I guess this is my introduction.
First, let me say that I sympathize with you all. I feel for each and every one of you dealing with this horrible affliction.
I'm a 54-year-old male in reasonably good health, especially considering some of my past choices. I smoked cigarettes for years (but quit a decade ago). I also drank and smoked a lot of pot (but have been free of both for about five years now). My bloodwork numbers are all good, including blood pressure and A1C. I work out regularly on an elliptical and love hiking and biking in warmer months.
My tinnitus started about five months ago, likely due to a grade 2 L7 pinched nerve in my neck. I overdid it with biking and combined that with bad posture, which caused my L7 disc to press against my spinal cord. I've been seeing a very good chiropractor who diagnosed the pinched nerve with X-rays and has performed 13 adjustments. The problem is that while my disc is now off the nerve, the tinnitus remains. My chiropractor is at a loss because he believed the treatment would alleviate it. Now, I'm debating whether to continue treatment, but I have no idea what to do next.
Before seeing the chiropractor, I went through several other doctors. My general practitioner tried various high doses of different B vitamins, none of which helped. I had an MRI that came back clean. I also saw an ENT who found some hearing loss, so I started using hearing aids. They help, but they don't eliminate the symptoms.
A few points about my tinnitus:
First, let me say that I sympathize with you all. I feel for each and every one of you dealing with this horrible affliction.
I'm a 54-year-old male in reasonably good health, especially considering some of my past choices. I smoked cigarettes for years (but quit a decade ago). I also drank and smoked a lot of pot (but have been free of both for about five years now). My bloodwork numbers are all good, including blood pressure and A1C. I work out regularly on an elliptical and love hiking and biking in warmer months.
My tinnitus started about five months ago, likely due to a grade 2 L7 pinched nerve in my neck. I overdid it with biking and combined that with bad posture, which caused my L7 disc to press against my spinal cord. I've been seeing a very good chiropractor who diagnosed the pinched nerve with X-rays and has performed 13 adjustments. The problem is that while my disc is now off the nerve, the tinnitus remains. My chiropractor is at a loss because he believed the treatment would alleviate it. Now, I'm debating whether to continue treatment, but I have no idea what to do next.
Before seeing the chiropractor, I went through several other doctors. My general practitioner tried various high doses of different B vitamins, none of which helped. I had an MRI that came back clean. I also saw an ENT who found some hearing loss, so I started using hearing aids. They help, but they don't eliminate the symptoms.
A few points about my tinnitus:
- It's not constant, but it follows a frustrating pattern. It screams for two days, is mild for two days, then disappears for a day—then the cycle repeats.
- The switch happens when I sleep.
- It's maddening and debilitating. I can't even imagine having this constantly.
