- Apr 23, 2019
- 41
- Tinnitus Since
- 07/17 / Worsened 04/19
- Cause of Tinnitus
- One-Sided Hearing Loss (of unknown origin)
New to this site, and looking for advice.
I've had relatively soft tinnitus in my right ear since August 2017. At that time I learned I developed hearing loss in the high frequencies in that ear. I was told there was nothing I could do and to go on my way.
Until two weeks ago I managed ok since it didn't overpower things in my life. I could really only notice it when I tried to sleep on that ear. Then two weeks ago the frequency and intensity increased and it no longer faded into the background. This began to stress me out and a few days ago I completely lost my appetite. I haven't been able to eat or drink much because doing so makes me feel nauseated.
Around this same time I started feeling fullness and itching in both ears as well as pain in my face and teeth. Friday morning I woke up and it seemed like my left ear had a low hissing noise. That's when I really lost it and started crying. Then I made an appointment to see a doctor.
My primary care was booked so I saw a different doctor in his practice and she examined me and said both ears were half filled with fluid. She looked up my nose and said everything was blocked up there and surmised I have eustachian tube dysfunction. She asked about allergies and I said I've been taking Zyrtec since the original ringing began (they did allergy testing and I have environmental and dust mite allergies).
So the doctor prescribed Singulair and a Medrol steroid pack. She also advised me to start rinsing my nose 2-3 times a day with saline and to take Mucinex for a week. I took the Singulair Friday night and not too long after my heart seemed to be beating too fast. It freaked me out so I haven't taken it since. I did the saline rinses and have been taking a single Mucinex DM every morning (I believe it lasts 12 hours).
I used to sleep with a fan running but since this more intrusive tinnitus began it feels like it tries to conpete with the sound and is louder. Same with watching TV or listening to music. So I can't seem to drown it out which is making it difficult to forget about it. I've only slept about five hours a night when previously I could sleep 8-9 hours.
So Saturday night, desperate for sleep, I took Xanax (.25mg). I have them for when I fly or when I wake up from a panic attack. I track my usage and I can go two months between doses and only take that small amount. So anyway, I started feeling more panicky at first but eventually drifted off sometime around 11:30 pm. At 3 pm I woke up with a start like I was having a panic attack. I was overly warm and my arms were tingling and then I got the whole body shakes. After that I sat in bed watching a show on Hulu to take my mind off these sensations and about a half hour later I was calm enough to go back to sleep another four hours.
When I first woke up on Sunday my tinnitus seemed to be back to the original level but within five minutes the higher pitch returned. I was elated and then disappointed. Throughout the day it fluctuated in intensity. I was able to sleep last night after taking 1 mg of melatonin and nothing else.
I've also stopped all supplements I was previously taking because I'm worried I'm consuming too many things but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad approach. I was previously taking zinc because my husband was sick and I didn't want to catch it, Zytec (which I started back in September 2017 when my allergies were diagnosed), tumeric (for inflammation), B12 (only was taking it for a week or two), and Vitamin D since last month because my levels were low.
Currently I still have pain in my face and teeth and ears that fluctuates throughout the day. I'm debating whether I should try the Singulair again and also begin the steroid. When prescribed, I questioned the doctor and she said neither were ototoxic, but I've seen it appear on some lists so I'm really confused. I took this same steroid in June 2017 and I have read conflicting reports that it can cause/worsen tinnitus, but I'm not sure if that would have happened from a 6 day dose that happened approximately a month and a half before my original tinnitus developed.
Honestly, I'm scared to take anything that could potentially worsen my condition, but at the same time worried if I don't tackle this ETD and the allergies the doctor suspects is contributing to it, that I will get worse anyway. It feels like a catch-22. I'm really stuck here. What would you do in my situation?
I've had relatively soft tinnitus in my right ear since August 2017. At that time I learned I developed hearing loss in the high frequencies in that ear. I was told there was nothing I could do and to go on my way.
Until two weeks ago I managed ok since it didn't overpower things in my life. I could really only notice it when I tried to sleep on that ear. Then two weeks ago the frequency and intensity increased and it no longer faded into the background. This began to stress me out and a few days ago I completely lost my appetite. I haven't been able to eat or drink much because doing so makes me feel nauseated.
Around this same time I started feeling fullness and itching in both ears as well as pain in my face and teeth. Friday morning I woke up and it seemed like my left ear had a low hissing noise. That's when I really lost it and started crying. Then I made an appointment to see a doctor.
My primary care was booked so I saw a different doctor in his practice and she examined me and said both ears were half filled with fluid. She looked up my nose and said everything was blocked up there and surmised I have eustachian tube dysfunction. She asked about allergies and I said I've been taking Zyrtec since the original ringing began (they did allergy testing and I have environmental and dust mite allergies).
So the doctor prescribed Singulair and a Medrol steroid pack. She also advised me to start rinsing my nose 2-3 times a day with saline and to take Mucinex for a week. I took the Singulair Friday night and not too long after my heart seemed to be beating too fast. It freaked me out so I haven't taken it since. I did the saline rinses and have been taking a single Mucinex DM every morning (I believe it lasts 12 hours).
I used to sleep with a fan running but since this more intrusive tinnitus began it feels like it tries to conpete with the sound and is louder. Same with watching TV or listening to music. So I can't seem to drown it out which is making it difficult to forget about it. I've only slept about five hours a night when previously I could sleep 8-9 hours.
So Saturday night, desperate for sleep, I took Xanax (.25mg). I have them for when I fly or when I wake up from a panic attack. I track my usage and I can go two months between doses and only take that small amount. So anyway, I started feeling more panicky at first but eventually drifted off sometime around 11:30 pm. At 3 pm I woke up with a start like I was having a panic attack. I was overly warm and my arms were tingling and then I got the whole body shakes. After that I sat in bed watching a show on Hulu to take my mind off these sensations and about a half hour later I was calm enough to go back to sleep another four hours.
When I first woke up on Sunday my tinnitus seemed to be back to the original level but within five minutes the higher pitch returned. I was elated and then disappointed. Throughout the day it fluctuated in intensity. I was able to sleep last night after taking 1 mg of melatonin and nothing else.
I've also stopped all supplements I was previously taking because I'm worried I'm consuming too many things but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad approach. I was previously taking zinc because my husband was sick and I didn't want to catch it, Zytec (which I started back in September 2017 when my allergies were diagnosed), tumeric (for inflammation), B12 (only was taking it for a week or two), and Vitamin D since last month because my levels were low.
Currently I still have pain in my face and teeth and ears that fluctuates throughout the day. I'm debating whether I should try the Singulair again and also begin the steroid. When prescribed, I questioned the doctor and she said neither were ototoxic, but I've seen it appear on some lists so I'm really confused. I took this same steroid in June 2017 and I have read conflicting reports that it can cause/worsen tinnitus, but I'm not sure if that would have happened from a 6 day dose that happened approximately a month and a half before my original tinnitus developed.
Honestly, I'm scared to take anything that could potentially worsen my condition, but at the same time worried if I don't tackle this ETD and the allergies the doctor suspects is contributing to it, that I will get worse anyway. It feels like a catch-22. I'm really stuck here. What would you do in my situation?
