Scared and Panicking

[sparrow1210]

Hi. I've only been dealing with this for a week but I'm so scared and panicked about what is happening and what this means for my life.

My story: I got hit with feeling unwell one afternoon. Razor blades were cutting my throat and I felt really bad. I had a chesty cough for about a week prior to that but thought it was just from my sinusitis. I have chronic sinus and an autoimmune disease the affects my sinuses. So I'm on immunosuppressants. Two days later, I lay down to catch up on sleep because my throat was keeping me up at night. When I woke up my left ear was really blocked. By the next day I had a ringing in my ears. It started off as low hum which I've had before after concerts, and I could hear my heart beat through my ears. Over the last few days the sound is now a loud hum 24/7 and a few extra sounds like an occasional chirp and a softer sound I like to think of as orchestral music. Some would say buzzing if a mozzie but it helps my anxiety to think of it as music playing far off.

So now I am trying not to cry and panic about this sound I can't turn off. It's easier to ignore when I'm busy, but because of the congestion in my ears if I do too much moving around I feel nauseous. So I have to lie down a lot. My hearing is also very muffled so I can't hear people talking very well and I can't distinguish between sounds.

I am very scared about the future of my job. I am a primary school teacher. If I can't hear, then I can't do my job anymore. Even though it's only been a few days and I'm yet to see my ENT, I can't stop the panic that rises in me.

I'm hoping this forum will help me cope with me anxiety about this awfulness that is happening to me.

 

[AfroSnowman]

Sparrow I am really sorry.

Know that a lot of us here have gone through something similar. First of all of course try to relax. Panicking makes things worse. From what I understand this emotional reaction (I can't tell you how many times I broke into tears) is not only because of the sound but because that our hearing is processed through the past of the brain that does emotion.

So try to meditate, mask the sound, if you have a Xanax or can borrow one, take it and give your system a break.

Second at a week in it is very very likely you will get entirely better, there is no reason to go down that rabbit hole about having it forever.

Third get to an ENT pronto. Getting treatment for whatever is attacking your ears ASAP ,within the first 2 weeks, is critical in improving your chances.

love and peace

 

[Lane]

So I'm on immunosuppressants.

@sparrow1210 -- Have you done a google search on tinnitus and the immunosuppressants you're taking to see if they cause tinnitus? Could these drugs allowed some kind of infection to take hold in your sinuses? Until you can see your ENT, you might want to consider doing some natural sinus rinses.

There's a number of videos on YouTube on how to do various rinses. One that I saw involved usinf essential oils, and looked like it can be pretty amazing for sinus difficulties. I could try to find it again if you're interested. -- You've only had this for a few days, and it sounds like things could get better quickly once you get a handle on your sinus difficulties (if that's what's causing it).

Take Care!

 

[GregCA]

Even though it's only been a few days and I'm yet to see my ENT, I can't stop the panic that rises in me.

When will you see your ENT?
Your ear blocked could be sudden hearing loss, which is an emergency. Please seek medical assistance.

 

[sparrow1210]

I will call for appt with the ENT tomorrow, Monday, but getting in will be the challenge. I'm going to tell them it's an emergency, they already know me there, and get my doctor to call as if need be. The first challenge is getting in to see her as she's can booked solid for a week. I will play the emergency card again and see.

 

[foam]

Hey sparrow1210, hopefully it will go away. I've only had it 3 weeks myself so I haven't given up yet but it's been a very traumatising 3 weeks. I've read a lot.. worried a lot... Not slept much. Something similar happened to me last year when an infection gave my pulsitile tinnitus.. I thought my life was ruined then.. But after 40 days it cleared up. And what did I do with my year since then in gratitude.. not much.. stayed up late got stressed.. boom got regular tinnitus.

I did tell my wife I suspected I had water in my ears again a few weeks ago before the ringing started and I don't seem to have any significant hearing loss.. But I have certainly had enough stress in the last couple months to break my brain.. What has given me hope is almost the 100% rate of people on here and friends I've talked to with tinnitus that have all told me.. after a while it wont effect your life. So I'm just going to hold out for that time, it might clear up in 40 days.. but I don't hold out a lot of hope personally this time as I know I've stressed myself into this. I have also have chronic life shortening immune system disease and somehow I adapted to that to the point that it doesn't even bother me 5% of what this tinnitus does.. but DAMM SURE it did initially. So I guess with time the same thing happens here.

Hopefully this forum will give you the support you need to wait and see what happens. I'll chip in with some positivity if I can

 

[AfroSnowman]

I will call for appt with the ENT tomorrow, Monday, but getting in will be the challenge. I'm going to tell them it's an emergency, they already know me there, and get my doctor to call as if need be. The first challenge is getting in to see her as she's can booked solid for a week. I will play the emergency card again and see.

And be sure to prompt a discussion about doing a course of steroids. I'm no MD, but from what I have read that is one of the few things that dependent on the cause of your tinnitus has shown to have a curative effect if taken early.

Also I think the key phrase MD's listen for in getting an 'emergency' appointment is, tinnitus with sudden onset hearing loss.

Good luck and be kind to yourself in the mean time.

 

[GregCA]

I will call for appt with the ENT tomorrow, Monday, but getting in will be the challenge. I'm going to tell them it's an emergency, they already know me there, and get my doctor to call as if need be. The first challenge is getting in to see her as she's can booked solid for a week. I will play the emergency card again and see.

It's not playing an emergency card: Sudden SensoriNeural Hearing Loss is an emergency. Don't feel bad about it. Going to the emergency room without any appointment is absolutely warranted in this case.

The typical treatment, if confirmed to be SSNHL, is steroids (oral or intratympanic), and the reason for the urgency is that the results of the treatment depends on how long since onset it is administered. The window is fairly small.

Good luck!

 

[sparrow1210]

I have an appointment to see the ENT on Friday and my saint of a doctor has given me prednisone for a couple of days. The window will be exactly a week since this started. I hope that's going to prove early enough.