Panic!

[Debbie Steel]

Still new to all of this, just in my 2nd week of SSHL diagnosis with loud tinnitus.
I'm so worried about going deaf in the other ear, I find myself constantly analysing what I can hear with my good ear, worrying that I can hear the beginnings of tinnitus and generally just getting myself very wound up. Does anyone have advice for handling this kind of anxiety?
Thanks

 

[russiancarl]

Hi Debbie, I'm so sorry for what you are going through but know that we have all been there at the start and we all go through it.

I don't know specifically what to do with SSHL and loud tinnitus but I know in the beginning it's very important never to be in a silent room. You don't need to mask your tinnitus 24/7 but just having any noise that competes with the one in your head will go a long way to keeping you sane.

You may also want to try and find an ENT/audiologist that specializes in tinnitus and TRT. If you are having trouble with anxiety and coping with the sound then they are the people that will help you. It's tough to stay positive but it will get easier.

Also, may I ask if they had given you a course of oral steroids after the SSHL diagnosis? I know a lot of places do that and that it can help a lot in the beginning though I am no doctor.