Tinnitus Is Driving Me Insane...

New to this but cant express how I feel knowing other people are going through the same thing I am..
I have been having CONSTANT ringing in my ears since mid-last year. It was totally random. I just remember waking up on day and it being bad. I got turned away by three doctors saying it was just a build up of ear wax (First doctor said it was an ear infection, threw me on antibiotics, didnt help). Finally, I pushed my pcp to get me a referral for an ENT but now I have to wait another 3-4 months for that to go through which is CRAZY to me.

I literally cannot hear over the ringing. Ive tried "focusing on other noises around" me that a few websites say but how is that even possible? The ringing feels like its in my brain, its beginning to make me feel crazy. Ill second guess if Im hearing something. At work, I need to hear a bell ding every 20 minutes. Its gotten to the point where I cant hear it for the life of me and need to time it on my watch. My Fiance gets aggravated when I say "what" a thousand times and my kids feel the same way.

Some days are worse than others, sometimes it'll be faint in the morning and suddenly it'll get obnoxiously loud. I also get pain when its really loud. Sometimes I can time it when I get the pain I know its going to get extremely loud and high pitched any second. I was on no other medications before the ringing. Antibiotics didnt help and neither did earwax removal. What the hell happened? And how do I stop myself from feeling this insanity?

 

Sorry about your struggle with T. In regard to your above questions, there are many causes of tinnitus including drug reaction, ear or Eustachian tube infection or dysfunction (ETD) , ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, blood circulation, high blood pressure, noise exposure or acoustic trauma, neck problems, hearing loss, aging, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, stress, anxiety & panic disorder, grief, drug reaction or side effects, etc.... It may be hard to pin down the exact cause sometimes, like in my own case. I have hearing loss in the high frequency, but not all people with hearing loss have T. If your ENT can't find anything, then perhaps don't try to waste too much emotional energy to find out the exact cause. Doing so can cause you extra nervous about certain things and you end up tip-toeing around those things, and by so doing you give T too much power over your life.

The worst suffering of T is at the initial phase which you are now in. We have been there where you are now and we understand. You are never alone here. Right now your body is resisting this alien sensation. Failing to get rid of that, it perceives it as a mortal threat erroneously. T is annoying, irritating, and alien, but it is not an end game. It is livable and can be habituated over time with some good strategies. The success stories forum is full of such stories. People suffered like you and me big time initially, but gradually recover and live a normal life over time. Read up the stories to learn their secret and strategies. But the common secret is good old mother TIME. Everybody needs some time to get better. The body needs time to break in this alien sensation of T. So be patient.

T is not something you can rush or will it to go away. Don't fall into the trap of the lies of this T bully. It tells you T is an end game. I fell for the lie a few years back and suffered big time. Now all I can say is that I wasted a lot of mental suffering had I known that I would be living a normal and absolutely enjoyable life despite my ultra high pitch dog whistle T and severe H. My T is so loud and piercingly high pitch that it cuts through almost all sounds, including the jet noise in my last few flights. I can even hear it above the raging rapids in the salmon river I fish. It packs with so much condensed energy, like a laser in a night sky, like a dentist drill with 10 times the pitch.

I never thought I could stand this sound for long nor ever habituate to it. But never say never. I am living a normal and happy life again and I have written my success story like others do. I list many important points & strategies which have helped me. If you have time, read up as many success stories as you can. It helps to calm you and give you hope. Learn others’ insights on how to getting better. Just copy success. Have patience and wait out the storm. Your good life can be back. Believe it. Take care of yourself. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

Members here often recommend some good supplements to help T, such as NAC, Magnesium, Zinc, B12, D3, etc., and to reduce intake of salt, sugar, MSG, caffeine, alcohol etc. You may also want to help yourself to get more sleep. Sleep deprivation is one sure way to fire up T. Get some bed time masking such as a sound machine or a sound pillow etc., so you can fall asleep better. To calm body which is essential to calm T, you can try natural alternatives such as Camomile tea, Hops, Valerian tablets, Melatonin etc. Check out this site on using natural herbs:

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/lib...alth/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia/

Lastly, have you tried masking your T? I know it is loud but partial masking is better than none. Sound enrichment is one of the strategies out there and masking can help it to this end.

 

I am sorry that you are having so much trouble with tinnitus. I relate to the difficulty and pain it causes. I have good and bad days... mostly the latter. I use masking hearing aids to drown out some of the tinnitus. I have found that listening to music with high-pitched notes matching my tinnitus, e.g. classical or rock, can be effective as well. This forum is a good place to vent and learn, so I am glad you are here.

 

I've had loud tinnitus for a long time now and I decided to investigate supplements. Coenzyme Q10 has apparently had some success with tinnitus and I've found mine has quietened down a lot after a week.

 

I've had tinnitus for a few months and decided to research supplements. Coenzyme Q10 has had some successful trials and my tinnitus has quietened quite a lot since using it. Do your own checks first before you try it.