Hello,
My trouble started in February 2015. All of a sudden, I heard a "tinny" echo in my right ear and wondered what the hell was going on. I immediately saw my ENT (established after an ear infection in my left ear the year before). He gave me cortisone pills and then injections into my middle ear. At the same time, I went to acupuncture twice a week. I had hearing loss, which was more manageable to me than the tinny echo.
After the injections and the acupuncture, the tinny sounds went away. There was a very mild tinnitus that lessened over time. All seemed okay. And then it got better in the summer, when I was away and had a lot of avenues for stress reduction.
And then....it came back ten-fold in September. The tinnitus was loud, I found myself with hyperacusis, and there were moments when the tinnitus was so loud it would wake me at night and interfere with daily life. I could hear it on the noisy streets of my New York neighborhood. I felt insane. I wanted to run. I cried all the time.
My ENT told me there were no answers and prescribed an anti-depressant and sent me on my way. I was told to meditate, reduce stress, and accept it. I tried all of that. I saw another acupuncturist. I checked for thyroid problems, I changed my diet to support my adrenal system, saw a chiropractor weekly, got massages, I started drinking tea like it was my job. I listened to white noise. Over and over again: Therapy, exercise, meditate, tea, white noise machines.......
I continued to get really loud tinnitus at various moments. And I refused to give up on finding an answer. I found another ENT, and another -until he tested me for Meniere's. AND I read that TMJ and bruxism contribute to tinnitus. I saw my dentist and got a night guard. I got off anti-depressants (SSRI), started HCTZ for water retention, and wore my night guard every single night.
I haven't had a severe moment for over a week and I have to imagine that it's a combo of the diuretic and the night guard, supported by stress reduction activities and exercises. For me, I truly believe that it's my bruxism. I have all the other symptoms: headaches, neck and back aches, jaw aches, clenching. But my first ENT never even asked me questions related to TMJ, TMD, bruxism, or whatever.
My point is: don't give up! you don't have to "live with it" without relief or knowing a cause of some kind! SOMETHING is causing your tinnitus. I don't know what the future holds for me. I still can't hear well, but my tinnitus is lower, the hyperacusis is less severe, and I can have days when don't remember that I have tinnitus at all (or at least until the quiet nighttime). And for me, that's success in my treatment.
Keep trying - find a doctor who can help. see your dentist. research current prescription medications that may be contributing to tinnitus. seek alternate support (i.e. diet).
Like I said, I don't know what tomorrow may bring, but today I can breathe a little and rest a bit, have a normal day, and stay positive.
My trouble started in February 2015. All of a sudden, I heard a "tinny" echo in my right ear and wondered what the hell was going on. I immediately saw my ENT (established after an ear infection in my left ear the year before). He gave me cortisone pills and then injections into my middle ear. At the same time, I went to acupuncture twice a week. I had hearing loss, which was more manageable to me than the tinny echo.
After the injections and the acupuncture, the tinny sounds went away. There was a very mild tinnitus that lessened over time. All seemed okay. And then it got better in the summer, when I was away and had a lot of avenues for stress reduction.
And then....it came back ten-fold in September. The tinnitus was loud, I found myself with hyperacusis, and there were moments when the tinnitus was so loud it would wake me at night and interfere with daily life. I could hear it on the noisy streets of my New York neighborhood. I felt insane. I wanted to run. I cried all the time.
My ENT told me there were no answers and prescribed an anti-depressant and sent me on my way. I was told to meditate, reduce stress, and accept it. I tried all of that. I saw another acupuncturist. I checked for thyroid problems, I changed my diet to support my adrenal system, saw a chiropractor weekly, got massages, I started drinking tea like it was my job. I listened to white noise. Over and over again: Therapy, exercise, meditate, tea, white noise machines.......
I continued to get really loud tinnitus at various moments. And I refused to give up on finding an answer. I found another ENT, and another -until he tested me for Meniere's. AND I read that TMJ and bruxism contribute to tinnitus. I saw my dentist and got a night guard. I got off anti-depressants (SSRI), started HCTZ for water retention, and wore my night guard every single night.
I haven't had a severe moment for over a week and I have to imagine that it's a combo of the diuretic and the night guard, supported by stress reduction activities and exercises. For me, I truly believe that it's my bruxism. I have all the other symptoms: headaches, neck and back aches, jaw aches, clenching. But my first ENT never even asked me questions related to TMJ, TMD, bruxism, or whatever.
My point is: don't give up! you don't have to "live with it" without relief or knowing a cause of some kind! SOMETHING is causing your tinnitus. I don't know what the future holds for me. I still can't hear well, but my tinnitus is lower, the hyperacusis is less severe, and I can have days when don't remember that I have tinnitus at all (or at least until the quiet nighttime). And for me, that's success in my treatment.
Keep trying - find a doctor who can help. see your dentist. research current prescription medications that may be contributing to tinnitus. seek alternate support (i.e. diet).
Like I said, I don't know what tomorrow may bring, but today I can breathe a little and rest a bit, have a normal day, and stay positive.
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