Tinnitus...it's all new to me...

RSS
Email

0 Kudo

Author	Comment
olivia24	Tinnitus...it's all new to me...	Lead	[-]
Posts: 1 (07/03/09 7:48 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None Hi everyone... on Monday I started having this really annoying ringing type of noise in my left ear and I thought it would go away by the next day...unfortunately that is not the case. I ended up going to the urgent care clinic where I was told I have "tinnitus". The doctor looked into both of my ears and said he cannot see any type of disease or anything that would have to do with tinnitus but concluded that since I have this ringing in my ear, it must be tinnitus. He said I should wait a few more days to see if it will go away but this is really affecting my life. I WANT RELIEF! I'm only 23 years old...why the hell is this happening to me? I can't concentrate and go about my daily routine because of this new interference. I have already lost interest in many things I used to enjoy...i.e being with my friends, going out, enjoying the little fun things in life... I have scheduled an appointment with my family doctor for Monday but until then I'm trying to figure out what to do to mask this annoyance. So after doing quite a bit of research on tinnitus, I discovered that it is not curable which ultimately freaked me out...putting me into a very sad state and depression. It seems like the ringing noise in my ear is getting worse by the day... Also, I read that there are some treatments but many of them vary in effectiveness. so my question to those who have tinnitus and had some treatment, what would you recommend? I really don't care if it is a natural treatment or pills or whatever...I'm growing desperate...PLEASE HELP!
swaddell		#1	[-]
Posts: 220 (07/03/09 8:03 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi Olivia24, I recommend relaxing and waiting. It can be scary and annoying at first but you will get use to it if it decides to stick around for a bit. Try not to get worked up over it and go to your appointment and express what your feeling to your doctor. May I ask what may have brought your Tinnitus on? Loud music? are you taking any new drugs? are you under a lot of stress? I suggest looking into any of these possibilities. One week is far to early to tell if you have permanent Tinnitus and even if it sticks around a bit trust me you will feel better. Scott Last Edited By: swaddell 07/03/09 8:08 PM. Edited 1 times.
Oz Greg		#2	[-]
Posts: 14549 (07/03/09 8:07 PM) Under the Southern Cross. Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Olivia You have only had it since Monday. There may be a reason for it? For instance, have you had any ear infections lately, been taking aspirin or any other medications?, been to a nightclub lately, been exposed to a lot of noise/loud music, been sick lately etc..................... These are the questions that a good doctor will ask you in order to establish if there is an apparent reason for the ringing. Forget this "not curable" thing that you read somewhere. The fact is that in the huge majority of cases tinnitus(ringing) is temporary and it usually just goes away. What you need to do is stop panicking and stressing over it as all this does is make the ringing seem worse than it actually is. greg
olivia24		#3	[-]
Posts: 2 (07/03/09 8:09 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks for the advice Scott. I do listen quite often to my iPod but it is at regular volume and a few times a month I go out with my friends to a club..but it isn't an every-weekend kind of a routine...so I'm not sure why this is happening. I really hope I have no permanent hearing loss but I've had this since Monday and I can't bear it. The Dr at the clinic said I have tinnitus but that he didn't notice anything associated with tinnitus except the sound that I'm telling him I hear. (I'm refering to the Meniere Disease..I guess it's called?..or any other kind of tinnitus-related problem...) I don't take any drugs. And in my world, I'm not sure what one would classify as "stress". I've been feeling okay lately, so I really don't think stress or diet are a major factor in my case...I of course can be wrong but my gut instinct is telling me it might be because of the loud music experienced at clubs... * Sorry Scott, maybe I didn't express myself properly but what I meant to say is that he said I DON'T have any symptoms of "Meneries Disease" nor any other type of disease or serious problem associated with Tinnitus. * Last Edited By: olivia24 07/03/09 8:32 PM. Edited 1 times.
swaddell		#4	[-]
Posts: 222 (07/03/09 8:17 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Were you at the club the night before? My tinnitus presented over night while I was sleeping after a really loud concert. If this is the case and even if it isn't you should ask your doctor to refer you to an ENT or Neurotologist who has dealt with Tinnitus before (if they know). I would suggest asking for a hearing test just to be sure as a good majority of Tinnitus presents with hearing loss. Edit : Also, if your doctor mentioned Meneries it sometimes presents with dizziness, aural fullness, temporary or permanent unilateral low frequency hearing loss and Tinnitus it also typically comes on in your 30's. If you only have Tinnitus I wouldn't jump to a Meneires diagnosis and unless you have felt you have had these other symptoms I wouldn't toss that term out when you are being diagnosed (unless you have questions) because doctors love to chalk Tinnitus up to it and sometimes are wrong about it. Last Edited By: swaddell 07/03/09 8:29 PM. Edited 1 times.
olivia24		#5	[-]
Posts: 3 (07/03/09 8:25 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	No... last time I went clubbing was two weekends ago and yes everytime I come out of the club I hear that annoying buzzing sound from the loud music but by the next day when I wake up it is completely gone...in this situation the ringing in my left ear began on Monday..so almost an entire week ago...had no warning or anything :((
swaddell		#6	[-]
Posts: 224 (07/03/09 8:33 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	The buzzing noise is a form of Tinnitus and it is your ear's/brain's way of telling you it was to loud. Do me a favor and in the future take some ear plugs with you. At first you'll feel silly because others wont be wearing them but you'll know that your protecting your hearing and won't make your tinnitus worse. I would at this point defiantly get your hearing checked. But don't be surprised if your hearing is normal - mine was after the concert. Also, it really hard to say if this is the cause so I wouldn't dwell on it to much, just protect yourself in the future.
playingpool		#7	[-]
Posts: 1042 (07/03/09 10:36 PM) TSMB Supporter Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi Olivia24 I have scheduled an appointment with my family doctor for Monday... If it still bothers you I would recomend asking for a small dose of Xanax. Even though it's a pill, it does soften the tinnitus, reduce the stress, and allows you to sleep. Just my 2 cents. Pool
winterbridge		#8	[-]
Posts: 283 (07/04/09 2:07 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Olivia, At your age you have a very good chance of recovering. Your hearing more than likely is temporarily impaired. Please avoid putting ear buds or headphones on while listening to music until it goes away. Yes, put the ipod away...sorry. Also, invest in a pair of musician ear plugs if you are going to go to a concert or a club. Make an appointment with an audiologist to help you with that decision. Masking your tinnitus using white noise cd's is the best method for getting to sleep also anti anxiety medication for the short term will help. Best wishes, Mark
tinnitusme		#9	[-]
Posts: 1 (07/04/09 5:07 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I personally bought a cheap fan for about twenty bucks at canadian tire and keep it beside the bed while im sleeping! its got three settings... annoying, super annoying and finally... god damn this ringing!!! but don't let it %++$ with you too much. Ive had it for a solid five months or so and find it way more tollerable now than before. be pro active about finding a type of treatment that will help you in one way or another. that in itself will establish piece of mind and make you feel a little better. but protect what you got. I use ear plugs anywhere loud i go, the movies live music and anywhere else. I work construction so you can imagine how i got it. But dont let it take over... use the fan or white noise to give yourself a break and talk to the doctor about anti anxiety pills... but try not to use them regularly... that way you can save em up for a saturday night!!! It gets easier after a while.... and make sure you get as much sleep as you can... the better you are mentally the better you can put up with it. booze may make it seem worse, but at the same time may help calm you down. but it sucks for me when im hungover!!! try looking up gingko biloba... lots recomend it, excersise is good and being active will reduce some of that nervous energy. hopefully you dont have it forever. but lots of us do. I personally get bothered by it but am still happy and live just as a deranged and semi productive life as i did last year! but do yourself a favour and when you sit there listening to it...STOP. and when you start thinking about the ringing... STOP!!! it aint gonna make anything better. but try to find a place you like that has enough background noise to block it out. explain to your friends and those at work and wherever what your goin through so at least they understand why you get edgy and they can avoid making it worse by cranking the music real loud or banging on stuff around you! Im 26 and i know i got alot of life left... and still in the best years. dont worry... your not alone and you will be ok!!! Mike
olivia24		#10	[-]
Posts: 4 (07/04/09 8:40 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	So are there no vitamins, pills or anything else that I can take to reduce this annoying sound!? I don't want to go on Xanax..I've heard some pretty bad and scary stories about it and I don't want to get hooked on those kinds of things...I cannot believe we are in the 21st century and there is 1. no cure and 2. no EFFECTIVE, guaranteed treatment for Tinnitus. It's very frustrating. What the hell have doctors been doing for the past 50 years?
reph		#11	[-]
Posts: 18214 (07/04/09 9:00 AM) Assistant Workhorse Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	everytime I come out of the club I hear that annoying buzzing sound from the loud music but by the next day when I wake up it is completely gone . . . the ringing in my left ear began on Monday..so almost an entire week ago...had no warning or anything The buzzing sound was your warning. Each session at the club caused a little more damage in the inner ear. These injuries are cumulative. After too many times, the tinnitus doesn't go away overnight. Unfortunately, people who go to clubs don't know this. They think they're safe because the aftereffects of insanely loud music have always gone away before. They think temporary buzzing and ringing are normal and healthy. No, those sounds aren't normal and healthy. They're a danger sign. Please tell your friends. There isn't enough public education about noise. We see public service announcements about smoking and vaccinations, but nothing about clubs and concerts. That level of sound would be illegal in a work setting. Keeping away from all loud noise for a few weeks will give your ear the best chance of healing.
TammyAScuirus		#12	[-]
Posts: 873 (07/04/09 10:03 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi olivia, You haven't had it long enough to determine if the tinnitus will stay or leave on its own. Have some sound on in the background that masks your t to take your mind off the ringing. The worst thing you can do is concentrate on the ringing and get your anxiety level raised. Anxiety can make tinnitus seem louder (even if it isn't). When I first got t over 2 years ago, I took a small dose of valium as needed under my doctor's supervision and never had a problem with it. I had also tried xanax, but it didn't work as well for me. The medication should just be enough to take the edge off your anxiety, not knock you out. Not everyone gets addicted to medication...it's the same as alcohol. Some people can stop after a couple of drinks, whereas someone else will keep drinking until their liver quits. If you're worried about addiction, you can ask the doctor for a small amount of medication. The object of medication is to take the edge off your anxiety so that you can calm down enough to learn other ways of coping. Don't let the sound in your head interfere with friendships or your daily life. Remind yourself that it's not life threatening, it's an annoyance. The more you're out with people and keeping busy, the less it will bother you. Being alone, listening for changes in the sound, and getting worked up is what tinnitus feeds on. Keep living your life as usual, but keep some background noise on. There are background sound CD's you can buy on the internet. There's masking ones, nature sounds, and ones that combine music with nature sounds. If you look around, you'll find a bunch of things out there. Sometimes a fan, radio set between stations, or other appliances can serve the purpose. Your tinnitus has been here less than a week, so it's way too early to predict if it will stay with you. Even if it does, there's many ways we've all learned to live with it. At first it seemed like the end of sanity when I first got it. Now I hardly notice it's there. Susan
winterbridge		#13	[-]
Posts: 284 (07/04/09 10:28 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	'What have doctors been doing the last fifty years." Taking care of the sick. They do very little educating and preventing illness I'm sorry to say.
peterw145		#14	[-]
Posts: 5 (07/04/09 7:06 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I would modify the former comment....the last 50 years they have been piling up money and praying that nobody comes to them complaining about tinnitus.For sure they have not used many of those years to learn anything.Peter.
st4rk		#15	[-]
Posts: 14 (07/07/09 1:11 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hey Olivia, I remember I went through the same thing as you when I first got tinnitus. I'm 25 now and have not changed my lifestyle one bit since getting it. I got it when I was 22 and thought I would never be the same. I read that I was supposed to avoid caffeine, sodium, and loud concerts. None of those worked at all and decided that I would continue living as I did. I drank Mountain Dew again, ate Oodles of Noodles, and went to clubs with loud booming techno music several times. Has my tinnitus worsened in the last 4 years? NOPE! Do I notice it all the time every day? NOPE! I'd say I notice my tinnitus 2 days a week, if that. When I first got it, I noticed it everyday all day, I could barely sleep at all. After a while you will learn to live with it, and when you meet people in real life it helps that much more. I've met quite a few people at work that also have tinnitus, it's pretty amazing. I found out my mom had it too, but she had never talked about it at all, and my grandfather had it as well. Whenever I read these forums I can hear my tinnitus the entire time. But once I'm done visiting this site it goes away, lol, stupid tinnitus.

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Yuku free message boards

Tinnitus...it's all new to me...

Tinnitus...it's all new to me...

Quick Reply