I've put this off the past couple of months in the hope that I might go away, but I'm getting to the point where I tell myself that as hard as it may be, I should try to accept that it's probably not going to happen.
Around this time in February, I came down with a pretty bad cold. My nose was super stuffed, and consequently, first my right, then my left ear felt really clogged. I went to my GP, who told me to use decongestant nasal spray, and some sort of plant-based medicine to ease congestion. I recovered from the cold, and everything was dandy. No tinnitus.
Around a week and a half later, I first started hearing a quiet, flickering noise when I went to bed wearing earplugs, which I have to from time to time, due to noisy neighbours. When I took a nap the next day, however, the noise was gone. That 29th February was the last time I had slept without the noise. The following week, I went to bed hearing the flickering noise, and woke up an hour before my alarm would go off to a ringing in my ear. After a few days of this, I went to an ENT. They did a hearing test, and I think what's called a tympanometry (which I've since learned can be harmful, so yay, I guess), looked into my ear and told me everything looks fine. The ENT told me that he couldn't do anything and told me to take some ginkgo biloba, with no improvement, so I went to another ENT, who essentially did the same procedure, and again told me there was nothing wrong with my ears, and sent me on my way saying it might be a TMJ problem.
By then the noise had gotten worse. Before, I would only hear it at night, now I could hear it during daytime, as well. It's quite hard for me to describe the noise. It's neither high nor low pitched, and it's not a continuous sound, but rather sort of... wavering? It doesn't even sound like it's in my head. (at first I thought it was some noise from the outside) unless I'm wearing earplugs, in which case it wavers less and becomes more continuous. Up until a few days ago it also became significantly louder when I would try listening to white noise or rain sounds, and would even distort them. It would turn back to normal the moment I turned it off, though, and it never did that with any other sounds like voices, music, etc. Now the effect is a lot more subtle.
As many others before me, I tried a lot of things in my desperation: supplements (vitamin B, zinc, magnesium, NAC); claritin, zyrtec and sudafed (thinking that, maybe, thanks to the cold, the tinnitus might come from an ETD); and apple cider vinegar, since I've read about it here. Obviously not all at once, but you get the gist.
I've also tried various neck and TMJ exercises, although I cannot manipulate my tinnitus with any sort of movements. I don't know where it's coming from, if that cold back in February could even be the reason, but it's the only thing I can think of. I'm at my wit's end and I know I should resign myself to the fact that it's here to stay. I guess I keep thinking that I at least want to know why, even though I doubt it would actually help me. I've been wondering if I should insist on getting a MRT (with earplugs, of course) done, to at least rule out anything dangerous.
(I just miss silence so much. I know people with tinnitus often say they didn't appreciate it enough, but I always did. I loved and cherished these silent moments early in the morning or late at night. I've always looked forward to having my own place simply because of the blessed silence, and now I don't even care anymore.)
Around this time in February, I came down with a pretty bad cold. My nose was super stuffed, and consequently, first my right, then my left ear felt really clogged. I went to my GP, who told me to use decongestant nasal spray, and some sort of plant-based medicine to ease congestion. I recovered from the cold, and everything was dandy. No tinnitus.
Around a week and a half later, I first started hearing a quiet, flickering noise when I went to bed wearing earplugs, which I have to from time to time, due to noisy neighbours. When I took a nap the next day, however, the noise was gone. That 29th February was the last time I had slept without the noise. The following week, I went to bed hearing the flickering noise, and woke up an hour before my alarm would go off to a ringing in my ear. After a few days of this, I went to an ENT. They did a hearing test, and I think what's called a tympanometry (which I've since learned can be harmful, so yay, I guess), looked into my ear and told me everything looks fine. The ENT told me that he couldn't do anything and told me to take some ginkgo biloba, with no improvement, so I went to another ENT, who essentially did the same procedure, and again told me there was nothing wrong with my ears, and sent me on my way saying it might be a TMJ problem.
By then the noise had gotten worse. Before, I would only hear it at night, now I could hear it during daytime, as well. It's quite hard for me to describe the noise. It's neither high nor low pitched, and it's not a continuous sound, but rather sort of... wavering? It doesn't even sound like it's in my head. (at first I thought it was some noise from the outside) unless I'm wearing earplugs, in which case it wavers less and becomes more continuous. Up until a few days ago it also became significantly louder when I would try listening to white noise or rain sounds, and would even distort them. It would turn back to normal the moment I turned it off, though, and it never did that with any other sounds like voices, music, etc. Now the effect is a lot more subtle.
As many others before me, I tried a lot of things in my desperation: supplements (vitamin B, zinc, magnesium, NAC); claritin, zyrtec and sudafed (thinking that, maybe, thanks to the cold, the tinnitus might come from an ETD); and apple cider vinegar, since I've read about it here. Obviously not all at once, but you get the gist.
I've also tried various neck and TMJ exercises, although I cannot manipulate my tinnitus with any sort of movements. I don't know where it's coming from, if that cold back in February could even be the reason, but it's the only thing I can think of. I'm at my wit's end and I know I should resign myself to the fact that it's here to stay. I guess I keep thinking that I at least want to know why, even though I doubt it would actually help me. I've been wondering if I should insist on getting a MRT (with earplugs, of course) done, to at least rule out anything dangerous.
(I just miss silence so much. I know people with tinnitus often say they didn't appreciate it enough, but I always did. I loved and cherished these silent moments early in the morning or late at night. I've always looked forward to having my own place simply because of the blessed silence, and now I don't even care anymore.)
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