Good afternoon,
I've been dealing with tinnitus since March 7, 2025. My journey began in February with a virus on February 15. By March 7, the tinnitus started. At first, it only occurred when I went to bed, and if I lay on my left side (tinnitus is in the right ear), it would go away. This lasted about a week. I went to get checked and was found to have severe fluid buildup in my right ear and mild fluid in the left. I was prescribed Prednisone, which essentially cured me by the next day. However, after completing the nine-day course, the tinnitus returned about four days later.
This time, it became more constant, sounding like a high-pitched, leaky tire with some tinkling undertones or a static-like noise. I visited an ENT, and my hearing was confirmed to be perfect, but the pressure test showed a mildly inverted right eardrum, while the left was normal. The ENT assured me that over the next two to three months, the tinnitus should fade. I started using Sudafed, a nasal spray beginning with "Az," Flonase, Mucinex, and inhaling steam.
Over the past eight weeks, the tinnitus has gradually improved. It has gone from being unbearable and unmaskable—causing me to lose 20 pounds due to anxiety and lack of sleep—to a low hiss in my right ear and a periodic low hiss in my left, with some extended periods of quiet.
Do you think this is good progress? Like all of us, I want this gone.
Thank you for any input or experience you can share.
I've been dealing with tinnitus since March 7, 2025. My journey began in February with a virus on February 15. By March 7, the tinnitus started. At first, it only occurred when I went to bed, and if I lay on my left side (tinnitus is in the right ear), it would go away. This lasted about a week. I went to get checked and was found to have severe fluid buildup in my right ear and mild fluid in the left. I was prescribed Prednisone, which essentially cured me by the next day. However, after completing the nine-day course, the tinnitus returned about four days later.
This time, it became more constant, sounding like a high-pitched, leaky tire with some tinkling undertones or a static-like noise. I visited an ENT, and my hearing was confirmed to be perfect, but the pressure test showed a mildly inverted right eardrum, while the left was normal. The ENT assured me that over the next two to three months, the tinnitus should fade. I started using Sudafed, a nasal spray beginning with "Az," Flonase, Mucinex, and inhaling steam.
Over the past eight weeks, the tinnitus has gradually improved. It has gone from being unbearable and unmaskable—causing me to lose 20 pounds due to anxiety and lack of sleep—to a low hiss in my right ear and a periodic low hiss in my left, with some extended periods of quiet.
Do you think this is good progress? Like all of us, I want this gone.
Thank you for any input or experience you can share.
