Hello Everybody,
Since it's the wee, small hours here in Scotland and I cannot sleep due to my tinnitus I thought I would introduce myself on this forum.
I first developed tinnitus around 30 years ago. I had gone to a number of concerts where my hearing seemed to dip a few days afterwards each time. Then one day I became aware of a hissing, ringing noise. It was around 1991 and very few people had heard of tinnitus at that time. I don't even remember going to the doctor for it, but I'm sure I must have done and am also sure I must have been told there was nothing I could about it.
That was a hard blow for my 17-year old self and I struggled greatly with my new circumstances. I remember breaking every mirror in our house out of frustration and rage. And I remember how concerned my mum and dad were after it. My dad was in tears at how much his son was struggling.
Most friends were less than helpful. When I explained what I had to one friend she responded with great interest, "oh, yes. Dogs get that. It makes them go mad and that is why they sometimes rub their ears on lampposts". Whether that is true or not, I don't know. But it was a crushing reply when I was feeling very depressed about my new inner circumstances.
Over time less and less of my attention was given to the noises in my ear. I moved abroad when I was 20 and spent 5 years living in Germany and Austria. There were times when my tinnitus would flare, but usually after unplanned exposure to loud noise. I started to carry wax earplugs with me at all time which allowed me to partake in social activities, like clubs, without any detriment to my hearing.
Fast forward to 2020 and following a bout of sinus pain I decided to do a sinus rinse as suggested by an ENT consultant (the suggestion was made about 2015). Unfortunately, the water became trapped in both middle ears and an infection developed (according to my GP) and so I took two courses of antibiotics. At various points my left eardrum felt painful and swollen. My GP said that it looked like some gunk was leaking out of left ear drum.
Within a few days of the water being trapped the noise in my ears went from its background state to something much worse. I comforted myself with the thought that once the water drained/infection cleared up the noise would reduce.
Last week, after renewed pain in my left ear I paid for a consultation with a private ENT specialist (the NHS is currently overwhelmed). He told me that my ears looked healthy and there was no fluid left in my middle ear. He also did a test to check how my Eustachian tubes are - fine apparently.
That was three nights ago. I still feel discomfort and a dull pain in my middle ears - especially my left ear - and the tinnitus noise has been unprecedented. My hearing feels a bit woolly. I've really been struggling.
I guess in writing this post I'm just trying to get my experience down - perhaps there is cathartic value in it, at any rate I feel better than I did an hour ago - as well as hoping for some words of comfort from fellow-sufferers. I feel very alone right now. I wish I could sleep. But above all, I just need hope. I'm telling myself that it's very soon after a lot of trauma to my middle ears - which I can still feel as discomfort and pain - and that it may take some time to settle down which means the noise may settle down too.
On top of all this is a severe attack of stress. I don't remember the tinnitus being quite so loud yesterday. The day before that I had actually meditated (which I can't imagine even trying to do at the moment). But I have been badly affected - as so many are - by the situation with the current Corona virus strain. I'm less afraid of the virus - more concerned for older relatives - as of people's reactions to the virus: the panic-buying, people I know losing their jobs, the uncertainty about the future, anxieties for the well-being of my wife and daughter, and our current debts. I feel I'm on a peak of stress that isn't ending.
So, my tinnitus is through the roof. I think it's a combination of the recent trauma on the middle ear and stress. I also wonder if the test on my Eustachian tubes has caused it to spike. A tone was played directly inside each ear. I wonder if my inner ear perceived it as a renewed trauma. Just my luck. At any rate, I have been distraught about this spike, which really just feels like Tinnitus 2.0 to me.
For me, the thought that there are positive things I can do to help my tinnitus is vital. I'm not sure what those things are yet.
Since it's the wee, small hours here in Scotland and I cannot sleep due to my tinnitus I thought I would introduce myself on this forum.
I first developed tinnitus around 30 years ago. I had gone to a number of concerts where my hearing seemed to dip a few days afterwards each time. Then one day I became aware of a hissing, ringing noise. It was around 1991 and very few people had heard of tinnitus at that time. I don't even remember going to the doctor for it, but I'm sure I must have done and am also sure I must have been told there was nothing I could about it.
That was a hard blow for my 17-year old self and I struggled greatly with my new circumstances. I remember breaking every mirror in our house out of frustration and rage. And I remember how concerned my mum and dad were after it. My dad was in tears at how much his son was struggling.
Most friends were less than helpful. When I explained what I had to one friend she responded with great interest, "oh, yes. Dogs get that. It makes them go mad and that is why they sometimes rub their ears on lampposts". Whether that is true or not, I don't know. But it was a crushing reply when I was feeling very depressed about my new inner circumstances.
Over time less and less of my attention was given to the noises in my ear. I moved abroad when I was 20 and spent 5 years living in Germany and Austria. There were times when my tinnitus would flare, but usually after unplanned exposure to loud noise. I started to carry wax earplugs with me at all time which allowed me to partake in social activities, like clubs, without any detriment to my hearing.
Fast forward to 2020 and following a bout of sinus pain I decided to do a sinus rinse as suggested by an ENT consultant (the suggestion was made about 2015). Unfortunately, the water became trapped in both middle ears and an infection developed (according to my GP) and so I took two courses of antibiotics. At various points my left eardrum felt painful and swollen. My GP said that it looked like some gunk was leaking out of left ear drum.
Within a few days of the water being trapped the noise in my ears went from its background state to something much worse. I comforted myself with the thought that once the water drained/infection cleared up the noise would reduce.
Last week, after renewed pain in my left ear I paid for a consultation with a private ENT specialist (the NHS is currently overwhelmed). He told me that my ears looked healthy and there was no fluid left in my middle ear. He also did a test to check how my Eustachian tubes are - fine apparently.
That was three nights ago. I still feel discomfort and a dull pain in my middle ears - especially my left ear - and the tinnitus noise has been unprecedented. My hearing feels a bit woolly. I've really been struggling.
I guess in writing this post I'm just trying to get my experience down - perhaps there is cathartic value in it, at any rate I feel better than I did an hour ago - as well as hoping for some words of comfort from fellow-sufferers. I feel very alone right now. I wish I could sleep. But above all, I just need hope. I'm telling myself that it's very soon after a lot of trauma to my middle ears - which I can still feel as discomfort and pain - and that it may take some time to settle down which means the noise may settle down too.
On top of all this is a severe attack of stress. I don't remember the tinnitus being quite so loud yesterday. The day before that I had actually meditated (which I can't imagine even trying to do at the moment). But I have been badly affected - as so many are - by the situation with the current Corona virus strain. I'm less afraid of the virus - more concerned for older relatives - as of people's reactions to the virus: the panic-buying, people I know losing their jobs, the uncertainty about the future, anxieties for the well-being of my wife and daughter, and our current debts. I feel I'm on a peak of stress that isn't ending.
So, my tinnitus is through the roof. I think it's a combination of the recent trauma on the middle ear and stress. I also wonder if the test on my Eustachian tubes has caused it to spike. A tone was played directly inside each ear. I wonder if my inner ear perceived it as a renewed trauma. Just my luck. At any rate, I have been distraught about this spike, which really just feels like Tinnitus 2.0 to me.
For me, the thought that there are positive things I can do to help my tinnitus is vital. I'm not sure what those things are yet.
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