Hi everyone,
I have been experiencing a constant high-pitched ringing in my ears for the past week and a half. Although I have had it before, it used to come and go; it was never there all the time. I used to think, "Huh, what is that electronic sound?" I assumed I just had sensitive hearing and was picking up sounds from outlets, TVs, or other electronic devices. But it would always go away.
I had a very stressful breakup with my boyfriend of 14 years on September 27 and spent that night screaming and crying, overwhelmed by stress. I have been a weed smoker for 12 years, an ex-smoker who vaped nicotine for 5 years, and I also used Kratom for 5 years to manage chronic pain from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and PCOS. The next day, when I smoked weed, the ringing suddenly started and has been there nonstop since. Loud and unrelenting.
I panicked and began doing a lot of research. I quit weed and Kratom cold turkey after reading that certain substances can cause tinnitus. I'm also weaning off nicotine using patches and trying to get through the withdrawals as best I can. While the ringing was definitely louder when I smoked weed, it hasn't gone away. Tomorrow will mark two full weeks of constant ringing, and I'm losing my mind every night. I bought a sound machine, but it barely helps. The sound is so high-pitched that it changes when I move my head or mouth or when I'm exposed to other sounds. I've had to start taking Xanax every night just to cope.
I saw an ENT who said, "It's probably stress-related, it will go away," and I also saw an audiologist. She only tested my regular hearing, not the higher frequencies, and said my hearing was normal. Nobody seems to know what actually causes this, as it's apparently a symptom of something else.
I'm terrified this might be permanent. I don't know what caused it, and I don't know what to do. I've cried to my mom every day for the past two weeks, and she keeps telling me, "It will go away." But what if it doesn't? From what I've read, it doesn't just disappear for everyone.
I've lost most of my friends because of my chronic illnesses, and now I don't have my boyfriend either. I feel like my life is over if this is something I have to hear for the rest of my life. I can't relax, find peace, or even enjoy music anymore. I wake up three or four times a night and feel dread every morning when I realize the sound is still there. I'm doing my best to stay outside and spend time with my mom to distract myself, but it's almost impossible. I hear it everywhere.
I feel so alone and scared.
I have been experiencing a constant high-pitched ringing in my ears for the past week and a half. Although I have had it before, it used to come and go; it was never there all the time. I used to think, "Huh, what is that electronic sound?" I assumed I just had sensitive hearing and was picking up sounds from outlets, TVs, or other electronic devices. But it would always go away.
I had a very stressful breakup with my boyfriend of 14 years on September 27 and spent that night screaming and crying, overwhelmed by stress. I have been a weed smoker for 12 years, an ex-smoker who vaped nicotine for 5 years, and I also used Kratom for 5 years to manage chronic pain from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and PCOS. The next day, when I smoked weed, the ringing suddenly started and has been there nonstop since. Loud and unrelenting.
I panicked and began doing a lot of research. I quit weed and Kratom cold turkey after reading that certain substances can cause tinnitus. I'm also weaning off nicotine using patches and trying to get through the withdrawals as best I can. While the ringing was definitely louder when I smoked weed, it hasn't gone away. Tomorrow will mark two full weeks of constant ringing, and I'm losing my mind every night. I bought a sound machine, but it barely helps. The sound is so high-pitched that it changes when I move my head or mouth or when I'm exposed to other sounds. I've had to start taking Xanax every night just to cope.
I saw an ENT who said, "It's probably stress-related, it will go away," and I also saw an audiologist. She only tested my regular hearing, not the higher frequencies, and said my hearing was normal. Nobody seems to know what actually causes this, as it's apparently a symptom of something else.
I'm terrified this might be permanent. I don't know what caused it, and I don't know what to do. I've cried to my mom every day for the past two weeks, and she keeps telling me, "It will go away." But what if it doesn't? From what I've read, it doesn't just disappear for everyone.
I've lost most of my friends because of my chronic illnesses, and now I don't have my boyfriend either. I feel like my life is over if this is something I have to hear for the rest of my life. I can't relax, find peace, or even enjoy music anymore. I wake up three or four times a night and feel dread every morning when I realize the sound is still there. I'm doing my best to stay outside and spend time with my mom to distract myself, but it's almost impossible. I hear it everywhere.
I feel so alone and scared.