Hi! I'm new to this forum, been reading posts for a while but never actually writing anything myself. But right now, I'm really struggling so here it goes. (Also, english isn't my first language and I apologize for any mistakes.)
I've had tinnitus for a while. Maybe a year, maybe two, but it's probably more. Truth to be told, it hasn't bothered me, so I'm not sure when it actually began. I've only noticed it right after listening to music, or when I'm somewhere where it's completely silent (like when I tried using earplugs while sleeping because of a loud neighbour). However, things changed about five weeks ago, about the same time as I begun feeling like I was about to get a cold. The cold never came, instead the ringing in my ears got worse. It started with those short moments when your hearing kinda goes away and the ringing get's really loud for a while. I've experienced these moments before, but this time they lasted longer, and I had them a few times a day. I also became quite dizzy a couple times each day, and had a bit of pain. I'm sensetive to noise (I've experienced this before as well, while having a cold), but it's not to bad. Sharp sounds are a bit painful, but talkning and such is more or less fine. Somewhere in all of this, the ringing increased to a really high-pitched tone that I can hear more or less all the time. If I manage to really focus on something, or if I'm with friends, I sometimes forget about it or is even unable to hear it. But it's there, and it's really bothering me. So I went to the doctors, where they could see that my eardrums was a bit red and swollen. Therefore they where unable to see if I had any fluid in my middle ear, and I'm going to see an ear specialist sometime (hopefully) soon. They tested my hearing, which was apparently fine (a bit surprising to me, since I've had a bit of a hard time hearing conversation for a couple of years). The doctor also gave me a nasal spay (cortisone) that I'm supposed to use twice a day.
I know five weeks isn't really a long time, but I feel like I'm going crazy. The pain and dizziness (that comes and goes, but not as often as it did) I can handle, but the ringing is really something else. I also do all the wrong things, worrying about it all the time and focusing on it, but how can I not when it takes the joy out of all the things I like? I've stayed away from headphones (which I think might be the cause behind my tinnitus, after using them for several hours a day but not at very loud volumes. Stupid, I know), which in my case means no music, no TV or no gaming. After hanging out with friends, where there is talking and perhaps a bit of music in the background, I feel like my tinntius increases. If I go for a walk, there it is. If I try reading, it's distracting me. When I go to bed it's really annoying and if I've had problems with falling asleep before…well, the ringing in itself makes it harder, but it's even worse laying awake with that bloody noise in my ears. My loud fridge is basically my best friend, I've spent hours laying on my kitchen floor next to it since it's the thing takes best masks the ringing.
I feel like I might experience all of this because of a billion reasons. I've been under a lot of stress, probably an unhealthy amount, for about two years. I have neck pain, I'm clenching my jaw, I've used headphones too much, I worry and stress about most things. I've read about so many different things that might affect tinnitus, and I don't know which one might be the reason in my case.
So I guess I'm asking for advice. I feel quite lost at the moment, not really sure what I should and shouldn't do (I know the obvious ones, like staying away from loud noises and taking care of myself). Do you guys think there is any hope, or will I just have to get used to this?
Sorry for the long read, just needed to share. Thank you for your time, and take care!
I've had tinnitus for a while. Maybe a year, maybe two, but it's probably more. Truth to be told, it hasn't bothered me, so I'm not sure when it actually began. I've only noticed it right after listening to music, or when I'm somewhere where it's completely silent (like when I tried using earplugs while sleeping because of a loud neighbour). However, things changed about five weeks ago, about the same time as I begun feeling like I was about to get a cold. The cold never came, instead the ringing in my ears got worse. It started with those short moments when your hearing kinda goes away and the ringing get's really loud for a while. I've experienced these moments before, but this time they lasted longer, and I had them a few times a day. I also became quite dizzy a couple times each day, and had a bit of pain. I'm sensetive to noise (I've experienced this before as well, while having a cold), but it's not to bad. Sharp sounds are a bit painful, but talkning and such is more or less fine. Somewhere in all of this, the ringing increased to a really high-pitched tone that I can hear more or less all the time. If I manage to really focus on something, or if I'm with friends, I sometimes forget about it or is even unable to hear it. But it's there, and it's really bothering me. So I went to the doctors, where they could see that my eardrums was a bit red and swollen. Therefore they where unable to see if I had any fluid in my middle ear, and I'm going to see an ear specialist sometime (hopefully) soon. They tested my hearing, which was apparently fine (a bit surprising to me, since I've had a bit of a hard time hearing conversation for a couple of years). The doctor also gave me a nasal spay (cortisone) that I'm supposed to use twice a day.
I know five weeks isn't really a long time, but I feel like I'm going crazy. The pain and dizziness (that comes and goes, but not as often as it did) I can handle, but the ringing is really something else. I also do all the wrong things, worrying about it all the time and focusing on it, but how can I not when it takes the joy out of all the things I like? I've stayed away from headphones (which I think might be the cause behind my tinnitus, after using them for several hours a day but not at very loud volumes. Stupid, I know), which in my case means no music, no TV or no gaming. After hanging out with friends, where there is talking and perhaps a bit of music in the background, I feel like my tinntius increases. If I go for a walk, there it is. If I try reading, it's distracting me. When I go to bed it's really annoying and if I've had problems with falling asleep before…well, the ringing in itself makes it harder, but it's even worse laying awake with that bloody noise in my ears. My loud fridge is basically my best friend, I've spent hours laying on my kitchen floor next to it since it's the thing takes best masks the ringing.
I feel like I might experience all of this because of a billion reasons. I've been under a lot of stress, probably an unhealthy amount, for about two years. I have neck pain, I'm clenching my jaw, I've used headphones too much, I worry and stress about most things. I've read about so many different things that might affect tinnitus, and I don't know which one might be the reason in my case.
So I guess I'm asking for advice. I feel quite lost at the moment, not really sure what I should and shouldn't do (I know the obvious ones, like staying away from loud noises and taking care of myself). Do you guys think there is any hope, or will I just have to get used to this?
Sorry for the long read, just needed to share. Thank you for your time, and take care!
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