Tinnitus at Age 19

Hello everyone

I’ve been living with a severe high pitched ringing in my right ear since April of 2006.

I woke up like any other day, started to wash my car and I felt a dripping sensation in my right ear and within 4 minutes I was completely deaf out of the right ear with the loudest ringing I’ve ever heard. (Compared to a microphone coming close to a speaker, constant and super loud) I ran in the house to check my ear but there was nothing visually that I could see.

I drive myself to the hospital in Fort Myers Florida and was told I had a upper respiratory infection and sent on my way. I was in disbelief this was normal.

As I was driving myself home the world around me started to spin more and more. I barely made it home by focusing on the street line on my left hand side to keep the car going straight. Was unable to park in the driveway so I just drove up on the lawn. Later that night my girlfriend and her family took me to Cape Coral hospital where they said I had vertigo. I was 19 years old living with my girlfriend in Florida but my family lives in New Hampshire so I had no direct family with me when all this was going down. It took me days to be able to walk again without falling or throwing up. I flew back to NH got MRI’s done and the doctors confirmed my fear that this was not a simple problem that could be fixed. Idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss is what they called it.

Needless to say I was extremely depressed for years, most people including my family did not quite understand the severity and impact this non visual condition had on me.

I’m 33 years old now and I’ve been doing great for about 4 years now. I’ve learned to deal with it, It’s made me a strong person, I have a good job, I’ve been traveling the world, I have great girlfriend, and simply just try to live my life normally and not let it bring me down.

All of the specialists in NH and doctors at Boston Mass Eye and Ear have all said the same thing, I just have to hope for science and technology to help me in the future.

That's my little story on the biggest thing to impact my life. Thanks guys enjoy the rest of your day!

 

Thanks for sharing that Ludwin and welcome to the community!

It sounds like you got thrown straight into the deep end of this condition which must have been frightening mate. It's good to hear you're living your life again and I think we're all keeping our fingers crossed for a future cure.

 

Are you still deaf in one ear? And do you have any coping strategies or advice that helped you survive this for such a long time? Congratulations.

 

You have presented a great example of courage and persistence, when faced with considerable adversity. Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

 

Thanks guys! Yes I am still about 83 percent deaf in the right ear with a full blast of tinnitus. My coping strategies since then and now have changed with time. When people look at me they don’t see, feel or hear my debilitating illness, they simply see a normal heathy dude that does normal things. Its not until I decide to tell them what I suffer from that they are in disbelief of how I function normally. Some don’t understand the severity and seriousness of it but most do, and the kind words and things they tell me keep me going. I occasionally have people shed a tear after explaining it. I tell myself I’m stronger than the average person and honestly to live with something like this you have to.

 

Very inspiring story! Man, you're a true hero!

How do you deal with the hearing loss? Do you use hearing aids?

 

I do not use hearing aids. They don’t apply to my situation.

 

I have no idea how you have coped so long. I'm only 3 months into my ordeal and I'm already at my wits' end.
Does the hearing loss or the tinnitus affect you more?

Could you inform us of the coping strategies you have used? People on here have given me some good advice, but I'm still finding things very difficult. Do you use medication at all?

 

Ludwin, you're a strong man.
I hope everyone reads your story.
You inspire me to push harder. Thanks for sharing.
Peace be with you.

 

So I’m not going to lie, at first it was really hard, like really really hard, I couldn’t sleep for a couple of months. I had to take mental evaluations, and was prescribed tons of medications for the depression, anxiety and to help me sleep. I was a zombie for a couple of years at first. I was on a path of self destruction. I told myself I’ll go as long as I can before I literally go crazy and kill myself. Then with time I got stronger and stronger and began to realize that I can’t just take my life like that, my brothers, mother, father, and tons of family back home would be crushed Specially my two way younger brothers. I wish I could have a better answer on how to cope with it but I just deal with it I have no choice. I can say that it does get a little better with time. The body and the brain adapt to it. Thank you guys for spreading positivity and kind words once again. It really made my day yesterday and today reading the replies. Stay strong friends

 

So it took 13 years to deal with it, correct?
How did you feel at the 10 year mark?