Help

[Donkey32]

Rampant tinnitus.v depressed.fuzzy head with fullness.heavy eyes. No drive. On promethazine at night to get rested sleepbut woke this am and the symptoms started. taken paracetamol and ibuprofen an hour ago with a little improvement any suggestions as having seriouscc effect on wife who now has no energy to cope

[Hidden]

Have you been to the ENT clinic for the tinnitus?

[Donkey32 in reply to Hidden]

Have had tinnitus for years but very low impact and able to ignore. Since trauma episodes of v loud and vvv high pitch. Told doc but not been to any clinics.i generally cope but this am driven down and dozey

[Hidden in reply to Donkey32]

I have rampant tinnitus on my left side my Dr referred me to ent I now have a behind the ear hearing aid it's barely noticeable but the difference it makes is tremendous speak to your Dr about a referral it really does make a difference

[cat3]

The easy option is masking the sound with similar sounds. I've been told repeatedly over the past 40years by ENT specialists that there's no actual treatment or cure.

On a call from my ENT doctor last week he suggested earphones to emit distracting sounds or music. He also suggested a hearing aid to amplify external noise to help drown out the tinnitus.

I don't like the idea of a hearing aid and I'm skeptical about enhanced hearing as my hearing has always been fine. But I'll give it a try. I use a large fan to mask the continuous sound (like aircraft taking off) at night, which helps. And I started using earphones for TV some years ago which is a welcome break

Hope you find methods to, at least, offer occasional respite m'dear ; loud, continuous tinnitus is the stuff of madness ! 😵x

[cat3 in reply to cat3]

....meant to say that the other symptoms are pretty much par for the brain injury course. But talk to your GP about treatment for depression (or possible change if already having treatment). Depression can (understandably) trap us into a syndrome of giving up rather than fighting back.

Best wishes.... x

[Donkey32 in reply to cat3]

Ta muchly

[Pairofboots]

I was going to advise you get a referral to look at getting the pain effectively treated, there is a risk of unintended overdose, paracetamol is max 4g in 24hrs counted from first dose, minimum six hours divided doses apart, Ibrufen max 1200mg in 24hr counted from first dose, minimum eight hours divided dose apart. Any shortening of the period's is an overdose. Plus Ibrufen as any medication in its class (NSAID) should only be taken for limited times when prescribed for people with head injuries, apart from messing up your stomach.

Both of you need help to get on top of this. You are both suffering.

[bridgeit]

It sounds to me like you've got lots going on at the moment, and most of it is getting you down. I'm not surprised.

Here are my thoughts; I hope they offer something helpful.

I suggest you see or speak with your GP and ask for a referral to your consultant's clinic so that your head fullness/fuzziness and any pain can be properly checked out, or at least discussed with you. Where there's been a head injury, there may well be need of a check if symptoms are changing and/or becoming difficult to manage. Your GP should understand this.

As for the tinnitus, I think you've hit the jackpot in terms of triggers. Head injury can cause and/or worsen tinnitus, you're stressed (which definitely makes tinnitus worse), you're taking three drugs known to be ototoxic (cause and/or exacerbate tinnitus) and all of this is depressing you.

It sounds to me as though you're caught in a vicious cycle and it needs to be broken to give you some relief, or at least to give you back some sense of managing your situation.

So I suggest starting with a GP visit for a referral to make sure your head symptoms are in line with your consultant's expectations. Include a discussion about appropriate pain meds and sleep aids. Then perhaps have a think about some relaxation techniques; maybe something complementary such as acupuncture or massage to help you relax (Covid-19 permitting) - or at the very least some herbal tea and relaxing music with headphones.

I've no personal experience of headphones and hearing aids to mask tinnitus, but I do use music, meditation and a special 'delta' wave therapy CD to help me sleep - reference: amazon.co.uk/Delta-Sleep-Sy... . Do I still get disturbed by tinnitus and endure the odd sleepless night? You bet I do!!

Nonetheless, I hope some of this might be of use and that you get some relief from your symptoms soon.

[Donkey32 in reply to bridgeit]

Thanks very much for that

[jobyjabber]

promethazine is awful hangover stuff. itll be Phenergan i assume. you're just BI fatigued. You need to rest, rest and rest some more. And don't take Phenergan. A few days of zopiclone no prob to prescribe. no muggy mornings with that but you'll only get a few days worth.