Tinnitus Onset with Severe Sinusitis and Non-Allergic Rhinitis

Hi--just joined Tinnitus Talk this week-end. As a child, I had frequent sinus infections and ear aches; often, I would have temporary tinnitus of the same sound and frequency I have now (@ 12,000 Hz) for a few days during episodes of sinusitis.

As an adult, I took allergy shots for about 15 years. Then, after an April week-end outdoors, in heavy pollen, I woke up with severe tinnitus and an acute sinus infection. My tinnitus was like a fire alarm going off in my ear for weeks. It was so bad, I asked my ENT/surgeon if he would consider cutting nerves. He performed surgery to repair my septum after he discovered that one side had been slammed shut from a pick-up basketball game injury from 40 years prior. I tried hearing aids; no help.

He tested me for allergies and found me allergic to everything, so I continued with allergy treatments--drops. My hearing test showed a slight hearing loss at high range, but it improved after a year. An allergy specialist later determined that I am really allergic to nothing, so I stopped the drops.

This April will mark six years, and hope is dimming. My tinnitus has settled down to a level I can usually ignore. If not, I can get temporary relief by holding an iPhone playing just about anything close to my ear. Bass response from the sound systems in my tightly-closed autos makes my best hearing environment.

The rhinitis drainage impacts it; it's worst when I wake up in the morning after lying in bed all night; it's best after I chew at dinner and drain, or when I flush my sinuses with a Navage device. It doesn't like for me to recline, but does like fast blood flow, as billed. I can change it or add a second frequency by opening my mouth widely or exaggerating a chewing motion. Being exposed to things to which I'm not supposed to be allergic (e.g., mold, dust, etc.) can make it flare.

I've been to three specialists. After the third one, I gave up; they pretty much look at me and blink, and I don't live in the backwoods. They don't even offer any referrals to clinics in largest cities. In the US, it seems like tinnitus is the affliction that the medical community wants to pretend doesn't exist.

I would appreciate any thoughts or comments. It's great to be on such a large forum, with amazing collective experience and knowledge. I hope I can learn enough to help someone else, some day, too.