Seriously Worried: Tinnitus Has Gradually Worsened — ENTs Have Got No Clue

Greetings.

Please, any comments or suggestions would be helpful. I am not ashamed to say I am seriously worried.

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November, 2020: I had slight buzzing and decreased hearing in left ear. Right ear was fine.

I went to primary care, ears were full of wax. Water pressure was used to clean ears.

I went to an ENT, and had a hearing test. Moderate high frequency hearing loss in left ear. Right ear was fine.

December, 2020: I had an MRI. All fine. I was told to get a hearing aid. Nothing else was done.

Since then the tinnitus has gradually increased and now affects BOTH left and right ears. I hear a low hum in left ear and high pitch buzzing in right ear.

During the first few months the tinnitus would reduce during the night, I could mask it with radio playing etc, but now it is 24/7 in both ears and can no longer be masked. This is scary and makes life a challenge.

I went to another ENT, and had another hearing test with the same results. No suggestions on why my tinnitus is getting worse. They told me it’s a symptom, not a disease. No idea what ENTs do.

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Some comments:

I developed a cold, last week, headache, sinus issues, cough etc. The amazing thing was that my tinnitus was gone during the cold, but returned when I recovered.

I am 4 years out from cancer treatments, which included platinum based chemo. I asked the cancer hospital if the chemo could cause this problem after 4 years and was told no.

I live in a rural area and have had ticks during my life. I got tested for Lyme disease but that was negative.

I had a COVID-19 anti-body blood test in March, that was negative.

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With so many conditions that can cause tinnitus, no idea why ENT do not have a cheat sheet, of items to test for, seems so simple.

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Please. Any recommendations.

 

The fact you got sick and it went away is a huge clue and you're lucky to have one.

It could be sinus pressure related, ETD, or immune related. I'd try some Neti Pots and see.

 

Greetings.

I suffer from severe anxiety and stress since October 20th due to loss of home, abandonment, and even my dog which was my best friend passed unexpectedly.

Starting November 20th, I began having hearing loss and slight tinnitus in one ear. It slowly progressed to full loud tinnitus 24/7 in both ears 7 months later with no end in sight.

Please, my questions are: Can anxiety actually CAUSE tinnitus? Can anxiety cause tinnitus to SLOWLY progress over time?

I have scanned lots of articles and forums, even doctors and can not find a consistent answer.

Thanks for any response.

 

Hi Ronert,

I can only share with you my personal experience with tinnitus. I have found that yes - my anxiety can make my tinnitus much worse. My "baseline" is a hum in my right ear - but once my anxiety ramps up, it becomes a loud squealing in both ears.

An ENT's job is to make sure there's nothing physically wrong with you. No tumours. No ETD. No polyps. That kind of thing. I know my ENT did listen to my complaints about tinnitus, but he assured me it would get better and likely go away when my particular issue clears up (glue ear).

I hope that helps a little.

Take care!

Rick

 

Sorry for your troubles. Chemo and noise exposure can gradually give hearing loss and for some people result in tinnitus one day. Do you have high frequency loss? Did they measure up to 8 kHz or 16 kHz?

People get tinnitus from stress, anxiety, loss of loved ones etc. Then it can help relaxing, exercising and going to a physiotherapist of some sort. Some specialise in tinnitus problems.

Unfortunately for some this disease progresses without any reasons. But it’s motivating to hear it went away with a cold, you should try some months on a cortisone nose spray. I do not agree with the rough manoeuvres some do with nose sprays; be careful with blowing. I would just spray and then very lightly try to get it up in the system. Perhaps hold on to your nose and blow very gently out so the stuff goes up. Very carefully. Or just lie down for a while let it go up before blowing your nose. Aim the spray outward inside the nose, aim at the ear.

Avoid loud noises too the best you can. Headphones and concerts and construction work... Keep windows closed when you drive.

 

Thanks for the response and suggestions. Hearing test was up to 8 kHz. I will try Flonase, for a couple of months, to see if it helps.

 

Yes our emotions can make tinnitus worse. Some get relief by exploring this further.

George

 

Greetings... Thanks for reading my post.

On November 20 I began having slight hissing and hearing loss in left ear. During November I also had symptoms that could have been caused by Lyme Disease or COVID-19. I had a COVID-19 PCR test in December, and Anti-Body test in March, which were Negative. I had Western Blot Lyme Test In November and April, which was Negative. 8 kHz hearing / pressure tests, November and September, with the same results, Moderate High Frequency Hearing Loss in left ear, but right ear is good.

Since November my tinnitus has slowly / continually increased, now affecting both ears including bad sound sensitivity, random spikes throughout the day, and random low frequency hum. It’s 24/7.

Also, in January 2017, I had chemo (Cisplatin) for Bladder Cancer.

I have had four ENT visits, had an MRI in December 20, nothing found.

Please, any encouragement or guidance would be special. I am really having really hard time. Just cannot understand why the tinnitus, which started out so mild, in one ear, has continued to expand and increase. To me feels like there should be some medical condition that is causing this.

Robert

 

I've had some success in calming my t through acupressure. I looked up acupressure points on the head, neck and feet for tinnitus and the body in general and use either my fingers or end of a wooden spoon to apply pressure to these points. Chigong videos on YouTube have also been helpful along with regular walking. My t seems to get really loud when I am stressed, having sinus problems, or not using these relaxation techniques. I also try to trick my mind by telling myself it's not truly existent but only temporary like everything. I hope it gets better for you Robert.

 

Do you have a resource for the acupressure points?

George