Curious as to whether anyone else has or had other symptoms that came about with their tinnitus. I had a decent week last week but last couple of days my anxiety is through the roof. My T has never changed since it arrived so I dont think it spikes...however I am bothered by it sometimes and other times not...this mindset can flit throughout the day. I have been feeling off balance...(never spinning) and groggy on a daily basis. I also seem to need my reading glasses a lot more..this has happened over a very short space of time after T. Supermarket aisles and motorway driving also seem to overwhelm me visually sometimes...like too much for my eyes to send to my brain in time ( if that makes sense). Im hoping these are anxiety related...opticians have said my eyes are fine and balance tests I have done at home seem normal.....panicking a bit now I may have some underlying brain thing going on....so just wondered if any folks whom had got to grips with their T had similar issues initially. Hope eveyone is doing ok
Thanks,
Shell x
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Shellipops
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Yay Shellipops, If your visual problems continue I would get checked out by your gp as you have already seen your optician. Unfortunately anxiety can cause numerous unexplained problems and no one on here can medically advise you. Even if someone else on here has experienced visual disturbances, regardless of the outcome, they are not you.
You are right I really should go back and see my GP....they were so negative about my T initially I became almost phobic of them...think ill need to bite the bullet and go back. Think Im just panicking as Ive gone from being a normal, functioning person to a walking amoeba in the space of 6 months.
Thanks,
Shell
Hi Shell. My tinnitus kicked in around May 2018. Not sure what the trigger was but seemed to develop after i got my ear stringed. It was also during a particularly prolonged stressful period in my life. I'd also had visual disturbance for 3 months prior to my T diagnosis but had not linked the two. Like you I had several appointments with an eye consultant who said my eyes are fine. Symotoms seemed to come and go but i just put up with it until I developed T. I eventually saw an ENT consultant who feels both my visual problems and my T are related and are actually due to 'chronic migraine' which he said can cause a range of symptoms such as headaches, visual disturbance, noise intolerance, hearing disturbance, brain fog which i had a lot - like the grogginess you are describing and feeling lightheaded and detached. I had these symptoms to varying degrees all of the time for around 6 months. I never had any previous history of migraine. A self perpetuating cycle of anxiety made things worse. I had thought these other symptoms were side effects from my anxiety with having T but turns out my T (as well as these other symptoms) are side effects of having constant electrical activity going on in the brain due to constant migraine. I also had physical symptoms such as stiffness and clicking in my neck which the consultant thought could be the root cause of my migraines. I went to see a physiotherapist who did some soft tissue massage and joint manipulation on my neck and back. I've also cut out some known migraine triggers from my diet such as caffeine, artificial sweeteners and alcohol. The results have been incredible and I've had almost instant relief from all of my symptoms including T. I am confident that if I can keep my migraine under control which I do through regular massage and stress relieving techniques then i will remain symptom free.
Reassuring to know perhaps Im not going mad !!. Im still waiting on my ENT consult...18 week waiting list in Scotland. Like you I have never suffered migraine. Your ENT doc sounds switched on so Im hopeful mine will be too. Im starting hypnotherapy for my T on Sat so may help to reduce anxiety a bit. Funnily enough Ive had neck and shoulder stiffness for years......like a trapped nerve so might look into massage. Its encouraging you managed to get to the bottom of it and can control your symptoms. Thanks for sharing this, its very much appreciated....I will cut the alcohol etc from my diet see if it makes a difference.
I know it's a terrible idea to start looking up weird illnesses on the web, but I read something this morning about a condition called Chiari Malformation (sp?), which seems to cover quite a few of the symptoms you've described. As Xene said however, always best to go back to your docs. If you've had an MRI scan on your head, that would hopefully have picked stuff like this up.
Bloody nightmare this, looked up the condition you suggested...certainly has the symptoms I have, as do a myriad of other things. If it was just T I think I could cope but these other things have gradually crept in and are in danger of taking over, more so in the last week. I know Im extremely anxious and have been for months so perhaps my nervous system is poisoning me or something. Ive been waiting 4 months for ENT appt....(still waiting) however Im hoping a head MRI will be called for as I think this will show most brain related issues up. I had been saving for a rainy day but might just use it to book a private scan. Im seeing a lady on Sat whom was a senior audiologist with NHS before retirement and specialised in T management and balance issues....she might shed some light. Its the length of time it takes to get anywhere with the NHS thats the killer....it might be something, it might be nothing but by god the journey to that point is fraught !!. Thanks folks, I have a wee 10 year old with ears like a hawk so I dont discuss this too much at home. You guys have been a godsend and Ill make GP appt tomorrow.
Hi S, I literally get pain in my ears if something very loud has happened, like dropping a pan lid or alarms going off etc.
I also struggle in supermarkets and motorway driving, both these things seem to wrack it up.
On days when it's very bad I actually feel sort of dizzy and almost as though I'm going to fall over.
I feel awful at the moment because my daughter has just had her first baby, she's very tired as he doesn't sleep and he's teething early. Sadly I feel I can't give her the help I gave my son and his wife when their two children were babies as I can't bear the loud crying, it seems make me feel on edge and ramps up my T. This has really made me feel sad😔
I definitely think there is a physical component to T, but as buddie123 says, it's just a mystery. I do wish they would actually get on and come up with something to help us, even just a light relief occasionally would be good.
I'm sure you'll be fine, the big thing, as others have said, is just acceptance, sad as that is👍
You sound like a very caring and compassionate person, if your daughter is like you Im sure she will understand why you cant be as hands on just now x. Mother Nature obviously didnt have T !!.
They dont cry like that forever and you will no doubt make up for it when the wee chap is at the chattering and toddling stage x.
I had to tell my daughter and her fiends not to make so much noise in the house.....they all now shhsshh each other if one is gets too loud. Funny to watch but poignant at the same time.
I know I need to accept my T but its hard sometimes to make peace with something so devastating. It seemed easier to shrug off initially but with the onset of this other stuff its getting harder.
Im trying to suck it up and carry on....day at a time I suppose....felt a bit better this morning so holding onto that...thanks for your wise words....it does help x
I haven't much time this morning,I just wanted to say the eyes and ears are so connected when it comes to balance issues. I've seen a top audiologist at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital this year and he said ,as I have an inner ear condition my eyes are overcompensating to keep me balanced ,so I have dry eye ,which I've had for 4yrs .
Also quickly because of health issues, tinnitus etc , I had panic attacks and
Anxiety , and that totally affected my vision ,perception of colour ,shapes ,the isles in supermarkets were a no go area as I couldn't cope with the visual
ora !? , does that make any sense to you ? , it was 80% anxiety.
Thanks very much for that info yes it makes perfect sense x....I actually got drops for dry eye last time I was at opticians. Maybe when you have time you could let me know how you are now....thanks again,
Ive had tinnitus for 20 years. I just had a brain scan that immediately resulted in all of the symptoms you have and more. Simply put, 40 minutes of 110-140 decibels is too much and damaged my hearing. Now I realize how many other functions are connected to the ears.
Good news is the brain scan was negative. I'd have been better off wondering than knowing. Hind site is 20/20. I've tried informing the hospital and my doctors about the scanner issue and they speak sympathetically but never follow up.
Ive been looking into open scanners. There is one in Newcastle which covers UK North, it is also quieter at 80 db I believe. So so sorry to hear you have had this experience and it has no doubt set you back to square one....thats putting it mildly I know. 20 years of living with this is beyond my comprehension but hopefully you can conquer it again. Thanks for sharing your experience it helps us all make better informed decisions about our health choices....I do truly think it is only those who are afflicted "get it" ......medical profession included. I sincerely hope you find better times soon,
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