Doc Says 85% Chance Tinnitus Is Temporary but Where Are the Success Stories?

[observer]

Hi All,

It's only been 3 weeks since my T started and I have been to 2 ENTs and 2 audiologists. Mine is accompanied with high frequency hearing loss which, as I just discovered, was caused by my old and noisy window air conditioner! I actually used to like that sound as it used to muffle all other sounds out but when I actually measured it with a sound meter just couple of days ago, it was a whopping 83 db and anything over 80 db for 8 hours a day would cause hearing loss.

For the first 2 weeks, I was completely consumed with the T but lately I didn't notice it for longer intervals so I figured that maybe I was on the way to getting habituated and this thought actually scared me even more for some strange reason.

I have chronic sinusitis which gives me blocked ears about once a week since years. I started taking probiotics in the form of Fermented Cabbage Juice and Young Coconut Water Kefir and putting them in my Neti pot which helped with my sinus allergies like nothing else ever had. For the first 10 days of T, I thought it was the probiotics and the candida die off as they list Tinnitus as one of the symptoms for candida and candida die off until I discovered my ac to be the real problem.

Anyways, the ENT says that there is an 85% chance this would resolve in 3 months time. The audiologist says there is a 50% chance and that I should just "ignore" it or it will get worse. From what I have been reading on the net, seems like this a permanent situation for most when the tinnitus is accompanied with high frequency hearing loss. Has anyone come across anyone with a success story that would support the doctors' theory on this site or elsewhere?

Peace,
Observer

(Just Observing this sound instead of wanting it to go away helps somewhat)

 

[Erlend]

I'm 4 months in after a very loud 3 hour long concert (actually it was a party bus thing, tradition in Norway, but I think it's sort of the same thing for the ears)

I had clogged eustachian tubes for a while right after, I think this made the sound worse. A neti pot helped, and one vasalva maneuver (wouldn't do it too much, and not too hard(!)) helped as well. If there's a change, maybe it is connected to something like that...

 

[LadyDi]

Three weeks isn't long and yes, it can go away. And remember that the reason you see more negative stories online is self selection...people whose T resolves aren't out there looking for help and writing about their experience. T isn't considered "chronic" until you have had it for a year and is considered "acute" (anything could happen) for the first three months.

I don't know about this predicting percentages of resolution possibility...ENTs are weird ducks. But take good care of yourself and your body right now, avoid loud noises, get plenty of sleep and hope for the best. Oh, and as the audiologist says, learn to ignore it. I know, not easy, but distraction is your friend. Go on with your life and do the things you love. T does not prevent that. The fact that if you already have had periods where you didn't really notice it is good news.

 

[observer]

Hello Erlend and LadyDi,

Thank you for your responses and great advice.

I am trying to go about my business as best as I can realizing that I have a lot to be grateful for including being able to hear conversational speech. I just hope the T is not an indicator for something worse to come.

As for the ringing I just try to dismiss it as a background noise and when it really starts to get to me, I take a few moments to just observe it. Bed time is still quite hard (although better than the 1st 2 weeks) but playing the water fall sound on my phone helps. My wife is not too fond of it though so I will have to explore other alternatives.

What do you guys do to sleep? Is there a link here where we can exchange music/sounds?

Peace,
Observer

 

[Erlend]

I don't really mind the sound when I'm going to sleep anymore. And I'm depressed from this, but somehow when it's only me and the sound and I'm going to sleep I don't care that much. But sometimes I play Pink Noise from an app on my iPhone, I just keep it next to my pillow.

 

[Amelia]

I have an iPhone app "sleep pillow" which has 40 or so sounds. I'm using one which is a rainforest/frog at the moment.
Helps a little but I'm 4 weeks in and still having trouble sleeping so I'm using melatonin

 

[observer]

Amelia, I tried melatonin a few times and it gave me bad migraines. I did some online search recently and Dr Oz seems to suggest that melatonin tablet is not the real deal and not quite the same thing as the melatonin that our body makes and might have adverse effects.

Did you experience migraines or drowsiness from taking melatonin?

 

[LadyDi]

Melatonin definitely makes you drowsy, observer, which is why people use it as a natural sleep aid. Gives me a headache sometimes but nothing like a migraine. Then again, I am not prone to migraines.

Not sure about Dr Oz but believe mot studies have shown melatonin is safe.

 

[observer]

Thanks for your response LadyDi.

I am sorry I should have elaborated on the drowsiness part but what I meant was that I woke up with a bad migraine the next day after taking melatonin and the migraine pretty much persisted for the better part of the day along with drowsiness even after 8 hours of sleep. I have always had migraines so anything that my body doesn't agree with triggers a migraine.

When I was 9, some doctor decided that I should undergo a sinus surgery to rule out sinusitis as a cause of headaches even though I did not have a sinus problem then. But ever since the surgery, I have a major chronic sinusitis and have been getting eustachian tube dysfunction and ear blockages almost every other day which the GPs and ENTs tend to make worse with their flonase, oral steroids and antibiotics!

It's funny as to how all doctors prescribe the same medicines no matter what country they are in and they all seem to be peddling drugs for the same big pharma. I think most med schools are probably funded by the big pharma so drugs are the only solution they have to any problem.

I still go to doctors and get by blood work done regularly but don't take any long term medication any more except for supplements. I was so hoping that melatonin would work for me as I thought it was just a supplement. Oh well, I guess I need to start meditating again as that helps but is hard to do. Is it just me or does life have a way of telling everybody that there are no short cuts? lol

Peace