Hey everyone, today is one month since the onset of my tinnitus, so I thought I should write something, very long, of course (sorry about my English!)
So I got T on february 12th after a syringing procedure to remove earwax (don't ever do this, please). Anyways, so as everyone in here, first two weeks were complete bullshit. I couldn't sleep, eat, study, I cried all day. I was a mess, thoughts of killing myself were in my head 24/7 because I thought I couldn't live with a high pitched noise inside my head. My mum had to come here and take care of me for 15 days until I was fine enough to function. I am lucky enough to have a good healthcare plan and got an appointment with an ENT on day 4th since the onset, he prescribed me prednisone and I started a 12 day high dose course on oral steroids. I obviously panicked a lot, and went to another ENT who gave me a second opinion. Both of them told me that it would probably go away and if it didn't that i would grow accustomed to. Of course, thinking about my future and the T made my anxiety reach unexpected levels and althought my T was never intrusive, stress and obsessive thoughts made it worse. I started to reach out everyone I knew, asking them if they knew people with the same issue. Fortunately, I have a few friends in the emo/post metal/hardcore scene (you know, LOUD music) that told me that they had T, and at first it could be an awful and stressful symptom but that in the end one gets accustomed to and it doesn't bother them anymore. This gave me some kind of relief, but OF COURSE I was in denial, I wanted to be gone FOREVER!
In my desperation I tried to get help in any form. Please, never stop searching for help. I went for homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, conventional medicine and prayer. Acupuncture helped me to relieve stress and my jaw was so tense that my ear was physically hurting and after an anxiety attack I clenched so hard my jaw that it hurt on the two or three days after it happened. After one session of acupuncture, the pain was gone and the fullness went away (now it has come back again-mildly-, with a cracking sound on my ears when I swallow but I will go to the ENT and have it checked. I believe is tension and stress again). I started praying and told everyone I knew to send good vibes my way, to pray for me and light candles on my name. After 15 days, my mood was much better, I was thinking less and less about tinnitus, made a comeback at Uni, payed attention on my classes, started going to yoga, therapy with my psychiatrist three times a week, reiki and laying on of hands, I even went to tarotology to get my cards read and know if this would go away (yes, it will, and I am confident in this), everything you can think of. It actually made me think less and less about T, going through hours and hours without paying attention to it (although it was mild, as in I couldn't hear it that much, I still checked my ears). After that week, and ending my treatment with prednisone, my T got lower and a static-buzzing sound appeard. This didn't preocuppied me, as the static was much easier to manage than the ringing. Talked to a few people who got T after ototoxic medications and a syringing ear wax removal and they both told me that the T went away after a few months (6 and 3, and another one who got it for a month), and that got my hopes up. I truly believe the mind is a powerful thing, and that if i believe it, it will go away and i will get habituated.
A tip that my mum gave me, and I believe is very important is: try living each day. don't think about the future. think about what you want to do today, get it done and live through the day. tomorrow will be another day, take it as it comes, but don't worry about tomorrow. It may sound dumb, but I think it's what got me through this month. I can't believe that it's been a month already. I don't have patience AT ALL. I thought that it was going to feel eternal.
I love music. It means a lot to me and it's a big part of my life. During the first three weeks I didn't listened to ONE song. Nothing. I think I was punishing myself for this, and depriving myself of something I enjoy so much made me really sad. One day I thought "enough" and connected a speaker, put it on really low volume and started listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. That song means a lot to me, and it made me tear up. I was so happy that night.
Anyways, the ringing is really low now. I don't know if i should say it's 95% gone because it was never really that intrusive. If I plug my ears with my fingers I can't hear it, but if I plug them with some foam earplugs it's there, but really quiet, almost inaudible. The buzzing sound still remains, but it's definitely lower than it was a week ago, or even two days ago. I hope it goes away, I really do.
This is not a success story (but I hope to post one soon!), but I know how dark the first days or weeks seem, and how slowly the time seems to pass by. It does get better. I can laugh, I can enjoy life, I can go out with my friends and have fun. Don't let this stop you, you are so much stronger than this.
Tips?
-Get help, from anyone.
-If you are early, give prednisone a shot. Talk to your ENT.
-Use earplugs whenever you are outside. I used them on public transportation, and while walking the streets.
-Distract yourself. Go outside, do yoga, bake, cook, take a cooking class, anything that takes your mind off of it.
-Read only succes stories (can't stress this enough)
-Believe in you
-Repeat yourself "i'm gonna get better, this will heal"
I took some supplements (chelated zinc, gingko biloba, magnesium twice a day, vitamin c) and the second and third week my psychiatrist prescribed me 25mg of quetiapin for sleeping, but i'm not taking it anymore.
Thank you to everyone who answered me, and gave me hope. You guys are truly awesome.
So I got T on february 12th after a syringing procedure to remove earwax (don't ever do this, please). Anyways, so as everyone in here, first two weeks were complete bullshit. I couldn't sleep, eat, study, I cried all day. I was a mess, thoughts of killing myself were in my head 24/7 because I thought I couldn't live with a high pitched noise inside my head. My mum had to come here and take care of me for 15 days until I was fine enough to function. I am lucky enough to have a good healthcare plan and got an appointment with an ENT on day 4th since the onset, he prescribed me prednisone and I started a 12 day high dose course on oral steroids. I obviously panicked a lot, and went to another ENT who gave me a second opinion. Both of them told me that it would probably go away and if it didn't that i would grow accustomed to. Of course, thinking about my future and the T made my anxiety reach unexpected levels and althought my T was never intrusive, stress and obsessive thoughts made it worse. I started to reach out everyone I knew, asking them if they knew people with the same issue. Fortunately, I have a few friends in the emo/post metal/hardcore scene (you know, LOUD music) that told me that they had T, and at first it could be an awful and stressful symptom but that in the end one gets accustomed to and it doesn't bother them anymore. This gave me some kind of relief, but OF COURSE I was in denial, I wanted to be gone FOREVER!
In my desperation I tried to get help in any form. Please, never stop searching for help. I went for homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, conventional medicine and prayer. Acupuncture helped me to relieve stress and my jaw was so tense that my ear was physically hurting and after an anxiety attack I clenched so hard my jaw that it hurt on the two or three days after it happened. After one session of acupuncture, the pain was gone and the fullness went away (now it has come back again-mildly-, with a cracking sound on my ears when I swallow but I will go to the ENT and have it checked. I believe is tension and stress again). I started praying and told everyone I knew to send good vibes my way, to pray for me and light candles on my name. After 15 days, my mood was much better, I was thinking less and less about tinnitus, made a comeback at Uni, payed attention on my classes, started going to yoga, therapy with my psychiatrist three times a week, reiki and laying on of hands, I even went to tarotology to get my cards read and know if this would go away (yes, it will, and I am confident in this), everything you can think of. It actually made me think less and less about T, going through hours and hours without paying attention to it (although it was mild, as in I couldn't hear it that much, I still checked my ears). After that week, and ending my treatment with prednisone, my T got lower and a static-buzzing sound appeard. This didn't preocuppied me, as the static was much easier to manage than the ringing. Talked to a few people who got T after ototoxic medications and a syringing ear wax removal and they both told me that the T went away after a few months (6 and 3, and another one who got it for a month), and that got my hopes up. I truly believe the mind is a powerful thing, and that if i believe it, it will go away and i will get habituated.
A tip that my mum gave me, and I believe is very important is: try living each day. don't think about the future. think about what you want to do today, get it done and live through the day. tomorrow will be another day, take it as it comes, but don't worry about tomorrow. It may sound dumb, but I think it's what got me through this month. I can't believe that it's been a month already. I don't have patience AT ALL. I thought that it was going to feel eternal.
I love music. It means a lot to me and it's a big part of my life. During the first three weeks I didn't listened to ONE song. Nothing. I think I was punishing myself for this, and depriving myself of something I enjoy so much made me really sad. One day I thought "enough" and connected a speaker, put it on really low volume and started listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. That song means a lot to me, and it made me tear up. I was so happy that night.
Anyways, the ringing is really low now. I don't know if i should say it's 95% gone because it was never really that intrusive. If I plug my ears with my fingers I can't hear it, but if I plug them with some foam earplugs it's there, but really quiet, almost inaudible. The buzzing sound still remains, but it's definitely lower than it was a week ago, or even two days ago. I hope it goes away, I really do.
This is not a success story (but I hope to post one soon!), but I know how dark the first days or weeks seem, and how slowly the time seems to pass by. It does get better. I can laugh, I can enjoy life, I can go out with my friends and have fun. Don't let this stop you, you are so much stronger than this.
Tips?
-Get help, from anyone.
-If you are early, give prednisone a shot. Talk to your ENT.
-Use earplugs whenever you are outside. I used them on public transportation, and while walking the streets.
-Distract yourself. Go outside, do yoga, bake, cook, take a cooking class, anything that takes your mind off of it.
-Read only succes stories (can't stress this enough)
-Believe in you
-Repeat yourself "i'm gonna get better, this will heal"
I took some supplements (chelated zinc, gingko biloba, magnesium twice a day, vitamin c) and the second and third week my psychiatrist prescribed me 25mg of quetiapin for sleeping, but i'm not taking it anymore.
Thank you to everyone who answered me, and gave me hope. You guys are truly awesome.
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