Ringing in the Other Ear Now Too WTF (Update: Alcohol Screwed Me?)

[Scott T]

Hi All,

I have not posted in a while but this is really bothering me. I had tinnitus now for a year due to an wax micro suction which was the worst decision of my life...

For the past week it seems like I have tinnitus in my good ear now and I can't figure out why this is.

I went to a wedding last Saturday evening and spent most of the time in the lobby away from the music so it was just normal conversations and a lot of alcohol and a few dances with my wife. It was a low key wedding and you were able to talk normally without raising your voice And I was ok for a couple of days after then out of nowhere this happens.

What I noticed is that I can make it worse by bending over and I may be grinding my teeth more. I lost my father 4 weeks ago so I don't know if that is playing a part in this madness as well.

I currently take 25mg of Zoloft, never bumped it up to the therapeutic dose which I should have months ago and I take .5mg of clonazepam at night to help me sleep. Don't even know if the sound is in my good ear or my head but it feels like I am restarting this process all over again...FML

 

[Blue28]

Hi @Scott T ,

I'm so sorry to hear about your father, and that you're going through all of this.

I had microsuction to remove ear wax in April last year and it was also THE WORST desicion I have ever made! I have chronic tinnitus in both ears, hyperacusis and hearing loss. This procedure should either be banned or at the very least, patients should be made aware of the possible REAL side effects of this! It makes me SO ANGRY that innocent people are having this procedure done, and then when things go wrong the doctors are burying their heads in the sand and denying that this procedure can cause side effects.

I went through a similar thing with the tinnitus sound, for months it seemed to just be in my ears but then one day my whole head just started buzzing, and I'm sure it's at that point that it became embedded in my brain.

Please keep in touch with me, I am going to try to contact as many people as I can who have had tinnitus/hearing problems caused or exasperated by ear wax removaL. Feel free to message me if you wish.

 

[Rosemerry]

Hi Scott
My sympathy for the loss of your dad and also for the good ear situation. I know it's hard, but for me to just go over and over the infinite possibilities that could have contributed to my T doesn't help and makes my anxiety worse that then makes the T worse. However, don't underestimate the affect of stress: my sister died in 1989 of breast cancer (she was 32 w/a 5 year old) and that corresponded with the onset of my initial T and Meniere's disease and I don't think it's a coincidence.

As far as the T in your good ear, you have good company as I've recently experienced this too and so have lots of people on the forum. It's just been a few days with me and it's a real impact but I read somewhere here that everything new is stressful and can eventually settle down. My good ear/right ear has T but it's different from the left and like you, I notice it changes when I move my neck. I do notice when I clamp down on my teeth, it goes away but unfortunately can't walk around like that lol. Sometimes the right T noise just blends into the background and I don't notice it much. Until the night, when it sucks, and I've been taking either a half or a .25 Xanax to get back to sleep.

I'm trying to be positive, make some lifestyle changes, and forge ahead with my new normal, hoping that the new T fades as it's relatively early onset. But if not, here we go. I'm here for ya! RM

 

[Blue28]

Hi Scott
My sympathy for the loss of your dad and also for the good ear situation. I know it's hard, but for me to just go over and over the infinite possibilities that could have contributed to my T doesn't help and makes my anxiety worse that then makes the T worse. However, don't underestimate the affect of stress: my sister died in 1989 of breast cancer (she was 32 w/a 5 year old) and that corresponded with the onset of my initial T and Meniere's disease and I don't think it's a coincidence.

As far as the T in your good ear, you have good company as I've recently experienced this too and so have lots of people on the forum. It's just been a few days with me and it's a real impact but I read somewhere here that everything new is stressful and can eventually settle down. My good ear/right ear has T but it's different from the left and like you, I notice it changes when I move my neck. I do notice when I clamp down on my teeth, it goes away but unfortunately can't walk around like that lol. Sometimes the right T noise just blends into the background and I don't notice it much. Until the night, when it sucks, and I've been taking either a half or a .25 Xanax to get back to sleep.

I'm trying to be positive, make some lifestyle changes, and forge ahead with my new normal, hoping that the new T fades as it's relatively early onset. But if not, here we go. I'm here for ya! RM

Hi again @Scott T, I agree with @Rosemerry, I think stress definitely makes the situation worse. If you haven't been exposed to more loud sounds like the microsuction then hopefully your good ear will settle down given a little time. It's hard to believe things can improve, I know I feel desperate sometimes for the ringing to stop, but I try to stay positive despite everything. Hopefully one day soon research will find a cure.

 

[Scott T]

Hi again @Scott T, I agree with @Rosemerry, I think stress definitely makes the situation worse. If you haven't been exposed to more loud sounds like the microsuction then hopefully your good ear will settle down given a little time. It's hard to believe things can improve, I know I feel desperate sometimes for the ringing to stop, but I try to stay positive despite everything. Hopefully one day soon research will find a cure.

The only thing that I can think of is that I went to the wedding and did not have any earplugs but like I said I sat at the furthest table away from the speakers and was only in there for a few dances with my wife and to eat dinner. I was out in the lobby the rest of the evening. I was able to have normal conversations with everyone. I have been learning to deal with this more even though it is a constant 7/10 to the point of thinking about another kid potentially but now I feel like I screwed myself.

 

[Blue28]

The only thing that I can think of is that I went to the wedding and did not have any earplugs but like I said I sat at the furthest table away from the speakers and was only in there for a few dances with my wife and to eat dinner. I was out in the lobby the rest of the evening. I was able to have normal conversations with everyone. I have been learning to deal with this more even though it is a constant 7/10 to the point of thinking about another kid potentially but now I feel like I screwed myself.

Give it time, maybe the noise was enough to spike your tinnitus and this will gradually fade. Or maybe it will stay (like mine), but try to think of the positives in life. I have days where I feel absolute despair and anger because of the way my ear problems were caused, but I have a 3 yr old daughter who needs me and that helps me and gives me strength. I'm not saying it's easy, and that I don't cry and feel isolated by my T and H, I do, but I have one chance at life and I can't let this ruin it. I take comfort in knowing there are people on TT that suffer like I do and they understand. We are all here for each other.

 

[Scott T]

Went to a wedding on 7/1 had a lot to drink. Tinnitus has been spiking since and now it's also in my other ear. Went to T specialist today and she says that because I drank a lot I essentially screwed my ears because I shifted the lymp in my ears and the sodium moved out or something like that. After hearing that I am sick to my stomach and am a wreck. Both ears are screaming like 8/10 ringing. I'm done....so depressed

 

[Scott T]

Any have any thoughts...I am losing my mind here

 

[Amber]

Any have any thoughts...I am losing my mind here

Give it a few weeks, your ears will get better

 

[PaulBe]

Give it a few weeks, your ears will get better

Good advice at this point in time. Stay off the booze, keep up the meds, and just accept that for now you have to wait it out. Mine often takes a walk to the other ear these days.

 

[Bill Bauer]

a lot of alcohol

After the only time this year when I had a little alcohol, my T switched ears for the rest of the day.

 

[Scott T]

I also took my meds that night when I went home. Did I over load my system too much and then threw a .5mg klonopin on top of that and burnt out my GABA receptors?. I am a mess and cant stop thinking about what I did and what the MD told me yesterday. I have drank before alot with T and have had days of continuous alcohol consumption and nothing like this happened. My father passed a month ago and I went out that night and drank alot of mixed drinks and it feels like I am paying for it......

 

[Scott T]

Looking for any support here. I tried posting on the chat are but no responses. As you can see from my amount of posts I feel like I am going insane

 

[GregCA]

Went to T specialist today and she says that because I drank a lot I essentially screwed my ears because I shifted the lymp in my ears and the sodium moved out or something like that.

If that is the case then time should bring back the proper balance in your ear. Give it some time.

 

[Scott T]

I also did not wear ear plugs to the wedding which probably f'd me.

 

[EatMoTacos]

@Scott T

I know exactly what you are going through. I was perfectly habituated with my T for three years. I drank as much as I wanted, I ate what I wanted and did not have any effect on my T, only my Pulsitile T did. Once the effects worn out then I went back to my baseline for weeks and weeks and weeks. I too made mistakes of going to some bars with out protection during this time and would get a fleeting T every once in while but I didn't think anything of it because fleeting T is something everyone gets once in awhile. So I started going a k to my old self and started listening to music in my truck a lot louder, started going out again but I would wear my plugs when I could. Until one night, after a long drive home my T seemed off and I didn't think much of it. I woke up the next morning and my T seemed fine, went out again to do some day drinking with some friends and all of a sudden my right ear was muffled. The last place probable all it took to get me where I am at now, so now the fleeting T I used to get stuck on me and the spike I have now mainly on my right has been with me for over a month now. I feel this is now permanent my new baseline.

I took some prednisone for 7 days and all it did was elevate my anxiety and made my head feel always full. I don't think it did anything for me, it took the fullness somewhat away from my ear but now I feel I have fluid in my left now...damn.

I also never used to take any medicine or vitamins as well. And guess what. I'm back on them again. All in all, did I mess up? Yup I did, i was too comfortable and took my baseline for granted. Oh and also guess what. I have a new T a low rumble T in my head when I walk into a super quiet room like my bathroom for example. I measured the loudness and surprisingly my bathroom goes down to 18db and to my surprise my ears start fluttering and all I hear is a loooow vibrating sound.

So I'm taking this day by day. I'm in the same boat as you and please do not give up. I'm praying I can go back to what I was living before minus the going out and drinking. Give it time and give your ears plenty of rest. People with tinnitus I learned have different hearing than normal. I hope this helps.

 

[Scott T]

I have posted this week in the forum that over the past 2 weeks my tinnitus has gone from usual bad to horrible. Went to wedding no earplugs a lot of drinks. And next day tinnitus was load but that to be expected from being hungover and dehydrated and on 5 hours sleep.

So my tinnitus has been ramping up for 2 weeks and feels like it goes to other ear. I am in New England and we are having a lot of rain this past week. I've been sneezing often lately and have been sniffly.

Also today my sister and I had a private funeral for my father and interred his ashes in his niche.

So I'm a mess between not knowing if i screwed myself with by drinking and dancing at wedding. Having allergies or having grief.

Just want this to go back to my crappy baseline. Thanks for reading.

 

[glynis]

Hi Scott,
Loud music can be a problem for our ears.
Allergies- Try Cinnarazine as it can help calm down tinnitus aswell as controlling allergy symptoms.
grief can ramp up tinnitus with anxiety,stress etc.
Sorry to hear about your farther and totally understand the loss is hard and emotional.
I lost my dad just over a year ago and my mum 4 weeks ago and not been my happy self so not been posting like normal supporting people.
Life can be hard but it's a passing that we all must go through at the same time growing with new borns to the family and new generation as life goes on.
They are with us always in our hearts and memories and stories of their life to pass on and wise words of wisdom.
Love glynis

 

[Scott T]

Ive had this spike for 2 weeks after alot of alcohol at a wedding. But it seems like its in my good ear and in my head. Will it calm down. Cant focus...sound is high pitched that I would get when weather would be coming in. I have also been congested during the day and occasionally sneezing.

 

[Rosemerry]

Ive had this spike for 2 weeks after alot of alcohol at a wedding. But it seems like its in my good ear and in my head. Will it calm down. Cant focus...sound is high pitched that I would get when weather would be coming in. I have also been congested during the day and occasionally sneezing.

@Scott T Yes, I think it will calm down, but I think it's even more important that YOU calm down. Continually ruminating and going over and over again in your head about the wedding - drinking too much, not wearing plugs - is not going to help at this point, right? I mean whatever happened, happened, be it from the wedding, a head cold, your dad's death, and what sounds like could be some anxiety issues on your part. You will drive yourself mad trying to figure out how it happened and beating yourself up over it.

How about think like this for 5 minutes: "Today's a new day. I'm going to do everything I can to distract myself from my T - no matter how I got it - and for an hour work on something else. I can do anything for an hour, a minute. Don't check TT except for Success Stories or the Positivity Thread. I'm going to do whatever it takes to sleep through the night because that makes a world of difference in how I can handle T, handle anything really." Then, go for a walk, listen to calming music at a low level, watch a 2 hour comedy movie and laugh. Breathe - do some deep breathing exercises. I have a plaque on my desk at work that I'm looking at right now that says "BREATHE" with squiggly lines behind it. Funny, that we have to have reminders to breathe, but sometimes I do.

I am not giving you advice I haven't had to give myself, as my T recently migrated into my good ear too and I've been dealing with louder noise in my T ear for 3 months. Not exactly the progression I had hoped for but I'm handling it - some days better than others. Come on, let's do this, okay? Rosemary

 

[glynis]

@Scott T ,
Your tinnitus should settle with time but if it's to hard to cope with a low dose AD like Nortryptaline could help or Cinnarazine 15mg so see your doctor about them..
Love glynis