Hi! Scared and Anxious

[Scared111]

Hi!

Scared and anxious. I had a weird ringing in my ear that matches my heartbeat in my left ear for 4 months now. That one is louder. Now I noticed my right ear is doing a slight eeee sound now. Don't know what's going on. Had the usual tests. All normal supposedly. Don't understand how I got this. Don't listen to anything loud. Just woke up with it one day three weeks after a car accident. Thought it would go away but after two months started freaking out. Panic anxiety sets in. My sound is very strange as head turning makes it louder and also bending of the neck as well. Straight on upright is much less audible.

After trying to accept it the other ear is doing a very slight eeee. So freaking out again as its already difficult to sleep and relax as it is...

What do you guys do to help sleep? I had to resort to benedryl, unisom, some Xanax a little clonezapam on some days when the anxiety is high but now that the other ear is starting my panic is back... How do I get off this roller coaster.

Feel like I am barely managing as I got three kids to care for. Thanks for listening.

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Scared,

Welcome to the site!

Some questions for you. Did you sustain any injuries in the car accident, particularly to the head/face? Has your family doctor seen you since this happened? Have you seen an ENT since then? Have you had studies done, ie. blood work, MRI?

As for the medications you are taking, you should do some research first because they may have some side effects, ie. tinnitus!

It definitely sounds like you are experiencing anxiety and stress over this and those are the things that feed tinnitus. My suggestion for you would be to stop fighting it and hopefully you will gradually habituate to it. Like you, I experienced panic and anxiety attacks at the outset, until I convinced myself that I need to let the tinnitus win in order to become unchained from it. You can do it too, especially since you have three kids! Good luck!

 

[billie48]

Mike may be hitting on something when he mentions the car accident and possible damage to the head and/or neck. Over the years on support board, I have read quite a few people with T developing after some head injury. Something may be out of alignment? Not sure but generally people get better over time. You may want to seek out some chiropractor treatment on the neck and have your head examined. Having 3 kids with T is tough, but you can also try to use that as a way to distract from paying attention to T. Try get busy with the kids and enjoy your parenthood. The kids are also a source of strength to live for. Try some masking to help you, and try use some natural alternatives for sleep and for calming the nerves, such as Melatonin, Lemon Balm, Valerian, Hops, Kava etc. Things will get better over time, especially if you learn some good strategies, such as CBT, mindfulness etc. So don't panic. I speak from experience. I was in a mess initially with endless panic attacks for my ultra high pitch T and severe hyperacusis. I never thought I would have good life again. But today I live a normal and absolutely enjoyable life. I wrote my success story like others and I list many helpful strategies. Check it out if you have time. Take good care. God bless.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Don't listen to anything loud

@Scared111
Many things can cause tinnitus and the most common cause is exposure to loud noise. In your case I don't think that is responsible. However, do you listen to music regularly through headphones?

Although you have had the usual tests, you may need a more thorough examination at ENT. If there are no abnormalities, I recommend a referral to a hearing therapist for counselling, which can help a lot with the stress and anxiety you feel. I advise that you use sound enrichment whenever possible, during the day and especially at night. It will help you to focus less on the tinnitus.

Please click on the link below, for more information about tinnitus management that you might find helpful.
All the best
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/an-introduction-to-tinnitus.12100/

 

[Scared111]

Weird thing I was rear ended and aside from a whiplash I thought I suffered no injury. Saw ent and chiro . Had x ray if neck, Mri and mra. Nothing..... The sound matched my heart rate but it's not a whoosh whoosh so I don't know it's vascular like pusatile tinnitus . It's actually a ringing type of sound and matches exactly to my pulse. Like somehow my auditory got messed with my heart sound. And I know it's not just the brain making the sound as thre is a actual sound coming from the ear. I can vibrate the sound with my finger.it even vibrates when I walk. I can even shake the sound when I shake my head. It is the strangest tinnitus I know of after reading thru . Anyone have this?
How do I get the anxiety down though ? Does it just take time? It feels unbearable sometimes. And sleep even with meds is so interrupted. That I end up lying next to my kids sweating.
So far I have bought a sound pillow that hasn't arrived yet. Tried exercising for an hr to tire me out. But still anxiety is high. Next I will try some therapy to ease my negative thinking... What else can I do.? Kids are the only things that are keeping me going. But I feel tensed all day. I feel like I really need to get some good sleep and relax my self somehow to deal with this but don't know how to get there. And no I don't listen to music thru earbuds at all or much music. I enjoyed silence. Now it's ruined. Sigh

 

[billie48]

For anxiety, besides using those natural alternatives I listed above, you can try different things. I speak from experience having suffered from anxiety and panic disorder for decades prior to T & H. Trying to go outdoor if you can, either by yourself or with the family. If you go with the family, try to get the spouse to take care of the kids as much as possible. Plan around the activity so you can get much distraction and rest from stressing over T. This strange T sensation will take some time for the body to absorb and accept it. In the first year or so, every T spike caused me panic and worry. But the body gets hardened over this sensation after a while, knowing it is harmless. It may be irritating but harmless. So over time, the body will get tired of responding to it. So after a few years, T even in spike cannot extract one oz of anxiety from me. LOL. It will happen over time though. So be patient. Just keep living, knowing that in time, T will be a non issue.

The other powerful technique you can try is mindfulness meditation for anxiety. Try to invite anxiety, try to invite T, face them, don't run away, stay there, embrace it. Acceptance will come slowly but surely if you practice this. You can search youtube for many instructional videos on how to do this. CBT is another powerful technique and sometimes mindfulness is part of what CBT uses too. Check out this success story of Dr. Hubbard who has T and has used CBT (plus some element of mindfulness) to help himself turnaround his suffering. No one is a super human. We all suffer initially, but with some helpful strategies, you can get well faster and better. Here is my success story and Dr. Hubbard's. Take good care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-to-light-how-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/


Dr. Hubbard's success story using CBT technique:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-cbt-helped-me-live-again-dr-hubbards-story.4608/