The Flu, Colds and Tinnitus

[mike]

Flu season and colds are coming up.

Since so many medications are said to cause tinnitus what do you do to help fight the flu and colds?

What do you take and don't take to help with being sick and your tinnitus from getting louder.

 

[erik]

Best thing I am going to do is eat well, exercising and keeping immune system strong so I can fight colds and illness should I get them. I'll drink plenty of tea, use natural remedies if possible.

 

[click]

I'm staying well away from people with colds.

 

[Peg]

Stay away from people with colds. Just got over one and it was the worst. The T is magnified which makes everything else worse. Take the best care of tiurself you can.

 

[Karen]

I had a bad cold and bronchitis last winter, and, along with my tinnitus, I was pretty miserable. Since I'm trying to stay away from any prescription drugs, I took almost nothing for the cold, except a detox that I got from my naturopath. As Peg says, the best thing to do is stay away from people with colds! Wash your hands a lot, stay healthy, and bolster your immune system.

 

[dianerose]

Ya, the T gets worse with colds. Last week I had PRK....eye surgery, and they had me on so many meds (for 3 days)my T decreased, then when I came off them I had a cold and a huge ulcer on my left tonsil.... and the T was back with a vengence. I gargle with salt water....works everytime within 3 days. Also anything that upsets the stomach for me increases my T. Yes wash your hands.

 

[Karen]

Yes, Dianerose, I think gargling with salt water works better than just about any other throat medicines out there. Hope you're feeling better now, after that surgery!

 

[Peg]

Just got over my cold. My T is its usual bad. But my ear is aching and it has been itching. The ENT gave me Eye drops for the itching. Does that help. Does anyone else have this problem.

 

[Sen]

i currently have a brutal cold. my ears have NEVER bothered me during a cold throughout my entire life until now. my ears both feel nauseatingly full. whatever gave me tinnitus and hyperacusis has apparently effected my eustachian tubes as well. my right ear feels so full like it's going to burst and my right eustachain tube will not open when i swallow. i tried doing a gentle valsalva maneuver and eventually the e-tube did open up for a second (still won't open when i swallow), but now that ear feels even fuller and the tinnitus on that side is incredibly loud, with a new, relatively low pitched tone. on top of this, i have a hacking cough, and sometimes during a coughing fit it feels like my ears are going to explode out of my head. the pain is sometimes very intense.

the sensory overload in my skull right now makes it feel like i'm swimming through liquid. my balance is unsteady and i feel like i'm going to throw up. my sinuses are so full my eyes are leaking.

please tell me that this will end. my ears feel 10000x worse than normal, it really feels like they've been damaged.

 

[Fish]

I was very sick myself right before christmas and also experienced a full eustachian tube block in my right ear that lasted for about a week and was very painful anytime I'd try to yawn, burp or sneeze. My tinnitus was much much louder at the time aswell. You can take a look here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-to-handle-the-illness.767/

I had to take an antibiotic but I eventually got better. You too will It is not easy but try to get a plenty of sleep, it's the best medicine.

EDIT: as DezDog suggested in the other thread, maybe try using a decongestant for your nose? I remember it helped me a lot!

 

[Sen]

i took some pseudophedrine yesterday. it cleared my nostrils a bit, but didn't really help me with anything else. i hate taking sudo because it wires me up and gives me chills that make me feel like a crackhead.

today i took a bunch of guaifenesin, and i'm not sure if it is helping. i went to a walk in clinic a few days ago about my full ears and he told me they weren't infected, so i'm not sure if antibiotics would help.

 

[Sen]

the fullness keeps switching ears. it feels like there's something tugging or pulling at my face from inside my ear, and this is making me feel imbalanced and nauseous. the horrendously loud tinnitus is also switching ears. it's usually on the right side, but for the past hour or so it's been on the left. my hyperacusis is significantly worse right now than it was in January and i have absolutely no idea why. i have to keep the TV at barely audible and i couldn't even bear the sound of salmon on the skillet.

i'm getting all kinds of bizarre chills and flushes over my face. i can feel physical movement inside my ears as they fill up and tighten. this happens once every 5-10 minutes or so. sometimes when i get the pulling sensation i'll hear and feel something 'snap' or 'click' inside my ear. the endless rainbow of symptoms continues to perplex me.

 

[calin]

Sounds like an inner ear / throat infection.

I started to get that ear fullness feeling a month or two ago. I can only tell you what I did to alleviate it.

I took cold Calm Calm to reduce congestion. I am not big on homeopathics, but to my surprise it helped more than any other drug or OTC med.

I got panicked when the "infection" went to my ears. Fullness and like I got water in my ears. Actually I caught it before it switched to the other ear.

I took an hour to get the guts to spray hydrosol (not colloidal) silver in my ear canal. Not deep - just holding the spray close to my ear. Within 15 -30 minutes. All gone. I then sprayed the hydrosol in my sinuses for a couple of days. I have the nasal spray as well as regular spray bottle.
Done!

 

[Sen]

it's not a constant feeling and it switches ears several times a day. the doctor says it's not an infection.

 

[calin]

it's not a constant feeling and it switches ears. the doctor says it's not an infection.

My doc said the same thing - no infection.

All I know is that this spray stopped the nasal/ear thing. The Cold Calm helped a lot with congestion, but that inner head/ear thing wasn't going to let go until I did the spray.

I get nervous when anything is suggested for insert to the ear. I don't want the T to increase. It did not increase my T.

 

[calin]

One of my employees (he is in his 70s now) got hyperacusis in one of his ears after head surgery and found a hearing aid for remedy.

 

[Sen]

i can't afford to buy holistic medicine that may or may not do anything. i've had people suggest magnesium, hulled hemp seeds, vinpocetine, multi-antioxidants, triphala powder, and ginko biloba. i spent $200 on all of that and none of it did a damn thing.

 

[calin]

i can't afford to buy holistic medicine that may or may not do anything. i've had people suggest magnesium, hulled hemp seeds, vinpocetine, multi-antioxidants, triphala powder, and ginko biloba. i spent $200 on all of that and none of it did a damn thing.

Tell me about it!! I know for a fact I well out-spent you!!!

I was only suggesting the hydrosol silver (google it) for the inner ear bad cold thing that this thread is about. Tinnitus is not affected with silver. It kills bacteria and viruses in minutes and is used for the immune system.

 

[Amelia]

I have some sort of head cold/flu/infection which is making my T louder, especially in my right ear. I'm hearing my T over things which usually would mask it.

I don't feel any fullness or ear blockage but I have had a sore throat, coughing up and blowing out green gunk (sorry TMI!) and I have next to no voice.

It's a long weekend here so no chance of seeing a doctor for another 2 days, and I'm kicking myself for not going earlier - but I wanted to try and fight this in my own without antibiotics. Since T I'm so paranoid about taking any medication. I'm thinking I'm almost over the worst tho.

But I'm sitting here panicking now that it will stay this loud.

Every chance it will go back down right? Or once it's up it stays up?

 

[christine kauhane]

of all the stories i read in here about colds and T everyone said it will go down when the cold goes away... just take care of your self..

 

[Amelia]

Thanks @christine kauhane
I'm trying to stay clam but I know I tend to get everything that's going around

 

[yonkapin]

Yeah, happens plenty! Don't stress, if you do decide to take an antibiotic go for something like amoxcillian or augmentin duo, both are safe.

 

[Amelia]

Thanks @yonkapin - makes me feel better that it happens to others!

 

[Map]

I am having strong cold for 3 days now too, and my T increased to level where it wasn't before. Oh god, it is so loud now... My T didn't fluctuate much in the past. I was starting to be habituated to my loud sound I had for 10 months and now everything is gone again and I am at the beginning with all the anxiety and hopelessness. I didn't take any meds, because I am scared of them, it just happened overnight.

I really hope the new volume is only cold/flu related and it will settle down again

I am so scared and tired of this.

 

[Carlo]

I am having strong cold for 3 days now too, and my T increased to level where it wasn't before. Oh god, it is so loud now... My T didn't fluctuate much in the past. I was starting to be habituated to my loud sound I had for 10 months and now everything is gone again and I am at the beginning with all the anxiety and hopelessness. I didn't take any meds, because I am scared of them, it just happened overnight.

I really hope the new volume is only cold/flu related and it will settle down again

I am so scared and tired of this.

Map don't be scared, it's common experience T lowers after cold.

 

[carlover]

Mappy ,amelia it will be ok.MyT goes up a day or so before a cold kicks in ,its bizarre then after it all come downUNLESS the cold has given you a build up of wax.sobe aware of that one.

 

[Sherri786]

I am having strong cold for 3 days now too, and my T increased to level where it wasn't before. Oh god, it is so loud now... My T didn't fluctuate much in the past. I was starting to be habituated to my loud sound I had for 10 months and now everything is gone again and I am at the beginning with all the anxiety and hopelessness. I didn't take any meds, because I am scared of them, it just happened overnight.

I really hope the new volume is only cold/flu related and it will settle down again

I am so scared and tired of this.

Map take a tsp of turmeric powder with warm milk, and eat a clove of garlic ( I chop it very thin and eat it with my food ).

 

[Sherri786]

500 mgs of niacin supplements taken at breakfast time and 400 mgs og magnesium at bedtime is keeping my T volume low.

 

[bendybus]

Hi, newbie here, I've had a cold for the past week. The T has been loud and driven me mad, my cold seems to be on its way out and today my T has been much lower, I have been taking magnesium supplements and the cold has been easier this time not sure if that is down to the nasal surgery 2 months ago or the magnesium??
Only had T for 6 weeks todays, not really an anniversary i ever wanted . I hope it improves for the both of you.

 

[Cher69]

Hi Amelia how are you now I've been meaning to check up on this thread hoping you are now better from the flu and the T settled down to its previous levels for you hope your ok sending hugs xx