New Sufferer and I Am a Physician!

[Marie Blalock]

I woke up on September 24th with bilateral tinnitus. It is a high-pitched hissing tone and is worsened by stretching my jaw or lying down. I went to an audiologist and had my hearing tested - I am in my early 60's so some higher end hearing loss was discovered and my tinnitus is where the loss is. I got high-end hearing aids and at least I can pump in various sounds to alleviate the tinnitus - I use "White Noise" on my Anroid phone - this is a great app and has helped to preserve my sanity.
I guess I will go through the gamut of medical invetsigations and seeing various specialists but will end up, like so many others, hoping that Tinnitus Retraining will eventually help. It seems quite difficult at times.
I realize I am only at the beginning of my long journey, a journey many of you have been on for years.

Hello Dr. Ancill,
I'm hoping you might be able to answer a question or two that I have. I had a myringotomy six weeks ago and immediately after the procedure my ear started ringing. I never had this problem before. What would cause this to happen? At first it was really loud and either I have habituated to it or it has gotten quieter. Ever since the procedure I have also not been hearing well from the ear. My eardrum still feels tender. The ent said I think it's healed. Are you familiar with what phenol is? This was put on my eardrum like four different times to numb it before the cut was made. Could this have anything to do with the tinnitus and the way that my ear is feeling? The stuff is excruciating painful when it hits the eardrum, like a severe burn or sting. They say its caustic. There even has been some questions raised about its safety as a local anesthetic for myringotomy due to the fact that it can get into the round window of the inner ear from the ear canal. I'm assuming that also means the eardrum. If it gets into the inner ear it damages the cochlea and hairs. It's hard to explain. My ear feels sore but it feels numb and hearing is numb sounding and muffled now where it wasn't before. Could this local anesthetic have damaged my nerves in my hearing? How could a myringotomy cause nerve damage to hearing? I really need some professional input about this as I have no health insurance and my husband is out of a job so there is no money to go to several different doctors before finding out what the problem is. I've already been to two who coudn't help me.
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[Dr. Ancill]

It is difficult to comment without details from the operative precedure but any toxic chemical that could get through the tympanic membrane to the inner ear, could potentiallycause damage. I would suggest you talk this over with your family physician and perhaps get a 2nd opinion from another ENT

 

[Robert Lund]

Thanks all.....it is nice to know there are others. Not only am I a physician, but I am a psychiatrist with a special interest in concussions and traumatic brain injuries. For the past 16 years, I have sympathized with my patients who have developed traumatic tinnitus and it seem reassuring to them to now learn I have it too....talk about empathy!! I understand about neural pathways and how the tinnitus is created by the auditory cortex then modulated by the limbic system which is constantly alerted to this 'new' sound. However, knowing is not the same as dealing with it. I find that a mild tranquilizer, such as Ativan, helps to calm the brain down when things become tough - usually in the evening.

Hi Doc! I have to agree with you on the getting worse at night. I have been suffering for 30 plus years at the same level bi-laterally fatigue seems to increase the levels for some reason. or my perception is the that the ears have put up with noise all day and have just aggravated the situation. if you get any sinus congestion it seems to go off the chart also. good luck and pray for silence. it would be awesome to just hear nature for the first time in35 years

 

[Stina]

Hello Dr. Ancill! It is very good to have a medical professional in out group - would help to sort out some of the false information. Im sorry but it was a very long discussion here so I didnt read it all very carefully. I noticed that you said that you are surprised that no medical company has tested antidepressants or other medications on Tinnitus patients. Do you have any idea why is that so? I sense that if a better cure was found it would probbaly bring in a lot of money. Also, if it is a problem of the brain could be help with meditation?
I also have a more professional question for you: I am very anxious about my condition so I am thinking about visiting the psychiatrist and getting some light sedatives written out. I know it is not a long term solution but perhaps could help me habituate. Could you tell me if any sedatives are known to make T worse?

 

[jes]

Hi doc. I can understand that you know about the brain and tinnitus.Have you heard about the HIFU treatment for tinnitus,is it possible to cut the nerves in the limbic system that reaseves tinnitus.is it dangerous.

 

[object16]

i am also a medical doctor, it is frustrating because when you go to the doctor, they tell you you have something else -" you have a deep and terrible depression"- or "we don't treat that here" and on one wants to treat you. it has been really tough going for me and i don't know how much longer i can keep my sanity and keep working.

 

[Dr. Ancill]

Hello Dr. Ancill! It is very good to have a medical professional in out group - would help to sort out some of the false information. Im sorry but it was a very long discussion here so I didnt read it all very carefully. I noticed that you said that you are surprised that no medical company has tested antidepressants or other medications on Tinnitus patients. Do you have any idea why is that so? I sense that if a better cure was found it would probbaly bring in a lot of money. Also, if it is a problem of the brain could be help with meditation?
I also have a more professional question for you: I am very anxious about my condition so I am thinking about visiting the psychiatrist and getting some light sedatives written out. I know it is not a long term solution but perhaps could help me habituate. Could you tell me if any sedatives are known to make T worse?

Antidepressants (apart from Cymbalta) only have the licensed indication for depression (sometimes with anxiety) and so they will not do trials in tinnitus. They could do trials for patient with tinnitus who have depression but they won't as most of these drugs are generic (not patent-protected). Then we must ask why the various national tinnitus associations do not fund such a study. It would be helpful to learn more about the effects of using antidepressants in patients suffering from tinnitus.

 

[Stina]

I hate bureacracy...

 

[Bruce]

I woke up on September 24th with bilateral tinnitus. It is a high-pitched hissing tone and is worsened by stretching my jaw or lying down. I went to an audiologist and had my hearing tested - I am in my early 60's so some higher end hearing loss was discovered and my tinnitus is where the loss is. I got high-end hearing aids and at least I can pump in various sounds to alleviate the tinnitus - I use "White Noise" on my Anroid phone - this is a great app and has helped to preserve my sanity.
I guess I will go through the gamut of medical invetsigations and seeing various specialists but will end up, like so many others, hoping that Tinnitus Retraining will eventually help. It seems quite difficult at times.
I realize I am only at the beginning of my long journey, a journey many of you have been on for years.

Hi, I noticed you suggesting that your hearing test revealed "higher end hearing loss...and...my tinnitus is where the loss is". I didn't realize tinnitus was related to a "frequency range". How does that work in your thinking? I have struggled with this malady for 45 years +/- but really don't know it's mechanism. Does hearing loss in upper end frequencies answer for you your tinnitus?

 

[Liesel]

Hi, I noticed you suggesting that your hearing test revealed "higher end hearing loss...and...my tinnitus is where the loss is". I didn't realize tinnitus was related to a "frequency range". How does that work in your thinking? I have struggled with this malady for 45 years +/- but really don't know it's mechanism. Does hearing loss in upper end frequencies answer for you your tinnitus?

Hey Bruce, not a doctor myself, but I believe the mechanism for hearing loss related tinnitus is relatively well established. When the fine hair cells in your inner ear that sense sound get damaged, the brain gets confused. It was once receiving information in that frequency range, and it's now reduced or silenced entirely. So the brain ends up misfiring in the section of the brain that processed that frequency. The neurons become overactive to compensate for the sudden signal loss.

A similar thing happens in some people with partial vision loss, they'll start to hallucinate in the areas they could once see in.

Neuroscience in fascinating!

 

[mick1987]

Dr. Ancill you need to talk some of you specialist friends into donating some of their 7 figure salary into tinnitus research now Seriously, as you have probably learnt now tinnitus sufferers cheer even a 1 million dollar grant to tinnitus research, which really is peanuts alongside the rest of the industry. What that's salary for project manager, couple lab guys, secretary, lab and equipment lease for 3 years and then you almost out of money already before you start.

I would like to track down all the ENT specialists and nuerologists who suffer from tinnitus themselves in my country. If I can convince just 5-6 of them to donate 10% earnings over a year towards a cure for themselves that would double current funding towards tinnitus research.

 

[Stina]

Dr. Ancill you need to talk some of you specialist friends into donating some of their 7 figure salary into tinnitus research now Seriously, as you have probably learnt now tinnitus sufferers cheer even a 1 million dollar grant to tinnitus research, which really is peanuts alongside the rest of the industry. What that's salary for project manager, couple lab guys, secretary, lab and equipment lease for 3 years and then you almost out of money already before you start.

I would like to track down all the ENT specialists and nuerologists who suffer from tinnitus themselves in my country. If I can convince just 5-6 of them to donate 10% earnings over a year towards a cure for themselves that would double current funding towards tinnitus research.

I cant believe that the plastic surgery is able to make a person like myself look like Justin Bieber but it cant find the cure to a humming in the head. Priorities

 

[mick1987]

Yes Stina its all marketing and the 1st world medical research ethos is not as great as it was in 20th century. We concentrated on cures once, I now believe we either concentrate on prolonged treatments as it ensures return on investment. killing a disease is like killing your investments if you are a pharmaceutical giant lol.
But even if this is not a deliberate policy, companies of course do tend to take the easy money to expand research in other successful areas, rather than the extreme risk of trying something new and difficult which may not achieve any results and leave you a broke researcher at the end. So everyone from pioneer scientists to corporate pharmaceutical boards are a bit wary of unknowns.

Unfortunately doctors too are just regular people and out to make money to feed themselves and their family. However as a governing bodies the worlds countries medical associations are extremely powerful. They lobby and change laws, funding and research and social standards with great ease. So I think it is time they started to take on the problem of all the increasing mental problems, drug abuse, chronic complaints like tinnitus, new cancers instead of blaming it all on "Cholestorol and smoking".

Now for the good news

It will only take some pioneer scientists willing to stake their reputation and a bit of someone elses money to strike a small breakthrough with tinnitus... and then you will see the usual avalanche of supergiant pharm companies piggyback the research and then any gains that can be made will be made in quick time. Even lifelong treatment option for tinnitus would suit us fine too

The third bit of good news is I believe the time is coming due to the amount of returning Iraq/afghan veterans with tinnitus now the major claimed complaint. Some major 1st world governments are going to have to listen or they will have millions of people on high level veterans benefits. Keep in mind these benefits usually higher than regular disability benefits so its in their best interests to finally take good looks at this problem.

Lastly sorry if I talk too much

 

[Jeff M.]

Hello Dr. Ancill! It is very good to have a medical professional in out group - would help to sort out some of the false information. Im sorry but it was a very long discussion here so I didnt read it all very carefully. I noticed that you said that you are surprised that no medical company has tested antidepressants or other medications on Tinnitus patients. Do you have any idea why is that so? I sense that if a better cure was found it would probbaly bring in a lot of money. Also, if it is a problem of the brain could be help with meditation?
I also have a more professional question for you: I am very anxious about my condition so I am thinking about visiting the psychiatrist and getting some light sedatives written out. I know it is not a long term solution but perhaps could help me habituate. Could you tell me if any sedatives are known to make T worse?

Ditto!!!

 

[dan]

mick1987, the veteran disability benefit for tinnitus is only 10% .

 

[mick1987]

Dan I am assuming you are from the US and assuming the other 96% of the world is from the US too.