Scared... in the Train Back to VA... Need Some Advice

Sorry for posting so often this week. I've had some nervousness in the last few days and today it's bad.

I don't know if I'm freaking myself out or should stop searching stuff on the internet..

I searched "hearing myself swallow"
And boom something called pultaous Eustachian tube came up and literally scared me to the point of almost having a panic attack..

I can hear myself swallow...and I can't seem to equalize the pressure in my ear every so often I have to swallow to relieve the pressure..I also have a bubble/fizzy feeling when I tilt my head sideways like it hitting my eardrum. Also I've noticed today on the train that my right ear would just pop ( just once whenever it seemed like swallowing wasn't helping)


Do you think I have PET? Should I try to calm down I'm trying to stay strong I don't want my mom seeing me cry like a baby..being away from my husband doesn't help..

 

Okay, keep calm. Before you continue reading I want you to take deep breathes. Force yourself to be calm before you read.

You are going to be FINE. I am no doctor, but from my reading I know that T caused by a physical reason such as fluid has a good chance of going away. Think of it this way: why SHOULD it stay? Once the fluid is gone, the ear should sort itself out. You have never had problems with your ears before. There is NO reason in the world why you can't recover.

I personally know someone who got T from a virus. She said she had "horrible ringing and whoosing" noise in the ear for "months" - BUT IT WENT AWAY! Here is a person who has proven it can go.

I know there are a lot of statistics about people with T, but this woman never told anyone about her T - she didn't even go to a doctor! She is not part of any of the statistics. Think of how many people don't talk to anyone about there T and have it go. There could be THOUSANDS. Personally I believe for the majority of people T goes - just takes time.

You are also young, and when you are young your body heals better. Again, why shouldn't your body heal itself?

Right now you are anxious. I understand it - I was a MESS the first week. But you have had this for nearly a month now. Staying like this, crying everyday and getting panic attacks, is making you worse. When you are anxious the body does not heal as fast as it should, so you are inhibiting your healing. Think about it: when we are asleep we are relaxed, and that's when our body fixes itself. Staying anxious is going to make it all the more difficult for your body.

I hope I am not sounding too tough, and I apologise if I am. All I am saying is that keeping calm is essential. Perhaps you should have your doctor for something to get you relaxed. In the meantime I want you to do something to get your mind off your T - watch a film, read a book. It is hard, but when you feel yourself going back to thinking about T, redirect your thoughts. Keep telling yourself that it will go. If you tell your body that, it might pick up on it and start fixing itself.

Good luck with the doctor and remember - RELAX. Being with your parents should help you

 

And if you have PET, is it such a problem? Can it not heal/sort itself out?

 

T isn't scathing me it's the fact that I have popping feeling/sound when I swallow I also have to constantly swallow to relieve the pressure I'm scared I have pulatous Eustachian tube issue...

 

I don't know...I'm to scared to read about it I rather have t forever than thatthat

 

But why would you have that? To me all your symptoms point to a case of ETD caused by changes in the pressure after flying/a cold. My ear has blocked a lot before after descending from a flight before - I think because of ETD - and it has cleared in less than a night, no ringing. I know it isn't the same as your issue, but perhaps yourself is just taking longer to clear.

Read this. I hope you will feel better and give you more hope.

"I have been speaking to many people and read stories of people who got rid of their ringing in the ears . I wanted to put everything together for you.First, I must mention that I was able to find less stories of recovery from tinnitus on the internet. That's when I thought it may be forever. But then, I came across people in real life. It was astonishing to know that so many people I know had gone through this, I didn't even know. How could this be? Then I thought, if we completely got rid of the noise overnight, a very few number of us would ever come back to the board tomorrow, because you want to forget. That's why, reading the stuff on the internet is going to be always more depressing because people come here when they feel bad and lonely. In real life, stories of recovery are more common and we need to remember that.

1-4 people I spoke to were in their early 50s. All told me that they woke up one day with ringing and it went away in one year.

2-Our neighbor had stress related tinnitus, after she lost her mother. Her doctor put her on prozac and ginko. she was almost back to normal, but 6 months into it she started having panic attacks and went back to square one.It took her over a year and she completely got rid of the noise.

3-A family friend took an overseas flight. When he landed his ears were ringing. He said he got really depressed and used a lot of anti depressants. He doesn't know whether it was the loud engine or the pressure change that caused it. His ears rang for 2 years and he fully recovered.

4-I know 3 people in the army whose ears rang over a year after they left the army.

5-I saw stories of at least 5 people on the internet whose ears rang for at least 6-7 months after a loud concert. In addition to that 2 friends of mine healed in 1- 1.5 years. I came across a story of a fellow forum member who healed in 2 years. In his post he also mentioned another friend of his who also had recovered in 2 years. All of them are noise induced tinnitus.

6-My friend's mom had stress related T after she lost her husband. She said her ears rang for 2 years and then she fully recovered.

7-I am not even writing stories of so many people who recovered in less than 6 months.

So, if you come to this board as a newbie, and if you are feeling depressed, afraid and if you feel you can't go on... Stop for a moment and take a deep breath. It will get better and you will heal. We just need to accept that we are going to go through a difficult time period for a while.
Cheers"

 

I have already replied - with advice - to one of your earlier posts, but...

The airways and auditory system in human beings are not a perfect construction. Just as you will have people who are short-sighted or long-sighted, you will also have people who have slight imperfections with breathing/airways/hearing. This is common (I have it - and even though I have it, doctors still suggested not to operate). When was the last time you heard about someone rushing to the ER complaining that he/she is short-sighted?

I recommend urgently seeing a doctor if someone is experiencing sudden hearing loss, sudden severe tinnitus, and/or painful ear infections.

If you believe something is truly wrong - ie. trouble breathing and/or pain, then go to the ER. Otherwise calm down.

Take care.

 

@Maithe Marshall your doing yourself a great disservice by looking at all these things online. See a doctor bring up your concerns, and I think you might benefit from seeing a psychiatrist. Im sure someone near the D.C area has experience treating people with T. I know you don't want to take meds so talking out your problems with someone could help alleviate some of those issues. And your with your parents so hopefully that will be helpful. The advice above is good so take a look at it and try to relax. But i think without a doubt you should see someone for your anxiety in addition to your ears problems.

 

The ringing isn't what is scaryibg me. It's just the fact that I feel/hear popping in my ear when I swalkow...not sure what that is. I would love to see and talk to someone but isn't that really expensive? Does insurance cover that?

I know I've post a few times this week soggy for annoying anyone it's hard to talk to famiky when they think there's a "cure" when I told them there isn't. T isn't what is freaking me out right now it's the I hear myself swallowing/ popping sounds and feeling.....

 

A lot of people get this when first developing T. For the majority of people this goes away after a while - again, takes time. I still have it, but not all the time.

Even if it isn't the T, the point about keeping calm remains. Whether you are worrying about T or something else, your anxiety will still hinder your recovery. Keep calm and I would advise talking to someone about your anxiety. Try doing something that you love - that should distract you from your T.

 

I understand - it is hard to talk to someone who doesn't have T. You are not annoying anyone - we are all here to help.

 

Your never annoying anyone! Just wait if my T worsens.( knock on wood it doesnt) but Youl know what annoying is then lol but hey my family dont understand either.. Im like really tryin to be good with sound and volume and its really fuckin hard askin my family to turn the music down a bit cause they are just like " stop with your dam ears already your fine" ! But oh well i try. I dont talk bout T with them so therefore havent really explained what it is so they prob just think its a temporary thing and think its in my head but if it worsened oh trust me they will understand cause i would be a wreck. But yeah insurance covers like a psychologist.. Mine did it was like 25 a session but not sure about TRT... But go to your ent when you get home youl be okay!!!!! My ear clicks everytime i burp it really annoys me cause i never experienced it so i kno my T has contributed to this and againn i dont wanna bring that up to my family cause theyl just goo its all in your head!!!

 

@Maithe Marshall the popping might be the etd opening up and your ears trying to equalize the pressure. When you swallow it opens up the tubes and equalizes pressure which can result in a popping sound.

 

Yeah it's hard cause family things this has to do with fluid/ETD and everything who knows if it is or not. I think once you get t everything freaks you out:/ I have a bunch of bubbles feeling in my ear it's weird I don't know what it is other than the fluid moving around? :/

 

Maybe you should read the JFK Earpopper address: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-earpopper-machine.1061/#post-36298

Seriously, I surely hope that once your fluid/ETD is resolved that your T vanishes!! You shouldn't put the cart before the horse. Do you have a ENT appt. lined up in Virginia?

 

From what you describe here, you simply have some middle ear congestion. You may just have a cold.

Popping when you swallow just indicates some congestion in or around the eustachian tube.

 

How are you doing maithe?!