New to Tinnitus

Hi, my name is Adrian or Ady. I don't know if anyone can help. I've had a noise in my ear which has just got louder. I have seen a doctor today, she says it's tinnitus due to an ear inflammation which should go away with some nasal sprays she prescribed me but I'm not so sure.

I already suffer with depression and anxiety and I'm worried the noise won't get quieter. I've tried some different noises and sounds and they don't help.

Does anyone have any advice which might help me try and get through this??


Adrian.

 

Anxiety will make your tinnitus symptoms appear much worse, so best to relax. I like to play healing music or calm meditation music.

Feel fortunate that your doctor has identified a treatable cause for your tinnitus. Hopefully, now it's just a matter of treatment. If you are experiencing inflamation, then it's best to follow your doctor's advice, and allow yourself time to heal.

 

Thanks MikeS I hope it's just a matter of treatment too because it's driving me mad already.

 

Agree with Mike. Your mental state can dictate the perceived loudness of T. So it is best to remain calm and positive that the treatment will get rid of T. You may want to try masking with soothing nature sounds. The objective of masking is not necessarily to totally over power tinnitus. It may be beneficial to habituation by having the masking sounds slightly lower than the ringing. This way the masking sounds will help your auditory system to focus on something else besides the T ringing, but also that it is aware of T ringing and yet not bothered by it because of the presence of the other masking sounds. This is what TRT is trying to do anyway as part of the treatment. If anxiety and depression are too high, you may want to get some meds from the doctor to help smooth out the edges of emotions.

 

I agree with @billie48 --try to relax and not focus on the noise. That's the mistake I made--I woke up with my left ear hissing one day and I freaked--alerting my brain that the noise was a threat. Try masking with the soothing sounds of nature or white/pink noise and make sure you get enough sleep. If you are anxious or can't sleep, see your doctor and get some temporary sleep aids and anti-anxiety meds. I am not advocating the taking of medication--I'm only sharing my experience. It did help me tremendously at onset of tinnitus.

 

Are you taking any meds for your anxiety or depression? I recently got T also (going on 2 weeks), and it wasn't until I came back to the doctor crying and bawling my eyes out did he prescribe some meds to calm me until we can figure out the cause of the T and treat it (hopefully). It doesn't make the T go away, but it certainly makes me less bothered by it.