Scared About Having Tinnitus — From Hearing Loss, Neck & Shoulder Issues, Blood Pressure Medicine?

Hello everyone.

Last Wednesday I went to an ENT doctor and was told that I had tinnitus. Not sure how but I started to hear "crickets" sounds just in my right ear. I was also told that I had a slight hearing loss but not to a point that I needed to wear hearing aids. My ENT stated that she will just monitor me and was to see me again in 1 year. I guess that's a good thing but at the same time, I've become more aware of the noise in just that one ear and it's freaking me out. Especially with the fact that there's no cure for it.

I've been racking my brains trying to figure out how this happened. I don't listen to loud music or frequent concerts. The only thing that I know that's new is that I've been on high blood pressure medicine and that for many years, I've had issues with my neck and shoulders. Finally seeing a physical therapist and it's slowly improving. And now I am dealing with my ear issue.

I'm scared and been crying the last couple of days. Can anyone please tell me how to deal with this?

 

Hello and thank you for posting your concerns on the forum. We are happy to have you as a new member but hope you can get some relief from your newfound nuisance.

The etiologies for tinnitus are many and most are benign. You indicate you hear crickets. That is a common phenomenon. It sounds like you have non-pulsatile tinnitus, which often has no cure and no certain origin.

You indicate you have both moderate hearing loss and some muscular or joint issues. Both can cause tinnitus. If the tinnitus is due to another physical problem, ameliorating that problem may subdue or eradicate the tinnitus. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, try to embrace the tinnitus as a non-threatening entity and make peace with the newfound noise. It is exceedingly unlikely it can pose a threat to you. It can only win the psychological war if you allow it to win.

YOU are STRONGER than that.

We look forward to seeing you out and about on this forum.

Russ

 

Thank you Russ for the encouraging words. I appreciate it.

 

Welcome. It is a scary time when you first get tinnitus. You will get support on this site.

In addition to all that Russell said, certain blood pressure medications, specifically loop diuretics, are also known to cause tinnitus.

However, medication usually affects both ears, but still could be a factor. If your hearing loss is unilateral, it could be the result of a virus. I had unilateral hearing loss that was very mild. And I had tinnitus as a result. But my hearing loss improved in my tinnitus ameliorated. This is so much easier said than done, but try really hard not to focus on it. I don’t know how loud or intrusive it is but one of the things that always helped me was sound therapy. Get a sound machine or an app on your phone (there are many) and look for a sound that is high pitched to match or blend with the cricket noises. It’ll help take your mind off of the noise. I prefer nature sounds. There are also sound pillows out there you can purchase if you’re a side sleeper so that you don’t have to worry about rolling over on that ear and having a cricket noises wake you up. The sound pillows basically play music, white noise, nature sounds whatever into the pillow and that’s what you hear as you drift off to sleep.

Sleep is very, very important. If this is interfering with your sleep perhaps you could ask your physician for a sleep aid. Many will note that their tinnitus temporarily increases with lack of sleep.

I also have bilateral high-pitched tinnitus that comes and goes. I definitely think that my allergies, blocked Eustachian Tubes as a result of inflammation, and neck and jaw issues all play a role in mine and my perceived loudness. My ENT recommended I go to physical therapy for my jaws, because I’m a jaw clencher, and for my neck. And I do believe that it has helped along with lots of allergy medicine.

Best wishes

 

Hi Peachy,

Tinnitus is a very common condition. Fortunately a lot of people that have it are able to live a fulfilling life doing all the things that they want to because the brain has learnt to habituate to it, by gradually pushing it further into the background, so its presence is no longer as noticeable. This takes time from a few months or longer so try to be patient, it does get easier.

You have said that you don't listen to loud music or attend concerts which is good, since exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. However, do you regularly listen to audio through headphones, earbuds, AirPods or headsets? If you don't use any of these devices then it's unlikely that your tinnitus is noise induced.

For now it's probably a good idea not to use any type of headphones until the tinnitus settles down.

Some medications can cause tinnitus including those for blood pressure. Please do not stop taking your blood pressure medicine without first consulting with your doctor. It is important that blood pressure is controlled otherwise there is the risk of stroke, kidney damage, heart failure and one's early demise. I take two types of blood pressure medicines and they don't affect my tinnitus.

I agree with some of the things that your ENT doctor has advised. Since you have had a thorough examination of your auditory system, there is no need to see another ENT doctor for a second opinion. The advice you were given, that your tinnitus will be monitored is correct, since no underlying medical problems were found within your auditory system to be causing the tinnitus. People usually habituate in time.

Tinnitus can be very stressful in the early stages for some people and this needs to be managed. Therefore, talk your to family doctor on how you feel. It may be suggested to take medication to help manage stress and anxiety brought on by the tinnitus.

Some people may need counselling to help with tinnitus management. Seeing an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus can be helpful. Give it time before pursuing this route, I have only mentioned it as it's something to consider.

Please click on the links below and read my posts: New to Tinnitus, What to Do, Tinnitus, A Personal View.

Try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night. Place a sound machine by the bedside for sound enrichment. This should be set to play throughout the night until morning keeping the volume low. It takes time to get used to sound enrichment, more is explained in the links.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum