Seeing an Audiologist Made My Tinnitus Much Worse. I'd Do Anything to Go Back in Time.

[Beth28]

Hi all, I've been lurking a couple weeks and am unable to focus on a single thing right now, in a complete state of depression and panic, so I thought I'd join. I'm in my thirties, female, and for a couple years now, I'd hear a fuzzy ringing mostly in my right ear but only at night or in the evening when I'd lie down to watch TV. I suffer a lot of anxiety in general, particularly health anxiety, but this tinnitus only mildly bothered me and I attributed it to being tired, since it was worse when I was sleepy.

A couple months ago, at like 2am, I burst awake to very loud ringing in my right ear. I decided to make an appointment for tinnitus and I found an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus. The morning after that night, I woke up fine. The thing is, for a couple years now, I'd get tinnitus every night before bed, but I'd wake up just fine having totally forgotten about it all day until nighttime came around again.

I saw the doctor, she did a hearing test. I didn't get a copy of my audiogram, but she showed it to me and all but one of the dots were at the top. One of the dots was toward the end of the graph and it wasn't too far down. I called the office last week asking for a copy of it, but they haven't sent it yet.

All that is to say I guess I have some mild hearing loss, but I don't feel like I have any trouble hearing. In fact, when I was in the soundproof booth doing the test, I felt a little silly because my tinnitus was so mild I could barely hear it and I felt I had made an appointment for nothing. Anyhow, she immediately said she'd order me hearing aids, which arrived a couple weeks later. In the time it took to get the hearing aids, my tinnitus suddenly became 24/7. Not exactly louder than it is at night, but it's ALWAYS THERE. Waking up in the morning doesn't get rid of it like it used to. I am constantly in a state of panic. I think it's because seeing the doctor has made me think about it and thinking about it is making me ruminate on it, and my brain is just sending me the tinnitus so much more than it ever did.

On my appointment to get the hearing aids, I was blindsided with a $6400 charge. Since it was so expensive, I decided to give it a shot, but I see no difference. If anything, I'm more stressed now than I was before I ever went to the doctor. Today's the first day I haven't worn the hearing aids in two weeks, and the only difference is I enjoy not having those things in my ears. The ringing is nonstop with or without them. I hope I can return the hearing aids because I don't see myself using them.

My husband has been supportive, but I feel like I am just a walking panic attack hearing tinnitus 24/7 and constantly telling myself to stop thinking about it. I've done so much Googling lately and it probably doesn't help. I'm guessing I was actually habituated to it BEFORE I went to the doctor, habituated during the day at least, and now I've taken a massive step backward.

I try not to complain every second of the day even though I'm stressing every second of the day, and this morning when we woke up, my husband said "Wow, I can hear ringing too, when it's quiet and I'm thinking about it. I can't believe you have to hear this all day long." Of course he can just shrug it off and get on with his day.

I am trying to be hopeful that I'll habituate to this one day. Again. And better than before. I don't know what to do with my doctor. She obviously wants me in hearing aids but I don't know if they're needed since they aren't helping. I can listen to masking sounds with much cheaper devices. I'm considering getting a second opinion. I don't understand why I should spend the rest of my life in hearing aids if they aren't helping the tinnitus and I can hear fine without them.

I would love any words of support or advice anyone has, please. I am slowly degrading and I find myself dreading the idea that I might have decades of life left if I'll be hearing this forever. I just want to turn back time and have never gone to the doctor. It was so much easier when I only suffered at night and not 24/7.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Luman]

I'm very sorry that you went through the trouble of getting hearing aids, and they do not help. I do not think that any permanent harm has been done to you by them, but I don't remember many people saying that they helped with their tinnitus. I've had tinnitus for almost 7 years and I wouldn't bother with hearing aids even if my medical insurance plan paid for them 100%.

Good luck, I think that this episode of non-habituation will end and you'll feel much better soon.

 

[Beth28]

I have now seen two audiologists and all my audiograms come back the same, in the normal range, with no hearing loss. The first audiologist I saw tried to sell me expensive hearing aids saying the white noise generator would help, but that was way too expensive, and I don't need them.

I've had tinnitus, mostly in the right ear, for a couple years now but it wasn't until a couple months ago when I decided to see a doctor about it that it started intruding into my everyday life and now I hear it 24/7. I'm assuming that's from the stress/anxiety of it all and that I was actually mostly habituated before I ever made an appt, which put tinnitus in the forefront of my mind.

I know the general idea of treatment is to get over it. BUT I can't stop thinking I might be able to fix/improve something. Here's my issues: I have Chronic Kidney Disease stage 2, which comes with high blood pressure from my damaged kidneys. I've been on Benicar as a blood pressure medication for 20 years, but it's not oxotoxic. Still, even with the medication my blood pressure is typically 130/95, which is still high. Googling says kidney disease and high blood pressure can cause tinnitus.

I've had a clicky jaw for several years. Sometimes the sides of my jaw hurts, but mostly it's not really painful, just annoyingly clicky/tight. My dentist said I'll need crowns on all my back teeth from grinding them at night, so I know I have that issue, too. I also have a weird swollen lymph node behind my right ear that's also been there for years. It never goes away. Doesn't hurt.

My neck and shoulders are sore, stiff, and painful all the time, for a couple of years now. I've tried different pillows, but nothing helps.

From my anxious Googling, I've learned that ALL of these things can contribute to tinnitus. I didn't have health insurance for 6 years so I never did anything about it, but now I do have insurance and I'm wondering if seeing a doctor for my TMJ might help improve it, but I'm also scared to seek out a doctor and get ignored, or offered some bogus expensive treatment, or told that tinnitus is impossible to fix, or possibly get some TMJ treatment that makes it worse.

Does anyone have advice? Is it worthwhile to seek TMJ treatment? How do I even find a decent, trustworthy, knowledgeable doctor?

 

[jlmf2018]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I just recently got hearing aids too. But I feel like my tinnitus has gotten worse with them on because now I'm hearing more noise which makes my tinnitus worse. I'm trying to decide if I should keep them. I have 2 weeks left to decide.