Hello — New and Looking for Some Support

Hi everyone,

After a low few days, I decided to do some reseach and came across this forum. I'm hoping I'll feel better after getting some of this of my chest and reading about your experiences too.

I had a nasty inner-ear infection back in February and my life has been turned upside down ever since. Some of you in the UK might be aware that GPs are very reluctant to prescribe antibiotics at the moment (see news stories here and here). Unfortunately I didn't recieve antibiotics until three weeks into my infection by which point I had begun to suffer violent and unpredictable epsidoes of vertigo.

At first, I found these episdodes terrifying and it was also unsettling for my family and friends. At it's worst I was bed-bound for a week. I couldn't move without fainting or vomiting. I was also unlucky enough to collapse in my bathroom - I hit my head on the sink and was taken to hospital with concussion. As well as the vertigo, I also experienced pressure/pain in my ears, sensitivity to noise and some minor 'ringing'.

This went on for the best part of four months, with varying degrees of severity. I had an MRI scan (all clear, thank goodness) and managed in hang in there until my long awaiting ENT appointment. I had a hearing test and was informed that everything was in normal range (therefore not Menieres Disease).

The consultant said that, whilst the infection was long gone, it had 'short circuited' my system and that in order to 'rewire' everything, I would have to put myself through a programme of rehabilitation exercises. To my relief, the exercises had an immediate effect and within a week the vertigo that I had suffered with for months had disappeared. It was a game-changer and I thought that I could finally get back to normal!

Things were going well until the beginning of July. My fiance bought us tickets to see Fleetwood Mac as a birthday present - whilst the concert was loud, we were sat at the very back of the arena and I didn't experience any discomfort or pain at the time. When I got home, I noticed that my ears were ringing. Not uncommon after a gig, I told myself, but they haven't stopped ringing since and the pain/pressure in my ears has also returned.

The tinnitus presents itself in both ears but is more noticable on the left. I would describe it as ringing/white noise. On a good day, I seem able to tune into other everyday noises (traffic, typing, television etc) until the evening. It's when I'm in a quiet room that it really comes to the fore. I've had a lot of trouble sleeping but have found that playing nature noises has helped me to drift off.

On bad days (like the last few days), I can't sleep, I'm in constant pain and can't even bear to be in the kitchen whilst the kettle boils because my ears are so senstive to sound. I get so frustrated and feel very low at times. It's such an invisible condition and it's easy for those around you to presume you feel well when in fact you feel far from it. I'm struggling to find coping mechanisms and it's having a real impact on my quality of life.

I started a new job in June (I have an office-based job in the arts) and most days I don't feel able to perform to my best. I'm 27 and used to have an active social lifeand now I can't even go to the cinema or for a drink with friends without making my tinnitus worse. Myself and my fiance are planning our wedding and all I can worry about is the effect the honeymoon flight might have on my ears (sounds silly, I know).

I'm due another ENT appointment any day now but understanding my symptons and getting any kind of diagnosis feels like a long, ardouous process. I'm lucky that I've not had to take lots of time off work (yet) but I've been told that, after 12 months, I should consider registering my condition as a disability to enable my employers to best support me and make reasonable allowances I may need.

I appreciate there are no definitive answers but felt the need to share. If you think there are some threads on the forum that I might find useful to read, do point me in the right direction! Thanks in anticipation

 

Hi Lauren,

I'm 27 as well, and while I haven't been diagnosed with T, I'm positive that is what it is. Seems that we had different journeys to the same destination (my T was almost positively caused by exposure to loud noises), but regardless of cause it is a scary thing to deal with. I am encouraged by all of the veteran T sufferers on this forum who have all said roughly the same thing: It's scary at first, and manageable over the long term. I hope that we both find peace with our condition.

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk. Tinnitus is one strange alien beast that is hard to figure out. From what I read, when T is new or when it kicks up to a new level or due to some acoustic trauma (which the concert may have done to you), there can be a period T will morph into different forms at times, such as developing ear fullness, ear pressure or pain, developing new tones or alternating pitches, or become pulsatile. If the pitch is very high, some form of sound reactiveness or hyperacusis symptoms can follow and you will not be able to bear most noises, even normal ones. So it is best to expect a period of instability initially and don't get so worked up when T morphs. It also doesn't help if each morphing results in extreme anxiety or fear about the situation or the future. H will probably fade. I had both T & H back then and like many members. My T is super high pitch dog whistle, and my severe H turned all normal noise into loud, piercingly hurtful sensation. But like many members, the T stays but H has faded in a few months. So be positive about that.

Stress & anxiety are bad for T & H. So do what you can to get medical opinion to prove nothing medically wrong first. If there is nothing wrong, the best is to stay as calm and positive as possible. This is something you can do and control, try not worry about things beyond your control. Go read as many success stories as possible. These are positive messages of hope. By reading the success stories, you will encounter people with similar T symptoms as yours and may be of similar age or profession. Try to learn their insights/strategies how to get better and copy their success. You will also find out that people generally needs time to get better. So for the new T & H situation you are facing, it is best to stay patient & wait it out. It tends to settle down after a while. You may also want to take some supplements such as NAC, Magnesium, Zinc, B12, D3 etc., and you may want to cut back on salt, MSG, caffeine, alcohol etc. For sleep, try Camomile tea, Hops, Valerian tablets, Melatonin etc.

If your acoustic trauma is very new, you may want to get a treatment with prednisone. In the meantime try to get some masking asap so you will not be so stressed out by the ringing. TT has great sound tracks for it as well as some tips to help manage the situation. So as its title suggests, dont panic. There are many things you can do to help yourself. Here is the link for it. Take care & God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/

 

I won't ad anything to Billie48 comment he is in my opinion an expert on helping people deal with T and I for one appreciates his wise and kind words of help for us that have tinnitus it has really helped me. I will just add this. T has more to do with Psychological that physical but it mimics a physical ailment and could well be in some cases .If it is truly tinnitus then Time will make it better through the habituation process . Billie does a great favor to people on here to explain the process of T and help people understand what is happening to them and how to get through it. God bless you Billie for helping people with T on this site. I am at the 1 year mark and I am habituating nicely I can say I can function to the way I use to before my T. I still have T but it is just there and it really does not affect my life that much anymore hope to habituate even more. Lauren T is a challenge to you to overcome it and you will . You will be alright .It may just go away but if it is tinnitus you can get back to your life as it was believe me I was where you are a year ago. Wish you well Lauren 88 God bless . Uncle Vikin.

 

Thank you @uncle vikin for the kind words. I am humbled by that as I am just one among so many kind and caring members who are giving their time selflessly to help out T sufferers who are strangers from all over the world. Hopefully together we can collectively make a difference in the life of these sufferers and lift them out of their despair so they won't have to suffer so much. God bless you and all those kind members at large for their good works for others.

 

Yes Billie 48 it is strange in a sense how something so life changing can be helped on a forum like this but I truly believe it is the support that helps and also the wise info about T , so many people with T eventually find their way to this site after being confused and not really knowing what to do .Thank God for this it has helped a lot of people. Uncle Vikin