Manageable Tinnitus Worsened After J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Shot

Hi all,

My first post here. 54 year old male. I've had tinnitus before (and still intermittent) in my left ear which started in 2015 shortly after a upper jaw molar extraction and implant. It slowly reduced over time to a manageable level.

Me and my wife got the J&J shot on March 19th. About a week or two later, I notice my left ear felt full and when I chewed, it was sore and when I chewed, I heard a 'rubbing' noise in my left ear - akin to feel/sound of pushing your finger across the surface of a smooth wet rubber ball. I wish I could take that day back - as I know that it led to some of the issues I am now facing. About 7 days ago (25 days after the shot) - I began suffering from tinnitus in both ears. It began to gradually increasing to the point where I can't sleep. My wife is worried sick. And I've come to tears thinking that I'll have this ailment for the rest of my life. The emotional toll is severe - and my heart races every time I turn off my earbuds (I have rain sounds piped in to try to mask the whine of the tinnitus).

Many people ask why this is happening to me...and I am one of them. I'm so arrogant to have believed that taking that shot was safe. So... here I am.

I have an appointment with an ENT tomorrow. I am certain others have arrived to where I am...and find it hard to have even a little hope. Last time I went to him, I got a pamphlet telling me how I can manage my tinnitus...

May the Good Lord bless and keep you all... and give you respite from your affliction, if even for a moment, so that we may all continue to have hope.

Today - I am simply praying for a good night's sleep.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your affliction.

I had very mild tinnitus for many years which did not bother me... but it worsened dramatically after a sound injury 7 months ago. Right after the accident I had a difficult time coping. I was crying all the time. But it did improve. I still have ringing, but it's not as bad as before. I also have an intermittent feeling of fullness in my left ear. All of these things have improved with time. For me, I did many things to try to help. I found a lot of relief from acupuncture and herbs, homeopathic pellets, meditation and deep breathing, and most importantly, taking my mind off it. Pretending like it didn't exist. That was difficult at first, because I was so mad that it was happening. But in time, it proved to be very helpful.

I am not pushing any cure, but saying what helped me. These vaccines are very new, and we have a lot to learn. Try not to be mad at yourself. You made the decision you thought was best at the time. I would think/hope as your body adjusts, the ear issues will calm down as well.

I'm glad you are seeing the doc tomorrow. I have read some people's accounts of steroids helping.

Much love,
S

 

Just a personal update. My ENT prescribed Prednisone for an inner ear infection. I believe this was appropriate, since the symptoms post-vaccine injection were indicative of an unseen inner ear issue. Fullness. Soreness. I also had a hearing test - and strangely enough, my hearing is normal. That kind of floored me, since I simply can't see how my ears/brain can differentiate sounds so soft and at sigh high/low frequencies vs. the background (mental) sound of the high pitched tinnitus which I have in both ears... baffling. Doctor told me to use ZZZQuil and not Ambien - which apparently has its own problems. I'll pick some up when I pick up the Prednisone... but I'm on the fence on whether I'll take the Prednisone or not.

My tinnitus has not decreased - but thankfully has not increased either. I took an Ambien last night to get some sleep and glad I did... I was running 3 days on fumes and little sleep. I was able to wake up this morning with a much better outlook on life, and actually smiled a little. Amazing what a good night's sleep will do! At rising, my tinnitus was about a 4/10. As I write this, it's increased to a 6-7/10 - probably due to daily stress from work, etc. But I take heart in the fact it was the lowest at waking than it's been all week. I count that as a blessing. Last night was so bad, I collapsed in my wife's arms sobbing like a baby. The stress is real... I'll never ever ever consider someone who suffers from "invisible" tinnitus as having an 'easy' affliction. People just don't get it...

I'm not using masking sounds today.Frankly, the volume at which I had to crank them to 'mask' my tinnitus in both ears was probably borderline dangerous to my hearing... I was using the Apple earbuds, and my Bose Q-Comfort headset to really drown out my tinnitus. Today, I'm just focusing on work... and using the headset to provide protection from the ambient sounds... Tinnitus be damned. I'm just letting it flow over me and will focus on a hot shower and a calm 30 minutes of contemplation/mediation this evening after I take the sleep meds. Maybe I'll get more sleep tonight...

Blessings to you all!

 

Hi!

How are things going with you at the moment? Any improvement?

Cheers,
V.

 

My tinnitus worsened after J&J COVID-19 vaccine. It seems it’s slowly improving (crossing fingers). It’s up and down and slowly going down. I still expect spikes and for it to take months.

Hang in there.

 

After my recent visit to the ENT, he put me on two nasal sprays - one is a corticosteroid, the other an antihistamine. My tinnitus is more variable these days. Mornings being very quiet, while evenings it ratchets up. The sprays (given to me because he noticed rhinitus in my sinuses indicative of allergies) seems to be helping to moderate the spikes a bit better. The tinnitus has generally decreased. There were a few days where I had a 1/10 in my left ear, and nothing in my right ear. I was incredibly happy. Then in the evening, for no reason, my left spiked to an 8/10 and stayed through the night.

It's a non-stop fight it seems. But I'm managing much better. I pray the cycles/spikes begin to moderate a bit more as time goes on. I'm also starting to exercise for frequently - focusing on wellness and keeping my head in the present.

Bless you all! May silence find you and give you a peaceful night's sleep!