 5 months and a week, and it hasn't stopped. The ringing usually doesn't bother me, but it has increased in volume two noticeable times. So some questions from this noob:
• I have not gone to a doctor yet to be officially diagnosed; is this important for me to do?
• If so, what type of doctor is best?
• Is it basically true that essentially there is no cure, that I just have to endure to the end with this?
Thanks in advance for any comments !
~bbithead

 

Hello
I think you Should always see a doctor if your t changes or exists for the first time. Let your ears get a check. Of there is nothing found that causes the t could iT be you have been suffering a stresfull period lately?
Go SEe a doctor (an ear-doctor you Should see!) (i am from Holland we have an ear-nose-troath-doctor..) and try not to freak out or get bothered by the sound too much you Will learn to cope with iT if you have to, take care! So for your last question: no cure, you are right but you really can have a normaal life with t iT just takes Some time and you Will not even notice the sound anymore...
I am Also 'suffering' t first months i thought i'd go crazy now i an Totally fine with my t. Take care!!

 

Welcome to the forum. Right now at the moment there is nothing doctors can professionally prescribed just for the curing of tinnitus. But doesn't mean there is no cure, because T can come from many reasons and causes. It it has been caused by a specific problem, such as ETD, TMJ, nutritional deficiency, etc. etc., then when these problems are cured, there is a good chance T will also fade away. The success stories contain some members who claim that their T were gone or faded after taking some supplements or receiving treatment. So don't rule out that there is no cure for your specific T, especially if your T is new. Also the increases in volume or spikes may be not permanent. Many members including myself have experienced spikes and yet most spikes would settle back to baseline, whatever ringing level it was before.

 

hi bbithead,

If you've made it this far without even going to the doctor -- it sounds like you must be, by personality, not someone who worries/obsesses about health issues. That's going to be a HUGE asset to you -- people who are prone to anxiety and obsessive fixation, have a much harder time with tinnitus, than people who don't have those things.

That said, yes, you should go to a doctor just to get checked out. In very rare cases, tinnitus can be a sign of something more serious, so, you should get that ruled out.

Assuming there's nothing really wrong with you, then doctors may not be able to do very much to help you. You want to see an ENT doctor ("Ear, nose, throat").

 

steffievdboom, billie48, lineab, thank you all for your replies!!

I feel for those who suffer drastically from their tinnitus . I think I have been lucky that, even though it's always on, it doesn't usually bother me, and I'm able to function 100%. Based on your advice, I do plan to see an "ENT" in the next few weeks or so. I live around the corner from a hospital, and there are numerous medical offices in the area, so will find one who already has familiarity with and patients with T.

I think there are 2 main things that might have set me up to eventually have tinnitus - {1} I sang, played keyboards/bass during teen years with rock'n'roll being the typical genre (we played at 2 volumes ... loud or louder! ); {2} I spent 4 years in the US Marine Corp where machine gunning was my specialty (lots of exposure to loud weapons and vehicles, ear protection usually available but not always necessarily used).
Again, thank you all for your kind words and advice, I really appreciate it!

 

Hi. The ENT willl probably chevk your hearing to see if the two things you mention have caused any hearing loss. I really want to thank you for sharing your story. It is good to know that it is possible to have T but to not be bothered. I am trying to get there myself.