Worst Nightmare Coming True

Hi all, as a long time sufferer from T (28 years, 75% or my life) I thought I had seen (or rather heard it all) I've been through spikes of T and recessions and things were looking up but now I'm starting to get worried.

A month or so ago I saw a Prof Ritter, he specializes in T and it's a miracle here is here in little old New Zealand, not to mention the same city, more of a miracle was he accepted a ref feral for me, I went along, had a talk and he gave me some things to try and told me if they didn't help to come back. This was the first really positive news I had ever heard, for 28 years I'd pretty much been told there is nothing that can be done and to get used to it.

Well that very same day I visited him, a cold I had at the time moved into my ears and I had a mild middle ear infection, the doctor gave me some antibiotics (the good one's when you have T) and I carried on. A few nervous times with dizzy spells and the like, but the real worry is 2 days after starting the antibiotics my right ear (which up to now was my good ear) started a very low humm (my usual tinnitus is around 8khz in the left). The humming comes and goes, if I cover my ear it stops and if I lean my head back and forth it stops for an instant. I of course have been very nervous and went back to the dr about 4 times, I think he is getting sick of me turning up but has offered me nothing of value.

It has been nearly a month since the humming started so I'm starting to think this is going to permanent. This is a real blow as my existing T has been progressively getting worse to the point now, I can't walk down a busy road or comfort my crying baby, I'm still clinging to the hope it will go away, if anybody has experienced anything similar or can offer some words of advise I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks.

 

Hi Jamie,

Sorry to hear about your humming sound. I have a humming sound in my right ear. It is my far the least annoying sound I have. In fact I like to hear it because it means my tinnitus is not so bad on a given day. I was initially off put by the humming when I first got it, but after 6 months to a year I stopped being bothered by it and it became my new perception of silence. The good news is given time you can get used to it!

I sure hope your recovery is a quick one!

Mark

 

There's a very good chance that it's not permanent being that it's only been a month. I had a really severe spike last year that lasted about four months. I thought that it was my new and permanent base. However, it did eventually subside and my T returned to it's previous level.

That said, anxiety and fear can really exacerbate a T condition. So, try to calm down by reassuring yourself that it just might be temporary. Many people experience temporary changes in their T condition after experiencing a head cold or ear infection.

 

Which antibiotic did you take? The fact that you had dizzy spells and developped new auditory symptoms is not to be taken lightly.

 

Hi Nucleo, I can't remember the name but it's mentioned here that it has the least impact, An ear infection is what caused my T originally when I was just 13 years old, I've started wondering if it was the antibiotics that time, I've no idea what I took then.
I agree with you it shouldn't be taken lightly but my doc just basically shrugs it off, very disheartening. I'm looking around for a new one.

 

Thanks jimH, I'm still hoping that's what's going to happen and I keep busy as not to think about it too much (don't want to actually turn it into tinnitus) I too have had many spikes in the past and your right they normally do settle down. I also think once you have had ear trouble it takes a lot longer than normal to get over it, I've had cold's in the past and my ears are still blocking up months later.
Thinking about it is worse though, I haven't had much to do with this site (although I think it's great), everytime I log on and have a read my T just sings, weird.

 

I noticed a weird deep, bass sound in my left ear when I had a cold. The cold is long gone but the bass hum is still there albeit softer than it was. I still notice it pretty clearly when I walk in a quiet room sometimes. I think it was probably always there and my cold just brought it to my attention . . . or not. Who knows anymore? Ears are weird and I'm working on not really caring what I hear anymore and just letting all of it sink into the background. We can't fix this stuff so if at all possible it's best to just habituate as best as we can and forget about it if possible. I know, easier said than done, but still, that's the only real solution.

 

I cant imagine ever using the word habituate to express my attitude towards my T.

 

Well based on the autifony participants experiences (blah) I don't forsee a cure anytime soon.

 

@Jamie

Hello,

could you confirm the antibiotics that you took for your ear? I happen to have taken an antibiotics in 2014 for an ear infection after having T for 7 years prior to that. The antibiotics caused a HUGE increase which took several months to "heal". Actually, it took nearly 6 months... I took BIAXIN (Clarythromycin), which is supposed to be safe for T. It caused a bunch of symptoms (vertigo, nausea, anxiety, diarhea -sorry-, partial loss of hearing, etc). Let me know...

AM

 

@Jamie

Just so you know, it will most likely go down by the way. But like I mentionned, it took about 6 months for me. The increase was MAJOR. I had mild T for 7 years, from 2007 to 2014 and I was 100% habituated. The increase caused my T to be louder than a shower and city traffic + it became reactive to certains noises (water faucets, appliances, fans, ventilation systems, etc).

Do not freak out, even thought it is scary. You have to be patient. The best advice I ever received here is to live as normally as possible, despite the increased T. That helped me a lot!!

pm me if you have any questions!

Anne-Marie

 

I'm in New Zealand. There's bad flu virus about at the moment that is affecting sinus and ears. My fourteen year old got it and it caused a sinus and throat as well as bad ear infection. It dragged on for over a month even with the antibiotics. She doesn't usually get so sick or for so long either.
You may have caught the same bug. Have you had the ear checked to see if the infection has cleared up yet? If it hasn't you may need a different antibiotic and also if it hasn't cleared up that may be why the humming hasn't gone yet.

 

Hi, the antibiotics I took were AMOXICILLIN 500mg + CLAVULANIC 125mg. The humm started a couple of days after I started taking them but I didn't want the infection to move into my inner ear, that's what happened 28 years ago, caused hearing loss and T.
The humm was getting quieter and was staying away more but today it's changed from a monotone humm to multitones with varying volume. Sort of sounds like a plane a long way away, sounds external not like it's in my head.

 

Yeh there is alot of it going around, its been 6 weeks since I first had a sore throat and a month since the humm started, it was quietening down and I was thinking it will just fade over time away but today its seems to be changing into something else. I've had something similar in my other ear when I've had a cold but I could only hear it in complete silence and it wa gone within a week or so.

 

I hope it clears up for you soon. If it doesn't, don't panic. You'll get used to it. If I can still function with the bizarre stuff going on in my head, being the wimp that I am, then I know you'll be ok.

 

Which participants are you talking about? We have three confirmed participants here on the forum with two of them having experienced positive results.

 

I read from other members here that Amoxicillin was relatively safe to take, maybe it was the combination with Cavulanic?
In any case, please try to stay calm and try not to focus on the new sounds. I know its easier said than done but as a few others have already stated, you should go back to baseline soon.

 

I would think the opposite actually ... 2 very good experiences and 2 moderate ...

 

@Jamie
The humming that you describe matches exactly what happened to me after using a jigsaw for about 10 seconds to cut a small piece of wood. It wasn't particularly loud and I believe it was the vibration rather than the noise that had an effect.
For around 4 months afterwards I couldn't put my right ear on the pillow because of the humming. I'd had nothing like it before - my T has never been in my ears - it's in my head..

The good news is... that it went away! Stay stong Jamie - hopefully your humming will go away as well.

 

Amox is supposed to be quite safe...I would think that the clavulanic was the cause then...

In the future, if you are not allergic to penicillin, that's what you should take for infections. I have taken it numerous times since having T with no consequences.

The fact that your humming sound varies is very promising! Be patient!! It will most likely go away

 

I got a hum when my head was in certain positions in my good right ear in February after a chest infection and heavy cold. It came and went and came and went but now is all but gone. There is hope.

 

Can you link me to the people saying their T has reduced due to the meds I haven't seen any. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the reply click, I'm glad it went away for you and hope mine does the same. I wonder what it is? The fact it stops when I cover my ear or shake my head is weird, sometimes I have to shake my head alot other times just move it slightly. Yesterday was good, no humm when woke ans stayed away all day but today it's back.

 

Thanks ampumpkin, I'd be pretty annoyed if it did cause it but I guess I won't ever know, I must have mentioned it 10 times to the doc that I have severe tinnitus and I've heard some antibiotics can be bad.

It's hard work here in NZ, nobody takes T very seriously, it classed as a Symptom, like a sore throat. It just gets brushed off as a minor inconvenience and for the first 20 years I had it that's what it was, but once the volume and triggers increase it's no joke.

 

Same here in Germany. They always say: "It is just a symptom." A symptom of what?
And what if a symptom causes you same trouble like chronic pain?
Yes, for me it started as a symptom of health anxiety. But this is long time gone, the T stayed.

 

I'm on my phone and it won't let me link the page for some reason, but if you check the "Autifony Phase II Participant Experiences" thread, on page two towards the bottom, Mrs D had a reduction of 75% and tomm had a significant reduction as well.

It seems to me that the fact that 2/4 people on TT who went through the trial experienced little to no relief is not a sign that this has no hope. It's very possible that 2 got the control drug while the other two got actual drug.....and they experienced relief! Woot woot!

-Steve

 

Yeh, its a joke really, if it's a symptom then lets treat the cause and it should go away shouldn't it? It's really a symptom of hearing loss or truma which isn't treatable so it should be classed as a condition, but then of course you could get financial help while trying to get through it and there is your real reason it's classed as a symptom.

It really frustrates me, I worked with a young guy who played rugby, he injured his knee and got all his specialist visits, treatment, operations, phiso paid for and was off work for 12 weeks at 80% pay. His knee was all better which was good because now he could go back to playing rugby and putting himself in harms way again. Yet if you have a condition with no physical symptoms you are on your own and if you are struggling at work (not to mention home life) because of it, bad luck.

 

Things have changed now and I'm concerned, the humming has been coming and going for 4 weeks and it would always humm for a maximum of a day or so then stop for a time then come back, now it's been solid for 3 days straight. I worried it's turning into full on T, it still seems mechanical as when I cover my ear or move my head to the side it stops.
Any suggestions welcome, I just want this humm to go so I can get back dealing to my original T but I only want to deal with one thing at a time.

 

Have you been particularly stressed lately? Has your posture gotten worse? It seems to me if moving your head/covering your ear stops it, it more than likely is something mechanical. Have you thought about chiropractic treatments?

Some of the times, when I'm in a completely silent room, I won't hear any of my normal tinnitus, but I will hear a rumbling/rain on a tin roof sound that seems to be coming from the base of my skull. I just went to see a chiropractor today and the moment he touched my neck he asked if I had been in a car accident or gotten whiplash (which I haven't *knock on wood*) so I guess my neck is pretty messed up. I go in for X-Rays and adjustments tomorrow, I can absolutely keep you updated about my experience if you'd like!

Sorry I don't have any real answers here, but I do agree with you that based on your symptoms, it is probably a mechanical issue. I would recommend at least looking into your neck, especially if you have stiffness like I do....It also comes to mind that if this problem was initially intermittent, but is now constant, I would think that that's another sign that posture/sleep position/neck issues may be playing into this....

Hoping things turn around soon for you!

-Steve

 

It is important WHAT caused the T. For me it was withdrawal from benzodiazepines. For most ex users T subsides within 18 months. My T is not as loud, intrusive and high pitched today as the day it began, so I hope the T will go away completely within the next year. It seems for many on this forum with acoustic trauma the T is a more permanent condition. And then there are ppl who get it for no apparent reason. This is unfortunately why T is regarded as a symptom not a disease because there are so many different causes. I truly believe VNS can become a cure for many for us, they already use it for depression and epilepsy, why can it not be approved for T?