My husband woke up with tinnitus 18 months ago - seen the GP and waiting for ENT referral. He’s tried sound therapy, noise cancelling app and hearing aids. He is finally managing to get some sleep, but it’s quite short and he has chronic headaches. Wakes up with the equivalent of a bad hangover. Any suggestions welcomely received.
His tinnitus is loud and high pitched but does vary and move around and is worse if he moves his head to left side - like he’s holding a phone there.
He’s hoping to see the GP and we’re going to see if there’s anything else he can do even if means paying.
Sorry for long post and thanks in advance
Written by
ClareP5
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There’s lots you -or rather he - can do. Firstly, bear in mind that there is no “cure” as such. If you wander around the internet you will find “cures”. Lots of things can help but don’t believe any adverts as they are probably as effective as dragons blood.
Have a look around the this, the Health Unlocked site for tinnitus, to see what others have said. It more importantly, go to the British Tinnitus Association website. Here is the latest authoratative information. During Monday to Friday 9 to 5 there is a webchat service (click on the icon bottom right of any page) for specific guidance.
Other posters may respond to this post with their own special pieces of help. Mine would be to drink PLENTY of water and to walk in the open air listening to the birds be the trees - and even the rain!
Do get back to us here for more guidance, of which there is much, such as books and so on. I wish him the best of luck!
Thank you for getting in touch with the Forum and your queries.
Am I reading your post correctly in that your husband's tinnitus seems to change when he moves his head? Is he able to describe what the change is like to him - does the tinnitus intensify with movement, for example? Do some movements temporarily suppress his tinnitus?
It seems as though a few approaches have been tried to help your husband manage his tinnitus - hearing aids will certainly be helpful if he has a diagnosed hearing loss, and the sound therapy use can be useful in habituation to tinnitus - having a quieter, constant sound i the background can help us to notice tinnitus less.
One thing which hasn't been mentioned in your post is counselling - whether that is based around Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Some people struggling with the presence of tinnitus in their lives find that working on the emotional impact of the condition gives them relief and tools to help them cope with it.
Absolutely agree with what Rosie has said below - don't look for a cure, but be open to the idea that tinnitus can be coped with, can be managed well and that a combination of approaches can help to reduce the impact of it.
Can I ask if your husband developed the symptoms after having had Covid 19 vaccinations?
I have had a hearing aid for a few years now but I never had tinnitus ….but about a month or two after having had a very bad reaction to the first two COVID-19 vaccinations I developed all sorts of different noises in my ears….mostly whooshing & knocking. I now have two hearing aids rather than one but I still get the noises……. although they are not constant I seem to go free for a week or two and then all of a sudden they come back.
I saw my ENT consultant privately and he really had no definitive answer but reluctantly said it could be related to the Vaccinations.My rheumatologist is also reluctant to make any decision or offer any advice.
Hi, I was diagnosed in June. Anxiety took over, I also couldn’t sleep so tried Kalms at night. They helped a bit but my GP put me on anti depressants for the anxiety and a small dose of another for sleep which work a treat. Hopefully there is some calmer times ahead for your husband. He could try the headspace app and their sleep stories
Thank you - I don’t think he’s tried Headspace- I’ll suggest he does. We bought some Novanuit in France and they have been helpful. Plane travel was v bad for his tinnitus though!
Hi, I am now taking Mirtizapine for the anxiety caused by tinnitus, my GP did some research to see which would not make the tinnitus worse & came up with these. I take them an hour before bedtime & they really help me sleep . Probably not for everyone but it’s certainly helped me.
You mention hearing aids. Has he also had definite loss of hearing? This happened to me at the end of June and I have been waiting for an ENT referral ever since. It has been promised 3 times but still no date. I was sent to A &E twice but got sent home 2nd time without any treatment. This week I gave up and started looking for a private appointment. I have one on Tuesday 6th.
Hi ClareP5 Did you get sudden hearing loss overnight or over a couple of days as I did? I had my private appointment with a full hearing test yesterday. The whole thing has cost me around £500. I was told what I suspected. my hearing loss is probably permanent because a sudden loss like this needs to be treated with steroids within 2-4 weeks of the initial loss. He did give me a prescription for the steroid to try just in case it might help but he doesn't expect it to! I am about to go and collect it from a pharmacy, Apparently I will still have to wait for an ENT appt. before I can be assessed for a hearing aid under NHS. For him to do it would be very expensive, I am going to investigate other private options.
Hello! Claire! Try: 1.- Mother tincture of Valeriana plant in the morning and Passinflower plant at night before sleep, the effects are almost immediately, but you don,t have to take medicine for sleep!
2.- Magnesium L-Threonate (only this Magnesium works well with T.).
3.- GABA mixed with l-theanine (supplement or green tea Matcha )
But also see an acupuncturist, because if he move his head and T. gets worst, probably he has a cervical injury. Your health's system is terrible bad!! They make you wait for too long for a medical consultation!!
Hi Clare, as others have said there is no cure for tinnitus and anyone who tries to sell you any cure is basically selling you snake oil. My biggest piece of advice regarding cures is that if it's cheap, say a supplement, it's worth a try, if it's expensive, don't even bother. But even with the cheap ones, do your research first. I have had tinnitus for over twenty years and I can promise that it does get easier to deal with. For me keeping busy is the key. It doesn't have to be movement busy, although that works, but getting immersed in a good book or craft project is good. The more your husband thinks about it and is worried about it the worse it is going to seem. And I know that's easy to say, much harder to do. If he plays any sports or works out at the gym, or swims, whatever, ask him afterwards how much he noticed it while he was doing that. It doesn't disappear but it is much easier to ignore and replace with something else. If hearing allows and he likes to listen to music, have it on in the background. That helped before my hearing deteriorated to where it is now as sounds are distorted. Try cutting out/down salt and caffeine - may not notice a change but it's not going to do any harm. I've started drinking decaf at least some of the time and use a salt substitute some of the time.
Your husband appears to be trying various noise calming influences to try to silence his tinnitus. Does his hearing aids have masking sounds fitted? If not, I’d recommend he asks about these at his ENT appointment. If he is able to I’d also suggest he goes out for walks as I find this exercise distracting. Good luck!
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