One Month of Miserable Mystery Tinnitus

Hello - writing to introduce myself. I developed loud, high-pitched ringing in my ears a month ago. It seems to be louder in one ear but I think it is present in both. (How can you tell really, since it is not external?) The pitch is close to the sound of crickets, but it sounds more like electronic feedback.

I assumed I had an earwax problem or ear infection. The ringing started two days after I developed COVID-19/Omicron symptoms. Test for COVID-19 came back negative. My ears were examined and the verdict was no wax problem. I took a course of Amoxicillin in case there was a bacterial infection. That didn’t help. I was then put on a short course of Prednisone, which made no difference. Saw an ENT for exam and audiology test and was told ear drums look fine, and my hearing is “excellent” except for minor loss at certain high frequencies.

The ENT gave me literature on Tinnitus Retraining Therapy that I could enroll in ( not covered by insurance though). The doctor’s advice was to see how things are in a few months but prepare myself that this could be permanent.

I am really struggling.

Masking helps, but in a quiet room, the tinnitus noise is distressing and hard to cope with. I am especially upset that I can’t listen to music without hearing the tinnitus sound - it really is affecting my quality of life. Fortunately, white noise/ rain sound together with my neighbor’s loud heat pump and the Trazodone I was already taking for insomnia make it possible to sleep. So I know I am lucky on that front, at least.

My question for those of you who aren’t new to this is how hard you searched for treatable causes before working on acceptance and habituation. The ENT I saw definitely was not encouraging me to go looking for other causes - And I assume this is not bad advice from a mental health standpoint. It just doesn’t feel right to stop searching.

Do most people get a referral to a neurologist for testing? I also am planning to make a dental appointment to rule out TMJ, but I don’t think that’s likely. Does it make sense to get a second opinion from a different ENT? Has anyone found TRT to be useful? The program I am reading about includes being fitted with over the ear sound generators

Here are a few additional facts. I am taking Wellbutrin and Levothyroxine (which may cause tinnitus), but have been on those drugs for years so that doesn’t seem likely to be a cause. I do think there is a good possible I had mild COVID-19 despite negative PCR test, and the tinnitus was caused by that. I am hoping that would make it more likely to go away at some point.

Sorry for the long introduction - I am not asking for medical advice, just relevant experience.

 

Welcome to the forum. Different people may spend different amount of time looking for treatment. I guess my own ENT wasn't as kind as yours. He was probably joking when he said "the only thing I can do to stop your ringing is to shoot you!". Gosh! But his examination also pointed to hearing loss in the high frequency. So that explains my ultra high pitched tinnitus. With that I basically gave up on my own search for other remedy, knowing acceptance and habituation are going to be the route for me for a more normal life. When I stopped looking for treatment, I didn't mean I stopped helping myself. I just didn't go through expensive treatments. Instead I read up on CBT techniques and applied them. I learned how to relax my nerves by doing deep abdominal breathing, by relaxing exercises, going outdoors, meditating, etc.

Sometimes, we can't rush the body to get well so fast. People here are often quoting 6 to 18 months of recovery period that people will get better generally. So there is no need to push and rush recovery if your tinnitus is new and that the doctor or ENT has ruled out anything wrong with the ears and hearing. I suggest you read up the success stories so you have more hope for recovery like many of the authors of the stories, myself included. They share their strategies which are very helpful as these people walk their talk. So stay positive and calm as humanly as you can, as this will ward off the limbic nerves which can make tinnitus feeling worse.

Take care. God bless.