Tinitus, anyone?

Bobbi

Bobbi

Cathlete
Yes, I am offering it to you if you want it! LOL! I have been dealing with ringing in the ears for almost a month. I have an appointment with an ENT on Thursday and am going to try accupuncture as well. All that I know is it can be caused by a myriad of things and many different things work to stop it. Or not, which is scary. In the meantime, I feel like I am being driven insane and that's not a very far drive! He he. Anybody dealt with it and found a solution to make it less irritating? My hearing is somewhat degraded and I can't sleep. Since a mere 15 months ago I was in the throes of a deep, dark depression that felt quite similar, I have been a keyed up and stressed out and I hate it! It's taking it's toll. My 7 year-old, Sam, got the worst case of flu any of my kids have ever last week had and boy, did we have a tough week. Any advice would be welcome. I am actually kind of balancing out emotionally. I know this isn't depression, it's lack of sleep and irritation. I can't sleep because my head won't shut up and ambient noise matches the tones in my head and I find myself cringing at normal sounds. Does this mean I no longer have to do laundry since the dryer matches the pitch and drive me bonkers? All advice is welcome! And say a little prayer the ENT can fix me! Thanks!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Bobbi, I can't even believe that you wrote this post. I have tinnitus and everytime I have asked people in the past if they had it, nobody would respond.

I have had tinnitus for about 9 years now. It started out very low, like a slow moving old fashioned train. Then it started getting a bit louder. I saw an ENT and that bastard told me it was nothing and sent me home!!!!! He examined me and bc he didn't find any blockage he didn't do anything.

So I searched the net and found Dr. Nagler in Atlanta (I was living in middle Georgia at the time). He was a surgeon who developed tinnitus so bad that he felt like he was going crazy. He started the tinnitus center in Atlanta after he got relief from retraining therapy. He examined me and also gave me a series of hearing tests.

Well, it turned out I had otosclerosis in my right ear. It is a hardening of the inner ear bone that receives the sound. So I was going deaf in that ear, but I still had the tinnitus sounds. He referred me to an ear surgeon in Atlanta. He fixed the problem and my tinnitus was gone for a few sweet hours but then it came back.

Nowadays I cannot hear low tones so God forbid someone is a mumbler, I can't hear them. I have several sounds in my ears. They sound like a high beep, and crickets and sometimes I get a sound like when you are trying to tune a radio and you are between stations. However, I can still function.

It is extremely important for you to deal with stress effectively. I have tons of stressful situations going on right now. My dh went through a 2nd bout with cancer awhile back and I have a terminally ill sister. I also live in a place where I feel "lost in translation". But through it all, I must depend on my higher power and I must remain calm. Stress will make your tinnitus louder.

I also cannot listen to very loud music bc then my tinnitus will get worse for several days after. Same with mowing a lawn, I must wear earplugs.

Incedentally, tinnitus is a brain disfunction, although it is perceived as coming from the ear(s). Certain medications and noises can also make it worse.

If your ears "hurt"/are very sensitive to noise, you may also have hypercusses. For example, does your ear hurt when you place a plate on top of another (as when you are putting dishes away)? Then that is hypercusses. I had that for awhile but then it went away. Sometimes when someone coughs loud next to me, my ears feel it/are sensitive to that noise.

I look at it as my cross to bear in life. Everybody has something. If I had a choice between this and my sisters illness, I would take this anyday.

You must learn to relax, get into aromatherapy. Exercise. Don't drink too much caffeine. And if the tinnitus is very loud, you can look into that retraining therapy.

Please update us on what your doctor says. I'm here or at YaYa's if you need to talk.:)
 
Thank you so much, Swissmom. :) Nine years! Oh my God! Wait one moment... Okay, I just ran outside and screamed at the top of my lungs!

That's where I am today, feeling like I am going crazy. It seemed to diminish for awhile but has gotten so very loud I keep asking my family, "Can't you hear that?" I sleep on my left side; my body wants to turn to the left when it's time to sleep, but that's when I am the most aware of the tone and sleep is out of the question. When it's quiet, I am dismayed by the noise I am hearing in my head. It's interesting you mentioned crickets. I hear cicada's myself. :) I also get different sounds simultaneously. A tone, a ring, buzzing....

Ambient noise, which I never noticed a great deal before, will match the pitch and literally make my skin crawl. I went into my bedroom this morning and the house was dead silent, but the toning and ringing was so intense, I burst into tears, thinking I can't deal with this.

My dryer, the vacuum cleaner, the computer, all emit high toned noises that make me tense and cringe.

Most of the stress is probably because I can't sleep. I have never been a deep sleeper and this has just killed it. I also have a history of depression and insomnia and it's amazing how the symptoms mirror that and it is rather frightening. My hearing is affected too. I have done online research and, the scary thing is tinitus is a medical mystery. I want to walk into the ENT's office and say "fix this" but I fear it ain't that simple. And I know it's silly but this morning in what should have been the lovely silence of the kids back in school I found myself thinking how the heck do I deal with this when I wish I'd never been born if I have to listen sounds that aren't there and which make me so tense and neurotic I am of no use to anyone anyway. I know that sounds ultra dramatic but I feel so frazzled, so discouraged: it all seems pointless. There was a day when I could run and it seems that I could take whatever troubled me and work it out and, enjoying those endorphins, deal. One of my favorite Catheites emailed me and said I seem subdued. My maiden name was Bailey; it should have been Murphy :) maybe 'cause if it's not one thing, it's another. Swissmom, I cannot imagine 9 years of this. Four to six weeks have me in quite a state. Todays the first day I kind of fell apart. I am pretty exhausted and that never does much for even optimists.

Nine years, Swissmom! How do you deal with that?
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Awwww Bobbi! (And, Swissmom too!)I am sooo sorry. I cannot imagine what that must be like. I can understand by your description your frustration and fatigue. When one is tired, it is soo hard to function so your insomnia ALONE would be so awful. Not sure why I am writing because I know NOTHING about this problem. I just feel so bad because you have gotten back into workouts and have been working around your "not-being-able-to-jog" and have done soo well. (Did that make sense???) I will definitely keep you in my prayers and thoughts daily and hope for a miracle for you BOTH and that the ENT can help also. Keep us posted and don't forget to come here as soon as you need a doze of encouragement. You know...there is ALWAYS someone here to listen. I know how many times you have been here for me & others. Try to stay positive!!! (I know...not easy!)HUGS!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH (AKA "Den Mother Debbie")http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Bobbi....I just want to say what Debbie said, but louder and with even more hugs(she says everything so well). I'm curious if either of you have related this to food allergies. I ask this because I had allergy testing a few weeks back and when they gave me a certain set of "stuff" (can't remember if it was dairy, corn, or molds) about 5 minutes later my ears began to ring and I felt dizzy and for lack of a better description "completely neurotic" - kind of like "wired". I told the doctor about it, but she insisted that this wasn't an allergy - it was "all in my head". To make a short story long...we began attending a new church and I met a doctor that works at the Lacrosse Allergy Clinic (a different and from what I've heard excellent allergy clinic) and he said the reaction I had was one of the responses that they look for when allergy testing and it definitely means that I'm sensitive to this substance. I guess if you have this ALL the time I may be completely off, but I was just curious if this is possible.

Lots of sympathy and hugs goin your way girl. You know...I'm kind of wondering if it isn't a Bryan Kest yoga sensitivity thing going on - the guy DOES kind of climb into your brain and seem to short circuit any normal/rational processes that may be trying to occur??????? (Sorry-I couldn't pass that one up - you know I'll be sending prayers your way!!:) :) :) ).

Briee
 
Hi Bobbi. Sorry I did not answer right away. We are six hrs. ahead of Eastern time in America. I used to get dizzy spells and vertigo when my tinnitus started getting bad but I have never had a food allergy.

Yes, tinnitus is a mystery. Anyone can get it from anything (a fall, medication, loud noise).

If it helps, we are in good company. Steve Martin and Barbara Streisand, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Neve Campbell, Sting, Bono, The Edge, Peter Jennings ,Jerry Stiller (the dad of King of Queesn), David Letterman, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, Keanu Reeves, Larry King, have it. Even Thomas Edison and Dwight Eisenhower had it. Barbara Streisand is a big contributor to the ATA.

You mention not being worth anything to anyone. I disagree. You have children. They love and need you and you must keep going! I don't know how loud your tinnitus is. You say that it's the same pitch of the vacuum? I know I can match mine with a refridgerator hum or when the computer hums. I tell my dh and kids "that's what it sounds like in my head".

Now I must tell you that for many of us, it IS always something. When you think you have had enough and you can deal with the situation - something else comes along. I will go back to my dear sister. We had horrid childhoods, our mother was mentally ill with no meds and our dad was an alcoholic. My sister also has manic depression and suffers from panic attacks. She also had an ex-husband who almost beat her to death on her 24th birthday and another ex-boyfriend who fleeced her out of money and ruined her credit. Now that she is married to a wonderful man and is stepmother to 2 lovely girls, she is diagnosed with hep. C. We believe she had gotten it when she had a blood transfusion at age 12 when she got hit by a car. There are lots more that happened to her during her so far short years on Earth (she just turned 43).

I look at what she has been through and if I hadn't witnesssed all this over the years I would swear someone was making it up. But then again people also lived through the holocaust and other horrific things. My whole point for writing about her is that through it all, I can pick up the phone and call her and laugh and have a great time. She has the best attitude and loves to laugh. She is so loving and kind and one of the most gentle souls on earth. She has not given up on her life. Oh, have I also mentioned she has started chemo this month bc the interferon did not help her.

So you see, everybody has something. Some have to deal with things more than others. If you have a history of depression then you must fight even harder!!! You must go into therapy and/or take better meds. One thing you can be certain is that you can live with it because you do not have a choice. You can be able to live with it eventually. You can get help or you can give in to the condition. You can inspire your children or you can make them feel sorry for you. The choice is yours.

I wish I could go over there and give you a big hug. It is scary right now because this is a new thing for you. With some people the tinnitus has gone away and/or with tinnitus retraining you will learn techniques to where the tinnitus does not bother you anymore.
 
Oh, Bobbi, I had no idea you were going through this. I also kind of thought your posts were a bit different than usual and was wondering if you were okay. What a lousy thing to happen! Like Debbie said, insomnia alone will drive you mad. I know when I'm sleep deprived, all I want to do is cry, and I walk around in an irritable fog. Couple that with a constant ringing, and I'm sure you just want to jump out of your skin and run away. Let's pray the ENT has some answers.

Swissmom, you have a very positive attitude and are a blessing to your sister. You had a lot of good advice for Bobbi and I know she appreciates it.
 
Thanks, guys! To top it off ,you know my son had the flu last week. I kept him home everyday of the school week. Well, guess who got sick as a dog last night? I am determined to go see the ENT tomorrow. I have had the appointment for 3 weeks.

Both you and your sister are inspirational, Swissmom, and I thank you for sharing all that you have. I have a very strong inner optimist but I lost her yesterday and just felt totally miserable. I have accupucture scheduled for the 29th and I also read that Craniosacral therapy can help. Apparently, in some cases, the tinnitus remains but becomes more bearable. I'll take bearable for right now! I am going to focus on the insomnia first and try absolutely anything to stop the inner noise or at least to learn to deal with it. Thank you for your encouragement. I let you know how everything goes! And big fat hugs right back at you all of you!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
Swissmom....you are an inspiration and your message is not only for Bobbi's problem, but for everyone. Thanks for posting.

Briee
 
Thanks so much for the kind words ladies.:7

Bobbi, so sorry you've got the flu now. :( I'll be waiting to hear all about your ent visit. Until then, stay strong.
 
My dad used to say, "Cheer up things could get worse. So I cheered up and sure h..l, things got worse." I know how true that is because after eating some dry toast and tea, it revisited me, mostly through my nose.

I am choosing to fight.

Swissmom, you have me thinking about the power of intention. I have come back from one thing or another more than once and usually done quite well once I realized what you told me in your eloquent post. I am setting my intention to deal with this without falling apart because you are absolutely right. I have to deal with this because here it is. I have far too many blessings in my life to let this overcome my ability to focus on what's important. I know that since the ringing became a constant, all I have done is focus on it and I really need to figure out how not to do that. I am overly tired and that's what is really making me feel like it's the end of the world. :) I always did say not sleeping ruined my life. I also have a tendancy to try to fix things on my own which is why I never posted this before. Sam was so sick last week, not eating and throwing up that by Saturday I was in quite a panic, thinking I would have to take him to Urgent Care since he'd barely eaten all week. His doctor had assured me I was doing the right stuff, keeping fluids going in and on Saturday he was alot better but I hadn't worked out all week, hadn't slept more than a few hours a night and I started to feel a little hopeless. I have lost so much weight recently my 14 year-old keeps calling me anorexic. But it's too soon to fall to pieces anyway. I have doctors to consult and therapies to try. I have to refocus my workouts and work on my diet and stop feeling sorry for myself. I have been so anxious to see the ENT so I just have to wait and see how this plays out. I used to be light-hearted and happy go lucky and I have never gotten back to that since that last depression. This may sound crazy but I feel like I am not the self I am supposed to be and I would surely love to go back. I also feel a little stupid for making such a fuss over tinitus. There are so many worse things life can throw out there. I'll have to dig deep for my sense of humor. I seemd to have lost it somewhere! But I am feeling more calm and tomorrow at 1:40, I hope to have some answers. You have given me something to aspire to. May I learn to cope with this with as much grace as you. Thanks again!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
You are so welcome Bobbi! Please don't feel foolish for making a fuss, as you call it. You have every right to be sad and confused to what is going on with you right now. It is a crappy thing to have and I do hope you get some relief with the accupuncture. I am glad that you are feeling calmer today. I am off to bed now but I will check in on you to see what happens tomorrow with the doctor. But remember you are not alone in this. Good night for now.:)
 
Not sure if this helps but my mother had a bout with this a few years back. Now it only comes and goes and is very mild compared to when it first started. Her doctor said that it was because she lost partial hearing in that ear and that's what caused it (for her).

So keep hope alive. It may very well go away or at least get much much milder to where it is only an occasional mild nuisance.

Lisa
 
I've had tinitus for nearly 10 years. Thankfully, I can't hear it most of the time, only when it is really quiet. I sleep with a fan on, which helps mask the sound (not all the time, some nights are louder than others) and pretty much taught myself how to block it out.

Having the fan on at night really helps. I can't sleep without it!! Maybe that would help you? Good Luck.


Nicollette
 
Hi, Lisa. Hearing loss is a definite possibility but I am young for that so ??? Nicollette, I sleep with a fan and have been trying to sleep on my back. Forty-two years on the left side makes it really difficult to change my sleeping position, let me tell you. I know I will be taking auditory tests. My hearing is definitely on the fritz. There's also the possibility of an MRI to rule out a benign tumor on the nerve. It's a least likely scenario. I don't know how quickly any of this will take place. I hope we can get right on it. I saw my regular doctor on 1/3. I was sort of hoping my blood work would show anemia but according to my blood work I'm fabulous! My numbers are great. When my kids get home and this joint gets jumping it's much less noticable except I sound like my 92 year old father-in-law. What? What? :) It's the loudest it's been since I first realized it was no longer intermittant ringing and that may well be this little illness Sam bestowed upon me. My throats sore, glads swollen, nose stuffed. I hope the ENT doesn't mind because wild horses couldn't keep me away from his office tomorrow. I have to go read with Sam and get ready for bed. I appreciate everyones advice and ideas. I think I am going to take a nice hot bath and try to get some sleep. I could pack the bags I have under my eyes. :) I feel ready to deal with this. I also need to get back to my yoga now that Sam is feeling better and I should be good to go by Friday. From what I have read there's something for everyone and I just have to find what works for me. Thanks again for all the support. I'll let you know what the doctor says tomorrow!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
I have had it, but mine is brought on as a reaction to aspirin. If I take aspirin-free pain medication, I'm fine. But if I get something with even a small amount of aspirin in it, I'm in the bed rolling around in pain until it's run it's course. It's like someone crashing cymbals near my head and my ear canal just tries to clamp down to keep out the sound. It's torture.
 
Tammy, on 12/31, the Dictionary.com definition was tintinnabulations, which was rather ironic, don't you think? I know aspirin is a definite problem for me and always has been. I went off all medications, even my anti-depressant to see which might cause it but it made no difference. It's just such an odd thing, to listen to what's inside one's own head. Used to be, the moment my family head out the door off goes CD players, TV's but those noises definitely mask the inner ringing so I guess that needs rethinking. I should try to mask it. My fingers are crossed the ENT can give me some workable solutions!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
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