Tinnitus After Upper Respiratory Infection

I had an upper respiratory infection in February, no fever, no cough, not COVID-19 since I tested myself twice, negative, just running nose, sneezing, and a lot of mucus in the back of my throat. I didn’t take antibiotics since my doctor friends told me it was likely viral.

1 month later I developed a loud static for once in my right ear, then this constant low eeeeeeee pitch sound started in my right ear.

I can hear it in my house because it is quiet. I can’t hear it at work or driving or outside.

I immediately went to see my GP and got a Rx for Augmentin because we thought I had middle ear infection. I finished the course. Tinnitus is still here.

I finally got an appointment to see an ENT. She pretty much brushed my off and just told me I need to stay hydrated, don’t stress, and wait it out. She mentioned I had vestibular neuritis. I was so upset. This was the most unhelpful and rude doctor I have encountered.

Right now my tinnitus is low pitched, in my right ear, can only hear it in my house cause it is quite, sometimes I hear it, sometimes I don’t. Unsure why. It has been 1 month.

I am worried about my left ear. I hope no tinnitus ever come in my left ear.

Will this noise go away for me? Has anyone seen similar thing? I am slightly suicidal over this but parents don’t understand. Mom just told me to get tough, which doesn’t help me and gets me feel lonely and frustrated.

Thank you!

 

That's very good you can only hear it in quiet rooms! Your best approach is to keep it that way. Avoid any loud environments. Take it easy and it probably will fade away.

 

I am a little worried for my other ear.

There is so static going on.

Do you have similar experiences as me?

 

I don't have similar symptoms. My tinnitus started out loud.

Hopefully yours fades away. Since it started out soft, maybe that was a little warning sign to prevent from it getting worse. Don't use earbuds or headphones even at low volume, they can aggravate tinnitus.

 

What triggers yours to start? Do you have tinnitus in 1 or 2 ears?

 

I have tinnitus in both ears and it also feels like it comes straight from the brain.

 

How did yours start?

 

Playing video games with the kiddos. But I'm sure it's from listening to music too loud for many years.

 

That's how mine started from bronchitis 16 years ago but I was coughing a lot for a week or two and then that ended but tinnitus started.

 

Oh no, that is terrible. Did you wear headphones?

 

Do you have tinnitus in 1 ear or 2 ears?

Has it got better in 16 years?

Bronchitis... Bronchitis is down in the chest... Did you have any upper respiratory infection like me? Lower respiratory infection should not lead to ear problems.

 

No headphones. Volume was at about 23 out of 50 so not even loud. My GP thought it was ETD and audiologist thinks it's Meniere's.

 

I was coughing for quite some time before going to the doctor. At that point he told me it was bronchitis and prescribed Amoxicillin. The bronchitis went away with the treatment. It took a month for me to get used to my tinnitus and then 16 years it basically was undetectable unless in a very quiet place. Recently in March, it has made a louder comeback which I'm trying to manage. I had a stressful March and still trying to figure out what caused the comeback.

 

Do you have tinnitus in 1 or 2 ears?

 

Hi CC_16,

I would try not to worry too much about your tinnitus. I know it is easier said than done but if you can only hear it in quiet rooms then you likely have a very mild case.

I have a couple of friends who have had very mild cases of tinnitus, and for them it went away.

1. He got it after a nightclub and could just hear it in silence. For him, it faded after about 3 months and he can no longer hear it. He does use ear protection now whenever he uses public transport or is in noisy environments.

2. She doesn't know how she got it, but it just appeared. She had it for about a year and then it faded away. She says it still does still appear once in a while but then goes again.

I know how hard it is to get support from friends and family. Your mum likely doesn't know the impact tinnitus can have on a person, and it really is something you can only understand once you have it yourself. Before I got tinnitus, I could not have imagined the psychological impact it has and most people are like that.

Finally, even if your tinnitus doesn't fade away, if it's nice and quiet in volume then you will most likely just forget about it over time. The odds are in your favour!

 

FYI I have/had full blown horrid COVID-19 and still recovering WITH tinnitus and NEVER TESTED POSITIVE! If you are vaxxed, even with booster, and even if not, the tests can miss the BA.2 Omicron variant!

 

Thank you so much for the encouragement!

i believe I am getting better everyday!

i am using steroid nasal spray daily to help with the inflammation. I hope it goes away in a few weeks! Have been praying for complete healing!

Did steroids work for you? Did you try them?

 

I haven’t used steroids. My tinnitus slowly crept in over the course of a week or so post-noise exposure so I missed the window of opportunity.

I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’d love to be in a position that you are in whereby it’s only audible in the quiet. I hear mine over everything so count your blessings!

 

I saw an ENT yesterday. She said that I have acute ETD. How does ETD cause tinnitus though?

Is it a nerve problem or a pressure problem??

 

If the Eustachian tubes aren't opening properly, fluid can get stuck in the ear and has nowhere to go. Plus there's another version that causes them to be stuck open.

 

Not sure I’m afraid. I’m no expert.

Best of luck.

 

So it is a pressure problem?

 

Pressure.