Hello everyone. It's time I introduce myself before any more time goes by. My tinnitus journey started late September - early October 2023. I was standing close to a fire alarm for a few seconds. Later on a few weeks later I developed permanent ringing in my right ear. I assumed it was due to earwax buildup and I spent the first several weeks focusing on that as a cause. I've used headphones for gaming for years, and it's possible my usage of them walked me up to a line with tinnitus, but I'm not sure. My father also has tinnitus due to working as an auto and airplane mechanic but has habituated to the sound. I've stopped using headphones and AirPods recreationally now.
Anyway, following a water irrigation in my ears that didn't get rid of the ringing, I begged my Doctor for Prednisone; I was already 3 weeks after onset at this point. Unfortunately, the Prednisone didn't help, and I'm still hearing tinnitus in both ears today (I guess it spread) to the other ear.
At around the 4 week mark, early November 2023, I got a hearing test at Costco that showed mild hearing loss in my right ear. I also finally got in to see an ENT around this time who confirmed I don't have any medical problems and I'll just have to live with the condition.
Tinnitus has made my world smaller. Made me afraid to see movies at the cinema, afraid to go see live music in bars. Some things I previously loved to do. I want to go see Dune 2 soon; maybe I'll risk it while wearing my earplugs, which I wear whenever I leave the house.
The worst thing that's happened is that my tinnitus has caused me significant insomnia. I've tried taking all kinds of OTC medication as well as prescriptions including Amitriptyline, Trazodone, and Zolpidem (both regular strength and controlled release). None of them work that well but Zolpidem works best so I take that nightly. A good night of sleep for me is about 4 hours.
Anyway, thank you for reading my post. Tinnitus Talk has been a source of information and a way to have a little bit of community with this horrible condition. I hope I habituate soon and start getting regular sleep.
Best,
Blue Crab
Anyway, following a water irrigation in my ears that didn't get rid of the ringing, I begged my Doctor for Prednisone; I was already 3 weeks after onset at this point. Unfortunately, the Prednisone didn't help, and I'm still hearing tinnitus in both ears today (I guess it spread) to the other ear.
At around the 4 week mark, early November 2023, I got a hearing test at Costco that showed mild hearing loss in my right ear. I also finally got in to see an ENT around this time who confirmed I don't have any medical problems and I'll just have to live with the condition.
Tinnitus has made my world smaller. Made me afraid to see movies at the cinema, afraid to go see live music in bars. Some things I previously loved to do. I want to go see Dune 2 soon; maybe I'll risk it while wearing my earplugs, which I wear whenever I leave the house.
The worst thing that's happened is that my tinnitus has caused me significant insomnia. I've tried taking all kinds of OTC medication as well as prescriptions including Amitriptyline, Trazodone, and Zolpidem (both regular strength and controlled release). None of them work that well but Zolpidem works best so I take that nightly. A good night of sleep for me is about 4 hours.
Anyway, thank you for reading my post. Tinnitus Talk has been a source of information and a way to have a little bit of community with this horrible condition. I hope I habituate soon and start getting regular sleep.
Best,
Blue Crab