Developed Acute Tinnitus Six Weeks Ago — Wondering What My Options Are. Thank You.

[RichardGuy]

Thought I would give an update, think I could use some advice in this regard.

I have been trying to get a hold of some sort of tinnitus management/counseling for the last few weeks now. My parents, who are both psychiatrists, recommended I visit a family friend, (who is also a psych, though she does not have tinnitus and is not a tinnitus specialist).

I think I just realized that I waited two years for nothing. The visit was incredibly unhelpful in all respects. I felt I could be honest with this person, and I was, but they were not able to give me anything to go with, and could not recommend any course of action besides beginning Lexapro, 10mg daily, as soon as possible, and bumping the dose to 20-25 mg per day after a week weeks.

I've been thinking for some time now that maybe avoiding getting psychiatric help or some sort of meaningful intervention since tinnitus onset was probably a huge mistake. Now I'm not so sure.

My left ear seems to have calmed a little under prednisone, but the fullness remains, and the tinnitus has been overall much more bothersome the last week... and it never really calmed down since I first put the ear drops in almost a month ago now.

I'm starting to wonder if the back to back ear infections did more damage than I could appreciate, or if I have one right now, and of course I'm terrified to start on drugs of any sort, especially after the four months lorazepam.

 

[RichardGuy]

Also my left ear continues to hiss and ring like a mother fucker every day since that idiot whistled into it. ENT says mild inflammation, even after 6 days prednisone, and tons of ear wax at the entrance. Nothing else.

 

[Chris81]

Brand new member of the club. Six weeks ago (16 October, 2017) I developed acute tinnitus after an accident with a firearm.

Those darn firealarms man...

 

[Tara Lyons]

Also my left ear continues to hiss and ring like a mother fucker every day since that idiot whistled into it. ENT says mild inflammation, even after 6 days prednisone, and tons of ear wax at the entrance. Nothing else.

Hi

I've been dealing with severe ringing - echoing - loudness - no answers.

Had an MRI of ears and brain - all good.

Feelings of fullness pressure ringing, like my ears are just going "nuts."

You think this is inflammation? I'm so desperate for answers as to why this is happening to me.

 

[RichardGuy]

Apologies for bringing this old thread back from the grave. I haven't been back here for a year and a half at least. I figured I should do a five year anniversary post but forgot at some point.

It's been six years for me. Kind of amazed I'm still here, the first two years were so difficult and I obsessed over my tinnitus daily.

I always wondered what it was like for the "old folks" who had this condition for years and decades and it just became a fact of life for them.

 

[gameover]

Apologies for bringing this old thread back from the grave. I haven't been back here for a year and a half at least. I figured I should do a five year anniversary post but forgot at some point.

It's been six years for me. Kind of amazed I'm still here, the first two years were so difficult and I obsessed over my tinnitus daily.

I always wondered what it was like for the "old folks" who had this condition for years and decades and it just became a fact of life for them.

So how are you doing today? How was year 3 vs. today? Changes in tinnitus loudness? Just habituation?

 

[Jupiterman]

Apologies for bringing this old thread back from the grave. I haven't been back here for a year and a half at least. I figured I should do a five year anniversary post but forgot at some point.

It's been six years for me. Kind of amazed I'm still here, the first two years were so difficult and I obsessed over my tinnitus daily.

I always wondered what it was like for the "old folks" who had this condition for years and decades and it just became a fact of life for them.

Sorry, but this probably one of the most uninformative posts I have ever read from an experienced sufferer.

The fact that you say you often used to wonder what it was like for "old folks". Do you feel you are one of these "old folks" now?

Is there any update you can give us?

 

[RichardGuy]

So how are you doing today? How was year 3 vs. today? Changes in tinnitus loudness? Just habituation?

I wouldn't say it was entirely habituation. I needed therapy as well as time. It's still an annoyance for me as well as something I need to be worried about constantly with regards to potentially making it worse via loud noise or medication. However, moving back to the suburbs has made the former a much smaller concern.

Sorry, but this probably one of the most uninformative posts I have ever read from an experienced sufferer.

The fact that you say you often used to wonder what it was like for "old folks". Do you feel you are one of these "old folks" now?

Is there any update you can give us?

It wasn't meant to be informative. I wouldn't exactly call myself experienced either. 6 years is but a fraction of the time some people - even some on this board - have had it.

It's quite a substantial change from when I first started out though. No more nervous pacing or trying to cover it up with outside sounds. I still like to keep a ceiling fan running at night so that the silence isn't "deafening" lol.

 

[Kerza]

I wouldn't say it was entirely habituation. I needed therapy as well as time. It's still an annoyance for me as well as something I need to be worried about constantly with regards to potentially making it worse via loud noise or medication. However, moving back to the suburbs has made the former a much smaller concern.

It wasn't meant to be informative. I wouldn't exactly call myself experienced either. 6 years is but a fraction of the time some people - even some on this board - have had it.

It's quite a substantial change from when I first started out though. No more nervous pacing or trying to cover it up with outside sounds. I still like to keep a ceiling fan running at night so that the silence isn't "deafening" lol.

So do you think your tinnitus has healed at all? Any improvement in the actual volume?

 

[Jupiterman]

So do you think your tinnitus has healed at all? Any improvement in the actual volume?

You're not going to get any information out this person. He has already said:

It wasn't meant to be informative.

 

[RichardGuy]

So do you think your tinnitus has healed at all? Any improvement in the actual volume?

Increase in volume? Decrease? I can't say for certain.

When my tinnitus first started I could hear it while driving on the highway. It is still that loud, but "mentally" it is not so loud, it seems to fade into the background when I am doing anything.

 

[Forever hopeful]

Increase in volume? Decrease? I can't say for certain.

When my tinnitus first started I could hear it while driving on the highway. It is still that loud, but "mentally" it is not so loud, it seems to fade into the background when I am doing anything.

That is a good sign that you may habituating.

 

[RichardGuy]

That is a good sign that you may habituating.

I'm not totally out of the woods, mentally. Even now I still have infrequent periods where I am more annoyed - bordering on worry - about if my tinnitus is worsening or not. In the last 2 weeks I've been on Amitriptyline for gastric issues. Even though the dose is relatively small (50 mg), I find myself wondering if it may be exacerbating the noise.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

I find myself wondering if it may be exacerbating the noise.

Crazy how this condition can turn us into obsessive and somewhat neurotic individuals. I wish you lots of luck.