Tinnitus From Head Hitting on a Wall

[Asian]

Dear Doctor,

I suffered from a head injury ( hit by a wall on top of my head) and suffered from a mild concussion in the following week. It has been a month since the incident and most of the concussion symptoms have subsided except low pitch constant tinnitus in my left ear and mild hyperacusis. CT scan and audiometry tests were normal except for some sensoneural hearing loss of mild degree which probably isn't because of the impact according to the audiologist. ENT doctor has prescribed deflazacort tab, b complex vitamins and pantoprazole and domperidone tablets and said tinnitus should settle down. T keeps fluctuating from right ear to left ear and is usually lowest in the morning till afternoon. But it is louder than usual since 3 days. I have read that tinnitus from mild head and neck injuries often go away within a year

Would appreciate if you take out some time and advice and whether there is any chance it will go away ? I am 27 years old

 

[Dr. Nagler]

Sure, @Asian, there's a chance it will go away on its own, a good chance. You've only had tinnitus for a few weeks.

It might help you to keep in mind that this board is comprised almost exclusively of the minority of individuals for whom tinnitus continues to be a problem (or they wouldn't be here in the first place!) And as such, the participants on this site are not at all representative of the tinnitus population in general. Most folks who have (or who have ever had) tinnitus do just fine!

Dr. Stephen Nagler

 

[Asian]

Hello again Dr Nagler,

Thank you very much for your quick response. I appreciate your encouraging words and effort to put my mind at ease. It's been 5 weeks since the onset of T. It got better gradually after 2 weeks but the volume has increased gradually since about 5 days. It is so loud that I can hear it over the trains and traffic outside. My other concussion symptoms have pretty much gone away expect for mild hyperacusis( getting better) and tinnitus( getting worse) . It's a sharp pitch which is screaming in my head for no obvious reason ! I don't have any hopes anymore that it will go away completely if it hasn't in a month. I went to my audiologist today and she did the OE test to test the cochlea and said there is no damage to the hair cells and I have passed the test. I somehow wasn't convinced as I am under the impression that most of the tinnitus sufferers have some degree of hearing loss although I am wondering if I might have got a hearing loss after that mild brain injury. She didn't think I have hearing loss and didn't feel the need to test in higher ranges . The other neurologist today just said it will go down and I shouldn't pay any attention to it and he prescribed anti depressants. I don't understand how can I possibly not pay any attention to it if it's this loud and sharp! What can be the possible damage Dr Nagler? Is it the brain filtering system that's not functioning properly ? Or the nerve damage ? I hope the test was reliable and conclusive enough that my cochlea is fine. Or there is a need to test in higher ranges? This seems so devastating and permenant! I can't imagine the rest of my life thinking and obsessing over tinnitus everyday! Please input your valuable suggestions. Many thanks

 

[Dr. Nagler]

@Asian -

I am flattered that you would ask me questions of such obvious great importance to you. Unfortunately, any responses on my part would be pure conjecture. One thing is certain: It is very premature for you to be thinking in terms of your tinnitus being permanent.

My suggestion would be to give it some time, like your neurologist says, but as far as not paying attention to your tinnitus, that's sometimes a hard thing to do. In fact, it is often the case that harder you try to purposely ignore your tinnitus, the more you become aware of it.

Try to keep some sound around you as much as possible. It does not have to be loud or anything like that. Just something to take the edge off the silence wherever you might be. That way your brain won't unnecessarily focus on your tinnitus. (You are likely necessarily focusing on it plenty - why add to it??!!)

If things haven't begun to turn around for you in another month or two, then I would recommend you consider seeking out the services of a knowledgeable and experienced tinnitus clinician, who can evaluate you from a tinnitus perspective and get you going in the right direction.

Hope this helps.

Dr. Stephen Nagler