Loud Tinnitus After Having Children

[L.ina]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and in desperate need of help and advice. I suffer from hearing loss in my right ear (since I was born) and when I got my first child, three years ago, I started to experience a humming/vibrating sound in my right ear. I've had tinnitus on and off as long as I can remember but it has never bothered me that much.

This new humming/engine-like sound actually never struck me as tinnitus! I just thought it was something anatomically wrong in the ear due to my impaired hearing. I feel so stupid! It sneaked up on me, the sound, first I only experienced it in the morning and only if I held my head in a certain position. Gradually it got worse, fluctuating over time.

Three months ago I gave birth to my second child and the humming sound has increased immensely. I saw my GP who recommended me to wait to see the ENT-Dr because pregnancy apparently messes up your ears. However, two days ago I suddenly got the worst tinnitus I have ever experienced. It is simply horrible and I don't know what to do! It's no longer only on my "bad" ear but on both. It's no longer just one frequency but several at the same time! I feel incredibly sad and stressed out about this.

Why is this happening???? How can I make it go away? I haven't slept a whole night for a loooong time due to the kids and being pregnant and this certainly does not make it easier to find some rest. The whole corona-thing freaks me out as well. I feel like I'm on the verge of "hitting the wall" but I don't accept that - I have two little children that need their momma!

Is there anyone else with a similar experience? Am I going to get severely depressed? This is just awful. I have a long history of anxiety and depression (which I have medicated and that is under control right now, or at least was until the tinnitus hit me) and I just don't want to go there again! The anxiety and depression have never caused a worsened tinnitus before but could that be the case now...? I have so many questions and I feel so, so sad. Thank you for reading.

Ps: Did contact ENT-Dr yesterday but they have a waiting list. Not sure I even want to go inside the clinic with the virus going on...

 

[Shanna]

Hello
I'm sorry I don't have any advice but just wanted to say you're not alone. I too have young children who need their mom.
It's very hard to not get good sleep and then have to get up and take care of kids all day.

How're you feeling lately?
Did it get any better?

 

[L.ina]

Hi Shana, thank you for your reply!

Since I wrote this post my tinnitus has paradoxically both gotten better and worse. Better in the way that I've been able to locate the sound only to my "good" ear (the ear without hearing loss) and worse in the way that I experience the sound louder. Another thing that I think is positive is that I believe the sound originates from tense and tender jaw muscles. I saw my ENT who noticed I had a lot of pain in the face (from the muscles being strained all the time) and she told me that can worsen tinnitus. I'm supposed to see my dentist to confirm this and eventually get a bite plate (?) but the dentist's office is shut down temporarily due to lack of protective gear like face masks and rubber gloves. The strangest thing of all (and the best!) is that I can make the sound go away completely by pressing my finger or an earplug into the ear, like I'm pushing all air out of the ear. So strange - but very relieving! I had an MRI this Monday that I'm still waiting to get the result from. (Mostly due to my hearing loss on my other ear, not the tinnitus itself). How long have you suffered from tinnitus and do you know what's causing it?

Stay strong and take care! It's an absolute nightmare not getting enough sleep due to this horrible thing that T is, but you are not alone! <3