Questions About My Tinnitus

[Hichem]

Hi,
So I noticed this tinnitus since last summer, I'm 21 ( been sleeping with calm music or white noise since then)
Recently my tinnitus got worse so last Thursday I went to doctor, the first session he took some earwax stuck inside my right ear
I slept okay that night
I went back to him on saturday because I had an annoying unusual buzzing from my left ear in Friday night (I still have my usual tinnitus but I noticed that left side is more annoying somehow)
he sent me to test my hearing and after results, something like I have 40% reduction on hearing 60hz frequencies or something like that i'm not sure, but anyway he said I have to do an MRI to see exactly the problem, I asked him if it's curable he said I have to see first

Which made me kinda worried,

Although he said my eardrums and canal are perfectly fine but he gave me tanakan tablets, I took them the first days but I noticed heartbeat problems and feeling weird and weak so I had to stop taking them.

My questions are:
- What are the possible results that I'll get in MRI ? are all of them treatable or i'm stuck like this?
- How to overcome it and not think about it? I'm trying what I can to keep my mind away but I just can't, and it's driving me crazy sometimes, I think i'm over worried because of the MRI and I can't stay calm and wait until ido it and see what I have.
- How can I sleep at night? since Friday up to yesterday i'm having trouble sleeping and have poor quality sleep each night.
- the doctor said I don't have a serious case but I'm really worried since I didn't ever hear this left side buzzing before, it is recently and got worse after I went to doctor, am I just stressing myself too much? I can't study atm because I can't focus at all and I'm disturbed all day trying my best to stay busy until I get this MRI which is fortunately on Wednesday.

 

[glynis]

Hi Hichman,
MRI is done routinely for everyone with ear problems and tinnitus to rule anything out .
Try not to worry as most are fine ......lots of love glynis

 

[Hichem]

thanks for answering Glynis,
one more thing, today I noticed that everytime I swallow I feel some noise in my ears, same if I open my mouth like i'm about to yawn, I had some kind of cold though some days ago but light one, is it the reason of this sound? or something more important?

 

[eric peterson]

@Hichem In very, very rare cases, T can be caused by things like an acoustic neuroma (a non-cancerous tumor). This is generally in people who's T is unilateral (only in one ear). You should get an MRI just to rule these sorts of things out (again, it's incredibly unlikely, especially if you have T in both ears). Once you've found out that the T isn't threatening to your health in any way, that's about all any doctor can do for you. As for yawning, my T ramps in sound when I yawn. I don't think that this is uncommon, and probably has more to do with the way hearing works in general rather than your specific T. If you hear a crackling or popping sound when you yawn, that could be representative of ETD (Eustachian tube dysfunction) or sinus issues. When you yawn, your ET opens up, regulating the pressure in your ears. People with sinus issues (like myself) often get inflammation or mucus in their ears (b.c the EU backs up into your nose) and you often get a crackling or popping sound when your tube opens (from yawning, swallowing, etc).

 

[glynis]

Hi ,yes it's extra mucous in your ears and tubes.
Try steam inhalation and bowl of hot water and a towel over your head twice a day for two days to loosen up the mucous.
Should settle down soon....lots of love glynis

 

[Hichem]

@epic Peterson: getting an MRI tonight I made the schedule earlier because I can't just wait 2 more days i'll go crazy lol, as for my crackling sound I hear it more if I try to swallow not yawn, I don't notice it if I yawn always but everytime I swallow it's there, does the MRI show any sinus issues? or should I talk to doctor about it this crackling sound?

@Gylnis: I hope it's muscous and not something more serious although i'll still ask the doctor about it maybe it's something like what Peterson explained, but can you explain a little bit how exactly to do the hot water towel thing? thanks for both of you

 

[glynis]

Put some boiling water in a bowl and put your face over the steam with a towel over your head and bowl.
The steam you breath in will help unclog your sinuses .......lots of love glynis

 

[Hichem]

for how long should I breath in it?

 

[eric peterson]

@Hichem the crackling sound is almost for certain mucous in your Eustachian tube. couple that with inflammation from sinus issues (which you probably have, given the evidence of the extra mucous), and I'd be shocked if it isn't sinuses/ETD. Most ENTs for ETD are going to suggest, like @glynis suggested, breathing in steam (maybe for a few minutes, or staying longer in the shower, and doing things like sinus washes (i.e. neti-pots) and perhaps even things like daily Flonase or other nasal steroids to bring down the inflammation. Also could look into allergies. I do all of the above, and I still have some crackling/popping. I even had the sinus surgery (to remove polyps and open my sinuses up). All of this helped, but I still deal with plenty of sinus issues, and ETD issues. Definitely get into your GP (or ENT if you can) and talk to him/her about your sinus issues. There are certainly things you can do that will bring you relief. An MRI will probably not show the sinus issues if it is of your brain to see if you have an acoustic neuroma. A CT scan should be able to see what/if any blockage you have of your sinuses.

 

[glynis]

A few minutes twice a day should help clear your sinuses and tubes.
It works really well so should see a big difference ....lots of love glynis

 

[Hichem]

alright thanks for both, i'll see what I can do and i'll keep you updates with more infos soon!

 

[Hichem]

So I've done my MRI, it was pretty loud and annoying but oh well, results tomorrow, although my ear feel uncomfortable at the moment from all that buzzing and specially my left ear, I feel like it's blocked or have something inside it but there is nothing, will it recover?