New Sufferer in London

Colin M

Member
Author
Jan 31, 2018
1
Tinnitus Since
23/01/18
Cause of Tinnitus
Cold
Hi all,
My name is Colin and I am a small potato compared to some of the heartbreaking stories I've been reading on this website the past week. But this is my story.

About eight days ago while in the middle of a bad cold, I woke in the middle of the night feeling this tremendous pressure and high pitched hissing, like I was descending in an airplane, in both ears, it was very distressing. Thankfully by morning it had eased, but the next night the thing happened, and progressively it was continuing through the day. Generally so far it seems to day a bit better as the day goes on, only to come back in full force when I wake after only a couple of hours sleep.

I've been to the doctor, who said I had a sunken sinus on my right side, which could be causing the problem. I'm on sudafed and a steroid inhaler to hopefully fix it.

The main issue is I no longer am able to get more than a couple of hours sleep a night, and this is the most debilitating aspect for me, and the path to madness. Unfortunately, I am already a bad sleeper and already take mirtazapine 15mg for that, so there's no solution there.

I think with the hissing sound and the continual non-sleep I'm slowly losing my mind. My partner is very supportive but doesn't know what to do, and I have to go back to work soon, even though I feel pretty much mentally disabled at this point.

Sorry for the ramble, I know there's no solution, I just wanted to talk it out in a space of understanding.
Thanks
C
 
You could try taking amitriptyline, in addition to the sleeping aid you have been taking. It had helped me sleep back when my T was at its loudest and most intense. It is nonaddictive and it didn't make me feel drowsy the next day.

Otherwise, I believe that having sound enrichment (having something else [nature sounds] to listen to besides your T) will help you. Either try http://mynoise.net or buy a sound machine, for example
https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Koala-Concentration-Relaxation-Sufferers/dp/B01FRW2WBA/
or
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Oasis-S-5000-Deluxe-Therapy/dp/B018KUVEOM/

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (26 tips spread over five posts) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past 11 months
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...itus-recently-this-info-will-be-useful.25741/
 
Hi
I am new to this too. I'm not sure what caused mine but I believe it was antibiotics. Its been loud and shrieking for 2 weeks. I feel Just like you. I'm terrified after reading all these posts that it won't go away. I have an appt today with ENT. My life has come to a standstill and I'm am falling into depression. :(
 
Hey Colin,

Im fairly new here as well. When I noticed I had T I slept really bad at the start of it as well. All in all I don't have it that badly when looking around here. Im a very bad sleeper to begin with also so I have lots of stuff around to get to sleep with.
What works for me are the following foods/drinks/ suppliments:
- A Valerian root suppliment (this one really works for me).
- Melatonin (a naturally occuring hormone, works well for me if I don't use it for long periods of time.)
- I eat loads of meat and fish 3 hours before bedtime (this works well for me, my source: Timoty Ferris's book: The 4-hour body)
- Reishi powder (Used a lot in China against insomnia and other things, safe when used in higher doses as well I read. I take 2 table spoons of this and it also works fairly well at keeping me asleep
Stuff that I started using when I got T and slept worse then usual (don't know the effectiveness because I started using it all at once:
- Chamomile tea (calms me down and I drink it instead of water at night)
- Vitamin b12 (Methylcobalamine)
This specific type of b12 is quite rare to find and I bought it online because it increases sleep quality.
- Magnesium
- Zink

Next to this I always make sure my room is completely dark when I go to sleep.
Best thing that worked for me was to put on some white noise (sound enrichement) that matches the tone of my T in a louder volume than the T. This is the thing that did the most for me after I didn't sleep for almost 3 nights. With this tool im now getting more habituated.
Also next week im starting a MBSR (mindfullness based stress reduction) course which is also used for people who have continual pain and can't sleep because of it. Its scientifically proven, source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20141305

Anyway, I hope you get some good sleep, because arriving at work unslept sucks.

Good luck man,

John
 
Hello Collin, Because your tinnitus was caused by Sinus and Cold related issues and not TMJ, infection or acoustic trama It might subside eventually, just stay positive and hope for the best.
 
You quote there is no solution but there are many your hitting an anxiety dread brick wall & most likely making yourself worse... done it got the badge etc myself as many have on here, best thing you can do is google tinnitus masking video loads on YouTube I have links to a great one cancels mine out & it's loud ... look at Julian Cowan hill videos on YouTube & similar ones, avoid the dread of it never goes away doom etc, you may find it does... mines been here 38 years I'm 44, I had it bad as a teenager and it really bothered me a few months ago when I joined this group.. again I've near habituated to it, it's loud & aggresive but it's just there part of me, anxiety gone... biggest thing you can do is chill, do some mindfulness relaxation on tinnitus google it again & you'll just think less of it, do mask it in early stages get your anxiety down though hope this helps ...oh & @Bill Bauer above has some great advice & what @John_415 says there is good too look after yourself be healthy
 
This is what works for me power down no tv, shower, 2 Tylenol pm, sound machine I use. Ocean, and a fan, I start around 1030. I use eye mask which helps to make the room dark, stick to a routine. Im in my T 7 months I went to work like a zombie it took me 4 months to get it together. Try to inner body relax.
 

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