Hi — I Am New to Tinnitus

[dfl]

About seven weeks ago I first got tinnitus and learning how to live with this new thing (now that some of the vertigo has died down) has been a challenge. I know that I am not alone though

 

[Tennrltr]

Best of luck, there are some really nice and helpful people on here....God Bless

 

[dfl]

thank you so much for replying- means a lot

 

[Karen]

Hi, dfl, and welcome!

It isn't easy learning how to live with tinnitus, especially right at first. We have a lot of tips for new tinnitus sufferers here. Also, be sure to look at the "Don't Panic" section on our home page of this forum, for information, tips, and sounds you can download to help you through this rough period.

I know what you mean about the vertigo --- I suffered from off and on vertigo for quite awhile when my T first began. But the good news, at least for me, is that it did finally go away. I think it has to do with the Eustachian tubes, and the fact that your brain and body have to adjust to this new condition.

Better days are ahead for you, though. The best advice I can give you is to try to get enough sleep, if possible, and live your life as normally as possible. In time, your mind will adjust, and you'll be more able to shift the tinnitus to a back burner.

We're glad you've joined us, and are here to help and support you through these first difficult days.

Best wishes,
Karen

 

[Gosia]

How did you get it ? 7 weeks is a short time and it may still go away. Don't think i t's there to stay.

 

[Nic1982]

@dfl
Hi, mine started 8 weeks ago, I have had 3 bouts of dizziness lasting days, am currently experiencing it now. I've also had a lot of feeling pressure within my ears, started with bad ear but now in both. Do you mind me asking how yours started? Mine wasn't noise trauma or anything obvious. Did get water in my ear the day it started but now it's starting in the other ear xx

 

[Nic1982]

@Karen
Hi Karen
I've been reading a few of your posts & they're really positive and helpful, so thank you.
I too have experienced many bouts of dizziness since this started 8 weeks ago, & a feeling of pressure & fullness in my ears (started just in t ear but now both). Not true vertigo but I used to get this 10 years ago.

Do you mind me asking you some questions? Do you have any hearing loss? Did you have pressure/fullness in both ears or just t ear? Or perhaps your t is in both ears as I'm started to hear it in my 'good' ear.

I've been worried mine could be Ménière's? Do you know why yours started?

Sorry for all the questions xx

 

[dfl]

hi- all- thanks for the replies- it's so hard to know what started the t- I had been going through a lot of anxiety and had some real high blood pressure episodes. I was taking meds (which may have played a role) & also saw a "healer" and he did some sacral cranium work (that kind of hurt) after that I became very dizzy and had the vertigo/meniere's - a few days after that relaxed a bit I noticed my ears were very sensitive to sounds- my sister was speaking to me kind of loudly and I asked her politely if she could whisper cause my ears were sensitive. It was about to rain and I felt a shift in the barometric pressure and then pop- the "t" in my right ear kicked in- a high pitched hiss that has been there ever since.

 

[Karen]

I had been going through a lot of anxiety and had some real high blood pressure episodes. I was taking meds (which may have played a role)

Hi, again, dfl,

That's similar to what happened to me. I had mild tinnitus (right ear only) for at least 25 years, that wasn't bothersome. Then, after a blood pressure episode, and taking a blood pressure drug, my mild tinnitus became bothersome and severe. It is a high-pitched hiss, like yours. I also acquired pulsatile tinnitus (right ear only) at the same time. Yours could possibly be blood pressure-related, too.

Also, barometric pressure can definitely have an effect on tinnitus. My husband and I both have tinnitus, and we both notice when there is a change in barometric pressure. I've heard other people on this forum mention it, as well.

Hope you're having a better day today!

Karen

 

[Karen]

Do you mind me asking you some questions? Do you have any hearing loss? Did you have pressure/fullness in both ears or just t ear? Or perhaps your t is in both ears as I'm started to hear it in my 'good' ear.

I've been worried mine could be Ménière's? Do you know why yours started?

Hi, Nic,

To answer your questions:
1. Yes, I do have hearing loss in my right ear only. It started as a result of loud sound exposure about 30 years ago. Mine is conductive hearing loss, according to my ENT.
2. Yes, I did have fullness and pressure in my right ear only, for several years (off and on), after it started. Now, I don't have it any more. It just went away on its own, so there is definitely reason to hope that yours will, too!
3. My tinnitus did not jump to the other ear, but I have heard of a lot of people who say theirs did.
4. My tinnitus initially started as a result of loud sound; but five years ago, it became severe after I took a blood pressure drug.

Yours could be Meniere's, but it could be a lot of other things, too. I don't have Meniere's, but I did have the dizziness and vertigo off and on for quite awhile. I'm free of that now!

I hope I've answered your questions, and feel free to private=message me if you want to talk some more.

Karen

 

[awbw8]

About seven weeks ago I first got tinnitus and learning how to live with this new thing (now that some of the vertigo has died down) has been a challenge. I know that I am not alone though

Hi @dfl. I often wish we didn't need a forum for people suffering from and adjusting to this affliction, however, given that we do need it, this is a good place and I'm so glad you found us. There are a lot of really wonderful, knowledgeable and supportive people here.

Seven weeks in isn't too long, there's still a chance the T could fade away. But know that whether or not it does or doesn't go, the suffering is unlikely to last. Most people with tinnitus do habituate with time and go on to lead good lives again. If you haven't looked yet, I would also check out the Success Stories section, that brought me a lot of comfort and hope when I was new to tinnitus.

Know also that you are in the toughest part of tinnitus right now - those early months are generally reported to be the most difficult. You and your brain are going through this traumatic experience and I know a lot of us had some sort of predisposition to panic or anxiety - I know that I did - and that can make things more difficult. Be kind and patient with yourself and know that it will take time to heal physically and mentally, but change will come. In the interim, just try to take care of your mind and body as best you can and give yourself a chance to heal. The forum is full of great advice and experiences to draw from and we're all here to help should you have questions.

Hang in there and let us know how things go.

 

[dfl]

hey @awbw8 thank you so much for the kind words- trying to adapt to this (climbing towards three months) and doing my job has been an interesting challenge. This forum has been helpful (thanks @Markku !) We have to shoot weapons etc in my job, so I get nervous around being around loud sounds. T- I knew so very little about this before I got it- just I knew it sounded horrible (One of my best friends has T) thanks all for being out there for each other.

 

[awbw8]

hey @awbw8 thank you so much for the kind words- trying to adapt to this (climbing towards three months) and doing my job has been an interesting challenge. This forum has been helpful (thanks @Markku !) We have to shoot weapons etc in my job, so I get nervous around being around loud sounds. T- I knew so very little about this before I got it- just I knew it sounded horrible (One of my best friends has T) thanks all for being out there for each other.

It seems like you're a pretty determined kind of person from what very little I've read here, I (very humbly) think you're going to be okay, hang in there. It is definitely a challenge - getting back into my life, or staying in it, after T was one of the hardest things I've had to do, but it's turned into something of a daily meditation now and I grew a lot out of the challenge. It's not a burden I would have picked for myself, I don't think anyone would, but since it came to me, I'm glad something good came out of it in the end. I hope you find that to be true for yourself as well, whether your T goes or stays.

For the loud sounds, it doesn't sound like that's necessarily where your T came from, I might check with a doctor to see if there's anything to the vertigo etc. that could be helped. My own tinnitus is from noised-induced trauma, so I'm not as well versed in other causes, but that might be a good route to take if you haven't already. Still, it's always good to protect your ears, but don't let that make you too afraid, just make sure to protect yourself the same way you'd wear a helmet when riding a bike. I carry earplugs in every pocket and if things get loud, or if I know they're going to be loud, I put them in before entering a space (bar, party etc.) At first it feels cumbersome, but eventually it just becomes a natural, innocuous habit.