Freaking Out

[lillejulie]

It all started the night before my exam, when I got to bed an high pitch sound suddenly come on my right ear, out of nowhere. The same night I had my period? But I don't know it has any connection or it was because of stress for the exam.
The sound was annoying but I lived like normal, had my exam, went to school and tried to ignore it.

Three days later I went on a trip and and took an airplane for 1 hour, when I landed the sound was higher and also on both ears. It suddenly began to fade on my left ear, and was pretty much the same on the right ear as before I took the airplane, maybe a little higher. I then at night went to a concert and a club on the evening. When I got back to the hotel both my ears rang so loud, I was sure I was ear damaged forever. I didn't used ear protection! I regret like hell on that one, and is so angry at myself….

I took a plane again next morning home, and have been in a deep depression since that day. My ears are ringing so loud.

The first two weeks was awful. I was lying in bed crying all day in pain, and couldn't sleep at all. The only thing I did was going to doctor and a ENT-specialist and tested my hearing. He said I didn't had any hearing damage, and it all looked good in my ears.
I couldn't and can't believe it, because my ears are ringing so loud. I was sure something was damaged or something.

Now 42 days later, it's not so loud as it was the first two weeks but it's still loud!
In the first two weeks I could hear it clearly in the shower, now I can barley hear it in the shower.
I'm a student but haven't been to school since after this started, I needed to expose/postponed my exam in December because I have no chance to study with this pyscho ringing.

Now my problem is depression, anxiety and I'm scared too shit that this is not going to get better. I moved back to my parents, haven't been to school/college since before my trip(scared I might have to drop out), just lying home slowly dying. My social life is also over, i dont want to do anything because this sound makes me so exhausted and depressed.
These days its also much more ringing in my left! And It all started in my right, don't know why, the first two weeks it was worst on my right, so know it has changed ears as well.

I want to start on antidepressants or another medicine to calm me down, because I'm totally losing it. I'm just sooooo afraid it will worsen my T.

Im already using gingko, magnesium and rinexin. Going to an Chiropractor, and im also seeing a pyschologist for depression.

Im also going to have my wisdoms removed next week, scared that also might be worsening my T, but I have to do it because infection in my teeths….
For sleep I have sleeing pills from my doc, and melatonin.

I feel like my life has just stopped, and never be the same again, and I don't know what to do.

Julie, 21 years old from Norway

 

[ajith]

It all started the night before my exam, when I got to bed an high pitch sound suddenly come on my right ear, out of nowhere. The same night I had my period? But I don't know it has any connection or it was because of stress for the exam.
The sound was annoying but I lived like normal, had my exam, went to school and tried to ignore it.

Three days later I went on a trip and and took an airplane for 1 hour, when I landed the sound was higher and also on both ears. It suddenly began to fade on my left ear, and was pretty much the same on the right ear as before I took the airplane, maybe a little higher. I then at night went to a concert and a club on the evening. When I got back to the hotel both my ears rang so loud, I was sure I was ear damaged forever. I didn't used ear protection! I regret like hell on that one, and is so angry at myself….

I took a plane again next morning home, and have been in a deep depression since that day. My ears are ringing so loud.

The first two weeks was awful. I was lying in bed crying all day in pain, and couldn't sleep at all. The only thing I did was going to doctor and a ENT-specialist and tested my hearing. He said I didn't had any hearing damage, and it all looked good in my ears.
I couldn't and can't believe it, because my ears are ringing so loud. I was sure something was damaged or something.

Now 42 days later, it's not so loud as it was the first two weeks but it's still loud!
In the first two weeks I could hear it clearly in the shower, now I can barley hear it in the shower.
I'm a student but haven't been to school since after this started, I needed to expose/postponed my exam in December because I have no chance to study with this pyscho ringing.

Now my problem is depression, anxiety and I'm scared too shit that this is not going to get better. I moved back to my parents, haven't been to school/college since before my trip(scared I might have to drop out), just lying home slowly dying. My social life is also over, i dont want to do anything because this sound makes me so exhausted and depressed.
These days its also much more ringing in my left! And It all started in my right, don't know why, the first two weeks it was worst on my right, so know it has changed ears as well.

I want to start on antidepressants or another medicine to calm me down, because I'm totally losing it. I'm just sooooo afraid it will worsen my T.

Im already using gingko, magnesium and rinexin. Going to an Chiropractor, and im also seeing a pyschologist for depression.

Im also going to have my wisdoms removed next week, scared that also might be worsening my T, but I have to do it because infection in my teeths….
For sleep I have sleeing pills from my doc, and melatonin.

I feel like my life has just stopped, and never be the same again, and I don't know what to do.

Julie, 21 years old from Norway

You have to do nothing. Just hang on there.Time heals everything. Please read success stories in this forum. It may help you. Especially the one from billie.

 

[GregCA]

@lillejulie

Welcome,

You're a bit overreacting in my opinion, but that's not unexpected at onset, given the emotional toll that T causes.

However, blending too many things at once to try to tackle T can result in worse outcomes. Maybe it would be wiser to be methodical and scientific instead, and figure out what happened to you and how to address it.

For example, since your T came strong after the concert, and acoustic trauma is a very common cause for T, one can imagine that the main cause for your loud T is loud music. A chiropractor isn't going to help fix your hair cells in your cochlea or the synaptic connections. Perhaps Prednisone could have been helpful right after the concert, but now the window for that has expired.

You said you have an infection in your teeth: perhaps your T started from that (in the mild stage), and the concert ravaged an already weak hearing apparatus.

I understand your doctor told you you have no hearing damage, but unfortunately he can't determine that from a hearing test. You probably don't have "visible hearing loss", but the tests aren't very thorough: having visible loss on an audiogram is a sufficient condition to hearing loss, but not a necessary one.

The good news is that your volume is slowly decreasing. This trend should be very reassuring to you.

WRT anti-depressants (and other drugs in general): those come with risks too, so I'd strongly advise to get a few doctors' opinions on it and then you decide whether you really need them. They can be helpful of course, but they can also take you to a place that is difficult to get out of.

One thing I'd very strongly suggest is to rest your ears and stay away from loud sounds for a while.

Good luck, and let's hope your T will fade away in time. We're here for you.

 

[fishbone]

It all started the night before my exam, when I got to bed an high pitch sound suddenly come on my right ear, out of nowhere. The same night I had my period? But I don't know it has any connection or it was because of stress for the exam.
The sound was annoying but I lived like normal, had my exam, went to school and tried to ignore it.

Three days later I went on a trip and and took an airplane for 1 hour, when I landed the sound was higher and also on both ears. It suddenly began to fade on my left ear, and was pretty much the same on the right ear as before I took the airplane, maybe a little higher. I then at night went to a concert and a club on the evening. When I got back to the hotel both my ears rang so loud, I was sure I was ear damaged forever. I didn't used ear protection! I regret like hell on that one, and is so angry at myself….

I took a plane again next morning home, and have been in a deep depression since that day. My ears are ringing so loud.

The first two weeks was awful. I was lying in bed crying all day in pain, and couldn't sleep at all. The only thing I did was going to doctor and a ENT-specialist and tested my hearing. He said I didn't had any hearing damage, and it all looked good in my ears.
I couldn't and can't believe it, because my ears are ringing so loud. I was sure something was damaged or something.

Now 42 days later, it's not so loud as it was the first two weeks but it's still loud!
In the first two weeks I could hear it clearly in the shower, now I can barley hear it in the shower.
I'm a student but haven't been to school since after this started, I needed to expose/postponed my exam in December because I have no chance to study with this pyscho ringing.

Now my problem is depression, anxiety and I'm scared too shit that this is not going to get better. I moved back to my parents, haven't been to school/college since before my trip(scared I might have to drop out), just lying home slowly dying. My social life is also over, i dont want to do anything because this sound makes me so exhausted and depressed.
These days its also much more ringing in my left! And It all started in my right, don't know why, the first two weeks it was worst on my right, so know it has changed ears as well.

I want to start on antidepressants or another medicine to calm me down, because I'm totally losing it. I'm just sooooo afraid it will worsen my T.

Im already using gingko, magnesium and rinexin. Going to an Chiropractor, and im also seeing a pyschologist for depression.

Im also going to have my wisdoms removed next week, scared that also might be worsening my T, but I have to do it because infection in my teeths….
For sleep I have sleeing pills from my doc, and melatonin.

I feel like my life has just stopped, and never be the same again, and I don't know what to do.

Julie, 21 years old from Norway

Hi Julie

First of all, don't be upset with yourself. All of us at 21 were doing the same things and living life and just being "YOUNG". What is done, is done.....don't frustrate yourself over that aspect of it. Yes, you have tinnitus and yes, it is annoying and no one likes to have it. If you truly feel that you need meds, then seek it. Just do know that meds, can have side effects and addictions. Talking things out and seeking support is crucial. When i first got tinnitus, there was no TT or tinnitus forums around. I'd talk things out with my mom and gain support from her.

Tinnitus is a scary thing and it can frustrate the mind and body. Just do understand that, it will take TIME and lots of patience to get a grip on this matter. I know it is very hard, but do NOT focus on the sound and try to monitor it. This obsession only makes tinnitus more annoying and it will bother you more.

You will need to avoid loud sounds and places. Tinnitus can get much louder, if you do not protect your ears. What I have found that works well for me, over the years is simply to distract myself. Distraction is one of the BIGGEST components for living our lives and coping/adapting to this madness. I am typing this to you write now and in 30 minutes I go to the gym and escape the world of tinnitus and go into the world I love "bodybuilding/fitness". Yes, my tinnitus is louder than the gym and i still can hear it, but my mind is focused on the weight lifting and not the noise.

If anyone decides to go to the gym, please wear ear plugs and protect your hearing. I can tolerate loud noises, so I don't wear them. You don't have to go to the gym, this is just how I let my steam off and it keeps me going

Find an activity, that is safe and not loud and just lose yourself in it and be at peace and smile while doing it. It can be anything. This is important and I hope you do something, by doing this....I can escape the brutal loud tinnitus, i suffer from and actually live a life and thankful for being alive each day.

Keep coming to this board, I'll be here..as will the other wonderful folks

 

[Aaron44126]

If it's getting better (you mentioned that it is quieter than it was before), keep waiting. You've had tinnitus for a short time and it has already changed over that time. There is no reason to believe that what you are experiencing now is permanent, unless it stops changing.

My tinnitus started quiet and got to a ridiculously loud point over the course of about three weeks. The peak was way back in August. My life felt like it was on hold for a while there, I couldn't only think about the minimum that I could do to get through the day, and the worst thing was relaxing and taking a break was next to impossible because the incessant sound would not leave me alone.

It spent about two weeks at "maximum" volume and then began to slowly, slowly recede. I still have it now, but since November I don't think about it much and I generally perceive it when I do happen to think about it or when I go someplace quiet. Even then, I've managed to be able to get myself to the point where it isn't much of an annoyance so much as something that is just always there, I can even relax to it. I'm still hopeful that it will eventually go away completely, because the volume level has been steadily decreasing, just at a very slow pace.

Get your sleep under control. (Use sound enrichment, or medication if you absolutely need it.) Be prepared to wait for healing, there is no quick fix.

Find things to keep you busy or things that you enjoy doing, to help take your mind off of the sound. If you find that after doing something for a while that you spent some time not thinking about the tinnitus, celebrate that moment; with practice, this will become easier and easier to achieve. Try to isolate your perception of the sound from your reaction to it — it's just an annoying sound; it is extremely unpleasant and a terrible distraction, but it is not dangerous and it does not prevent you from physically functioning. If you can break the anxiety chain then you mind will naturally begin to pay less attention to the sound. Believe me, I was a psychological mess in August and September and early on I would never have believed that I could get a handle on it, but I've learned a lot since then and I'm pretty much back to myself now. You can do it too, it takes a lot of effort and time.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Now 42 days later, it's not so loud as it was the first two weeks but it's still loud!

This is a really good news. Chances are that it will continue to fade and within 6-12 months you might even hear silence again. Just make sure to protect your ears from noise. You might even want to stay away from moderate noises like that of a vacuum cleaner, for now.

 

[Jiri]

My tinnitus started quiet and got to a ridiculously loud point over the course of about three weeks.

Same here.

Now my problem is depression, anxiety and I'm scared too shit that this is not going to get better.

Yep, same. 6 - 7 weeks in. I'd suggest to you to go and see a psychiatrist. Don't underestimate that. All this has a big negative impact on your mental health too, add the lack of sleep + anxiety & depression = aggravated tinnitus.

I couldn't sleep at all for the first two weeks when I had the massive flare up. Ended up both in ENT A&E and an emergency psychiatry. For your mental health try and ask about Brintellix (vortioxetinum) and I also got Rivotril (Clonazepamum). It helps with panic attacks and anxiety.

I noticed some people here recommend getting on a corticosteroid known as Prednisone. I'm on it myself atm. Do it asap. The sooner you act the better your chances of making faster recovery.

I was told that the combo of drugs described above shouldn't be ototoxic or known to worsen your tinnitus.

Disclaimer: I am no medical expert. You do need to consult this with your doctors.

Best of luck, young lady. You got this. Fingers crossed.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I noticed some people here recommend getting on a corticosteroid known as Prednisone. I'm on it myself atm. Do it asap. The sooner you act the better your chances of making faster recovery.

It is my understanding that it is effective only during the first two months after an accoustic trauma.

 

[Jiri]

It is my understanding that it is effective only during the first two months after an accoustic trauma.

Which is me and this lady. I first noticed the bothersome ringing 4.11.2017 and got my first injection of the steroid the 1. 12. 2017, now I'm taking pills orally and slowly decreasing in volume viz my thread.

Some docs even claim that for acoustic trauma steroids won't help but who really knows? Apparently it helped others.

Also, on this website (I know it's a foreign lang.) it is noted that a treatment that is primarly used to treat an accute tinnitus should also be tried and used in the treatmet of a chronic tinnitus.
http://www.itinnitus.cz/tinnitus-a-jeho-lecba/