How to Possibly Cope with This!?

[Stefanos]

Just getting over a pretty painful ear infection after 7 days or so... Just noticed the tinnitus the past 3 to 4 days... My right ear is totally blocked.. didn't pay much mind to it but recently I've noticed some anxiety coming on and I don't really know how to deal with it..

I seem to get by pretty well during the day when I stay busy but when it's time to calm down and relax it takes over...

I can't stop thinking about it I can't sleep I've been pacing around the house I got nauseous my heart's been beating really fast and just this overall sense of dread... Trying anyway to just tire myself out to the point where I just fall asleep..

 

[DebInAustralia]

Just getting over a pretty painful ear infection after 7 days or so... Just noticed the tinnitus the past 3 to 4 days... My right ear is totally blocked.. didn't pay much mind to it but recently I've noticed some anxiety coming on and I don't really know how to deal with it..

I seem to get by pretty well during the day when I stay busy but when it's time to calm down and relax it takes over...

I can't stop thinking about it I can't sleep I've been pacing around the house I got nauseous my heart's been beating really fast and just this overall sense of dread... Trying anyway to just tire myself out to the point where I just fall asleep..

Sorry to hear about your ear infection. This is how my t started too.

Which antibiotic were you treated with?

I found the blockage in my ear from the infection annoying, but it wasnt till the clever ENT said " you have tinnitus and youll have to learn to live with this" that I started to panic.

Have a look at Julian Cowan Hills youtube videos on tinnitus.

So, I can relate to your anxiety. I also know what helps me with anxiety are these things:

. talk to a friend/reach out to tinnitus community/help lines
. distraction
. hot bath
. essential oils
. massage
. a walk
. gardening and cooking
. listening to soothing music
. help others/ get involved in new projects
. self cbt
. hypnosis

Others use valerian, gaba tea, magnesium, melatonin, passionflower, 5HTP, L tryptophan

I havent used benzos nor would I recommend them.


Your t is new, and I found my ear infection took a few weeks to completely heal. Your t could still resolve, so I wouldnt be assuming this is permanent right now. If it is, you are going to be ok. We are here for you.

Night time/relaxation time is the hardest time for most of us because your brain hasnt got anything else to focus on.

The suggestions in the back to silence thread may be of help to you with regards to practicing mindfulness cbt/habituation.

If you find your t persists once your infection has resolved, have a look at the LLLT (dr wilden) and stem cell threads on this forum. Others use acrn (neuromodulation) sound therapies. there is a thread for this on the forum.

Keep coming back here for support, and know that you are not alone with this. We care about you.

 

[JurgenG]

Try to mask it as much as possible!

 

[Michael Leigh]

Try to mask it as much as possible!

If you mean to completely mask the tinnitus @JurgenG so that it can't be heard, then that isn't a good idea. It is much better to set the masking sound slightly below the tinnitus. If the brain cannot hear the tinnitus it will never be able to habituate to it.
Michael

 

[Samir]

Hi! Welcome to Tinnitus Talk!

I think the emotional distress is the hardest part. Anxiety is likely linked to the noise you hear. You will overcome this, but it may take some time. How long it takes is all individual.

I am into my third month now since I realized I had tinnitus and I have more or less completely habituated to the noise. The first thing I noticed was the anxiety, I didn't even know it was because of tinnitus or that I had tinnitus. I realized that three months ago, but I had been feeling anxious several months before that, without any apparent reason.

What helped me through the most difficult episodes of anxiety was having someone to talk to. I also often went on walks outside. I did not take any drugs. Somehow I managed to pull through. Maybe you can do it too? I would only recommend drugs as the last resort, especially those heavy drugs like Benzodiazepines.

For sleeping, you can try melatonin or masking the noise with an external sound source such as TV, Radio, a fan, ambient music or noise generators. Adjust the volume so that you just barely hear the tinnitus noise. This website has some very nice background sounds: https://mynoise.net/

 

[Stefanos]

Finally got to sleep around 2am and woke up at 7am. I have been reading up on this non-stop which is comforting but at the same time keeps your mind on it. I noticed yesterday evening it seemed to "spike" when my wife asked me about it, even though my mind was on it, her bringing it up seemed to "awaken" it more.

How much of this is "physical" vs "mental"

I was taking sudafed from which i have been reading does not help anxiety but what about effects of sudafed on the T. How long would theses types of side effects last after using the sudafed

What else should i stay away from or add to my bodily intake...

My ear is still pretty blocked up and i notice i hear the T more when it is or when i add the ear drops...not sure how long until my hear "opens" but do you think the T might lessen since i can hear more or maybe it will increase to offset the better hearing after it uncloggs...

even though the ear infection started a week ago another thing is I have been under alot of stress the past month, especially this past week along with the infection.

 

[Samir]

@Stefanos Finding comfort in each other, and finding support from friends and family is what helps us get through with this. I also find hope in knowing that there is more research into tinnitus and hearing loss than ever before. There are some very smart and dedicated people working on this. Hopefully one day they will find a cure for us.

The so called spikes can be scary. I have had a couple of those. The worst part is when they appear as if the noise is in the middle of the head, that is so intrusive. But it does go away. That's why they are called spikes, it's a temporary rise. My last one lasted for about 2 hours.

I would say this is 80% mental and 20% physical thing. The noise is created in the brain, but it is induced by a damaged inner ear. Regenerating sensory and neural cells in the inner ear is not science fiction. It is more real by every passing day.

Try to remove as many of the stressors in your life as possible. I used to believe that stress on its own can induce tinnitus. I no longer believe that. It is ultimately an ear and auditory brain processing problem. However, tinnitus does seem to feed on stress, depression and anxiety. It's a vicious cycle. Breaking out of this cycle will help you habituate faster. That does not mean that you will not hear the noise, but it will bother you less and less. Many also report a reduction in tinnitus volume, myself included.

I am not familiar with Sudafed. According to Wikipedia, the active ingredient is Pseudoephedrine, a drug used to treat nasal congestion, sinus congestion and Eustachian tube congestion. Among common adverse effects you find central nervous system stimulation, insomnia, nervousness, excitability, dizziness and anxiety. In rare cases it can also cause hallucination. It doesn't say what kind, but hallucinations in general terms can be of visual or auditory nature.

Perhaps Sudafed is the very cause of your tinnitus? If it is, then it is likely temporary and will likely go away when you stop using Sudafed. Have you seen an ear doctor? Did you get prescription for Sudafed or you just bought it over the counter?

Just out of curiosity, what does your tinnitus noise sound like?

 

[Stefanos]

Update:

I have been trying to get back here to post but for some reason this site was not loading for me or at least not in a reasonable amount of time. All other sites were fine so not too sure what was up.

Anyways nothing really changed yet. Still have the ringing and fullness in my right ear. Still driving me nuts but it seems i am able to cope a bit better everyday. There have been a day or 2 that were pretty bad the whole day. I have noticed the most anxiety when waking up in the morning but am forcing my self to not take any meds. I do have some Zoloft from a friend at my disposal but I am too focused on getting hooked and have not had to take one yet. I keep telling myself to get up , do something and try to get my mind off it. I think i could habituate to the level the T is now but I am more obsessing on "what if" it gets really loud, what is it goes the the other ear, what if each ear hears different sounds and volumes. There are so many different variable I can come up with. Literally driving myself crazy lol.

All i have taken is a 10 day amoxicillin and my doctor gave me some ear drops for which i even stopped taking after looking up mycin and not wanting to take a chance even though my doctor told me it was outer ear infection and drum did not burst

 

[Stefanos]

By the way I do not see many Americans on here. is this a European site.

 

[Paul10]

By the way I do not see many Americans on here. is this a European site.

I think it's based in the UK (not sure) but about 50% of people here are Americans, the rest (like me) are mostly European.

If you need to be reminded of your T to be aware of it, take that a blessing.

All the best.

 

[hopeforme]

I'm American

Anyways I was like you in the beginning. I got mine from an ear infection. It's about two months and the sounds are 90% less of what it was in the beginning.

Sleep elevated. When I sleep flat I notice the sounds are much worse. Do a lot of hot steaming or showers. Make sure to keep your nasal passages clear.

You have to believe it will get better. I didn't but as time went on the sounds started to get less and less and my life turned around.

Try not to read too much on here. I think I get bored so I have a habit of coming on here but I'm thinking of starting to play video games in the future of join a book club. If it helps, stay off your phone.

Some things that help me are I have a few friends with tinnitus and they help me vice versa. I also like to think of Chris Martin from Coldplay. He has T and produces great music..always looks happy.

Have hope!

 

[Stefanos]

I think it's based in the UK (not sure) but about 50% of people here are Americans, the rest (like me) are mostly European.

If you need to be reminded of your T to be aware of it, take that a blessing.

All the best.

I do! That is what all my anxiety has been about. That it is going to get unbearable.

 

[fishbone]

Just getting over a pretty painful ear infection after 7 days or so... Just noticed the tinnitus the past 3 to 4 days... My right ear is totally blocked.. didn't pay much mind to it but recently I've noticed some anxiety coming on and I don't really know how to deal with it..

I seem to get by pretty well during the day when I stay busy but when it's time to calm down and relax it takes over...

I can't stop thinking about it I can't sleep I've been pacing around the house I got nauseous my heart's been beating really fast and just this overall sense of dread... Trying anyway to just tire myself out to the point where I just fall asleep..

Yes, this is something new and odd. You are not use to . It just takes some time and you will eventually adapt to it. I highly suggest that you get plenty of exercise and try to not dwell on this. It will be very hard, but it can be done. from here on, you need to just protect your ears, the best that you can. Avoid loud music, sugar, coffee (if you can) and balance out a good diet.

Try to relax yourself, as much as possible and things do get better in time