Hi all, thought I'd give you a further update as I saw an ENT specialist yesterday. Please note that I live in Spain.
Firstly, I was very impressed. He said there are 30 medical conditions which can cause T! He was very thorough and gave me alot if confidence in what he has proposed moving forwards. Here's a summary:
I've been referred for an MRI scan ( I was going to propose this myself anyway) It's one with contrast and bilateral, which I'm very pleased about.
I've been referred for a hearing test (my last one was November 2019 when I changed my UK driving licence for a Spanish one) Actually my hearing is fine.
I've been given a tablet to take for 2months. I've been told to come off the Betahistine.
He's prescribed Flunarizine, which is not available in the UK - there's nothing wrong with it, it was a saturated market which stopped it from being licensed there. I have to take one tablet at night. It apparently opens up the blood vessels. We'll see how I get on with that. I often get left sided head pain and tension. I feel like I've got a cluster of veins that are all engorged on the side of my head.
I've got to see a physiotherapist. He moved my neck and found a soft spot on the left side, which is the side of my T. He actually said a lot of T comes from issues with the neck.
In conclusion, he said if these ENT solutions did not bear fruit, he would refer me to see a neurologist.
So I'm 'in the soup' so to speak and hopefully moving forwards to a satisfactory diagnosis.
Any and all comments, questions etc. most welcome,
Cheers,
Tracy Kitching
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TurboTrace
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So pleased you’ve had a very good medical in Spain . Puts our medical team to shame in the U.K. I paid privately for my ENT specialist , he just perched on the edge of his desk and kindly ( if you can say that) said to me that little can be done for tinnitus. I have obviously researched myself since then with the very brilliant help of this website. Very good luck to you with your very thorough treatment and maybe that’s the answer for us to visit Spain 😃 😃 😃
I'm sorry to hear your experience 😔 Please don't think me ageist but the guy I saw was probably in his late 50's early 60's so probably has a wealth of knowledge. I think I was very lucky to get him as it was on the Spanish NHS; had I seen a different specialist, I may not have had such a positive result🤔I think it's very wrong for any specialist to say nothing can be done, especially as mine said T can be caused by 30 medical conditions. Yes it's a process of elimination but surely this needs to be done for everyone who suffers.
Mine has become much worse since I started going through the menopause 6 years ago - surely that is something that warrants research??
Wow, that sounds exactly like the guy I saw; very nice, very kindly but explained that unless there was a structural cause (he referred me for an MRI to determine this) there was nothing that could be done.
Hi TurboTrace It's good to hear you've had a fruitful appt with ENT . I didn't know there were 30 causes of T! Let us know how you get on with these lines of enquiry . In all fairness to the NHS I had a good ENT appt in the UK last year. I was referred for an MRI, hearing aids & help with my T . The doctor was very sympathetic in regards to tinnitus too.
Wow...echo that, Tracy...sounds very thorough...I am so pleased for you. 💝 I wish it was like that in the UK. Good luck on flunarizine, sounds great. x
I’m so interested to hear the results of your ongoing investigations. My ENT said I have to learn to ignore it & the audiologist said everyone gets at some point in their life & use background noise to basically block it out. I was in tears as I’m convinced mine is neurological as I also have epilepsy. I also have a lot of neck pain too. Please keep us updated with your progress 😊
That is dreadful. I'm not medically trained but have some knowledge. I would insist on a neurologist referral, even if you have to go privately. Initial consultations are roughly £180. I feel for you 😔
I think my T is neurological as well because of a head bump ( and some concussion)- do u think the sound therapies are difficult to do in this case, as I find general background noise and sound therapy pushes up my T volume
I haven’t tried sound therapies as such, although I do use sleep stories & relaxation mediations to get to sleep. The only thing I’ve noticed is that when I’m very busy I don’t notice it. I can’t stand a lot of background noise
TurboTrace amazing news and so glad to hear that putting the pieces of the puzzle together is slowly coming together. Do you mind me asking if you noticed any improvements on Betahistine? Thanks again
Yes I did actually. Although Betahistine isn't recommended for T, I found it made my T more high pitched and in the background. However I could only tolerate 1 tablet per day as it gave me liver pain 😔
Thank you for your honesty. I find it gives terrible cramps and bloating. How long approx did you notice a difference? This whole process is like putting pieces of a puzzle together 😞
I was very interested to read your post. I too think my T started around the same time as my menopause and it is also very strange to read about connections between T and neck pain as my neck seems to get stiffer by month!
Please keep us all updated with your progress - what if it could all be as simple as pills or physio and all the suffering ended .
Hi, you're in the right place, Spain medical care is so much better than UK. My step son lives there (rain & cold again today) and he always get treatment as and when needed and doesn't have to wait weeks to speak to a Dr or spend hrs waiting at A&E. Good luck, I'm sure they will get to the route of it and be proactive rather than reactive like the UK, or in the case of T just give you antidepressants and tell you to live with it👍.
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