I Guess I Have Tinnitus

[William Oliveira]

Hello, guys! It took me a few weeks to come here and introduce myself, but here we go...

My name is William, I'm 24, from Brazil, and I have T.

This is hard to say, but my tinnitus started after a really stressful month of my life.

My wife and I lost our third child (she gets pregnant, keeps the baby a few months, then we lost... we already know the problem, but there's no 100% effective treatment), and I just couldn't handle it.

I thought about dying and stop caring about life, it was pretty bad. I feel better now, but I have T as a side-effect, perhaps.

Since it started, I've been going through hell. It's not as loud as many of you describe, but it gets to the point of not letting me sleep well. The last days have been really difficult to me, I consulted a doctor, he said I have developed Ménière's disease and Labyrinthitis due the stress. I've been taking some medication, but it doesn't solve it. It's almost 2 months now, and it's still here.

The bad feelings keep coming, and I try to stay positive. But I won't deny, it's hard. A lot of things at the same time, and I have to deal with everything. Work (I'm a Software Engineer, so it involves a lot of concentration and thinking), helping my wife, keeping everything balanced...

Well, this is me, this is my story. I hope I can feel better soon (I already do, but not 100%).

Thanks in advance, and see you around!

 

[Karen]

Hi, William,

We're glad you've joined us; welcome! Yes, stress can definitely be a cause of tinnitus, and since that's what may have caused yours, it's possible it will subside on its own, or calm down. I'm so sorry for your loss, and my heart goes out to your and your wife.

Please be sure to read the "Don't Panic" section on the upper right hand side of the home page for tips on what you can do when tinnitus is new. Some people tell me they have had success with taking prednisone at the beginning of tinnitus. You could consider going to a doctor to see if he could prescribe this for you, and/or for something to help you cope and to sleep.

I had dizziness/vertigo when my tinnitus first started, and it turned out not to be Meniere's. Mine eventually went away on its own.

Good luck, and we're glad you've joined us!

Best wishes and hugs,
Karen

 

[William Oliveira]

Thank you so much for your kind words, Karen. Me and my wife really appreciate it.

I did read the "Don't panic" section, and it helped a lot. I'll talk to my doctor next week and see if he can prescribe prednisone, thanks for suggesting it!

I hope this goes away soon, but until then, I'll stay positive and keep going with my life.

Best,
William

 

[Karen]

@William Oliveira,
There is a natural supplement you can try, too, that might help, or at least protect your ears from further damage. It is called NAC (N-acetylcistene), and I've been taking it for several months now. It has seemed to help me, and I've had tinnitus for many years.

Good luck, and I hope you find some coping strategies that will work for you. That's the key to getting better with tinnitus -- finding ways to cope with it, and trying not to let it upset you. The more you are able to put the tinnitus out of your mind, the sooner you will begin to habituate to it.

 

[James Brown]

Well, I believe the first thing you have to do is to calm down. Life can be hard and hit you, but you can't stay down. Brazilian people are very positive, with great attitude. Little by little you have to raise, and like you said your T is mild, so you will cope very soon.
Vamos lá irmão, bola prá frente, e primeiro tentar repor a paz e a calma. O resto vêm de seguida.

 

[Magpie]

I consulted a doctor, he said I have developed Ménière's disease and Labyrinthitis due the stress.

I have Meniere's and to my knowledge you don't get it from stress. Meniere's is caused by an excess of fluid(endolymph) in the inner ear. It is also known as endolympatic hydrops. The exact cause is not known although there are several theories and in my case I had meningitis when I was a bub and that has been considered as one of a number of options.

Of course a consequence of Meniere's is stress among other things but stress is not a cause so your doctor is ill informed at best.

What Meniere's does is destroy the inner hair cells of the inner ear and a consequence is tinnitus, vertigo, fullness/pressure in the ear, attacks of dizziness and hearing loss.

There are options as far as minimising or reducing symptoms including diuretics and anti emetics but the best option is reducing salt from your diet.

As for medications Serc(Betahistine) and Stemetil are the most widely used with mixed results.

My recommendation is reduce salt from your diet, reduce caffeine and avoid junk foods.

There are a number of causes of dizziness aside from Meniere's and one of the most common is anxiety and depression and the best way to treat this is by seeing a psychologist.

 

[Ricky81]

Hang in there.... I could not sleep for a good month when I first got T.

My ears, teeth, jaws, head were in pain because of an assault. My right optic nerve is still acting up. My left foot was hurt because i had to kick 1 of the 2 guys who was attacking me and that foot took 2 months to heal... well all that Pain is gone.. except mild headace. I still have T tho.. which sucks but I sleep well.

But slowly but surely body heals... eat lots of fruits... blueberry, magnesium, orange, banana, vitamin c, milk, etc... everyday........you get the point.. make sure your diet is good.. don't go eat donuts all day.

 

[William Oliveira]

Hey guys!

It's been more than a month since I posted this, and my T is still here.

I went to a psychiatrist, and now I'm taking antidepressants and feel much better. Life is back to normal, I can do pretty much everything again and enjoy it (including work, which is something I really love).

Yeah, T is annoying, and some days it gets louder, and others gets quieter, but well, what can we do? I love living and won't let it interfere.

One tip for beginners that I had to learn the hard way: don't search too much, you'll find many cases of suicide and things that will scary you... it did scared me at first, but each single person handle it on its own way. Don't take others thoughts as yours. Be yourself. Keep going!

 

[billie48]

Thanks for the positive update. It is amazing that you can turn around so fast. The member support here can do some miracles. Usually this is the pattern for new T sufferers, from shock, trauma, anxiety, sleeplessness, depression, then to coping and learning and adapting, with T slowly being viewed from life-threatening to annoying. Eventually given time, when the body is hardened to the alien sensation of T, and if you don't painfully resist the reality of T in your life, T will be treated by the brain as a neutral stimulus and you will be on the way to habituation. Congrats to your progress and thanks for the positive update. You may want to consider posting a success story in the Success Stories forum for such speedy turnaround.

 

[BobDigi]

Well, this is me, this is my story. I hope I can feel better soon (I already do, but not 100%).

You'll be fine mate. It just takes time. 2 months isn't long. Within the year you'll be concentrating for hours at a time and not even thinking about tinnitus. Just takes time.
I know how you feel though.