Tinnitus from Sinus Infection (?) — Barely Holding It Together Emotionally Right Now

Hello there everybody.

This is my first post here so if you allow me I would like to give some information about me and my tinnitus (mostly about the tinnitus).

I am 18 and I first started experiencing tinnitus a week and a half ago. I went to an ENT and he gave me a spray for my sinuses, anti-allergy pills and and some ear drops for ear infections.

After a week I told him that it wasn't getting any better and then he told me to get some blood tests from a lab and bring the results to him. When he saw them and from the different physical tests he himself had conducted he concluded that I have a bad sinus infection that was causing there to be pressure in my Eustachian tube which was causing the tinnitus.

I am still on treatment because the sinus infection hasn't gotten better and there is still pressure in my Eustachian tube.But despite there not being any progress made in the way of getting my sinus infection to go away, I would say that my tinnitus has improved quite a bit due to somewhat getting my emotions in check. I have been able to keep up with work at school and at home without much of a problem since then.

But today I just broke down. Now I am back in my deep dark corner of not knowing how to deal with it. I can't imagine living like this. The only things that have kept me going so far are the possibility of it going away and just going day to day not thinking about the future. However, transferring from high school to college soon, I am unable to find solace anymore. What do I do?

 

Many things can cause tinnitus @FakeBeans, including sinus and Eustachian tube problems. Hopefully the treatment your doctor has given you will work and the tinnitus will eventually go away.

Exposure to loud noise is one of the most common causes of tinnitus and typically it is listening to audio through any type of headphones, including earbuds, headsets and AirPods at too high a volume. Exposure to other times of loud sounds can cause it too. This may not have caused your tinnitus but it's something to keep in mind. If you are a regular user of the devices mentioned above or regularly exposed to loud sounds, any of these could have contributed to your tinnitus.

Please click on the links below and read my posts. Try to avoid being in quiet rooms and surroundings particularly at night. My advice is to use low level sound enrichment, more about this is explained in my posts. The tinnitus will improve with time. If you do use headphones try not to use them until the tinnitus goes away.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Thanks for the reply! Could I ask you a question. How can someone with tinnitus live a normal life and achieve their goals? Or is that impossible?

 

Tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. It is a very common condition and fortunately, a lot of people are able to live a fulfilling life with it doing everything that they want to do. This is explained in my articles: Tinnitus, A Personal View and New to Tinnitus, What to Do? These posts are long so take your time and read them more than once. This way you will absorb and fully understand the information.

In the early stages tinnitus can be quite daunting but with time it does get easier. This might be difficult for you to believe at the moment with all that you're going through. Please go to my started threads and read the articles mentioned below. They will answer some of the questions and concerns you have about tinnitus. Once you've finished reading them you will feel a lot better and more positive about tinnitus and life. The key is to take your time reading them without skimming and if you are able to print them I suggest that you do, because you will absorb and retrain the information better.

The Habituation Process, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, Is Positivity Important? From Darkness into Light, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? How to Habituate to Tinnitus.

Please remember not to use any type of headphones even at low volume. If your tinnitus is caused by a sinus infection then I suggest you wait until the tinnitus goes completely away before using headphones. After this, if you decide to use headphones keep the volume low. However, if your tinnitus is noise induced, my advice is not to use any type of headphones again even at low volume, as there's the risk of making the tinnitus worse.

Take care,
Michael

 

Still very early days for you.

Going day by day is a good plan!

Careful with loud noise, accidents from audio blasts. Don’t stand under a school bell and such

 

Hey Michael. I read the posts you mentioned. The part that left the biggest impression on me was the part where you mentioned a math teacher who was certain that his life is over but later told you that was doing well. I could really imagine myself in the same state of mind.

I have a question if you don't mind. As you may imagine, like every other teenager, I have a dream job that I would like to pursue. My question to you is is it feasible if I am still able to preform well in school despite the tinnitus? Because I feel like the anxiety and sadness caused by it have the biggest impact on me currently rather than the tinnitus itself.

 

Hi FakeBeans,

You are doing the right thing by reading my posts on my started threads and this way you will start to feel more positive about life and your future. It is understandable that you feel anxious and concerned about tinnitus but believe me, things will get better. Pursue goals and don't let anything hold you back. I am pleased you mentioned the math teacher, as that's a blast from the past. He used to telephone me regularly at 6 pm each evening and was so sure that his life was over but I knew this wasn't the case.

When I didn't hear from him for quite some time I wondered how he was but eventually got a call from him one evening, saying he had returned to teaching and his whole world had opened up for him again.

Don't let tinnitus stop you believing in the things you want to achieve, just do it because you will with a positive attitude.

Take care,
Michael

 

Hey people. I have had tinnitus for some 20 days now. I was doing quite well until 2 days ago and when my tinnitus really spiked and now it is a lot more pronounced. It has been like that until this very moment in which I am writing this message.

It all started because of a cold which has brought some really bad congestion and which I am still dealing with. Then it spiraled out of control and now I am a ball of anxiety.

I looked up for similar cases on the forums but everyone keeps saying that it is normal but I can still find no peace.

I fear that this worsening will be permanent and will bring me back to square one.

What do I do?

 

Most of the time it should settle down, the cold is affecting your ears and making the tinnitus worse. It is very nomal to be honest but after the cold goes, the ears should settle down to baseline.

 

So I shouldn't be worried?

 

I don't think so. Try to get better from the cold and try to lower your anxiety buddy. When you are stressing, your tinnitus seems worse, and you think is louder but it may not be.

I know from experience. I can go during the day without noticing the tinnitus, then I think about it and there it is, loud as always. But if you don't focus on it, it seems the brain doesn't pay too much attention to it.

 

I will try to do that.

 

Today my tinnitus has fluctuated a lot. In the morning and afternoon it was really quiet and didn't bother me but right now at around 8 p.m. I feel like I can hear even if I am in a loud room. I am guessing that it's because I am way more stressed and because I am actively searching for it but I wanted to ask you guys since you have more experience.

 

It just keeps getting worse. Every week there is something that just causes it to go worse. It gets louder. New sounds are added. I can hear it over anything. I just want to bury myself into the ground and not feel anymore. I quit.

 

Hi @FakeBeans.

I can tell you’re freaking, but try chill out. I think the consensus on the forum is that if your tinnitus is fluctuating it’s a good sign. Lots of us find that our tinnitus is quieter in the morning and slowly ramps up during the day - this is not abnormal and it does go back down after a sleep.

During a spike just be mindful that you’re young and have most likely not had the same noise exposure as many of us here, making it much more likely to disappear over time. Even if it doesn’t go fully away, it will most likely get better.

The thing that will harm your quality of life the most is the constant fear of it getting worse, which ironically can, and does make the tinnitus seem worse. You have to try break the cycle, try react to your tinnitus in the exact same way every time you hear it. I know how hard it is, but when you start to spiral, just say: I am young, have a known cause for my tinnitus, and it is being treated. Most cases of tinnitus do not become chronic, and those that do generally improve over time.

Wishing you all the best for the new year.

 

Thank you for the response! Really need some positivity right now.

 

Yesterday everything was somewhat fine. I went out with friends, did some studying, spent some time with my family and wasn't really bothered by the tinnitus despite hearing it most of the time.

Then when I tried to go to bed that night everything started going downhill. I just couldn't stop concentrating on it and nothing could drown it out. Nothing. That's how every night has been for about a while. Every single week it seems to ramp up and just make it harder to live a normal life. I kept struggling to fall asleep and by around 4am I snapped.

I told myself that I can't keep denying the severity of my tinnitus and remembered the promise I had made to myself: if it ever becomes unbearable I'd just end it all and I thought that the moment had finally come. I went to the gun locker and took out my father's pistol but I couldn't pull the trigger. I was too afraid of what would happen to me if I succeed or if I fail. I then put the gun back in its place and went back to my room and cried for some time and waited for the morning to come.

What do I do? I refuse to keep telling myself that it doesn't bother me when that isn't the case.

 

How long have you had tinnitus?

 

I'm deeply sorry to hear about your struggle with tinnitus and suicidal thoughts, @FakeBeans.

I know exactly what it means to be tormented by this noise, I've sat in hearing protection 24/7 for 10 months, listening to this on maximum unmasked volume. When it spikes, I'm in more suffering - but I still haven't given up hope to get my life back. My sensitivity to sound has taken almost everything away from me, yet I'm still here. It's a tough ride, but we have to hang in there man.

If you still can do all those things, despite your tinnitus, I think there's still hope for you. Of course, when everything's quiet at night, the tinnitus makes itself incredibly clear, and getting around that can be difficult.

I know that I can't change your mind, but hear me out; you have people around you that love you, you can spend blessed time with friends, maybe you can listen to music?, you can study, you can advance and do great things! Wouldn't all these incredible and lovely things outweigh the suffering inflicted by tinnitus? Wouldn't all that beauty and greatness still outweigh the will to end one's life?

We shouldn't deny reality, and play silly mind games, but I think we can magnify and appreciate that which is good and lovely, instead of magnifying the suffering caused by our tinnitus. Does that makes sense?

I hope I'm not coming off as unemphatic, and to tell you the truth, I haven't struggled with serious suicidal thoughts, yet.

I sincerely wish you well,
Stacken

 

For a month and a half.

 

Thanks for the cheerful response! You don't come off as unempathetic at all! It's just it keeps getting worse and when I am used to it being at one level it becomes harder to ignore.

 

Sorry, I didn't read up on your context before I posted.

If it keeps getting worse, then I understand the distress; it's awfully hard to deal with. Since you're very early in the game, I think you should give it more time before deciding to pull the plug. Take care of your ears; protect greatly while of course not protecting literally 24/7. Spikes related infections improve for most people, so please give it time.

Please hang in there man.

Sincerely,
Stacken

 

You are very early in this game.

It will probably be almost unbearable for months.

Try and make sure you get sleep. Do whatever it takes.

Around the 4 to 6 month period something may happen.

Your brain may stop seeing the sounds as a threat and you may be able to sleep naturally again.

From this point on you may enter a period of habituation where for longer and longer periods you don’t notice the sounds. They will probably still be there but you just don’t care about them.

I’ve been through it as have many people who were once on these boards. As they say suicide may be a permanent answer to a temporary problem.

 

And if that something doesn't happen?

 

Don't give up. I started to feel a bit better after 10 months from the onset.

 

@FakeBeans, you really need to calm down.

Once you manage to do this, your perception of tinnitus will ease.

If I understand you correctly you only had it for 1 1/2 months?

It's quite normal to "freak out" due to its appearance. This/these unknown phantom sounds that your brain find threatening.

But you should keep in mind that most people do get used to it, and for you it might even resolve - the short time frame given.

That being said, it is not "normal" to have these thoughts you have at the moment.

You should seek professional help asap, and I sincerely hope you do. Life is precious.

 

I know a person isn't supposed to have these thoughts. It's just that I don't see a way out of my current predicament.

 

I know. But you seem to need professional support more than a support forum can offer to handle these kind of thoughts @FakeBeans.

Sooner than later.

You will get better, I'm sure, but it's important to get your mind under control and in balance again...

If I were you I would call someone first thing tomorrow. Do take care.

 

Hi @FakeBeans,

Sorry for the late reply.

What I would personally do is keep busy during the day - you have already highlighted how much better it is when around other people and preoccupied.

For sleep you could try having multiple sources of sound in the bedroom. I have found that helps me best. Currently I have the TV on, a sound machine, and my phone. On my phone I play a self made ‘soundscape’ - made on the ReSound Tinnitus Relief app - it’s free and has lots of different noises so you can find which ones work best for you. Obviously I keep the noise levels of each to a minimum, but the aim is to create a really complex sound and confuse my brain.

At 6 weeks in I wrote my first post on this forum. I would say that was the apex of my anxiety. I won’t lie, it stayed pretty much the same until about 4.5/5 months. You could talk to your doctor about medications that would help you sleep? Or try Melatonin (a herbal sleeping aid), some people swear by it.

Other vitamins could also help. I’ve seen people mention: Omega-3, Curcumin, Magnesium, NAC. Also following an anti inflammatory diet. Just throwing ideas out there. Plenty of things to try. Don’t lose hope.

Is your family aware of how much you are struggling? Talking to someone may help. Scares the shit out of me that you have access to a gun. I live in Scotland - no guns here - not even the police have them.

You are so young and have plenty of good times ahead of you, tinnitus or no tinnitus. Yes it’s horrible, and it still bugs the shit out of me sometimes but I am miles better than I was at 1.5 months. Give it time.

 

All of us have been through this FakeBeans. I have and am feeling it again after the Pfizer jab.

Just take one day at a time.

Treasure any moments of peace.

But get some sleep!