New Sufferer... Really Need Advice and Help

[Barry33]

Hi my T began about 3-4 weeks ago and its been a living hell. My T Cause is unknown. Been to PCP, ENT, etc., etc. ENT told me to try lipo flavanoid which seems useless. The worst part of getting T is that i suffer from bad anxiety and depression long b4 i ever got T. And the T, especially at night, makes me have rly bad panic attacks. Mostly when i wake up middle of night i go into panic mode from the tinnitus. My PCP prescribed me lexapro, zoloft (i can use one or the other) and xanex for emergencies. Im hesitant to take the zoloft or lexapro from everything i read on the interent with those anti depressants and tinnitus. I really need to take something though.

Idk truly if T can be caused by extreme stress only? Im asking becuase in the just the last 3 months i:

1) passed 2 kidney stones
2) bad toothache and had to have molar extracted
3) started a new rly stressful job

Then out of nowhere 3 weeks ago i developed tinnitus.....is it possible mine was triggered by all those rly stressful events in such a short time? When i took my hearing tests i do have some hearing loss in my left ear, which about 90% of time that's where i hear my very high pitched T. I cant imagine living this way....ite consuming me and im falling apart. No one seems to understand how absolutely terrible of an affliction this is...

 

[Michael Leigh]

HI @Barry33
Many things can cause tinnitus even the conditions you've mentioned in your list. Exposure to loud noise is the most common cause of it. Stress can be responsible too.

If you have been listening to music through headphones/earphones/earbuds regularly, this is the likely cause of the tinnitus. Usually (but not always) people tend to listen to music at high levels and for long duration through these devices. Going to clubs, concerts even the cinema where high sound levels are present bring on the onset of tinnitus. Playing computer games through headsets can cause tinnitus too.

If there is no underlying medical problem causing the tinnitus "exposure" to loud noise/sound is likely to be responsible. Please go to my "started threads" by clicking on my Avatar. In the list there are a number of posts. I suggest you read the following that you may find helpful:

1. New to tinnitus what to do?
2. Tinnitus, A Personal View
3. Hyperacusis, As Isee it.

Try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night. Use sound enrichment as this will help your brain not to focus on the tinnitus as much. More is explained in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. I am not using my regular PC so cannot paste the links here go give you quick access to my posts on "started threads".

Best of luck
Michael

 

[Allie]

Hi! I just want to offer some words of comfort. I've had tinnitus for over a year now - brought on by ear infections. I have severe anxiety, depression, and OCD. I thought there was no chance I could ever feel better, because with OCD, it's impossible not to focus on it. At the beginning, I'd also wake up with severe panic attacks in the middle of the night, and have to ask my boyfriend to get me my rescue medicine. With all that being said, things do get better. Honestly. I rarely get panic attacks over T anymore - sometimes I'll get fed up and angry. But I don't really panic much. One thing that honestly helped me was to STOP coming on here. What an awful way to start up having T - coming on this website and seeing people post things with hopeless titles. It made me feel like my life was over. I got away from here, I got used to the T, and that was that. I only came back today to ask for some advice since I'll be going on a plane ride soon and want to properly protect me ears - who knows if I'll get really negative responses or not.

The one thing I'll say is that I take a rescue medicine called Clonazepam, and a sleeping/anxiety medicine called ambien. These can actually hault my tinnitus - or at least decrease it to a little "shhhhhh" sound! Maybe they'd help you out.

 

[Zita]

Hi Barry
So sorry to hear that you have Tinnitus, and all I can say is I do understand. I have now had Tinnitus since May and like you woke up with panic attacks, shouting that my life is over etc. Etc. I don't take meds, mainly because I am too scared I will make it spike, after reading Allies thread I might ask my doc for something to help with the volume! The first three months are staggeringly frightening but hold on in there!
A few things I have learned, there is a limit on the volume and once you have experienced the worst you know where you stand. I had a load of blood tests done and I was low on Vit B12 so I spray that twice daily. Pineapple is a natural anti inflammatory so I eat a fresh slice every morning. Magnesium cream on your muscles in your back and neck relax you which helps. Aspartame,cheese, Red Wine set me off.
You never know what sets you off but what you put inside your body affects the neurons in your brain, which I find affects the volume and the pitch.
I don't know what you have been told about Tinnitus and I don't know if I am right, but I believe it comes from the brain and your own ears can hear it, I believe it has a medical reason, but don't know what reason! I believe that Doctors who are not specialists don't know how to help so are sometimes dismissive and use stupid words like annoying when we feel totally crippled by it!
Please try not to be too scared of it, you have it and the best thing you can do is learn and try to help yourself as much as you can. My volume goes up and down hourly and is related to my posture and muscles. I do half an hour of stretches every morning and ten minutes before climbing into bed (I use Lee Holden on Utube) it goes up while I am doing them but within an hour it drops.
The other thing I did was contact Positive Steps (via the Internet) and had telephone sessions with a councillor who really helped me and I paid for a Hypnotherapist to clear my stress (I was shocked at how much that worked for me) I am now waiting for CBT to help me "switch off" from the constant looking for the noise in my head!
I too have very slight hearing loss in one ear, loss of high pitch only but not enough to have a hearing aid.
Maskers didn't work for me as my Tinnitus fights to be louder than the masker.
The best thing I bought was a True Tone box to go by my bed which is like waves or water and I leave it on all night which helps me get some sleep as I concentrate my breathing to match the wave noise to get off and I don't wake up in silence (Tinnitus sufferers nightmare) .I know, we all know, how scary it can be and yes stressing makes it worse. Relaxation of any kind helps, but you have to learn what helps you and what sets you off. One day at a time Barry, you will get your head round it even if you still hate it, and you will have bad days but the more you do for yourself it gives you just a tiny bit of control and the belief you are doing the best you can for yourself. Good luck!

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Barry,

Ultimately, your nervous system will get used to the ringing. How do I know? Tens of millions of people have tinnitus and the overwhelming majority of them lead normal lives... raising families, going to work, have a social life, etc. My advice to you is to stop focusing on it and just go about your business. To give you an analogy about tinnitus, pretend you are watching a horror movie: the first few times you see it, it terrifies you. Ultimately, by the 10th time you see it, you will not react the same as you did the first time you saw it because you know what will happen. Same idea with tinnitus. Just let it go and keep busy with other things in life that interest you! Good luck!!