I need some answers, I'm so incredibly anxious rn

[Moonlover98]

So let's begin from the very start.

About 1 month ago or a little more I had this wooshing sound in my left ear that I would hear ONLY when I yawned or lay down on the pillow and it would last like 5 second, I wouldn't hear it for the rest of the day.

Then this wooshing disappeared and days later I begin to hear this continuous wooshing sound with like a weird (not too loud) ring in my left ear.

My right ear is good, no wooshing or ringing.

I go to my doctor and he sees that I have a ear wax build up in both ears, so he did a flushing (pretty vigorously) but it didn't resolve anything.

I was in a lot of anxiety so I go to an ENT (4th July) and he sees that there's actually still a lot of earwax, so he does another flushing (pretty vigorously too) and finally my ear wasn't muffled anymore, I finally heard good, and I didn't hear any wooshing or ringing, just complete sweet silence! This lasted for some hours, but the day after I hear the wooshing again, but I think that was the only time. Now it seems like that some days after the flushing at the ENT I hear only this VERY VERY VERY high pitched buzz, but low in volume. Let's make clear that I have OCD so I obsess A LOT about my T (?) and I feel like I still hear it, but I don't know if it's just anxiety making up sounds cause I'm really paying attention to my left ear.

One thing that really scared me is that on 8th July I wake up from the dinner table, I go out in my garden and I hear this LOUD ringing, but like LOUD, and i instantly panicked. Since then I didn't hear it anymore.

Anyway yesterday I had a pretty good day, I didn't hear anything (or almost anything, I don't know) but after getting out of the shower (I had put some cotton in my left ear to not let water in it) in complete silence I hear my usual very very very hight pitched sound but a little louder. I'm still wondering if I was just obsessing or if it was louder, but I think is the latter..

Now if I have T I really don't understand what could be the cause..I have some options:

-The flushing? Since I had the buzzing only the days after the flushing.

-I used to hear for almost 10 years, almost everyday loud music in my earphones, for a maximum of 1 hour and a half/2 hours a day

Now that's weird because I think if it was noise induced wouldn't I have in both ears? I don't know, I'm literally dying of anxiety..

[Happyrosie]

let me reassure you that we all experience Tinnitus in different ways. Buzzing, whooshing, whistling, bacon frying, music …. And some people think it’s in one ear, some both ears and some in the middle of the head. All things that tinnitus likes to amuse us with.

Tinnitus does not have to be noise induced, it can just happen.

And you are really really lucky that you have periods of silence.

Having been to ENT you’ve presumably been reassured that there is nothing sinister going on.

So really the issue to concentrate on, in my view, is your anxiety. I expect you are familiar with CBT, maybe you should give that a try. And of course relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing.

[Moonlover98 in reply to Happyrosie]

That's true, the problem is not the sound itself but me paying attention to it. When I don't think about it I basically don't have it, but as soon as I put attention to it I hear it veeeeeery faintly, that's what I still have to understand if it's actually T or just ambient noise or my anxiety

[Happyrosie in reply to Moonlover98]

so, you are nearly habituated - congratulations! Well, you’ve got tinnitus like ten percent of the population and you are lucky enough that it’s quiet and even non-existent at times. Just accept it and concentrate on interesting things.

[Beesmac]

Hello - just wanted to say whatever you do, do not try and drown these noises out by listening to loud music with headphones, the tinnitus will just get louder! I am assuming you had a hearing test when you went to ENT? If you did and your hearing is ok then it would appear it’s more the anxiety side I would think which your doctor could help with. Distraction is one of the best natural medicines and you will learn to live with it eventually. We’ve all been through this x

[Laura878787]

Sending love, my tinitus started in a stupid way I set of an extremely loud alarm with my kids in the room so feel terrible. I am coming up to 4 weeks i really hope yours settles down. Take care 🙂 feel bloody lonely and anxious right now

[sds111 in reply to Laura878787]

Any progress?

[Laura878787 in reply to sds111]

Hi ears ringing but lighter mild aches and pains and occasional clicks dr just called me and said he called the ENT for advice and they said that they will prescribe steroid 60mg per day at first its gone 6 weeks so nit sure if any point now?

[Portland135]

YouTube has great Tinnitus masking videos to listen to..