The Sounds of Silence: Tinnitus Got Worse After an Airplane Trip

I am not sure how long I've had tinnitus... I've always heard and noticed a small high pitched noise in a quiet space for years I would guess, but a few weeks ago after a long airplane trip I had some congestion in my left ear, and then it hurt, and then I could seem to notice more of the ringing in my ear.

I went to an ENT and he did an audiogram, and it showed mild hearing loss (30dB) at 4kHz. He wasn't sure if it could be something severe like sudden hearing loss so he prescribed steroids for 10 days. He did a second audiogram a couple of weeks later and there was some overall improvement but still the dip at 4kHz. The ringing is still there and am realizing my ear might just need to get adjusted.

The sound is noticeable mainly at night in a quiet room, so I'm starting to explore sound generators and also trying to befriend the ringing in my ear. I've been reading a lot about how stress and anxiety seem to make things worse, so I'm hoping to practice some more mindfulness meditation and see if I can be with the ringing and if it makes things better. I have OCD so it's easy for me to worry.

Am deeply appreciative of this online community. It helps reading the stories of others and I'm thankful for this group.

 

Did you ask the doctor about the ringing? What did they say?