New Confused and Stressed, Trying to be Rational

[Paul1970]

Hi.

My name is Paul. I was diagnosed with ear wax in March after a visit to the GP causing a fullness in my ear. I bought myself a syringe from Amazon and after putting olive oil in my ear for a few days got the wax out. I then developed an inner ear infection which was treated with penicillin. After a week I went back to another GP and was diagnosed with an outer ear infection. After a week of eardrops the infection is now under control. Now the frightening part. I am left with a humming in my ear which is causing me a great deal of stress and worry. It seems worse at night and I can't sleep or function properly. It sounds like road noise but the s constant. I am at my wits end and don't know what to do. My wife has been brilliant and she does not deserve this. I am planning on going back to the gp asap. When I pinch my nose and blow the left tube feels blocked and I can feel the right one open with air. Could this be at the root of my problems? I don't know anymore I feel like I'm losing it. I'm sat here now with the humming at 0500 and just wanted to share my thoughts and problems with you. I know this is a negative post but I feel angry and scared all at the same time. Can this ever go?

 

[jazz]

Hi Paul,

What ear drops did your doctor prescribe? It's possible that they irritated your inner ear, which has created your tinnitus. For now, however, the best thing you can do is NOT to worry. Try to get enough sleep and don't use the valsalva maneuver to relieve your ear pressure. For some people, myself included, gentle ear popping using the valsalva maneuver may damage your delicate inner ear.

Regardless of its cause, most tinnitus will resolve on its own within six months. It is important that you don't do additional damage to your ear and let it heal. Ask your doctor about using nasal steroids for a few months to lessen your ear pressure. They worked for me, but it's best to only use them short term, e.g., <6 months.

I would use masking sounds 24/7. Try to find a pleasant sound that minimizes your tinnitus noise. You don't have to cover it completely; and some people believe it's best if you still hear your noise slightly over the masking sounds to help train your brain ignore your tinnitus. And get some sleep. Sleep is the most important thing you can do for tinnitus--along with masking.

I used to take melatonin, sustained release, 3 mg, nightly for over a year to help me fall asleep. I also used (and still use) masking noise. Of course, ask your physician about melatonin as it might interfere with other drugs. That said, the supplement is generally considered safe, especially at 3 mg or below.

There is a lot of good information on Tinnitus Talk about sleeping tips, etc. But don't get too involved in analyzing your noise. The best you can do is stay calm. Tinnitus feeds on fear, especially when it's new. Be optimistic and proactive. And see your doctor. Chances are in six months, you'll be in a much better place than you are today.

Good luck!

 

[Paul1970]

Hi Jazz

Thank you for you words. It means alot to me. I will get back to the GP and have a word about my eustachion tubes I think steroid nasal med may be the next step.thank you so much!

 

[billie48]

Welcome Paul, jazz has given you excellent advice. It is important to keep the anxiety and stress level down. Too much fear & worry about T can likely trigger the limbic nervous system to take over and you will then be in a defensive mode of 'fight or flight'. As such you will easily freak out by T and amplify each bad or alien sensation, making the brain to zoom in on the 'threat' and monitor it. Then begins the viscous cycle of anxiety-stress-loud T-anxiety-stress.... It is best we learn to handle our reaction to T better.

Once you learn to react to T better, the tide can turn. Most recovery and habituation begins with the brain slowly changing the perception of T, from a threat to an annoyance, to a nuisance and then finally to a neutral stimulus that you have gotten used to or hardened to its alien sensation. To facilitate that, it is best to stay positive as much as you can. This can be done by reading up the many success stories on TT, as well as the Positivity Thread at the top of the main Support Forum. These will help you calm down and have positive hope for the future, that in months, a year or two, you will be just fine like the posters of success stories. Try to learn the insights and the collective wisdom shared in the stories. Try to emulate their strategies and copy their approaches. Be flexible and be firm and determined to follow some proven strategies. There are many roads to Rome, and after reading the stories, you will know that whatever strategies work for you are the best strategies. In general, people stress the importance of giving habituation enough time, patience, accepting and flowing with the 'new normal' of having T in our life but going back to living our life normally. Here are two posts from doctors about how they deal with their 'new normal' of having T.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/curing-tinnitus.4136/page-5#post-40854
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-cbt-helped-me-live-again-dr-hubbards-story.4608/

It may not be easy at first, but it will get better over time. In the mean time, try masking as jazz suggests to help soothe out the T shrill and calm your nerves. You can download free 'aire freshener', or use masking sounds on youtube. You can buy a sound machine for bed time, or use an ipod to mask on the go. Also, TT has excellent masking tracks in this thread. It has link to a sleep thread, as well as good tips for new T sufferers and links to ATA & BTA for more info on T. Take good care & God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/panic/