hey

[AaronU]

Hello everyone. Soo I'm new to tinnitus and struggling with coping right now and I wanted to share my story. Sorry if some things are confusing - I can't really think straight right now.
So I guess I'll start by explaining how I got this.
For about six months now I had been dealing with stomach issues - bloating, rumbling, burping, etc.
So I went to the doctors and they suggested IBS.
Basically this illness made me miserable that I was only getting 2 hours of sleep some nights, staying up all night burping and stuff. It also made me terribly depressed because I couldn't do the things I liked to do and was being embarrassed by stomach noises when with friends.
About a month ago I was scheduled to go to a concert.
The week prior I had gotten 2, maybe 4 hours of sleep per night.
The night of the concert I would have probably worn earplugs but I was already physically and emotionally exhausted, and so I guess that made my judgement cloudy. Also, I have friends who go to concerts without earplugs all the time, so one concert wouldn't hurt me, right?
After the concert was over I had some deafness but nothing too alarming.
That night my ears rang.
In the morning I woke up and could hear good in my left ear, but felt a little deaf in my right.
So I plugged my ears with tissue paper to protect them from further damage.
I did that for about a week. Eventually the deaf feeling went away.
About two weeks later I noticed in my right ear I had a "fwoooop... fewwwww.... fwoooop.... fewwwww..." sound. It was concerning so I kept plugging my ear to see if it was there or I was imagining it. One time after doing this it rang really loud.. then got quiet.. Then was replaced with a drill sound.
The next morning I woke up to no ringing and only a slight fluttering feeling in my left ear, which I thought was weird but was hopeful my ears were healing. A few hours later, full blown ringing in both ears. Also, occasional 3 second episodes of deafness and/or loud ringing, then my hearing coming back again. Then I also got ear pain like a cat scratch in my ear, then pain in my temples as if there was bruising there, accompanied by headaches and a feeling of fluid in my ears. Oh, and also warm chills, like a warm feeling in my muscles.
A few days later I got a 102 degree fever which lasted a week, and so much ear pressure that one night I woke up and was worried that my ear drums would burst. One night I also had extreme muscle and joint pain. And one time I blew my nose gently and I could hear the sound from inside my ear (like it was coming from inside my ear). Also, my ears started popping basically whenever I opened my mouth. Oh, and I developed stomach cramps and pain in addition to the other symptoms.
So after the fever came down the ringing was reduced and headaches went away but there was still a liquid feeling in my ears. And it hurt to move my eyes.
Then my ears started going deaf again and the pressure started to build up again, and I started getting dizzy and feeling like I had to turn to my left when I walked.
For the last few days I've had a feeling like my head is filled with blood, like when you hang upside down.
Also when I wake up my ears crackle a lot and if I move my head I can feel liquid shifting.

I'm going to try to see a doctor tomorrow.
Any thoughts?
I'm mostly worried about this being permanent. I just wish I hadn't been such a baby about the stomach bloating (which has cruelly started going away as this started ). I'm just filled with so much regret. 2013 was without any doubt the worst year of my entire life which my ex girlfriend already had once described as a horror story (my life I mean.. we used to share our stories with each other). Before this I was planning on going into linguistics, and because of this, and the depression it's caused, I've had to postpone that dream indefinitely.
I'm hoping that I'm just a slow healer. One time after doing sit ups it took my abs like 11 weeks to stop hurting, and one time after getting drunk with some friends (after getting dumped) I felt intoxicated for 10 days. I'm hoping this is like that.
Oh, also, does anyone else's tinnitus seem to follow their heartbeat - I don't think I'm hearing my heartbeat but right now I'm hearing this reverberating high sound that seems to follow my heart beat. And if I lay on my ear it seems to go away in that ear, even up to a few minutes after moving.
The only sound that drowns it out is the sound of faucets. I never thought I'd find something like the sound of a faucet to be my favorite sound in the world.
I just turned 20 a few days ago by the way.

Oh and I'm here to make friends with people struggling with this as well, so don't hesitate to message me!

 

[Karen]

Hi, @AaronU,
I've just read your post, and I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time right now. It's good that you're going to see a doctor tomorrow, if possible.

Well, from what you've described (and you are very articulate, by the way), some of your symptoms are probably due to the noise trauma from the concert. I remember when my tinnitus first began, from loud noise, about 25 years ago. The first symptom I had was ear pain, like an earache, that wouldn't go away. I'm not sure, but I think I had a slight fever along with it. Then, the tinnitus started right after that.

You've described some other symptoms that are pretty common in new tinnitus sufferers, such as that full ears feeling, and the crackling noises. I suffered from that for quite awhile myself, and I was glad when it finally subsided.

Have you ever heard of a spasm of the tensor tympani muscle? You might want to Google it, and see if any of your symptoms sound like what they described. Some of the problems you describe may have to do with an imbalance or spasm in the Eustachian tubes, caused maybe by the noise trauma. I'm no doctor, this is just what I've gathered from my own experience and my own online research.

I too have the heartbeat sound in my damaged ear (the right ear). It started after I took an ototoxic drug 3 years ago, for blood pressure. I'm off the drug now, but the pulsating still remains. It is just like a heartbeat sound, and is in time with my pulse. Mine is constant, and never goes away. However, I do want you to know that mine has gotten much, much calmer recently, so there is hope that yours may do the same. It may take awhile, but it could happen, especially since your tinnitus is so new.

I wish you good luck at the doctor, and will be interested to hear what he has to say about your condition.

There are other folks on here who may also want to comment on your post.

I wish you a peaceful night, and hope you'll update us on how you're doing.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Liesel]

See, to me it sounds more like a somatic issue. The whole being able to lay on the ear to make it go away, the eye pain, headache, ears constantly popping, all sound like muscular or jaw issues. A lot of it could just be due to stress and the flu though, of course.

 

[AaronU]

Hi, @AaronU,
I've just read your post, and I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time right now. It's good that you're going to see a doctor tomorrow, if possible.

Well, from what you've described (and you are very articulate, by the way), some of your symptoms are probably due to the noise trauma from the concert. I remember when my tinnitus first began, from loud noise, about 25 years ago. The first symptom I had was ear pain, like an earache, that wouldn't go away. I'm not sure, but I think I had a slight fever along with it. Then, the tinnitus started right after that.

You've described some other symptoms that are pretty common in new tinnitus sufferers, such as that full ears feeling, and the crackling noises. I suffered from that for quite awhile myself, and I was glad when it finally subsided.

Have you ever heard of a spasm of the tensor tympani muscle? You might want to Google it, and see if any of your symptoms sound like what they described. Some of the problems you describe may have to do with an imbalance or spasm in the Eustachian tubes, caused maybe by the noise trauma. I'm no doctor, this is just what I've gathered from my own experience and my own online research.

I too have the heartbeat sound in my damaged ear (the right ear). It started after I took an ototoxic drug 3 years ago, for blood pressure. I'm off the drug now, but the pulsating still remains. It is just like a heartbeat sound, and is in time with my pulse. Mine is constant, and never goes away. However, I do want you to know that mine has gotten much, much calmer recently, so there is hope that yours may do the same. It may take awhile, but it could happen, especially since your tinnitus is so new.

I wish you good luck at the doctor, and will be interested to hear what he has to say about your condition.

There are other folks on here who may also want to comment on your post.

I wish you a peaceful night, and hope you'll update us on how you're doing.

Best wishes,
Karen

Thank you And yeah, hopefully I'll have medical insurance tomorrow to cover a visit.

Oh, I forgot to mention in the first post as well - When I woke up after the concert I blew my nose and blood came out. It continued to do so for a few days but I didn't pay much attention to it because it wasn't like a river or anything and I've had that happen randomly before.

I'm hope it goes away soon

I believe that that might be what it is (tensor tympani muscle) creating some of the sounds. My left ear was actually clicking a few minutes ago like something was tapping my eardrum. I also suspect something to is wrong with my Eustachian tubes as well.

That's good that it calmed down!
Oh also, I noticed yesterday that if I tense up my face (like if you were acting like you were lifting 1000 pounds) I hear a sound that I hear in pulses sometimes, but when I tense up I can make it a constant flow (not pulses).

I will be back to post updates.
I hope so
Goodnight to you too!

 

[AaronU]

See, to me it sounds more like a somatic issue. The whole being able to lay on the ear to make it go away, the eye pain, headache, ears constantly popping, all sound like muscular or jaw issues. A lot of it could just be due to stress and the flu though, of course.

I'm hoping that it is - and I'm hoping that if it is once the issue is resolved the ringing goes away.

 

[Karen]

Aaron,

Please be sure to tell the doctor about your nosebleeds when you see him. We'll be interested to hear what he has to say. Good luck!

Karen

 

[Smoogle]

Sorry to hear about all the issues you've been experiencing, but the fact that the ringing stopped for two weeks and only came back on with that fever/sickness, and is accompanied by ear fullness / fluid sloshing feeling... you very well might just have excessive fluid built up in your middle ear and/or eustachian tube dysfunction, which would be very treatable.

Like the others have mentioned, tell your doctor about everything you've been experiencing!

I hope your tinnitus goes away ASAP. Hang in there buddy!

 

[AaronU]

Sorry to hear about all the issues you've been experiencing, but the fact that the ringing stopped for two weeks and only came back on with that fever/sickness, and is accompanied by ear fullness / fluid sloshing feeling... you very well might just have excessive fluid built up in your middle ear and/or eustachian tube dysfunction, which would be very treatable.

Like the others have mentioned, tell your doctor about everything you've been experiencing!

I hope your tinnitus goes away ASAP. Hang in there buddy!

Thank you

 

[AaronU]

Aaron,

Please be sure to tell the doctor about your nosebleeds when you see him. We'll be interested to hear what he has to say. Good luck!

Karen

Soo.. I came back from the doctor and basically they just referred me to an ear specialist.. Who, based on what I usually hear, I imagine is going to tell me to live with it
It really worries me that it will get louder.
I think right now I can make it, although perhaps never as happy as if I didn't have this.
I'm scared it'll become so loud though that I'll feel like my only option left would be to end my life. I don't want to die, but I also don't want to spend every second of my life in agony

 

[NeoM]

That's cool you want to study linguistics. I have How Language works by David Crystal. You should check it out if you haven't already.

Also, your studying of linguistics is not off indefinitely.

Seeing an ENT is a good idea. They'll do a hearing test and tympanometry and hopefully they will come back normal. Just make sure to tell the ENT all your symptoms.

Your tinnitus won't get louder.

Over 75% of people who get tinnitus naturally habituate to it. That means they are aware of their tinnitus only when they focus on it otherwise they don't notice it at all. That means the odds are in your favor.

You need to keep your emotions in check about your tinnitus. The sooner you neutralize the signal of tinnitus emotionally the sooner you'll forget about it. The sooner you forget about it, the sooner you'll habituate to it. So don't monitor it and stop checking it. I know that might be hard to do but it's what needs to be done. Occupy yourself with hobbies or whatever to keep your mind off it. You'll know your progressing towards habituation when you can do things and you won't notice your tinnitus.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @AronU,

Thanks for updating us on your doctor visit. I agree with NeoM (above) about your tinnitus. It won't get louder; what will most likely happen is that you will habituate to it. Most of us who have had tinnitus for awhile find that to be the case.

It's good that you're going to an ENT, so that he can rule out any infections or other serious conditions. If there isn't anything else that could be causing your symptoms, then there are many things you can do to make living with tinnitus easier. Those of us here at TT have been living with our tinnitus for quite awhile. Mine was roaring in the beginning, and now I can mostly just ignore it. It may seem inconceivable that you could ever get to that point, but it's true!! You really can habituate, if you can find ways to distract yourself, and/or make the noise less bothersome.

Please check back in with us again, after you see the ENT. We can advise you about what we do, or you can read through some of the posts here on Tinnitus Talk. You're going to be fine, and you'll make it! You'll see.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[AaronU]

That's cool you want to study linguistics. I have How Language works by David Crystal. You should check it out if you haven't already.

Also, your studying of linguistics is not off indefinitely.

Seeing an ENT is a good idea. They'll do a hearing test and tympanometry and hopefully they will come back normal. Just make sure to tell the ENT all your symptoms.

Your tinnitus won't get louder.

Over 75% of people who get tinnitus naturally habituate to it. That means they are aware of their tinnitus only when they focus on it otherwise they don't notice it at all. That means the odds are in your favor.

You need to keep your emotions in check about your tinnitus. The sooner you neutralize the signal of tinnitus emotionally the sooner you'll forget about it. The sooner you forget about it, the sooner you'll habituate to it. So don't monitor it and stop checking it. I know that might be hard to do but it's what needs to be done. Occupy yourself with hobbies or whatever to keep your mind off it. You'll know your progressing towards habituation when you can do things and you won't notice your tinnitus.

I'll search for it

I hope so.

I'm trying to. I'm hoping to get new video games soon to distract myself.

I think I'm getting a little better at ignoring it - at least I'm not plugging my ears to see if I hear it anymore. But sometimes when I'm doing something I'll notice it and get unhappy. I guess I have to find a way to stop doing that.

 

[AaronU]

Hi, @AronU,

Thanks for updating us on your doctor visit. I agree with NeoM (above) about your tinnitus. It won't get louder; what will most likely happen is that you will habituate to it. Most of us who have had tinnitus for awhile find that to be the case.

It's good that you're going to an ENT, so that he can rule out any infections or other serious conditions. If there isn't anything else that could be causing your symptoms, then there are many things you can do to make living with tinnitus easier. Those of us here at TT have been living with our tinnitus for quite awhile. Mine was roaring in the beginning, and now I can mostly just ignore it. It may seem inconceivable that you could ever get to that point, but it's true!! You really can habituate, if you can find ways to distract yourself, and/or make the noise less bothersome.

Please check back in with us again, after you see the ENT. We can advise you about what we do, or you can read through some of the posts here on Tinnitus Talk. You're going to be fine, and you'll make it! You'll see.

Best wishes,
Karen

Thank you I guess I worry about it because I see a lot of people talking about it getting worse for them over time, but I suppose for those who it stays the same for, there's not much to talk about, and for those who it's getting better for are probably focusing on other things in their lives.

Thank you, and I'm glad that you're managing well

I will! I'm glad there's a place for people to talk with each other about this

 

[Smoogle]

Thank you I guess I worry about it because I see a lot of people talking about it getting worse for them over time, but I suppose for those who it stays the same for, there's not much to talk about, and for those who it's getting better for are probably focusing on other things in their lives.

Thank you, and I'm glad that you're managing well

I will! I'm glad there's a place for people to talk with each other about this

Yeah. We're kind of a self-selecting group, really. For the most part, someone's T doesn't get worse unless they go out of their way to do it. For every one of us that comes back, I'd say there's probably another 50 that never really have an issue again.

I don't think I'd have ever posted on a T forum again had things stayed the same with me (until they were getting close to an actual cure, anyways).