Slowly Going Mad

In 2012 I was involved in a fight, one in which I was held down on the pavement and kicked unconscious by three guys. My head was severely bruised. Since then I have recently had an MRI scan which did not show any middle ear damage. But I have the most frustrating high pitched Tinnitus and believe it's got worse I am a firefighter and have been off sick with PTSD and now think my condition of Tinnitus is too difficult to operate with. I believe it has got worse and find coping with it extremely frustrating. I hope to see a specialist at the ENT clinic soon. But right now I feel like I am going mad.

 

I know that feeling of slowly going mad. It sucks having someone else give you this condition. I'm sorry what happened to you.

Is your tinnitus more in your head than in your ears? Firefighters are exposed to lots of loud noises, so this could be a contributing factor.

 

A warm welcome to Tinnitus Talk @Allancook .
I'm sorry to hear what has happens to you and now have tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be mild to sever etc and lots of unwanted emotions that come with it like anxiety,stress,Depression,panic and lack of sleep and brain fog,
Lack of concentration and confidence.
You do a fantastic job and hope with counselling and medication you get to go back to your job.
You may find ENT check your hearing and might suggest hearing aids .

Don't worry your not going mad you just have a lot going on at the moment and tinnitus can be real mental torture.
Have a chat to your doctor regarding counselling as it really helps .
Keep posting for support as we are here around the clock and welcome PM me too....lots of love glynis

 

Thank you Glynis and Alue. It's not easy suffering alone but tinitus is most definitely a condition that highlights internal complications. I've worked as a FF for 16 yrs and yes the noise is a hazard from time to time.Sirens, Generators Pumps smoke alarms etc. Before joining I worked 10 yrs as a marine engineer so was open to noisy environments. But the sudden shock from my 'Shoeing' was the first time I noticed it occurring and now I think it's got worse. Thanks for your reply. Al ;-)

 

Hi @Allancook,
Would you be able to wear noise reduction plugs to protect your ears if you did feel at any time ok to return to work ?
Keep posting for support and we will all support you around the clock....lots of love glynis

 

We have ear plugs for use. And often need to use them while searching for an activated smoke detector within a building with no sign of fire. The difficulty in our position is listening to our radio while stood next to generators and pumps or as a BA team member inside a building conducting searches or firefighting which prevents use of hearing protection during those operations. I did suggest noise induced tinitus to my employer, but feel the head trauma from the assault is when it first surfaced. I'm receiving EMDR therapy for what is suggested as PTSD depression and have felt the high pitched ringing is worse. I'm hoping to return to light duties in the near future while I'm still seeking a medical investigation. And although it has been hard to cope with. I will try to " laugh and smile" again. Thanks ;-)

 

It is more in my head Alue. I was an amateur boxer 46 contests 31 wins. And know you would get a ring in your head, one that soon dissipated from a hard shot. Although after the street assault it has never gone away. Gutted it happened and fear my firefighters job is on the line now. I guess I'm going to just have to live with it as best as I can.

 

Hi, Ive had it for just over a year. at first I really freaked out, and out of panic bought all sorts of crap that people were selling as cures. However I found a guy on u tube called Julian Cowen Hill, just watch a few of his videos. Basically he's telling you to befriend the ringing, not to panic, and come to terms with it etc etc. I can't remember exactly the full ins and outs, but it totally settled me down, from a blubbering wreck to back to normal beer drinking, going out and so on. I'm not saying it goes away, infact when I drink loads of beer over the weekend the noise spikes for a day or so, but so what, not stopping beer because of a spike every Monday. Basically once you embrace tinnitus you forget about it for long periods. Hope this helps