My Tinnitus Story: It All Started So Suddenly and Without Reason

[Cm40]

Hi all,

I came across Tinnitus Talk from reading an article in Hearing Health. Here is my story with tinnitus.

It happened in the summer of 2019. It was morning because I was watching tv and it was a weekday because it was my day off from work. It seemed to come out of nowhere. All of a sudden it felt as if someone covered my left ear or as if I got water in my ear. The ringing started soon after. At first, I thought swimmer's ear. Then when the ringing started, I thought someone was talking about me. But it didn't go away. I started to panic. I shook my head, I tried to make my ears pop, etc. Hours later, I decided to look up ENTs in my area. I chose one and I booked an appointment online. Unfortunately, there were no openings until 2 days later. I kept googling my symptoms, and panicked some more. I had no idea what to expect.

I went to the ENT and told him what was up. He was impressed that I acted as quickly as I could. He said most people don't go see him until it is already too late to try to do something. He checked my ears and said they looked normal. He sent me to an audiologist for a hearing test. I explained everything to the audiologist. I got into the sound booth while he administered the test. The test revealed mild to moderate hearing loss. The ENT put me on meds first for a few days to see if it would help. It didn't. He scheduled me for an MRI to rule out anything cancerous. That was an experience. Thankfully it was not cancer.

Unfortunately, it was hearing loss and tinnitus. I unfortunately have to live with it. I use fans for white noise 24/7. My condition gets worse when I'm stressed. I also live next door to inconsiderate neighbors who make excessively loud noise. The walls are super thin that I can hear loud conversations word for word, loud TV and music. Both the super and the landlord have dismissed my legitimate complaints against them. The super was the worst, he dismissed my complaint about the loud tv noise all over my bedroom past 10 pm this past Sunday night as "normal apartment noise." It is really awful. So I have to live with tinnitus and awful neighbors.

The ringing gets worse and I'm trying so hard not to let this constant noise nuisance bother me, but it does. I don't feel heard, validated from the people that are supposed to support me.

I get the ringing but I also get tension headaches. It's hard to deal with this. I feel very alone.

 

[LilSass]

Hi @Cm40!

I'm sorry that you're going through this. It's no consolation, because although we can do very little regarding tinnitus, at least you know that you're not alone, and sometimes that makes all the difference. Good for you for taking control and getting things checked out asap. At least you know that you did all that you could. I developed tinnitus around November 2019 from migraine meds the doctor gave me. I have chronic pain in my neck/shoulders/back and migraines, and now tinnitus, so I can understand. The pain and migraines are under control, for the most part, but the tinnitus remains. I have mostly accepted it, but it still saddens me sometimes.

That sucks about your neighbors, not helpful at all! Rent is quite high now too, so it would probably be too expensive to move. Most people don't understand this condition, so it makes it even more frustrating.

Have you ever tried seeing an upper cervical chiropractor for you tension headaches? It has helped my migraines tremendously. Also, Magnesium is good for relaxing muscles, most people are deficient because all of the Mg in the soil has been depleted due to over farming. 200-600mg/day Magnesium Bisglycinate or Citrate.

Well, I must get back to work, but I hope that you find some camaraderie here and possibly some tips on how to deal with tinnitus. Be careful with your ears and do your best not to expose yourself to loud noise, including giving up ear buds.

All the best!
Sarah

 

[Cm40]

Thank you Sarah. I haven't looked into a chiropractor. Honestly, I didn't know that maybe I could do that regarding tension headaches. I've been increasing my water intake because I figured I was dehydrated. Insurance here in the States is a whole other complicated mess. I will look into the magnesium. The rent is way too damn high, that's for sure. But is it even worth it to pay rent controlled prices when you're stuck next to awful neighbors? It is not worth the toll it is taking on my mental health, especially while we're still in a pandemic. I will be looking for another place to live.

 

[Mary97]

I hope you find a quiet, affordable place to live. It's what I am looking for as well. Magnesium also helps me a lot. I take it before bed and I sleep much better. I hope you find comfort on this forum.

 

[Leila]

But is it even worth it to pay rent controlled prices when you're stuck next to awful neighbors? It is not worth the toll it is taking on my mental health, especially while we're still in a pandemic. I will be looking for another place to live.

I know all about inconsiderate neighbours and the kind of additional stress it may put on a person. I hope you'll find a means of escape soon or maybe, if your living situation allows for it, invest in acoustic boards (I hope this is the correct English term for it - the kind of foam boards used for sound insulation which are cut into pyramid shapes) and line the wall that's connected to your neighbours' apartment with them. They're not very pretty but help keeping unwanted noises out and, depending on how you put them up, can be sold or reused once you've find a new place.

Wishing you all the strength you need to get through this extra trying times!