New Member — Tinnitus Started After Dunking My Head Underwater While Taking a Bath

Hey all.

Looking for some help / reassurance from people who understand!

Bit of background, I am 30 years old currently 18 weeks pregnant! Been to one concert all my life. Rarely listen to music/movies through headphones. Never had any problems with my ears.

So how it all started middle of December last year, I was in the bath one night, dunked my head under the water to wash it as you do without giving it a second thought! All was fine went to bed woke up early house with this horrendous high pitched noise in my ear. Got a ear bud thinking something was lodged in my ear and sorta wiggled it around nothing happened. Was like this all night. GP next day advised my ear canal was inflamed and gave me a steroid nasal spray. Took this. Nothing changed for over a week. Still the high pitched noise in my left ear. Went back the GP a week later, ear canal still inflamed and she gave me a steroid ear spray and said it can take up to 4 weeks to get better. GP this week (for a different reason) checked my ears and I’ve got fluid behind my ear drum.

The GP did refer me last week for a hearing test to reassure me.

It’s now coming up to 3 weeks and my left ear is still the same. Ringing, it’s really bothering me and I feel really down and anxious about it. Being pregnant there isn’t much else the GP can do. I can generally mask it during the day but can still hear it. It’s the nighttime that's the problem. I’ve tried having get the fan on which seemed to make it worse and also the radio which seemed to keep waking me up throughout the night!

I know 3 weeks isn’t long in terms of ear issues but I am starting to lose hope of it ever going away and not sure how I will cope if it doesn’t given how stressed and anxious I feel now.

Can anyone else relate please? Thanks.

 

HI @Momma28

I know you are going through a difficult time at the moment with the tinnitus. In fact everyone in this forum that has tinnitus knows what you're going through as someone that's new to this condition but things will settle down in time. The ear is a very delicate organ and the best treatment for your ears at this very early stage, is to do absolutely nothing. I am serious about that. Providing you are not experiencing: deafness, dizziness, pain in the ears, problems with your balance, it is best to leave the ears alone as they will usually right themselves with a little time. Too early an intervention with treatment can make things worse. It is for this reason doctors prefer to leave the ears alone, as long as the patient isn't experiencing the problems I've mentioned above.

Please click on the links below and read my articles which I think will help you. At night use a sound machine by your bedside that plays nature sounds instead of using radio. If you have a mobile phone you can download nature sounds from youtube and blue-tooth the phone to a speaker if you wish. More about sound machines is explained below in the links.

The tinnitus will improve try to calm down although I know it's not easy.
All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

consider this from my experience:

I have a medium size fan with 3 speed settings. if I sleep with it on 2 or 3, it makes my tinnitus the next day spike, if I sleep with it one the 1 setting, I sleep alright and there's no spike the next day.

 

Try using playing nature sounds. The sounds of crickets work well for high pitch T.

I think you have nothing to worry about. Ears take a very long time to heal. Your T ought to fade within a couple of months following the time when your ear infection is finally gone.

 

It's not uncommon to see people develop ringing during pregnancy, if you google it. I know of one whose ringing disappeared after a few months of getting it.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies . It’s a relief knowing other people are going through the same thing as I think family members especially my DH as much as he is trying to re assure me . he doesn’t seem to get how frustrating it is! To them it’s just a bit of ringing in the ear .

Thanks Michael I will have a look at those links later ! I don’t have any other symptoms and feel fine otherwise ! If you factor out my anxiety levels are super high ! Which probably isn’t helping the situation !

Thanks John . I have taken the fan away now as it seemed to make it worse . I’m still figuring out what helps and what doesn’t ! I found out last night that using earphones doesn’t help even if it was just one ear phone in my good ear . I couldn’t sleep all night as the ringing seemed louder !

Thanks Bill for your reassurenace! I’m stressing out that it will never go and I don’t know how else to deal with it but like you say I’ve just gotta give it time . I think I am now realising it’s not just gonna go over night and maybe not until after my baby is born which I am praying it does !

I have been reading up on T in pregnancy Daiso thank you . This is my third pregnancy no issues during last two !
Thank you all once again x

 

So.. the ringing still persists . I’ve now had my appointment for the ENT on 23 Feb . What should I expect ? Pretty nervous about it !

I also need a trip to the dentist doubt they will do any fillings etc with me being pregnant but don’t want to aggregate the T if thats possible ?.

I woke up this morning and heard silence for around 10 Mins or so before the T was back not sure if this is a good or bad sign !

I’m generally not as anxious as I was. Maybe I’m just getting used to it . Night time is still a issue but not as bad either.

 

It is a wonderful sign. What matters is the monthly trend, and the global lows. You can do better than a low of silence.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/dentist-laser-vs-ordinary.2791/#post-272983

 

Thanks Bill sorry for not replying sooner been very busy !!

I did go the dentist and thankfully didn’t need any treatment apart from X-rays which will be done in the summer because of the pregnancy .

I’ve been getting on fairly well and been coping to control my T which I am surprised to be writing that !

Over the last few days I’ve noticed a increase in the volume of my T . I only used to notice it when in a quiet room . Now I hear it all the time . I’m finding it hard to concentrate when people are talking and feel like I cannot hear properly out that ear ?! I do have a cold so wondering if that’s what’s caused it to flare up ? I am due to see the GP pregnancy related so may ask them last week . I defiently still have fluid behind my ear I can feel something !

I hope all this is pregnancy related and will go away after baby is born !

 

I'm hoping this is all just due to your pregnancy. I'm new to T myself, but I wish you well, the fact that you had some silence is surely a good thing.

 

Just to update this thread .

I seen the ENT back in March, examination of my ear was fine , very slight hearing loss in the ear with T , but overall said I have very good hearing. Nothing much he could do given I was pregnant at the time , re arranged another appointment for end of July and said a MRI would be arranged .

I safely delivered a healthy baby boy 4 weeks ago . The tinnitus was worse and higher in volume for the three days after delivery, it then settled down again. It still persists. I find myself feeling very frustrated/annoyed that I still have it.

Is there still hope that it may go or do I need to accept the fact I’m probably going to have it permanently now ?!

 

Congratulations! Give it some time, it could be that when your hormones settle so will the tinnitus. Hopefully you’ll start habituating soon x

 

Hello, I just stumbled on this thread and wondered how you were doing?