Tinnitus... Don't Know the Cause

[Hotaru]

My name is Taru. I am suffering from T. I'm 26 and female.

Six weeks ago I came off the SSRI drug Sertraline. Since then, my health deteriorated. A month ago I got my ears cleaned with water by a doctor who didn't know what he was doing. During that week, my right ear felt cold and wet inside. I went to a new doctor and she diagnosed me with URI and give me antibiotics, Flonase and steroid ear drops. I didn't get much better and that's when I developed T. I thought it was the ear drops but it kept getting worse without them. I went to her again and she said I was still infected (I have fluid in both ears), gave me more antibiotics and steroid pills. T still there. Today I go to an ENT and he pokes a hole in my eardrum and sucks fluid out from behind it. The T is now much worse AND now I have pain from a perforated ear drum. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Will I find silence?

BTW, I'm going to doctors more than I ever have; of all times to not have health insurance since the Marketplace screws over 26-year-old unemployed millennials. Are there cheap yet effective ways to treat this?

 

[just1morething]

Did your ENT tell you to use Mack's silicone earplugs for when showering? I had ear injections years ago and used them. Eardrops may be a bad idea, although I had steroid injections. I never heard of URI? Ahh, upper respiratory infection. I didn't like Zoloft either.

 

[Hotaru]

Did your ENT tell you to use Mack's silicone earplugs for when showering? I had ear injections years ago and used them. Eardrops may be a bad idea, although I had steroid injections. I never heard of URI? Ahh, upper respiratory infection. I didn't like Zoloft either.

Yes, he told me to use ear-plugs. Maybe I should mention what my T sounds like: like a train going through a tunnel from a mile away, or the sound of two metal pipes being rubbed together slowly next to my ear. There's two sounds in one ear: a high-pitched whistle and a lower-tone hollow metal sound.

 

[just1morething]

Yeah those moldable silicone ones work well. Try not to panic too much. You could go to the ER and get another opinion. Or call a 24/7 nurseline. I know it's hard not to panic with loud noises in your ears/head. I have bad noise myself right now.

 

[just1morething]

There's two sounds in one ear: a high-pitched whistle and a lower-tone hollow metal sound.

Yeah there's many annoying sounds with tinnitus....very difficult to figure out where they're coming from. Could be from inner ear or possible Eustachian tube dysfunction...hard to know. Are you taking Prednisone?

 

[Hotaru]

Yeah there's many annoying sounds with tinnitus....very difficult to figure out where they're coming from. Could be from inner ear or possible Eustachian tube dysfunction...hard to know. Are you taking Prednisone?

No.

 

[just1morething]

No.

Yeah you would probably be doubling up as Flonase is a steroid nasal spray. Make sure you get a good nights sleep Taru and see what tomorrow brings. You may have to see another Dr. for another opinion again if your not feeling well and your noise is still bad. I surely hope everything is just a temporary condition for you.

 

[Hotaru]

Yeah you would probably be doubling up as Flonase is a steroid nasal spray. Make sure you get a good nights sleep Taru and see what tomorrow brings. You may have to see another Dr. for another opinion again if your not feeling well and your noise is still bad. I surely hope everything is just a temporary condition for you.

Thank you. I really want to know what caused it so I can prevent it in the future.