Hey everyone, so it's 1:00 am and I've woken up again, for a reason I am so so confused, upset about. I'll get to that in a second. I'll make this short and sweet. At 23 years old (2012) I got tinnitus from a sinus infection. I did take medications for it, some Tinnitus Retraining Therapy and was generally good to go. It would spike once in awhile if I was sick with a cold or allergies, but I managed. I wear musician's earplugs at loud places, etc. I was actually coping well. The sound has stayed the same in my right and left ear. It was always slightly louder in my right ear. I rate it a 2-3/10 90% of the time.
Now, it's 2022. I am mostly fine during the day and my tinnitus has remained mostly the same. However, I go to bed, fall asleep and then boom, I wake up 2-3 hours later and it's screaming in my left ear only, it feels like it's in my forehead, around my head. I plug my ears to listen for it and it's coming from the left side. 8/10 on the scale of loudness, anxiety shoots up, I wake up, drink some water, pace the house, walk around, go on the computer, do something, anything. Here's the weird thing, 30-40 minutes later of being awake and it's a 2/10 in my right ear and a 4/10 in my left ear. Almost goes back to its normal baseline. As the morning or time progresses, depending on how much sleep I get, it goes back to its normal baseline. It has been going on for 3-4 weeks now, only targets my left ear. Only when I sleep and wake up does this happen.
Here are some weird symptoms. I wake up with red ears, left one is more red. Both ears feel warm/hot for half an hour or sometimes longer. Anxiety, shakes, tiredness in full effect. Sometimes I get a good 7-8 hours of sleep and now, it's been 3 hours of sleep and I'm awake.
Current health, I'm 5'11", 182 lbs. Healthy, active. Blood pressure is 134/72, it's okay. I was diagnosed with Graves' disease in December of last year, hyperthyroid. I started medication for it, Methimazole, now at 10 mg a day. I've been on the medication for a few months and haven't had any of these symptoms with my ear before, my T1-2-3 thyroid are stable and I do blood work every 6 weeks. I take allergy medications when it's seasonal, other then that, nothing. I drink black coffee and water. Exercise.
I'm really scared right now. I don't want to go my whole life fearing sleep because I know I will wake up with screaming tinnitus, have to calm down for an hour and wait for it to calm down everyday. Sometimes during the day I will plug my ears to check and they are ringing as per usual, so I don't know what gives. Why when I sleep does it get so bad it wakes me up? I sleep with a fan on as well.
I will talk to my specialist about my Graves' disease/hyperthyroid and let her know what's going on with my ears, maybe there is a link between the medication and what's going on.
Sorry to make it a long post when I said I wouldn't, no one understands who doesn't have tinnitus. I habituated so well with Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, staying active and I've been good for 10 years with this condition. Back to square one I guess. I'm a mess right now.
Now, it's 2022. I am mostly fine during the day and my tinnitus has remained mostly the same. However, I go to bed, fall asleep and then boom, I wake up 2-3 hours later and it's screaming in my left ear only, it feels like it's in my forehead, around my head. I plug my ears to listen for it and it's coming from the left side. 8/10 on the scale of loudness, anxiety shoots up, I wake up, drink some water, pace the house, walk around, go on the computer, do something, anything. Here's the weird thing, 30-40 minutes later of being awake and it's a 2/10 in my right ear and a 4/10 in my left ear. Almost goes back to its normal baseline. As the morning or time progresses, depending on how much sleep I get, it goes back to its normal baseline. It has been going on for 3-4 weeks now, only targets my left ear. Only when I sleep and wake up does this happen.
Here are some weird symptoms. I wake up with red ears, left one is more red. Both ears feel warm/hot for half an hour or sometimes longer. Anxiety, shakes, tiredness in full effect. Sometimes I get a good 7-8 hours of sleep and now, it's been 3 hours of sleep and I'm awake.
Current health, I'm 5'11", 182 lbs. Healthy, active. Blood pressure is 134/72, it's okay. I was diagnosed with Graves' disease in December of last year, hyperthyroid. I started medication for it, Methimazole, now at 10 mg a day. I've been on the medication for a few months and haven't had any of these symptoms with my ear before, my T1-2-3 thyroid are stable and I do blood work every 6 weeks. I take allergy medications when it's seasonal, other then that, nothing. I drink black coffee and water. Exercise.
I'm really scared right now. I don't want to go my whole life fearing sleep because I know I will wake up with screaming tinnitus, have to calm down for an hour and wait for it to calm down everyday. Sometimes during the day I will plug my ears to check and they are ringing as per usual, so I don't know what gives. Why when I sleep does it get so bad it wakes me up? I sleep with a fan on as well.
I will talk to my specialist about my Graves' disease/hyperthyroid and let her know what's going on with my ears, maybe there is a link between the medication and what's going on.
Sorry to make it a long post when I said I wouldn't, no one understands who doesn't have tinnitus. I habituated so well with Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, staying active and I've been good for 10 years with this condition. Back to square one I guess. I'm a mess right now.
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