- Mar 9, 2022
- 37
- Tinnitus Since
- 01/2022
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Suspect COVID-19 vaccine - Moderna booster in 12/2021
My journey spans just over two years but I will keep it as short as possible as I'm looking for any and all help/suggestions/positivity I can get at this time.
I first started with what I now realize was a pretty mild case of tinnitus. This was at the start of the pandemic, and I don't know the actual cause (at the time, I thought it was from a COVID-19 booster shot). Thus began my obsession with searching the internet and visiting "Google University" for hours at a time. Over the next year and a half, my tinnitus seemed to get slowly worse, from mild and unilateral to more moderate and bilateral. During that time (and still to a degree), I was definitely over-protecting my ears, even in places like restaurants where the noise level was nowhere near dangerous. Then came the initial issue of having my right ear react/cringe to noises like dishes clanking on a granite counter, silverware clanking, multiple people talking, etc. I figured that was some level of hyperacusis – ugh! That progressed to a chronic ear fullness feeling and severe crackling in my right ear that I could not "pop" my ears from. I thought it just might be some Eustachian tube issue. Then other symptoms came, like rumbling and thumping in my right ear. A visit to Google University quickly came up with Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS). Needless to say, everything I read has made me beyond anxious and fearful that my life is now ruined. Most recently, that has progressed to my left ear as well. I am completely mentally distraught.
Through this journey, my family has been as supportive as possible, but my situation is wearing thin on them, and I don't blame them. I am quite convinced that all of the progression from my initial mild tinnitus to today is the result of my obsessive reaction to everything and my extreme stress and anxiety levels. The fact that I brought this on myself just makes my anxiety worse.
I have appointments with an audiologist and ENT over the next couple of weeks. I saw both of these providers in the early part of this adventure and the audiologist a few more times, so these are not my first appointments with them. I don't really expect much. I just want to check to see if my hearing has been affected (audiologist) and if there is any definitive diagnosis or treatment I can get (ENT). Based on what I've read (and "doom-scrolled"), it would appear that my only hope, short of surgery, is going to be up to me to address my anxiety/stress towards my tinnitus, hyperacusis and TTTS, and hope that will resolve at least the latter two. The problem is I am not an emotionally strong person, so the thought of it relying completely on my own emotional strength and self-discipline just makes me more anxious.
I guess the best-case scenario for me in the short term is that I can get some answers and direction from my upcoming appointments.
I do ask anyone reading this post to share what they may know or have experienced themselves that may offer me some sense of hope and positivity for my situation. I would give anything to be back with my initial mild tinnitus, and so wish that I had never become OCD with incessant internet research. With no other incident or event that could have contributed to my situation, I am left with the thought that I simply have done this to myself. Knowing that has me a half-step from major depression, thinking that I will suffer from this for the rest of my life.
My heart goes out to anyone who has or is experiencing something similar. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I first started with what I now realize was a pretty mild case of tinnitus. This was at the start of the pandemic, and I don't know the actual cause (at the time, I thought it was from a COVID-19 booster shot). Thus began my obsession with searching the internet and visiting "Google University" for hours at a time. Over the next year and a half, my tinnitus seemed to get slowly worse, from mild and unilateral to more moderate and bilateral. During that time (and still to a degree), I was definitely over-protecting my ears, even in places like restaurants where the noise level was nowhere near dangerous. Then came the initial issue of having my right ear react/cringe to noises like dishes clanking on a granite counter, silverware clanking, multiple people talking, etc. I figured that was some level of hyperacusis – ugh! That progressed to a chronic ear fullness feeling and severe crackling in my right ear that I could not "pop" my ears from. I thought it just might be some Eustachian tube issue. Then other symptoms came, like rumbling and thumping in my right ear. A visit to Google University quickly came up with Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS). Needless to say, everything I read has made me beyond anxious and fearful that my life is now ruined. Most recently, that has progressed to my left ear as well. I am completely mentally distraught.
Through this journey, my family has been as supportive as possible, but my situation is wearing thin on them, and I don't blame them. I am quite convinced that all of the progression from my initial mild tinnitus to today is the result of my obsessive reaction to everything and my extreme stress and anxiety levels. The fact that I brought this on myself just makes my anxiety worse.
I have appointments with an audiologist and ENT over the next couple of weeks. I saw both of these providers in the early part of this adventure and the audiologist a few more times, so these are not my first appointments with them. I don't really expect much. I just want to check to see if my hearing has been affected (audiologist) and if there is any definitive diagnosis or treatment I can get (ENT). Based on what I've read (and "doom-scrolled"), it would appear that my only hope, short of surgery, is going to be up to me to address my anxiety/stress towards my tinnitus, hyperacusis and TTTS, and hope that will resolve at least the latter two. The problem is I am not an emotionally strong person, so the thought of it relying completely on my own emotional strength and self-discipline just makes me more anxious.
I guess the best-case scenario for me in the short term is that I can get some answers and direction from my upcoming appointments.
I do ask anyone reading this post to share what they may know or have experienced themselves that may offer me some sense of hope and positivity for my situation. I would give anything to be back with my initial mild tinnitus, and so wish that I had never become OCD with incessant internet research. With no other incident or event that could have contributed to my situation, I am left with the thought that I simply have done this to myself. Knowing that has me a half-step from major depression, thinking that I will suffer from this for the rest of my life.
My heart goes out to anyone who has or is experiencing something similar. Thank you for taking the time to read this.