Surgery Anxiety: Did Your Tinnitus Stay the Same?

[Meinz89]

Hi friends,

Some of you might recognize me from my earlier, sad lil posts this year — I developed tinnitus suddenly at 7 weeks pregnant back in April. I'm now 35 weeks and scheduled for a C-section on November 11, and while I'm excited to meet my baby boy, I'm also anxious about how the spinal anesthesia or surgery might affect my tinnitus.

I've read that some people develop tinnitus after surgery, but there's no clear cause — maybe anesthesia, physical trauma, or both. My tinnitus has never been stable in tone or volume, so the fear of it worsening is always in the back of my mind.

At the same time, I know that an induction or natural labor could carry similar risks, and my doctors have advised a planned C-section. I've already asked for no ototoxic meds, but beyond that, it's out of my hands.

If anyone here has had surgery and their tinnitus stayed the same/didn't worsen long term, I'd love to hear from you. Any reassurance or tips would really help right now

Always grateful for your support,
Meg

 

[lusiol]

Hey,

I've had three surgeries under general anesthesia since my tinnitus got worse about six years ago, and none of them made it any worse.

Before my first one, I had the same worry as you, so I did quite a bit of research, and almost everyone reported no worsening at all.

I think you can feel reassured — best of luck with your delivery and recovery!

 

[Sydnears]

@Meinz89, I've heard of people developing my form of tinnitus, a deep droning hum, after an epidural. I don't mean to scare you, but I wanted to mention it since I've come across similar cases.

On a positive note, my friend experienced tinnitus while she was pregnant, and it disappeared after she gave birth.