Developed Ringing in the Ears After Sinusitis — Absolutely Terrified!

[Siobhan Lewis]

Hello! I'm a 25-year-old girl and am at a bit of a loss with the ringing in my ears but reading this forum has helped!

Back in December I developed sinusitis, then one day I woke up with the most horrific ringing in both ears (the right ear is a LOT louder though).

It's been 7 weeks and I haven't slept a wink and I'm absolutely exhausted and so scared I'll never hear silence again! It's so distressing. I feel like I could scream!

I have an MRI scheduled, but my hearing tests came back fine, and the GP and ENT said my ears looked normal.

Just really looking for some support!
Thank you x

 

[Hazel]

Glad to hear that reading the forum has helped a bit, Siobhan!

You are early on in your journey and there is a good chance your tinnitus will diminish over time. Even if it stays the same, you will likely find it easier to cope with as your brain adapts to this new, unwanted signal -- it tends to become background noise at some point rather than being at the forefront of your consciousness continuously.

I would advise to read the Success Stories section as you'll find a lot of hope there. Wishing you all the best!

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. The initial phase of intrusive tinnitus is usually quite terrifying and traumatic.

Is your ringing high pitched? You can consider using masking to help you cope. Try to load some tinnitus masking apps on your phone and use a Bluetooth speaker. You may also consider some natural supplements for calming such as Lemon Balm, Catnip, Kava Kava, Chamomile etc., and Melatonin for sleep. Yes the success stories will help calm the nerves and give you hope. You can learn many helpful strategies too.

Best wishes.
Godspeed for your recovery.

 

[Ed209]

Hello! I'm a 25-year-old girl and am at a bit of a loss with the ringing in my ears but reading this forum has helped!

Back in December I developed sinusitis, then one day I woke up with the most horrific ringing in both ears (the right ear is a LOT louder though).

It's been 7 weeks and I haven't slept a wink and I'm absolutely exhausted and so scared I'll never hear silence again! It's so distressing. I feel like I could scream!

I have an MRI scheduled, but my hearing tests came back fine, and the GP and ENT said my ears looked normal.

Just really looking for some support!
Thank you x

Your reaction is totally understandable. I don't think any of us here will ever forget how distressed we felt when we first heard our tinnitus at a chronic intrusive level. It put me into a really dark place.

For most people it gets a lot easier over time, so please don't worry yourself sick over it as this will only make matters worse. You must work on your stress levels as a priority.

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

Thank you all so much for your kindness and tips! I'm so grateful xx

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

Welcome to the forum. The initial phase of intrusive tinnitus is usually quite terrifying and traumatic.

Is your ringing high pitched? You can consider using masking to help you cope. Try to load some tinnitus masking apps on your phone and use a Bluetooth speaker. You may also consider some natural supplements for calming such as Lemon Balm, Catnip, Kava Kava, Chamomile etc., and Melatonin for sleep. Yes the success stories will help calm the nerves and give you hope. You can learn many helpful strategies too.

Best wishes.
Godspeed for your recovery.

Yes it is high pitched in one ear and less so in the other. Thank you for the supplement suggestion!

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

Glad to hear that reading the forum has helped a bit, Siobhan!

You are early on in your journey and there is a good chance your tinnitus will diminish over time. Even if it stays the same, you will likely find it easier to cope with as your brain adapts to this new, unwanted signal -- it tends to become background noise at some point rather than being at the forefront of your consciousness continuously.

I would advise to read the Success Stories section as you'll find a lot of hope there. Wishing you all the best!

Thank you so much for your supportive message!

 

[Charburchar]

Be sure to wear hearing protection during your MRI! All the best.

 

[Matchbox]

Very likely you'll get better on your own. Follow the tips here. Many people, especially young, recover in a few months.

 

[billie48]

Yes it is high pitched in one ear and less so in the other. Thank you for the supplement suggestion!

I have ultra high pitched tinnitus too. I could hear it above the jet noise in my recent flights and above the raging current of the rapids in the wild salmon rivers I fish. So it is high pitched and some of the lesser pitched sounds can't mask my tinnitus. But the objective of masking may not be to totally cover the tinnitus. In TRT they tell patients to wear the maskers and set the volume to slightly lower than the tinnitus so their ears can still hear the tinnitus and then have a better chance to get used to the sound in the long run. For high pitched nature sounds, you can consider heavy rain, consecutive waves (without quiet moment), waterfalls, cicadas, shower sound, even squeaky faucet sound, whichever you feel comfortable and helpful. All the best.

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

Be sure to wear hearing protection during your MRI! All the best.

What kind of thing would you suggest hearing protection wise?

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

Very likely you'll get better on your own. Follow the tips here. Many people, especially young, recover in a few months.

Thank you! I'm hopeful as it came from an infection

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

In a bit of a dark place this evening! I really don't want to take sleeping tablets but the ringing is horrific! I can't stop crying and I want to scream. I don't know what to do!

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

I have ultra high pitched tinnitus too. I could hear it above the jet noise in my recent flights and above the raging current of the rapids in the wild salmon rivers I fish. So it is high pitched and some of the lesser pitched sounds can't mask my tinnitus. But the objective of masking may not be to totally cover the tinnitus. In TRT they tell patients to wear the maskers and set the volume to slightly lower than the tinnitus so their ears can still hear the tinnitus and then have a better chance to get used to the sound in the long run. For high pitched nature sounds, you can consider heavy rain, consecutive waves (without quiet moment), waterfalls, cicadas, shower sound, even squeaky faucet sound, whichever you feel comfortable and helpful. All the best.

Thank you! I'll keep trying the rain but it's so hard not to concentrate on the ringing.

 

[winstona]

In a bit of a dark place this evening! I really don't want to take sleeping tablets but the ringing is horrific! I can't stop crying and I want to scream. I don't know what to do!

You are not alone.

I have had tinnitus for almost 3 and a half years now and after many sleepless nights and dark thoughts, I am still standing. I know it is not the thing you want to hear but the ears are very sensitive and it takes some time to heal. I am 45 years old and my severe tinnitus have recovered from suicidal to a level where I can live with. You are still young and I am sure you can recover better than me.

Just hang in there! Better days are yet to come.

 

[nocticolor]

You might want to try something with crickets! It's the only thing that actually cuts through my new high pitched monstrosity.

The onset of my original tinnitus also happened after a pretty bad cold with sinusitis last year, although whether that's the actual cause, who knows It's definitely tough at first but it does get easier to cope with it, at least. Plus yours still has a chance of fading!

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

You are not alone.

I have had tinnitus for almost 3 and a half years now and after many sleepless nights and dark thoughts, I am still standing. I know it is not the thing you want to hear but the ears are very sensitive and it takes some time to heal. I am 45 years old and my severe tinnitus have recovered from suicidal to a level where I can live with. You are still young and I am sure you can recover better than me.

Just hang in there! Better days are yet to come.

Thank you! I hope so! Perhaps a comfort film would help?

 

[winstona]

Thank you! I hope so! Perhaps a comfort film would help?

I don't have a film but I did post my experience in my own introduction thread here, it's a long read:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...on-tinnitus-for-1-5-years-and-counting.34552/

 

[Siobhan Lewis]

I've now got pain in the ear that has the worst ringing in it!! And I think the ringing has gotten louder!

 

[billie48]

You may have hyperacusis causing the pain. If you have hyperacusis, then perhaps post your symptoms in the hyperacusis category where there are more people with sound sensitivity.

 

[CC_16]

How are you doing now? I got my ringing after an infection too. Suicidal.

Did you take antibiotic for your sinus infection?

 

[PeanutButter]

Amazing how much support other people get and I never get a single form of empathy from anyone on here.

Yours will eventually go away. I'd be surprised if it wasn't gone in 6 months.