Hi T peeps!
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I've been wanting to share my positive thoughts about T, as well as my entire story (for cleansing reasons) yet putting off writing on here for a long time, always waiting for the absolute end of my ear infection induced T before starting. I am hoping that some people who have just started hearing a T-like noise will see my story and calm down a bit!
I am pretty fastidious when it comes to hearing, audio and music. I am a guitarist, suffer from barotrauma, played in a loud band and always wore plugs half in (except for the odd occasion / gig). I have also been working as a Music Supervisor for the past 3 years which means that I have had on-ear headphones (closed back) on not too loud for about 4 hours intermittently throughout the day. I have also got a history with ENT having had waxy ears since a kid as well as a thyroid cyst removal. Despite the above, I was absolutely fine until after a bad cold (which caused my ears to block) cleared away and left this pretty loud ringing mostly in my right ear, although a bit in the middle (head).
First thing I did is look online and alas, was greeted with all the worst horror stories about T! That really shook me up on first read. It's totally natural to want to get to the bottom of it and rationalise the issue and fix it. But hang on - most people who leave comments on threads and forums will be on there because maybe the problem has persisted right? That was the advice I was given after a few days and it really calmed me down. I guess you just don't always hear the story of Tom, Dick or Harry who had it for a couple of months and then it went away on it's own. There must be SO many people who it's happened to! I have since met a few people who have said this, so I prayed for the universe to fix me.
There was a period where I had this incessant ringing on two levels: one at about 3Khz and really badly at about 14Khz (really very high, higher than most ear test machines go and some peoples' hearing). I even had horrific Hyperacusis to the point that walking around London was the most aggravating thing ever. I cannot explain how disheartened I had become with my job, my music and pretty much my absolute livelihood. I really felt like I had put my eggs in one basket and someone stepped on the basket. I would be lying if I didn't say that I even considered not being around for much longer, so yeah pretty low for the first two months.
I kept being persistent and going back to my GP over and over until I bored them in to giving me a referral to see a specialist. In the UK, the NHS lists really were too long for me to wait ( I would have gone mad), so I went private and spend a small fortune to see an ENT specialist. Luckily, my doctor was a leading academic in tinnitus. It was absolutely amazing to speak to them and it was possibly the single most important step to emotional recovery. He advised a few things:
- Obviously do not over expose... So I bought open back headphones which allow some of the SPL (sound pressure level) to escape. I personally would recommend NO earphones, no iPhone earphones and only speakers as its natural.
- Thoroughly recommended Nasal Spray Euphorbium (holistic therapy) for blocked noses or if you are just about to get a cold. If you suffer from Barotrauma, then take a few sprays before flight as well as chewing gum to equalise pressure.
Anyway, turns out I had a post-viral infection in both ears which was to clear out over a few months time and get gradually better! I was so relieved I nearly cried. He determined this by doing a ear drum pressure test. He also did a 12 point hearing test (testing many frequencies, not like those free hearing tests which are only 3-4 points and show nothing). All this took 45 mins and cost £300!
Anyway, so I thought I would leave it for a month, totally cut coffee and smoking and be generally more healthy and see it out. I was so eager to get ahead of the NHS list that I ended up going back to my GP twice and complaining that I had to see the specialist again but this time - for free. So I huffed and puffed and really pushed to get a referral. Got another one for 45 days later and this time, the ENT doctor told me that it's really clearing up and should possibly fully go away! At this point the really loud ring had faded gradually but I was still sensing a high pitched sensation which was difficult to explain as it was NOT tonal T but more a high pitched sensation... The doctor said that it would be standard procedure for me to go and get an MRI to determine that I do/dont have an auditory nerve benign tumour (this is a standard scan for people with unilateral T in the UK) so waiting to get my results this Friday.
I still have a high pitched ringing in my ears 80% less than original T sound a few months back but I have nearly completely come to terms/acceptance with it (maybe because I think it will go soon ish, but I also think that my brain is really cancelling it out)
...To summarise my findings:
- Finding out you have ringing is s**t. It's ok to be worried.
- Don't search the internet too much, if you do, remember that positive stories will hardly ever be written down! So what you are getting is a lop-sided view on the issues.
- See your GP and DEMAND you see a specialist. Don't just listen to their advice. Go back and get yourself seen by the best possible.
- Remember that although you feel like crap now, you are reading stories about how other people get over it. YOU ALSO can become like those people and totally OWN IT
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- Cut coffee and smoking one by one.
- If you are a music lover, then make sure you cut down dramatically your bad sound exposure (headphones, plugs at gigs etc)
- Try and buy some custom molded ear plugs - ACS do flat attenuation ones for max pleasure. (i am not their ambassador!)
- Remember to tell your friends and loved ones to wear ear plugs at gigs - be that annoying person ALWAYS.
T treatment: (in the lightest tone) the leading academic doctor I saw said that apparently there is a way (a machine) of somehow finding out exactly which hair cells in your ear are the ones which need stimulating and can lower the noise level. He also did say that there is stem cell research currently under way which hopefully in years to come could help pave the way for proper treatment. Some animal testing in pigs has happened already and they saw improvements. This was said in chat of course so I cannot back it up with links at the moment.
My heart goes out to everyone who has it, has had it for a long time and who has maybe only just got it. Don't ever give up! Many people have other ailments, maybe there will be a cure one day!
Get back at me if you want a chat ever. Let me know if I can re-post anywhere or somewhere where new sufferers will see this message. I was wishing to stumble over a similar one when I was looking frantically months back...
Godspeed friends
xx
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