Too Much Fruit in My Basket

That is a phrase my chiropractor says to me when I have so many different things going on at one time. Too many kinds of fruit make it hard to know what is the culprit. But I will share my story and hope for some insight and support.

My tinnitus started on Dec 9, 2017 at exactly 2pm. I had just returned from errands and was sitting on the couch watching TV. It was literally as if someone flipped a switch in my head and the sound was on. Now I have moments when I don't hear it or notice it, but it is basically there all the time. It does seem to lessen in certain rooms of my house, and when I am out and about - in the car, running errands, etc, I can tune it out.

Allow me to rewind and give some history, all which may be relevant. I am 57 year old female. In 1990 I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and been on Synthroid since. In 2004 I was diagnosed with Type2 Diabetes, which has been fully resolved with diet and exercise since 2006. At the same time I was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome, but my kidney function has been fine so they consider it in remission. In November, my latest bloodwork showed issues in ALL areas - my A1C was elevated, by Thyroid was elevated, and my kidney function was borderline. They are repeating the tests to be sure there wasn't an issue with the labs. I will get those results at the end of this week.

In January 2017 our home was destroyed by a flood and my husband and I lived in a hotel for 8 months. I mention this because during this time we both experienced repeated eye infections (something at the hotel?) and I was on prescription eye drops 3 times over the last year. My symptoms included facial swelling and pain as if someone had punched me in my right cheekbone.

On July 29, 2017 I had a bad fall in a parking lot - I went down hard and sustained a bad whiplash injury in my neck, and sprained my left rotator cuff. I experienced extreme dizziness when walking for about 8 weeks after. Xrays showed C5 and C6 cervical compression, but it was determined that my symptoms were primarily caused by tissue damage.

In October my husband and I moved back to our home. Lots of boxes, unpacking, furniture moving, etc. In November I got an extreme low-back flare up in the tailbone area. It was so bad I could barely walk. The doctor put me on a 5-day prednisone burst - 40 mg once per day from Nov 28- Dec 2. (Wondering if there is a connection to my tinnitus starting exactly one week later).

Then, as I mentioned, my tinnitus started on Dec 9. It was mild, but annoying. More like continuous hissing with a slight high pitch tone to it. It is hard to tell if it is in my ear or my head, but it seems right-side oriented. Over the next week or so my right ear started to become sore and full feeling, and my low back pain had returned. I went back to the Dr on Dec 21. She looked in my ears and said there was visible fluid and inflammation. She put me back on prednisone for my back and prescribed ear drops for my ears, indicating that the prednisone may help with the inflammation in my ears too.

I remained on the ear drops for 7 days and this time tapered the prednisone instead of doing the "burst" method. The ear drops seemed to do nothing - I still had pain and noise in my right ear and felt generally unwell. Back to the Dr on Dec 29 - his time she said my ears were completely clear - there was no evidence of fluid or inflammation. She said it could be viral or there could be fluid trapped behind my ear drum. She referred me to an ENT and I am awaiting my appointment.

The very next day - Saturday Dec 30 - a full-on typical head cold emerged. Sneezing, stuffy, congested, sore throat. No change to my ears - still lots of noise, aching, and fullness. This was also the last day of my prednisone taper, which was a 10 mg dose.

Now here is where it gets REALLY strange. On Sunday Dec 31 I had SILENCE for the first time since Dec 9. ALL DAY SILENCE. I was sure the tinnitus was gone and assumed it had been a preliminary symptom of this head cold/sinus illness that hit me. But then, when I woke up on Monday Jan 1, I had a new sound - even louder - that was less of hiss and more of pitched tone. And that sound has not lessened at all since I woke up on Monday morning. I am wondering if the tinnitus has worsened because the prednisone is completely out of my system.

Needless to say I am extremely worried - I cannot imagine living with this noise in my head forever. I have tried playing various white noise sounds but they only help a little. When I massage my right ear, or hold it closed for a few seconds and then release, I can diminish the sound a bit for a few seconds, but it comes back immediately.

That is my story and where I am right now, and in summary, this could be from any number of things. I am currently awaiting an appointment with an ENT - but they seem to be booked up for weeks if not months. I really hope someone can see me within the next week.

Thanks for listening.

 

HI @gggoodgggirl

Many things can cause tinnitus although exposure to loud noise is the most common. Typically, it is headphone use and going to places where loud music is played that causes it. In the early stages of tinnitus which you are in, the best treatment for it is to do nothing. If you just have straight forward tinnitus without additional problems: ear pain, dizziness, balance problems or deafness then to do nothing is the way to go. Under these circumstances, one shouldn't really see an ENT doctor too early, preferably 4 to 6 months is ideal. Please click on the links below and read my posts on tinnitus that you might find helpful. Try to read them in full and not skim through them.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

Welcome to the forum

You have been through a lot and be proud of yourself for overcoming your obstacles and being a champion. I understand your fear about tinnitus, we all have walked in your shoes. It's something odd and at times we are or were not prepared to handle it. Just do know that, this is how all of us thought and think when tinnitus comes into our lives. Through time, lots of love/support and distraction....we can live our lives.

We are a lot stronger, than we think..never forget that

 

What a horrible year for you. I’ve had T for over 20 years, induced by Hospital audiologist! Was hospitalised and given oxygen treatment to no avail.
It sounds as if it might be the meds that have caused the shift in T. I’ve been restarted on a low dose of sertraline and now have more noises in both ears.
You have overcome so much, very well done for that. Could you afford to pay for a private appt. just to reassure yourself? Wishing you healing. x

 

Thank you so much Michael - your posts are extremely informative and helpful.

As I read them it occurred to me that I failed to share something in my original post that may be important. My husband and I have been together since 2009 - I have always been one to sleep with the TV on, but he sleeps in silence, so I have since been wearing these light-weight on-ear headphones to bed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007056H
This set has an inline volume control which I keep extremely low, and I often slip them off at some point during the night. Many times I only wear the headphone on my left ear, with the right side off or behind my ear because I usually sleep on my right side. Now I wonder if using these could be a cause.

I did get an ENT appointment scheduled for tomorrow. I know your post recommended waiting, but I do have ear pain, have had dizziness and balance issues (not now, but after my neck injury a few months back), and I have air travel at the end of this month that I want to be sure I am cleared for.

As I write this I am listening to low-volume "violet noise" through my phone, which seems to be masking the tone in my head. I have been listening to sample tinnitus tones and mine is most similar to a low-volume 10000 hz tone.

 

Thank you everyone. I am so glad I got an ENT appointment for tomorrow, and that my work is flexible enough to allow me to take the time to address this. I'll keep you all posted on the outcome of my appointment.

 

Hi @gggoodgggirl

You are welcome. If there is no underlying medical problem causing your tinnitus usually it is loud noise that has caused it. Stress can bring on tinnitus too. If your hearing tests and MRI scan show no abnormalities then your ENT doctor is likely to suggest to leave things alone and wait and see. Please don't be put off by this or think that you have been pushed aside as this is the right thing for your doctor to do. The ear is a very delicate and sophisticated organ. Often tinnitus goes away by itself and that's the reason many ENT doctors prefer to leave it alone and wait to see what happens, providing all your tests are okay.

I advise you not to use earbuds/headphones. I suggest using "sound machine" for sound enrichment at night and for privacy it can be connected to a pillow speaker. Oasis sound machines are the best in my opinion, as they are specifically made for people with tinnitus. Model S-650 is popular. More is explained in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow.
All the best
Michael

 

All the best to you @gggoodgggirl
When I first experienced T 3 months ago I thought it was temporary, then I became horrified as it continued. I was reacting from an emotional centre and couldn’t get a handle on having to live with T.
When I had a quiet day, or days, I would have such relief this nightmare was over, then it would come back.
I am slowly habituation to the noise, living life m, the best I can, and trying to maintain a positive, hopeful perspective.
The folks on here are great. They have reassurred me, given me strength, and support. I don’t know the future of my T , but I will learn to cope and move forward.
I wish all the best to you. I do hope yours is temporary. @Michael Leigh has some really great reading. Make sure you write you questions for the ENT down when you visit. I forgot some of mine In the moments I was there. I’m not sure all ENT’s are well versed in issues around tinnitus.

 

I don’t think people should assume everyone’s T is caused by whatever caused theirs and offer templated advice based on this assumption.

Also many ENTs won’t even try to see if there’s an underlying medical condition even if you present with balance issues, ear pain, hearing loss etc. Try to find a good one if the one you see is hopeless/unhelpful. Many are either quite ignorant, out of touch on the latest developments and happy to simply take your money for nothing.

@gggoodgggirl I totally relate to the too much fruit phrase. But unless there’s a team of multidisciplinary doctors who are coordinated and willing to fully check you out, then it’s pretty much impossible to know the exact cause (actually still probably impossible even with a whole team in this day and age).

I do agree that you should wait and see if it goes away. Staying away from excessive noise would be wise, just in case noise is a contributing factor.

 

One thing I failed to mention is that my primary care doctor just retired and I have a new doctor who doesn't know me or my medical history well. Of course that just adds to the challenge of having to explain all of my medical idiosyncrasies and I am fearful that she will just brush me off and go down the path of "its all in your head" or "its anxiety". I simply will not accept that as a diagnosis.

One thing I notice tonight was that the sound increased in volume quite intensely after I ate dinner tonight and it lasted for about 90 minutes. Then it resolved back to the normal volume I had all day. Not sure what that is all about, but of course my concern goes to blood sugar levels, kidney function, or thyroid function.

And now I will try to sleep. Sigh.

 

Could be any of those. Maybe you could try experimenting with types of foods - sweet, salty etc., to see if one is a trigger?

T is a bizarre thing and completely unpredictable for some, including me. I haven’t got to the bottom of it yet after a year and a half, but I know no doctor, ENT or other, will help.
For example, noise has become a trigger for me the past several months, yet I spent all day yesterday driving around the mountains with noisy kids in the back, to different waterfalls around the place in noisy cicada filled rainforested areas and did not use earplugs, yet no T spike whatsoever. There was even a thunderstorm and an idiot on a ridiculously loud trail bike that I was subjected to briefly. Nothing.

Today, I went to the supermarket for 1/2hr and it quickly got louder for a couple of hours.

 

I am pretty sure that prednisone caused your T. My T also began instantaneously, and it was 10 days following my acoustic trauma.

The fact that you took prednisone two times and had two T experiences is consistent with my hypothesis.

If I were you, I would avoid taking prednisone. Your T seems to be moderate or even minor. It sounds like something the stage that some people get to only after 6-12 months of healing. Hopefully your T will eventually be gone.

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (24 tips spread over three posts) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past 11 months
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...itus-recently-this-info-will-be-useful.25741/