Hello all!
My name is Clare, and I'm 22 from New York.
My tinnitus journey started about one month ago. I'll be as descriptive as possible so you get the full picture. I was overseas on a 6 month cultural exchange program. During our last week in Italy, I came down with a head cold. I think it was due to sleeping poorly that week and just overexertion due to the nature of the program (performing, volunteering, traveling).
I had been diligent that week in taking actifed, cough drops, hot tea, and a throat spray. I was super stuffed up. By our last day in Italy, I was super stuffed up, couldn't hear very well, and my voice was also going. My left ear also hurt a bit that day, but it wasn't terrible. We had a 20 hour bus ride to Germany overnight. I knew how sick I was and tried to settle in with my medicine and throat spray. By the last bit of that bus ride, I was nauseous, but I couldn't tell if it was because of motion sickness (which I have a history of) or because of the sickness I was getting over.
By the time I got off the bus and had our first day in Germany, I felt significantly better. My voice came back and I was less stuffy and I thought I had beat the illness.
The next day, I was at my volunteering site at a German thrift store and right in the middle of the day I heard a distinct ring in my left ear start to occur. I have fleeting tinnitus from time to time so I tried to stay calm and figured it would go away in a few minutes. It did not. That night I went back to my German host family and my host mom gave me some eardrops to try. I dripped about 3 drops into my left ear and tried to sleep.
The next morning I woke up and that ear was clogged, and my right ear was starting to lightly ring as well. I was panicky at this point. I've known about tinnitus and must admit it's always been a fear of mine to get, so this whole ordeal has been extremely traumatizing.
I wasn't able to get to a doctor in Germany until a few days later. He looked in and said that I had mucus and water in my ears, more in the left though, which was my more problematic ear anyway. I was relieved because I figured, okay, there is a problem and most likely a solution. He gave me a week of methylprednisone and nasal spray. I did these religiously which did unclog my ear but I still had discomfort and ringing. After the first week the ringing started to turn into more of an ocean type noise, a lot of whooshing. The next week we were in Switzerland, and I went to another doctor there when these problems did not clear up. She also said there was still fluid and mucus in my ears, and that my inner ears looked red. I thought okay, I just need to wait a little longer. She gave me a nasal spray and a type of pill that you dissolve in water to help break up mucus. I started to take those religiously as well that week, all to no avail. I was starting to seriously have my mental health threatened, and I called my parents nearly everyday crying. I decided to leave the program a week early due to my mental health over this. I was beside myself with anxiety.
I came home 2 weeks ago and I have been an utter mess to say the least. I saw my ENT who I've gone to my whole life, and she assured me my ears are now clear and there's no more fluid in them. She did, however, do a nasal endoscopy and told me that my adenoids that I had taken out when I was 11 seemed to be growing back. Yup, the adenoid tissue is growing back, and that there is mucus hanging off them (lovely right?).
She told me that this could be causing my ear issues, since the Eustachian tube is literally right next to the adenoids and diagnosed me as a case of ETD. She proposed doing another adenoid removal surgery in 6 weeks if nothing changes. I don't know what to think. I am more convinced that the sounds I'm hearing are due to my sinus infection because it happened right after.
SO it's been almost a month, and the sounds have morphed a bit. My left ear ocean sound has died down a bit but now there's wavering eee eee eee sounds that go up and down, but are always there. My right ear has one straight tone that is moderate level.
I know this case is super specific but has anyone dealt with anything REMOTELY similar?? I hear ETD cases get resolved in a number of months, so I'm still holding on to hope. But I feel like I've put my life on hold. I'm so anxious, I cry all the time, and I have plunged into a terrible depression. That seems normal at this stage according to this site, though. I have started to take supplements to possibly expedite healing, these being vitamin D, lipoflavinoid plus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, probiotics, selenium, and iodine. I also continue to use nasal spray (nasacort) and sudafed. I take Benadryl before I go to sleep at night (which also helps with sleeping in general).
NOTE: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS THREAD with anything negative. I'm stressed and anxious enough as it is. I've been reading only success stories and want to keep my head in an only positive environment. Thank you.
My name is Clare, and I'm 22 from New York.
My tinnitus journey started about one month ago. I'll be as descriptive as possible so you get the full picture. I was overseas on a 6 month cultural exchange program. During our last week in Italy, I came down with a head cold. I think it was due to sleeping poorly that week and just overexertion due to the nature of the program (performing, volunteering, traveling).
I had been diligent that week in taking actifed, cough drops, hot tea, and a throat spray. I was super stuffed up. By our last day in Italy, I was super stuffed up, couldn't hear very well, and my voice was also going. My left ear also hurt a bit that day, but it wasn't terrible. We had a 20 hour bus ride to Germany overnight. I knew how sick I was and tried to settle in with my medicine and throat spray. By the last bit of that bus ride, I was nauseous, but I couldn't tell if it was because of motion sickness (which I have a history of) or because of the sickness I was getting over.
By the time I got off the bus and had our first day in Germany, I felt significantly better. My voice came back and I was less stuffy and I thought I had beat the illness.
The next day, I was at my volunteering site at a German thrift store and right in the middle of the day I heard a distinct ring in my left ear start to occur. I have fleeting tinnitus from time to time so I tried to stay calm and figured it would go away in a few minutes. It did not. That night I went back to my German host family and my host mom gave me some eardrops to try. I dripped about 3 drops into my left ear and tried to sleep.
The next morning I woke up and that ear was clogged, and my right ear was starting to lightly ring as well. I was panicky at this point. I've known about tinnitus and must admit it's always been a fear of mine to get, so this whole ordeal has been extremely traumatizing.
I wasn't able to get to a doctor in Germany until a few days later. He looked in and said that I had mucus and water in my ears, more in the left though, which was my more problematic ear anyway. I was relieved because I figured, okay, there is a problem and most likely a solution. He gave me a week of methylprednisone and nasal spray. I did these religiously which did unclog my ear but I still had discomfort and ringing. After the first week the ringing started to turn into more of an ocean type noise, a lot of whooshing. The next week we were in Switzerland, and I went to another doctor there when these problems did not clear up. She also said there was still fluid and mucus in my ears, and that my inner ears looked red. I thought okay, I just need to wait a little longer. She gave me a nasal spray and a type of pill that you dissolve in water to help break up mucus. I started to take those religiously as well that week, all to no avail. I was starting to seriously have my mental health threatened, and I called my parents nearly everyday crying. I decided to leave the program a week early due to my mental health over this. I was beside myself with anxiety.
I came home 2 weeks ago and I have been an utter mess to say the least. I saw my ENT who I've gone to my whole life, and she assured me my ears are now clear and there's no more fluid in them. She did, however, do a nasal endoscopy and told me that my adenoids that I had taken out when I was 11 seemed to be growing back. Yup, the adenoid tissue is growing back, and that there is mucus hanging off them (lovely right?).
She told me that this could be causing my ear issues, since the Eustachian tube is literally right next to the adenoids and diagnosed me as a case of ETD. She proposed doing another adenoid removal surgery in 6 weeks if nothing changes. I don't know what to think. I am more convinced that the sounds I'm hearing are due to my sinus infection because it happened right after.
SO it's been almost a month, and the sounds have morphed a bit. My left ear ocean sound has died down a bit but now there's wavering eee eee eee sounds that go up and down, but are always there. My right ear has one straight tone that is moderate level.
I know this case is super specific but has anyone dealt with anything REMOTELY similar?? I hear ETD cases get resolved in a number of months, so I'm still holding on to hope. But I feel like I've put my life on hold. I'm so anxious, I cry all the time, and I have plunged into a terrible depression. That seems normal at this stage according to this site, though. I have started to take supplements to possibly expedite healing, these being vitamin D, lipoflavinoid plus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, probiotics, selenium, and iodine. I also continue to use nasal spray (nasacort) and sudafed. I take Benadryl before I go to sleep at night (which also helps with sleeping in general).
NOTE: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS THREAD with anything negative. I'm stressed and anxious enough as it is. I've been reading only success stories and want to keep my head in an only positive environment. Thank you.
Member
