Hi There,
I'm from the UK, male and 20 years old
It just dawned on me that tinnitus may be with me permanently, and I'm going to have to learn to deal with it, but I really don'y know how. I can feel depression starting to develop, hope I'll get through this.
Some history:
Note: "go/went out" refers to going clubbing
Started uni in 2012/13, before this I rarely visited high noise venues such as nightclubs (less than once per year). I went clubbing frequently for the first time when I started uni, and noticed the ringing in my ears for a few hours afterwards. I google'd it and found out it was due to the loud noise, and it soon faded. As a precaution, I purchased earplugs and used them whenever I went out.
2013/14 - second year of uni, I didn't go out much till the end of the year, when I went out multiple times a week. At one point, I ended up with the ringing again but this time it lasted for a more than a day (unlike previously). I purchased premium musicians earplugs this time, and they provided very good protection. The ringing soon faded (after a few days I think), and I just assumed I'd be fine with the earplugs since that's what the general consensus is on the internet.
2014/15 - third year of uni, started in October, didn't go out clubbing till Nov/Dec because of my dissertation and graduate job applications. Went out 3/4 times in the last week of first term (semester). No ringing that I could remember. Always had my earplugs in, and they worked extremely well in terms of reducing the volume. Christmas holiday comes around, no clubbing at all, and one day when writing up my dissertation - there it is. It just came out of nowhere and hasn't gone ever since. From what I've seen on the net, it seems to be 13800khz and coming from inside my head (as opposed to an ear). I don't know how to describe the volume, but I can't hear it at all in a busy dining hall, I can sleep with it (when tired), but can hear it over conversation and typical white noise (but not loud fans or fan sounds). However, i can barely concentrate with it, which may affect my studies. Every time I try to focus on something, I just randomly become aware of it. It's driving my nuts and I've just been crying, shouting, punching stuff, etc etc because I can't bear the sound of it, and I really thought I was safe.
I've since returned to uni, and have quit clubbing all together, but the sound still persists, ~6 weeks on. I've seen three doctors in total: first one (2 days after noticing) said it will go away after a few months, second looked in my ear and said there's a lot of ear wax and that removing it should do the trick - removing it made no difference whatsoever (both to my hearing and to tinnitus). Third doctor (saw today) refereed my to an ENT (I have to wait a few weeks, probs month(s)) and said it's permanent unless a cause can be found.
I just don't understand... I pro-activley tried to protect my hearing and yet... I end up with tinnitus. Loads of my freinds who go out all the time and even made fun of me for wearing earplugs to nightclubs are perfectly fine........
Will it be permanent or will it go away after a few weeks? Also, is it safe for me to play Fan sounds on my speakers to mask it? I don't want to make it permanent by doing so, or make it worse than it needs to be.
I'm from the UK, male and 20 years old
It just dawned on me that tinnitus may be with me permanently, and I'm going to have to learn to deal with it, but I really don'y know how. I can feel depression starting to develop, hope I'll get through this.
Some history:
Note: "go/went out" refers to going clubbing
Started uni in 2012/13, before this I rarely visited high noise venues such as nightclubs (less than once per year). I went clubbing frequently for the first time when I started uni, and noticed the ringing in my ears for a few hours afterwards. I google'd it and found out it was due to the loud noise, and it soon faded. As a precaution, I purchased earplugs and used them whenever I went out.
2013/14 - second year of uni, I didn't go out much till the end of the year, when I went out multiple times a week. At one point, I ended up with the ringing again but this time it lasted for a more than a day (unlike previously). I purchased premium musicians earplugs this time, and they provided very good protection. The ringing soon faded (after a few days I think), and I just assumed I'd be fine with the earplugs since that's what the general consensus is on the internet.
2014/15 - third year of uni, started in October, didn't go out clubbing till Nov/Dec because of my dissertation and graduate job applications. Went out 3/4 times in the last week of first term (semester). No ringing that I could remember. Always had my earplugs in, and they worked extremely well in terms of reducing the volume. Christmas holiday comes around, no clubbing at all, and one day when writing up my dissertation - there it is. It just came out of nowhere and hasn't gone ever since. From what I've seen on the net, it seems to be 13800khz and coming from inside my head (as opposed to an ear). I don't know how to describe the volume, but I can't hear it at all in a busy dining hall, I can sleep with it (when tired), but can hear it over conversation and typical white noise (but not loud fans or fan sounds). However, i can barely concentrate with it, which may affect my studies. Every time I try to focus on something, I just randomly become aware of it. It's driving my nuts and I've just been crying, shouting, punching stuff, etc etc because I can't bear the sound of it, and I really thought I was safe.
I've since returned to uni, and have quit clubbing all together, but the sound still persists, ~6 weeks on. I've seen three doctors in total: first one (2 days after noticing) said it will go away after a few months, second looked in my ear and said there's a lot of ear wax and that removing it should do the trick - removing it made no difference whatsoever (both to my hearing and to tinnitus). Third doctor (saw today) refereed my to an ENT (I have to wait a few weeks, probs month(s)) and said it's permanent unless a cause can be found.
I just don't understand... I pro-activley tried to protect my hearing and yet... I end up with tinnitus. Loads of my freinds who go out all the time and even made fun of me for wearing earplugs to nightclubs are perfectly fine........
Will it be permanent or will it go away after a few weeks? Also, is it safe for me to play Fan sounds on my speakers to mask it? I don't want to make it permanent by doing so, or make it worse than it needs to be.
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