Hi! I'm Natalie, and I'm 26. A little over two weeks ago, I was sitting in bed late at night and playing a video game with my friends at low volume. Suddenly, my left ear felt very full and almost numb. It subsided quickly but it left behind a high-pitched ringing that had me awake all night.
I tend to get a lot of earwax, so I figured it got impacted in my ear. I irrigated both and got a TON of earwax out, but the tinnitus has remained and is now in both ears. I also often get pressure in my ears. It just feels like they need popped often. There's a lot of crackling when I swallow or yawn as well.
I've gone to my doctor who has said there was no fluid buildup or signs of injury/infection. She didn't recommend going to an ENT at the time either since I had no pain or vertigo or hearing loss or any other symptoms.
It's been almost three weeks, and while I do think the tinnitus has gotten softer, it's still there. It's like a hissing noise, but sometimes I can hear a high-pitched ringing that only lasts for a few seconds or minutes before resolving back to that hiss. The worst is at night: I'm a side sleeper and the sound is so much louder when I'm on one side. I use rain noises to help mask the sound, but it doesn't always work.
It's caused me massive anxiety, to the point where my doctor prescribed me Lexapro and recommended me to a therapist as I wasn't sleeping or eating. I've constantly scoured the internet for causes and scared myself with things like tumors and MS and heart disease. My doctor has said I appear physically healthy, but I can't stop worrying that it will get worse.
Now, it doesn't affect my day-to-day too much, but in silence it still stresses me out. Does it get better? Is there still hope that it'll go away? Or does anyone have any tips on how to cope or learn to live with this annoying noise?
Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope everyone is doing well, and if you take the time to reply, please know I appreciate it so much.
I tend to get a lot of earwax, so I figured it got impacted in my ear. I irrigated both and got a TON of earwax out, but the tinnitus has remained and is now in both ears. I also often get pressure in my ears. It just feels like they need popped often. There's a lot of crackling when I swallow or yawn as well.
I've gone to my doctor who has said there was no fluid buildup or signs of injury/infection. She didn't recommend going to an ENT at the time either since I had no pain or vertigo or hearing loss or any other symptoms.
It's been almost three weeks, and while I do think the tinnitus has gotten softer, it's still there. It's like a hissing noise, but sometimes I can hear a high-pitched ringing that only lasts for a few seconds or minutes before resolving back to that hiss. The worst is at night: I'm a side sleeper and the sound is so much louder when I'm on one side. I use rain noises to help mask the sound, but it doesn't always work.
It's caused me massive anxiety, to the point where my doctor prescribed me Lexapro and recommended me to a therapist as I wasn't sleeping or eating. I've constantly scoured the internet for causes and scared myself with things like tumors and MS and heart disease. My doctor has said I appear physically healthy, but I can't stop worrying that it will get worse.
Now, it doesn't affect my day-to-day too much, but in silence it still stresses me out. Does it get better? Is there still hope that it'll go away? Or does anyone have any tips on how to cope or learn to live with this annoying noise?
Thank you for taking the time to read! I hope everyone is doing well, and if you take the time to reply, please know I appreciate it so much.