Standing at the gates of tinnitus

Hi guys, this is my 1st post, in this or any other forum. My name is Darren, I'm 45 and run my own small construction company in Cambridge UK. I've had T for about 20 years but only at very very low levels and has nether bothered me before. But about 8 weeks ago I started to get a fullness in my left ear and 5 weeks ago my T literally exploded, to very scary levels. These levels rise and fall and today is a very good day. I've seen an ENT specialist and get my results on an MRI scan tomorrow. I've changed my diet, and am currently taking a 5 day course of Prednisone steroid tablets prescribed by the ENT specialist. He has also recommended acupuncture as an alternative. It has also been recommended that I see an audiologist who specialises in hearing aids for T sufferers. That's a lot of info for me to take in at the moment, but I should know more next week, but until then, take care everyone. Regards Darren

 

Welcome Darren!

My tinnitus spiked four weeks ago. It was so loud I could stand next the the train and still hear it. On Monday this week it suddenly lowered again. Now I can only hear it when it's silent, I'm not bothered anymore.

Just hang in there, and take it easy. Talk with your doctor, get some valium or sobril. That really helped me to get through the tough weeks. Your T will most likely settle down again. In most people it does.

 

Thanks Meeruf,

Yeah it's been a tough 5 weeks, with the 1st two weeks being the worst as it felt like a train was inside my head. Since then I've realised the spikes only last 18-24 hours and then go back down to a reasonable level, plus the intervals between spikes are getting longer apart. I've keep myself busy and I am actually enjoying my new routine. I built a gym about 4 years ago which just collected dust. Now I use it for 2 hours per night and have dropped about 15lb . Like most people, I've kept positive and even if I have this condition for a long time, it's learning how to manage it and control it. Plus there is always a chance a cure is just around the corner. Luckily my sleep pattern is good. I listen to a white noise on my I-pad of rain drops and this helps me sleep for a good 7-8 hours. Just need to conquer the smoking now. Down to 5 a day from 20 with a plan to be off them completely by November 1st.

All the best,

Darren

 

Thanks Erik,

And thank you for posting a reply

Take care

Darren

 

It's good that you have decided to stop smoking. I smoked before, but stopped. I have not smoked the last 4 years. It's just willpower. Nothing else.

My tinnitus is almost down to the level it was before my accident. Sometimes it spikes a little bit. But goes down again. I think my tinnitus will go down to the level it was before. Just need time. But if it don't do that. I can cope with this volume too. No problem.

That the intervals between your spikes is increasing has to be a good sign. =D

 

Hi Darren, in an effort to spur you on, I stopped smoking around 5 years ago from about 20 a day and my T definitely flares up less than in those days! Good luck!

 

That's not what I wanted to hear. I was hoping you'd say I now smoke 60 a day and my T has gone

 

haha now there is an interesting experiment!

 

The audiologist and the acupuncture are good ideas. I am doing both and they are helpful. Still, I have days that are louder than others. When they come, I listen to the masking noises or classical music on my iPod and wait for them to pass.

 

My T has been good to moderate today and so, I've just spat in its face and just had a hot & Spicy pizza from Pizza express and a cheeky glass of red. In my mind I'm picturing myself as Brad Pitt from Troy waiting to do battle with the our common enemy, as it rises up to punish me. Only I'm a slightly chubby Brad Pit with man boobs and bad back, but still, I'm a T warrior! Wish me luck guys, I'm fighting for us all. ;-)

 

Loll good luck warrior ! Spicy stuff just makes my T go raging crazy, and I love spicy food, sigh.

 

Good luck warrior, you deserved pizza and wine!

 

Life is for living, tinnitus be damned. Go for it!

 

Woke up this morning and T was moderate with slight fullness in my left ear, but a lot better than I was expecting. Time to pack the scope away after two days of blue skies and two nights of cloud. Just my luck!

Have a good Sunday guys

 

What are you having acupuncture for. Is it for the T or to clear a blockage? I've only had acupuncture once and my acupuncturist said we need to clear the blockage before we deal with the T. I'm on a course of tablets at the moment to help my inner ear problem, but once the course is done I'm going back. Also what kind of ear plugs do you use for your I-pod? Are they just the normal type that fit into you ear or head phones?

Take care

 

Welcome Darren, good luck with stopping the smoking. Curious how is you noise level when you work out? Somewhat new here but learning a lot from this forum.

 

Thanks for the update, you did a good job!
Have a good Sunday you too
Carlo

 

Hi Leah,

I have a TV mounted on the wall, which is right next to a treadmill. I have the Sound on the TV just above the level of the treadmill and also use the subtitles (I just prefer it that way) I also use some cotton wool in my left ear, just to soften some of the high frequency noise. If I do all these combo's then no problem at all. In fact if I altered these combo's, I'm sure it would fine as well, but I just do it as I feel comfortable.

 

Hi Guys,

Just thought I'd let you know, that since I've been on the Betahistine (4 days now) the blockage in my left ear is clearing and the volume of T is decreasing. In fact today, I almost completely forgot about it. Now I'm home and it's quite, I can hear it, but it's at a really comfortable level compared to what it was. Still eating really healthy, with very little dairy and caffeine.

Have a good evening

Darren

 

That's so good, Darren, I really hope it will continue to work. On my side, I am still fighting with the reduction of coffee (before T I was a great consumer of espresso), having now only one in the morning. But the desire is strong...

 

Many thanks

 

Mate, I struggling with that as well . I would stop every morning at Costa or Starbucks on the way to work and drink coffee all day at work. Still it's a good job I really enjoy decaf green tea.

Really miss the cold coffees, but slightly nervous to try one at the moment as they have a high dairy content. Perhaps in a month or 2, just need to rule everything out, then reintroduce them 1 at a time, when the time is right.

Take care

 

I'm not to sure if anyone else experiences this but here goes. As I work in construction I now carry ear plugs and cotton wool with me at all times. But every time I put something in my ears to protect them, my ears feel slightly blocked when I remove them. The fullness doesn't last for Long, maybe 30mins to 2 hrs. Thoughts anyone?

 

Always like to hear news on improvement, thanks for letting us know. I wonder about the earplug thing too.
Happens to me after very low volume on my Ipod, so I stopped using them.

 

Yeah it's really strange, it's like the ear is trying to rebalance its self. Anyway, the Betahistine seem to be working wonders. T still louder than when it kicked in, but a good 75% lower than 5-6 weeks ago. Cooking chicken fajitas tonight, then gym, then camomile tea, then bed

 

Had a really good couple of days recently and got complacent today. Working in a really noisy environment and Boooom! T went up. At home now and it's starting to calm down. Silly me, I have a lot to learn

 

Were you working without hear plugs? Or cotton?