Do I have tinnitus?

[andriana07]

So on February 5th I noticed this ringing in my ears but I didn't think anything about it at first. Then my right ear started to hurt like 4-5 days after. I went to the doctor immediately (Feb 12) and she told me that I had Otitis externa and Cerumen obturnas in my ears (whatever that meant). My ears were full of earwax. I Googled this Otitis externa thing and it showed people's ears infected on the outside while that wasn't the case with me, it was on the inside. So then I had it all removed with water (idk what the procedure is called in English sorry) and I asked my doctor about the ringing and she said that that was normal considering that I had an infection and she said that it would go away by time. She gave me some nose spray, antibiotics and probiotics to use for a week and then I had to go to her again. A week later (19 Feb) I went to her again and complained about the ringing and she told me to go to the audiometry and I did. The audiometry girl had my hearing checked and she said that it was perfectly fine. I then complained to my doctor again and she said that she doesn't know why this is happening considering that all my results were perfect. I basically havent been diagnosed with tinnitus officially so idk. It's like a high pitched noise in both of my ears and most of the time it sounds like TV static. It's not that loud. In school I don't even hear it bcs I'm concentrated on teachers and the people around me. I don't even hear it when I go to the bus station or when I'm on the bus. But the second I lay on my bed and I'm all alone and it's quiet, the ringing becomes noticable. So then I try to put my earphones in and listen to music but then I would sometimes hear the static from the earphones and I have to pause every few minutes to realise if the static is coming from them or from my ears. I try not to pay attention to it bcs I've been reading about tinnitus on the Internet and I've seen that it basically feeds on anxiety (which doesn't help bcs I'm actually very anxious and paranoid about the smallest stuff) so I don't really know what to do right now. I've never had ear infection and I've never experienced ringing for this long. It's currently February 27th and the ringing still hasn't stopped so can someone help me?? Do I have tinnitus or is it something else?? And will it ever go away??? The doctor also told me to have my blood tested to see if I'm anemic (which I don't believe I am considering that I last had my blood checked like 2 years ago)...

[ShakeelaBTA]

Hello and welcome to the British Tinnitus Association forum.

Do feel free to ask any questions, I hope that you find this a helpful and supportive place to help you manage your tinnitus.

As there is no external source for the sound heard by people who experience Tinnitus, it can be different for different people therefore the sound you hear can only be described by you and no-one else. For this reason, there is no test to determine if someone has Tinnitus.

We have some resources that you might like to check out in addition to our home here:

tinnitus.org.uk (information and support details)

takeontinnitus.co.uk (free tinnitus management programme)

Helpline 0800 018 0527 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm) (outside the UK you can call [phone])

Kind regards

Shakeela