- Jan 16, 2018
- 1
- Tinnitus Since
- Mid '90s. Horrible since Oct. 2017
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Construction work and firearms
Hi, this is my 1st post although I have been lurking for several months. I am in construction and have had tinnitus for probably 25 years, but it was always in the background and it was seldom a bother. I have had some hearing loss for probably 30 years. I have worn earplugs at work for 15 years or so. I went target shooting with my 2 boys and my daughter-in-law last fall on October 21. I wore my foam earplugs along with a headset, but there was someone there with a really loud rifle which I think did me in. A couple of days later I woke in the middle of the night with a start, and could not get back to sleep (central nervous system?). Insomnia set in, and tinnitus got loud and more frequent. After 3 weeks, the tinnitus was constant and the insomnia was horrible, so I went to the doctor and got a prescription for .25 mg Xanax, which I would take 2 or 3 times a day when needed. I got prescriptions for sleeping aids as well. Around the same time, I developed a moderate case of hyperacusis. Plates clanging, silverware, even heavy plastic and paper bag sounds were cringeworthy. Even though it would drive me up a wall, I luckily did not have ear pain, though. My tinnitus had settled in as a loud tea kettle, that I can hear above pretty much everything.
Around Thanksgiving I spiraled downward to a place you all know so well. I tried acupuncture, which I don't think directly affected the tinnitus, but it probably helped relax me a little. The doctor put me on 10mg Lexapro, but I didn't think it was doing much after 3 weeks, so he doubled the dose. A couple of weeks later I was having some side effects, so we dropped it down to 15mg. That seemed to be the right dose for me. I saw my ENT then, but he didn't offer too much. I saw an audiologist and ended up with a hearing aid which was used as a pink noise generator. I think it may have helped some, but probably more so psychologically. (I ended up turning it back in at the end of the 60 day trial). I was building a house and trying to get the customer in by Christmas, so the added stress didn't help much, lol. I lost 25 lbs over a couple of months.
Around mid-January I started slowly feeling better about things, and I would have a day here and there, maybe once a week, where the tinnitus was more moderate or even mild. I quit taking Xanax (didn't need it), and I started to sleep a little better. He took me off the sleeping pills and put me on Gabapentin. Finally by the end of the month I was sleeping "decently", as it started being a better, deeper sleep. I also had rotator cuff surgery at the end of January, so I ended up not working from Christmas to about mid-March. I was worried about going back to work, and the noise, even with the double ear protection, did seem to spike the tinnitus.
Around mid-April, I noticed that loud sounds were not bothering me quite so much, and I didn't have to wear earplugs when making breakfast to save me from the microwave. That has been huge, as the hyperacusis was probably worse to contend with than the tinnitus. The tinnitus, though has settled in as a loud tea kettle full-time, and I seldom have a day where it is less in volume. And where I used to have times when I would not notice tinnitus if I was preoccupied, nowadays it is rare that I am not hearing it blaring. BUT, the thing is, It does not distress me like it did before. It has just become part of life, and I don't let it bother me. That is not what I had envisioned as "habituation", but I will take it. I am enjoying life again, especially my 2 1/2 year old grand daughter, and other than having to take extra precautions at work and in life in general for my hearing, I am just moving forward. I am into restoring old cars, and I thought that might be at an end a while back, but no more. Same for pretty much everything else, too.
I just thought this might help someone else to read this. While there is no magic pill, I have to say for me the Lexapro has been a big help I'm sure. I'm back down to 10 mg, and maybe in the future I will cut down to 5 and see what happens. I thought originally I was going to be in for a lot longer time in hell. I believe the anxiety and stress are the hardest part to shake. Again, I think sometimes people get too fixated on achieving silence, but for me it just means not letting the tinnitus be the dominant thing in my life.
Rich
Around Thanksgiving I spiraled downward to a place you all know so well. I tried acupuncture, which I don't think directly affected the tinnitus, but it probably helped relax me a little. The doctor put me on 10mg Lexapro, but I didn't think it was doing much after 3 weeks, so he doubled the dose. A couple of weeks later I was having some side effects, so we dropped it down to 15mg. That seemed to be the right dose for me. I saw my ENT then, but he didn't offer too much. I saw an audiologist and ended up with a hearing aid which was used as a pink noise generator. I think it may have helped some, but probably more so psychologically. (I ended up turning it back in at the end of the 60 day trial). I was building a house and trying to get the customer in by Christmas, so the added stress didn't help much, lol. I lost 25 lbs over a couple of months.
Around mid-January I started slowly feeling better about things, and I would have a day here and there, maybe once a week, where the tinnitus was more moderate or even mild. I quit taking Xanax (didn't need it), and I started to sleep a little better. He took me off the sleeping pills and put me on Gabapentin. Finally by the end of the month I was sleeping "decently", as it started being a better, deeper sleep. I also had rotator cuff surgery at the end of January, so I ended up not working from Christmas to about mid-March. I was worried about going back to work, and the noise, even with the double ear protection, did seem to spike the tinnitus.
Around mid-April, I noticed that loud sounds were not bothering me quite so much, and I didn't have to wear earplugs when making breakfast to save me from the microwave. That has been huge, as the hyperacusis was probably worse to contend with than the tinnitus. The tinnitus, though has settled in as a loud tea kettle full-time, and I seldom have a day where it is less in volume. And where I used to have times when I would not notice tinnitus if I was preoccupied, nowadays it is rare that I am not hearing it blaring. BUT, the thing is, It does not distress me like it did before. It has just become part of life, and I don't let it bother me. That is not what I had envisioned as "habituation", but I will take it. I am enjoying life again, especially my 2 1/2 year old grand daughter, and other than having to take extra precautions at work and in life in general for my hearing, I am just moving forward. I am into restoring old cars, and I thought that might be at an end a while back, but no more. Same for pretty much everything else, too.
I just thought this might help someone else to read this. While there is no magic pill, I have to say for me the Lexapro has been a big help I'm sure. I'm back down to 10 mg, and maybe in the future I will cut down to 5 and see what happens. I thought originally I was going to be in for a lot longer time in hell. I believe the anxiety and stress are the hardest part to shake. Again, I think sometimes people get too fixated on achieving silence, but for me it just means not letting the tinnitus be the dominant thing in my life.
Rich
Member
