Worry About Tinnitus Getting Worse

Dear Dr. Nagler,

I am 20 years and got tinnitus a week ago without any apparent reason. The doctor cleaned out the ear wax and now the noise has gone from a high frequency noise to medium frequency, and maybe have gotten a bit lower? I can't hear it when I am outside, as long as there is sound in the environment. But then I can hear it when I am in my room alone. I just turn my music on (At the usual level before i have tinnitus) and I seem to have no problem focusing on studying. I am perfectly fine if it will stay like this for the rest of the life. But the problem is I am only 20. I am guessing that I might get this tinnitus from an infection, but it is very likely that I will catch a cold in the future right. Then wouldn't the virus be able to infect again and cause worse tinnitus?? I don't ever expose to loud noise and I know how to protect myself from exposing to loud noise so now my only concern is future infections that might worsen my tinnitus. What do you think about this?

Thank you very much!

 

Hi @cmkc109 -

Well, I wish I could tell you what the future will bring, but I cannot. I would, however, like to make a few observations.

First, I think it's a bit of a stretch to assume that your tinnitus was caused by an infection. It's possible, but not all that probable. Second, as long as you try to avoid prolonged exposure to very loud noise without proper ear protection (chain saw, rock concert, etc.), you should be fine in that regard. Third, many people have tinnitus that they can only detect in very quiet environments, and there is no reason whatsoever to assume that yours will get louder - indeed, there is a very good chance that it will go away altogether. You've only had it for a week!

Most importantly, though, please realize that you have found yourself on a website that is predominantly populated by the relatively small segment of the tinnitus population who have not done particularly well - or they would not be here in the first place. Not a very healthy environment for you, in my opinion.

All the best -

Dr. Stephen Nagler