Hello š Iām brand new here, sorry if this is a bit of a desperate enquiry and if youāve heard this all beforeā¦
Iām a reasonably healthy 52 year old man, a couple of weeks ago I awoke from a short nap with my left ear feeling a bit blocked. Within a couple of hours I had tinnitus in my left ear, and a day later hardly any hearing in my left ear. Thankfully I have private health insurance, the consultant has said itās Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome, but that seems a bit of a catch-all term. Iāve been on Predisnolone for 5 days at 60mg but so far no change. The tinnitus has got worse, it sounds like an aeroplane waiting at the departure gate, all it needs is the holidaymakers to get on board so it can take off and go somewhere sunny āļø I also get weird random occasional pings, sounds like a small microwave has just finished. I still canāt hear in my left ear, scan shows nothing, consultant is basically saying he doesnāt know, almost like itās just one of those things and Iāll have to live with it. (The right ear seems unaffected btw.)
Sorry for the waffling and if this is a really stupid question but has anyone been through anything similar in terms of circumstances and if so, did you find out what it was? Or could it literally be anything? Iām new to this so itās shocked the hell out of me š¢
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to answer.
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KevinS72
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What sort of scan did you have a CT or MRI, according to Google, 70% of your problems are unknown! and many people have had the same situation they wake up after a rest or a nap and they have lost hearing in one ear with Tinnitus. Predisnolone is often given to try and restore any damage or sort out any problems and it can be hit and miss if it works or not. Other issues can be Blood Pressure or most of the time, something should show up on a scan if it was a tumour or blood vessel problems, but, often the scans are clear. Prior to this, in the last 2-6 weeks was you exposed to any loud noises or explosions or like air bag trauma. It may well heal up in 6 months or often it won't. If you have a hearing aid, it will often clear up the hearing loss and silence the tinnitus most times. You may well have to live with it, but, it could resolve itself as well if something needs to heal. Depending on the Consultant and Doctors & Hearing Tests, sometimes you need to get 2 or 3 opinions, but, Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome is quite common and can happen as we age a most times start from over 50 from wear & tear & past history of noise exposure, is you job a noisy environment ?, as it maybe years of noise have started to cause some wear & tear to what you know have.
Aging can be a big factor, I have just turned 50 and have numerous hearing issues & tinnitus starting up on another loudness level. My tests are ongoing as well. I don't have one sided hearing loss yet, but, my hearing test is good within reason, but, it clearly shows my hearing dropping off over 12,000hz which is over 50 normality and the wear & tear from the youth years is probably going to kick in soon with similar to what you have or one or two sided hearing loss. You need to get some extended hearing tests done and some will also specialise in tinnitus and hearing tests at the higher level of 8000-20,000hz, this will then show what is going on, then try some hearing aids to correct the hearing and from that the tinnitus should be silenced often if it matches the hearing loss problem.
Dazza thank you so much for taking the time to respond in so much depth. The scan was MRI, it showed no abnormalities. Iām 5 days into a 7-day prescribed course of Predisnolone but I havenāt identified any changes as yet. My job is the opposite of a noisy environment, I work from home and type away on a computer all day, and Iāve had no exposure to any loud noises, this is what scares me, the whole thing came completely out of nowhere, I lead a very quiet life! Will definitely take on board your comments regarding hearing aids and further tests at higher levels and get this pushed through with my consultant.
Thanks so much for your time, really do appreciate this š
It sounds a bit like me, & natural aging! Where about's are you based in the U.K. ? Regain Hearing is pretty good, they are based in South East & Kent. Predisnolone is hit & miss with other people in the hope it may work for some people, it tends to be prescribed for 7 Days, you could see if you could keep going to 14 Days with it, to see if it may change on the 10th day or not with any luck. I assume the Doctors did your blood pressure checks and you was normal range. Mine is off the scale and I am on Meds to reduce it, I may have some issues that could have been triggered from the 'Covid' Jabs, but, this is my own view, there is a lot more info on Google, but, the Covid Jabs, we can't really debate about on here, due to certain policies. I also try and keep active & cycle & exercise. What I do notice is my tinnitus is screaming when I wake up and my Blood Pressure is off the scale, after I move about, it is less bothersome and seems quieter. If I do a lot more exercise, it seems to improve a little bit, along with my pains in the ear and pressure. The Brain still has time to heal and so something may adjust or come back. There is a lot more science that we don't know about. Including some people that do 3 mile walks and there tinnitus seems to vanish. The ear is full of blood circulation and something slight can trigger something else. The MRI scan coming back clear is a good sign. The extended hearing test from 8,000-20,000 Hz will show a clearer pattern of what's going on. The Audiologist can then see if something is natural aging or something else. As with air bag trauma and some other things, it can take up to 6 mths for things to restore or come back to normal, so it may well be you heal up as well. Doing a 3 mile walk everyday, may also get the blood moving about and it could repair or de clog out, any blood vessels that are disturbed or any swelling in them. But, I am no Doctor, so that is just my view as well.
Well Iāve not had the Covid jabs so I can rule that bit out! Strangely Iām already on blood pressure medication as that and my cholesterol was too high but Iāve been on that for 2 years or more and the latest check showed everything is good. This is all really useful though, sounds like I need to rule things out. Iām a bit overweight and I donāt do enough walking and exercise so Iāll be taking that up first thing in the morning, Iām based in Cheshire so thankfully plenty of good places to go walking round here. It sounds like weāre very similar except in one regard, my tinnitus is worse when I get up and do stuff, itās sitting down and not moving that calms it down! But if Iām learning one thing this evening itās that trial and error and ruling stuff out looks like the way forward!
UPDATE - My ENT appointment was due Today at the local hospital, I expected to see an ENT consultant, as that is what I thought the Doctor was booking, but, I also assumed it was an early assessment, I got to see a Senior Audiologist, we did the Hearing Test which came back as perfect hearing for me. I explained how brutal the tinnitus was and the ear fullness and burning sensation. She said they are not going to do a MRI scan as this will not show anything up...which I thought it may if my blood vessels are damaged or swollen. I did mention, could it be something to do with the Covid Jabs and like the NHS, she sort of dismissed it as not really. We chatted for quite a bit, she was convinced my Tinnitus was due to my brain being hyper active and focussing on it too much, she suggested the masking therapy to rewire the brain & lots and lots of exercise, even thou I do a fair bit. I did mention the Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome & I asked her, how come that hundreds of people can go asleep or get a nap and then wake up and are deaf in one ear. Like many Doctors and Google, she said it is still unknown and not fully understood, but, she did mention about getting exercise and often it can come back. I know my blood pressure is still really high and that can cause damage or trauma to the ear & tinnitus which can take some time to heal. I have had 3 Hearing Tests and apart from a couple of blips, I am showing perfect hearing, but, with pretty loud tinnitus and sometimes deafness that comes and goes, but, she said it isn't really deafness, as my hearing is perfect, but, it can be a lot to do with Blood Flow. There is also a lot of talk online about the Oxygen to the brain and many people use Ginkgo Biloba, as that is supposed to improve blood flow and circulation, although for most people it don't work and I am still taking it. I did manage to walk a few miles today and my tinnitus is still here and loud, she reckons along with some private clinic advice to keep masking it for me and my brain will habituate to it. As for the miles walked today, I did feel some relief in the ear pressure around the brain, again a lot of debate is online about blood flow and the lack of oxygen can damage cells and then time is needed for the cells & nerves to repair. She said that a lot of peoples hearing problems do heal, given time, a bit like the Air Bag Trauma claims online, that some people seem to heal at the 3-6months time stage. At the end of the consultation, along with my private consultants and specialists I have been seeing, I am still confused to why I have so much Tinnitus and no serious hearing damage showing on the tests, she then went over the issues about exercise, relaxation and to mask it all day long, with exercise and blood flow coming up a lot, so maybe over time, mine will also heal slightly, they won't do a MRI scan as she thinks my brain is normal and many other people have had a scan and it comes back clear and then other people have done a lot of exercise and the tinnitus has nearly or gone away. I will have to see how it works out for me, but, there seems a lot of sense in what she was saying about exercise along with many others, even thou I do exercise, I need to do more. I have also heard how some people have run marathons and the tinnitus then vanished. My Cholesterol in my blood tests is also really high, even thou I eat a varied diet, this can also aggravate problems. I was told that over doing exercise will reduce Cholesterol levels, so I will have to see if that works out.
Thanks for the update Dazza. Are you on medication for either the high blood pressure or the high cholesterol? Itās just that, about 3 years ago, I ended up at A&E after having chest pains and the specialist put me on tablets to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol, things that Iām still on today.
Also curious how you can be told your hearing is perfect and yet you can have bad tinnitus, doesnāt the sound in your ears block out the noises the audio tests are supposed to test you on? I know when I did my tests I had trouble identifying anything in my left ear but Iād have thought part (not all) of it had to do with the tinnitus which blocks other things out.
Also not sure why they wouldnāt want to do an MRI scan, would have thought if youāve got tinnitus they need to check things out to rule them out - thatās the route Iām going down anyway, eliminate some things and try and narrow down the possible causes.
With regards to the exercise thing, I get it that some people may have benefitted, but what I donāt get is why that should work if your lifestyle hasnāt changed previously. To try and put it better, if Iāve never exercised much previously and then suddenly got tinnitus, then why would changing my lifestyle now and doing long walks etc improve it? Just doesnāt seem like itās addressing the underlying issue in any way? Thatās just trying to get rid of the symptom, what happens if thereās something seriously wrong?
The more I read about peopleās stories, the more I become convinced that who you see depends on the kind of response you get. There doesnāt seem to be much consistency across the medical profession š¤·āāļø I hope you keep pushing this Dazza to get some answers. I have an NHS referral on Friday, Iāll let you know if I learn anything beneficial.
Hi - I am on Amlodipine 5mg & Ramipril 10mg for Blood pressure. I do have random chest pains and exercise. Having some sleep & thinking about what was discussed, I don't think I have all the answers. Whilst she was informative, I do think a lot is based on there own opinion. She did repeat the hearing test a couple of times and could not find any issues, Specsavers and online I also passed on. I am still with a private clinic and there hearing test is longer and more advanced, whilst nothing major is showing I did have a couple of blips with them, But, this is still classed as Normal Hearing to some people, but, I think this is where I may have an issue and where the tinnitus is. Some of my tinnitus is at 12-14,000hz, the NHS do not test that high and this is outside the normal range of hearing which is often up to 8,0000 or 8,5000hz. Waking up this morning, I still have some burning & stinging pain, which still could be blood pressure or nerves related. I have taken some strong pain killers in the past, some are controlled drugs & they do not even touch relieving the pain. It seems it can be hit and miss to getting a MRI scan, it should be done for Ear & Brain issues, but, is authorised by clinical need. In the UK, some people get it easier than others & depending where you live. I have since found out, that the MRI scans done in my local hospital are now done by a private contractor and not in house costs anymore. I will keep pushing with my doctor for a MRI scan, I keep having my right eyelid flickering for no reason also, which could be something on a nerve or not. I was in the clinic for around 40-50 mins or so and it was quite informative, but, I still think we get different opinions, depending on who we see. I am still with a private clinic and am due to see them again. She was focussing a lot on exercise, relaxation and blood pressure and masking for my brain to readjust, this does seem to work in the real world for many people. There is also a Decent YouTube and website channel where I have been watching the videos lately. You will find it as Treble Health.
His videos are quite informative, so I have been trying to educate myself on that as well. Watching some of his videos, he also agrees to a lot of this focus & relaxing & sound therapy and it seems to work for some of his patients. Will it also work for me, my private clinic also seems to suggest it might, the word being 'Might'. Having Tinnitus at 12-14,000hz is also not that normal, is it blood pressure or brain nerves or will a MRI scan show something else up, this I need to chat with the doctors again and push for, as a MRI scan will also rule some things out. Yet, some people have similar issues to me & there MRI scans come back clear, yet, they also have constant & pretty loud tinnitus and no major issues on any hearing tests.
If I had serious hearing loss or Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome, she would have authorised an appointment with a ENT Consultant & a MRI scan.
Doing my own research online and reading for months about hearing issues. It still seems like Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome, many Doctors still do not know what is going on or have a clue to why it happens just like that when people nap or wake up after a sleep. There is also a lot of issues around Hyperacusis & it is still not fully understood with lot's of people wanting to do more research & study MRI scans. When I emailed and contacted a lot of Professors, Researchers, Hospitals about this, I did not get a reply at all from anyone, which was disappointing, there is also a lack of funding into it.
I still think some hearing issues are still a mystery and we need opinions from many Doctors & others, some things maybe solved. Other things are not so easy.
My tinnitus is extremely frustrating & so is the future, if my hearing gets worse overnight. Speaking to private audiologists, it seems that sometimes these things just happen, which is not really what we want to hear.
I will see how I progress over the next few months & if sound therapy and getting the blood pressure down, sorts out my brain and resolves many issues or not.
I still think I may have some hearing damage which is causing the Tinnitus and this may never go away, but, I am being told it may go away, quieten down or I may have to live with it & what happens to my hearing in the future is unknown. I will focus on some of what was said and still getting this blood pressure down and then see what happens in a few months.
Good Luck with finding a solution to your health as well.
Kevin, Iām just writing to reinforce what Dazza says.
Youāve got ear trouble. The doc has prescribed steroids and youāre partway through the course. One of the symptoms is tinnitus.
So, early days! Your doc seems to have responded quickly and well.
Be aware that about one in ten of the population have tinnitus and it may go away again, it may fade quickly, it may not. Just donāt search Dr Google and find ācuresā.
The most authoritative source of information is the charity Tinnitus UK - if you go to the NHS website it will direct you there - and you will find a lot of information and help.
Here on this forum many people have been helped and I suspect that, now they are feeling better, they donāt come back here and get reminded of a bad time in their life.
As far as actual hearing loss is concerned, then letās hope you get this back. Mr Tinnitus is a tenacious chap and might need a bit more persuasion . And finally, you are not waffling and have asked no stupid questions.
Thank you for answering Rosie, l already found the Tinnitus UK website, I think thatās how I might have got here. I already tried the Google route too, itās scary isnāt it, Iām most scared by the implication that there may be no cure and that in some way I have to put up with it. Iām not doing that, the thought of having an aeroplane in my left ear for years to come isnāt one Iām prepared to contemplate!
hi, similar story here. For no apparent reason, quite suddenly in my right ear I developed pulsatile tinnitus, very strong vibration/pressure in synch with heartbeat, feeling of blocked ear, then all sorts of other tinnitus sounds arrived , 24/7. MRI all negative apparently . I did the prednilosone too. I donāt think i got any benefit from it. Audiometry doesnāt show much of a change from prior ones so far , but I feel that my hearing is off in the right ear. I get a feeling of pressure and aural fullness. The pulsatile tinnitus causes a lot of warping and distortion around fans and other white noise (everything is in synch with this pulse). Terrifying experience. There are lots of people on Facebook who have had the same or even worse.
Hi Daniela, thank you for answering, one major difference for me is that mine isnāt pulsatile, itās just constant, and head or body movement just changes the noises sometimes. But I donāt think I have vibration or pressure in line with my heartbeat, itās just a solid noise 24/7. Trying to work out why yours pulses and mine doesnāt?
Most of the times people have the standard tinnitus. I am blessed with both! There are some groups on Facebook for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. I am not sure if I did the right thing joining those groups, as those are not happy stories but certainly this is something that happens to people of any age and in different degrees of severity. Are you booked for an mri and hearing test soon?
So Iāve already had a scan which came back with nothing, Iāve only had one hearing test at the hospital but that went on for what seemed like forever and at the end the consultant had graphs which showed excellent heating in my right ear but virtually nothing in my left. Itās strangeā¦ there seems to be more concern about the hearing loss (which I almost feel like I could live with) rather than the debilitating effects of this damned tinnitus. I have another ear I can hear out of, but I canāt get this horrid noise out of my head.
also my MRI was negative. Please let me know you manage all this , as I am also in a not too dissimilar situation, though my hearing is not completely gone. Your consultant was worried because hearing loss could be permanent and is , unfortunately, linked to the tinnitus, I think? the two conditions go hand in hand. have you got ear fullness too? I do unfortunately.
The tinnitus came first, followed 24 hours later or so by the hearing loss. As far as I can tell this is only affecting my left ear. The consultant, in the way that consultants do when theyāve seen it all before, effectively shrugged his shoulders and told me it was Sensorineural Hearing Loss Syndrome. Researching it, I can see that itās typical for this to be a long-term or permanent condition, but itās the āsyndromeā terminology I donāt like. Itās a catch all phrase which doesnāt address the underlying issue, a bit like Irritable Bowel Syndrome - it says youāve got something wrong with your tummy, but not exactly what.
Iām finding it hard to accept that I can fall asleep for half an hour and then suddenly be affected by this, there must be something wrong for this to happen in the first place. And I donāt like being dumped into a tin which says itās ājustā tinnitus and therefore itās nothing major, which is what it feels like at the moment.
Iām not quite sure what you mean by ear fullness? Like itās blocked? Like itās got water in it? Yes to some extent if itās what you mean, although thatās been less the case over the last 24 hours.
I have an NHS appointment on Friday, and a follow up with the private consultant next Wednesday, just so that I can obtain different opinions but yes Daniela, Iād be pleased to keep you updated š
I agree , it is disconcerting that things like this can happen, unexpectedly, and the medical community is quite literally clueless. So they just dismiss the patient. Regarding ear fullness: that's exactly the feeling of the ear being blocked, like there is water in it, or that of pressure not equalising after a flight. I am glad yours is easing, as for me, there hasn't been a change and feels very uncomfortable. Maybe there is also a psychosomatic component to it, I am not sure. I am seeing an ENT privately on 17 May and then have the NHS ENT on 30 May. I am planning to ask for a referral to audiology. Let's keep each other posted. Tough times.
Hi..i have droning T...somatic T and all sorts of T related stuff...there is no silly question and its good you are reaching out....as well as ENT etc i came across Julian Cowan Hill on You Tube he also has an app 'Quieten' he explains why we get T and how we can reduce the noise and even eliminate it, please dont despair and dont go on any negative forums, people do get better, it is a rocky journey for some...the response you got from the medical profession is negative and unhelpful...please dont accept this, there are things we can do...JCH app has a free trial if you wanted to see what its about and he has masses of free videos on YT ...i recommend him as he helps us understand what T actually is...feel free to dm if you need to.
Most welcome and yes he has a couple of books, and a website and contact info.... tinnitus is a stress response, its a sign basically that our body is under some sort of stress, physical, psychological, whatever has caused the T needs addressing - my heart goes out to you please hold on to the facts about what T is, it is a symptom.
Thank you for this because yes, this is exactly what Iāve been holding on to. It makes no sense to me that I can suddenly wake up with this issue. I need to discover the underlying issue and then surely there will be a remedy? I hope this isnāt too black and white, it tends to be the way I think. When I find what is wrong, then not only can I address the issue but it should clear the tinnitus as well. However the willingness of doctors to do the donkey work so to speak seems to be lackingā¦.
Exactly....there are a myriad causes of T...i think mine is stress and muscle tension which over time builds up and then wallop - T - i would like to add that sadly many put Julian down because he has an app and it costs money but i have found it extremely comforting and reassuring, he had T for a long time and is now recovered, as i got the app i can have zoom sessions fortnightly with him and others around the world who like you and me are coping with this very difficult condition.
the human body is immensely complex. We expect doctors to be all-knowing and all-seeing. They are not!
So many advances have been made in medical knowledge over the last fifty to one hundred years - but thereās so much more to learn! And there are so many āsyndromesā each with their own peculiarities.
The older we get, the more likely it is that something will come along. And we have to live with that thing, whatever it might be. Just as an example, something like arthritis or multiple sclerosis can be managed but not cured.
JCH has a book as well as the vids, available from kindle.
UPDATE: I visited the NHS today, had a hearing test, confirmed what I already knew. The consultant must have spent less than 5 minutes with me and said he would refer me for a hearing aid, he couldnāt give a stuff about the tinnitus, he said there were talking therapies and distraction techniques and that was that. There was absolutely no empathy whatsoever. A complete waste of time for me. Iām interested in why itās happened and what is medically wrong with me, but thereās just silence on that front, from my doctor, the NHS guy and the private guy. So Iāll keep pushing, have a follow up with the private hospital on Wednesday but nothing scheduled after that for the moment. I need to start researching how to calm it first of all.
The best time I had today was driving home, I just turned the music up and drowned the tinnitus out.
Hi Ā Ā KevinS72 doctors are absolutely clueless on why this happens to some people. It happens to very young , healthy people too! I have never found any patient with a real concrete answer (unless there was a coma , head injury etc). Have you taken a copy of your audiometry test: have you got enough functional hearing for one aid in the affected ear , or will you have to go for a Cros or baha system to transmit sound to the healthy ear? I am very new to this too and just educating myself on aids. My tinnitus is omnipresent but occasionally i feel less frightened than before. Again, it is early days. I get very little compassion from my other half, have to say. In any case, i d say that I am almost more bothered by aural fullness (blocked ear feeling), than tinnitus right now. My private ent appointment is next week and the nhs one on the 30 . A venogram should also be booked in , hopefully soon, due to the pulsatile tinnitus . In any case , I totally expect to be dismissed by the consultant in a similar fashion as you experienced today.
That is what I am hearing about some NHS ENT Consultants, some people are getting 10mins with them and not much progress and told to just live with it and do deep breathing exercises. I don't even qualify the criteria to see an ENT Consultant at the moment, as the Audiologist I see the other day, said my hearing was pretty good. I may still have other things going on, but, they still refuse to do a MRI Scan. Some people in my area that are in need have been told it is 12-18mths wait for an ENT Consultant & they are getting appointments in 2025, even with severe deafness. Most are going Private. I had a my regular visit with a private audiologist today as well, going thru some things and trying to work on masking my tinnitus, the service I am getting with private is far superior to the NHS. I am still getting Tinnitus spikes for some unknown reason & I think my Blood Pressure is still high, I am hoping mine will go down a little bit, but, otherwise I am stuck with Tinnitus, the good news is the private clinic are eager to help and another appointment in 2 weeks. Tinnitus Masking with a Decent Hearing Aid may calm the Tinnitus if it is matched to the hearing loss, but, only if the clinic can get it right. I am using Regain Hearing, they are highly recommended, but, it is a long travel if your based up north. They have clinics in the South East & you can book the CEO Lee Fletcher to discuss options about hearing aids & tinnitus masking, as you may need to go that way, as somethings will still not have answers to why you have what you have, even from ENT Consultants & the NHS are not really that bothered about Tinnitus either.
If you have hearing loss causing the Tinnitus, a decent hearing aid, should null the tinnitus out when matched & the hearing should be restored to some extent, it won't solve the current situation to as why this happens, but, unfortunately it seems it does to some of us. It maybe the private clinic can sort this out or you may need to find a different one, it seems even with Private clinics they also have different views and preferences to what they recommend. You can buy the hearing aids cheaper online, but, then they are not setup the same way to matching the tinnitus and the aftercare won't be as good. Having also spoken to a few people with similar issues, sometimes it is a mystery, as to why the tinnitus goes away and also the hearing can sometimes come back, depending on the original severity and cause. Doing more research since, I am still convinced the brain can sometimes heal slightly and blood pressure is a major problem for me at the moment.
If you can also travel to the South East, then also reach out to Regain Hearing, if you want some further advice or trying out hearing aids.
I have also found the MPOW Ear Defenders with Bluetooth and Radio are pretty good at masking my own tinnitus, they are on Ebay for Ā£30-Ā£42 each in different models.
Keep us updated on how your getting on.
You could also try taking some Ginkgo Biloba 6000mg & Siberian Ginseng 600mg to see if it makes any difference, it most likely won't, but, everything is worth trying as it could!. They are available in tubs on amazon.
Hi Dazza2024 I am in south east London. What type of tinnitus treatment has regain offered to you? I am wondering whether they are worth a visit. Audiology is the only way forward I think. Pulsatile tinnitus is exceptionally tricky to mask ā¦
I am trying Hearing Aids for Masking & future habituation, my Tinnitus is hard to treat as well, as I have it at 12-14,000hz as well as 6-8,500hz. Most Tinnitus is tricky, but, the service is really good in trying to get my brain to Habituate to it. Nothing is a simple fix, but, I need to keep going for a few months to see what progress is made or not. If you also go with them for Hearing Aids, they give a 60 Day Money Back Guarantee, although I will probably stay with them, as the aftercare is for life with regular progress meetings. The best thing is to book a Tinnitus Consultation, this costs Ā£99 for 2hrs and it is 2hrs of questions & answers, advice & they do extended hearing tests and then chat thru all the options. I booked Lee Fletcher for the 1st Assessment, as he has the most experience & he is also the CEO & owner of the Business, if you call the Head Office, you can see what schedule & clinics he will be at and then book him. I am also seeing Maxinne Yu for aftercare, she is really experienced as well, she can be booked at the Eltham or Croydon clinic also for a check & or assessment. The customer service from them has been amazing, too many things to list in what they did and in the speed they did it as well with appointments and bookings & other things. I think you need to see what options can work, but, on my journey, it is finding a private clinic that has Audiology & a great service & aftercare. Even things like having their direct email and mobile numbers in case of a crisis or urgent aftercare, can be important. As a private clinic, it feels like they was also very empathetic in dealing with it. They have a lot of good reviews on Google as well. I know some other clinics are not really the same, but, it is trying to find one you also like as well.
Tinnitus Consultation, costs Ā£99 for 2 hrs, so it is worthwhile doing this, they may even find something in the hearing test that gives a clue to something else. A lot of things can be related to Blood Pressure & Flow or Anxiety, so future Meds may also help, but, Hearing Aids doing some masking, may also calm it down a little bit, you don't really know until you try it and I am only a few weeks into the Journey with them. All progress reviews are currently free for life as well, as & when you need them, as that is included in the original hearing aid cost and Tinnitus treatment plan & also the 60 Day Money Back if you ever needed it. Although, most people will probably stay with them for life, as that is what they offer once your on board with them.
I also sometimes have Ear Pain & a Fullness feeling, but, NHS wait time for ENT Consultant is 6-18mths and they won't refer me, as I don't meet the criteria of having hearing loss to a mild or severe degree, they also refuse to do a MRI scan in Croydon! as I don't meet he criteria for it. I may look at Private ENT in the future, but, I need to spend more time on Blood Pressure Meds and seeing if this makes a difference, as well as trying different meds for Anxiety, as this comes up a lot in the same Neuro Pathways and it may well also calm down my tinnitus. I am hoping that my tinnitus may well go away in the future, but, who knows, there is a lot of things going on in the brain, that even the Ent Consultants have no clue on and for some people it has gone away & mostly due to Blood Pressure problems and causes.
Hi Dazza2024 thank you for taking the time to respond. It is so heartwarming to hear that there are companies that do provide a service to people who are in distress due to tinnitus . I am convinced : I will certainly contact them. Location wise they are also pretty convenient! If I get good results, I will definitely share it with the group
Thanks for the updates both!! There are a fair few places which are local to me (in Cheshire) which claim they can reduce the affects of tinnitus but of course you have to pay for them and at the moment Iām not convinced by any of them. My first step is to take some Magnesium supplements and some CBD oil, neither of which Iāve dabbled with before but I donāt think I have anything to lose in that respect. The CBD might help with stress and relax me, the Magnesium seems to have a couple of positive reports?
DanielaHobbs_ if you could communicate any good news if you go and see any of these people than that would be great! I think the lack of compassion you mention is because, unless youāve suffered, no one else can quite understand what weāre going through.
I have discovered one potential link with a drug called Atorvastatin which Iāve been on for the last 3 years at quite a high dose (80mg) as one of the side effects seems to be tinnitus but Iām not quite sure that it would only take effect now after all this time. And the NHS guy yesterday was so bloody rude and dismissive that I didnāt ask any questions, I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. It was like I lost all self worth for a moment, I just felt belittled. In retrospect I wish Iād been very confrontational and asked him every question I could think of, albeit heād have probably stonewalled me and shrugged his shoulders even more.
Strangely, even though the course of Predisnolone has now ended, my hearing is better today than yesterday, so Iām hopeful but not confident. Iām going to see how it goes for a couple of days. I still have the private consultant on Wednesday and weāll see if he is as dismissive as the NHS man who clearly doesnāt like his job.
In the meantime the ear still feels blocked, and the jet engines still await take off to take the holidaymakers to the sun āļøāļø šš
Predisnolone - Can be hit & miss, some people notice an improvement often at 10 days for some reason, others do not. They say it should be taken within a few days of problems. I am out of time from when mine started, but, I am going to ask the Doctor if I can try it and for 14 days supply which some people push for. I am still wondering if I have some inflammation in the Brain & it needs a Med to fix it. I have read about CBD Oil & it seems to have some positive effects on calming the brain and some people say tinnitus, I have not tried any yet, as I was on different meds and was hoping they would work, CBD Oil is something I am considering trying in the future, once I have also read a lot more on it. - Once you start CBD Oil, keep us updated, to progress, it is something many of us are probably about to consider and or try at some point, but, there is not much online about it at the moment with much feedback from other patients. I just went thru the information pack the NHS gave me and it was mostly print outs from the British Tinnitus Association about relaxing and deep breathing exercises, which I don't think is really solving the problem. Many people online near me are claiming about the shocking service from NHS ENT & often only 10mins to be seen.
Hi KevinS72 I will certainly report if I find any relief from tinnitus from regain or other audiologists. I will wait to have the ct venogram (I will get it done privately , as still no joy from the nhs), and then proceed with audiology. I am very keen to try a hearing aid and already have an idea of what i d like to try. I think your private consultant will give you more time and empathy than the nhs ent. It is a sad state of affairs , but more and more people are forced to go private to have some relief from their pain. Please let me know how the private route goes. I just wish I had the normal tinnitus , rather than this horrendous whoosh in synch with my heart. I donāt wish it on anyone !
On the CBD side, I read online that medical cannabis is legal in the uk ? I see online it being prescribed only for chronic pain, I wish chronic suffering due to tinnitus could be included. If you have any information on this, please let me know!
Iām going to start taking the CBD oil in the next couple of days and combine it with magnesium supplements which Iāve already started as those are the 2 things which seem to have the most positive feedback from all the things Iāve readā¦ no guarantees either will work of course but Iām very much at the point of having nothing to lose.
DanielaHobbs_ Dazza2024 as far as I can see medical cannabis is legal, but CBD oil is some part of the cannabis plant without the āhighā that you get from actually smoking the stuff, the idea I think is to either put drops on your tongue or suck sweets/lollipops etc. Iām not going to go to the doctor or anything (donāt really need any more empathy-free wastes of my time), just going to go to a well-known large chain of chemists and buy some, it seems to be freely available. I canāt see it can do any harm and for me, itās more likely to be beneficial than talking therapies, distraction techniques or just trying to put up with it. Iāll try it for a week or so and let you know!
With regards to the Predisnolone, itās worked to an extent, but not to the point where my hearing is 100% better, more that I can recognise some sounds. Itās not had any effect on the tinnitus, that got worse and worse for a week and now just sits inside my head. Rather like others, Iām rapidly coming to the conclusion that itās merely a symptom of an underlying condition.
Hi KevinS72 I also think that CBD is worth trying . Worst case scenario is they are sugar candies ! I am not too hopeful on talking therapies too. I was speaking with a therapist before this happened and once I had this ear issue and my mood really had a turn for the worse, she dropped me as a patient! Tinnitus will have ups and downs I think, mine varies throughout the day and I do think it is largely and significantly affected by anxiety levels. What is the next step for you , are you planning to have an audiology appointment in few weeks/months once your hearing has settled?
I donāt really know. I feel like the medics arenāt too bothered. Not quite sure where an audiology appointment would get me, I donāt fancy wearing a hearing aid too much, although thatās where the NHS consultant was guiding me before the weekendā¦ youāll get a hearing aid, he said, theyāll write to youā¦
I can definitely hear a bit better in my left ear now than I could a couple of days ago. So thatās a start. Itās the tinnitus thatās driving me crackers. Iāve looked and Iāve read and Iāve researched and itās pretty clear thereās no cure, pretty clear thereās no understanding, and startlingly obvious that unless youāve personally suffered, thereās no empathy and itās very difficult to explain to anyone whoās never had this condition.
So the next step? Try everything I can to control or limit the tinnitus wherever possible. Mine is worst when I wake up and worst when it comes out of even a slightly noisy environment, although when Iām around noise it is harder to hear. Staying still seems to calm it a bit, but if I keep to quiet places I hear it more clearly. Itās a complete Catch-22 really. Iāve noticed noise makes it more piercing and it hurts my ear and left side of my head more.
The other thing Iām going to do is make sure I follow up even the most trivial concern with my health, even if I have to call the doctor every week. I want a full health check up if possible. Because thereās an underlying issue here and tinnitus is the symptom, itās just I havenāt found the source yet š¤·āāļø Iām going to spend a fortune on CBD oil and come back to you šš
I completely understand. I would also love to know the underlying condition that has caused me this ear problem. Before it happened I was feeling the fittest, healthiest , strongest I d ever felt. I was happy! Tinnitus is just the symptoms of some underlying cochlear ( sometimes they say ānerveā) damage. That s brain creating sound due to lack of input (sensorineural hearing loss). This is why many people who get cochlear implants report a decrease in tinnitus and others who have the nerve excised (some post ops vestibular schwannoma patients ) report more tinnitus. If we could regenerate synapses and hair cells of the inner , like birds do, we wouldnāt hear the tinnitus.
I think Iām going to push for a hearing aid trial instead. I am of the opinion that more input/external sound could potentially have a beneficial effect on tinnitus ( I have a whole bag of different sounds I hear!) and help me with the feeling of āblocked earā. Feedbacks from people are mixed on the effects of aids on their tinnitus but I have nothing to lose. Worst case I donāt get along with the aids . I will see if the nhs would dispense any ( I keep my expectations low) but also look at private options. Again, Iām clueless on both and donāt have anyone in my family or circle if friends who needs a hearing device
If itās any help, the appointment with ENT at the hospital last Friday made it seem a pretty simple process. The consultant literally just said āIāll recommend you for a hearing aid, theyāll write to youā. And in the back of my head Iām going no no no, you donāt get it, you donāt understand, but I didnāt say anything. But the way he put it across was that, if you have hearing loss, you get a hearing aid. Simples š¤·āāļø
Hi KevinS72 thanks for the information. It is good to know. I expected to have to push a lot and underline how this situation is affecting my mental and private life. Though judging by the speed of my local nhs, if they refer me to audiology , I will probably hear from them in 2025 , if I am lucky š the tinnitus would have driven me totally nuts by then š
So to give a bit of a further updateā¦. I had another private appointment today, both with the consultant but also with an audiologist. The latter seemed to be well-educated in tinnitus. The nub of the conversation was that he feels tinnitus is the act of our brains picking up something in the body and noticing it and converting that into the noises Iām hearing in my ear. In other words, the noise has always been there, itās just that now my brain has decided to recognise it. When weāre more balanced and healthy (less run down??) we just process the noises in the body and the brain doesnāt recognise them. So he asked what had changed, was I under pressure or stress or was I anxious? And the answer to all of these, thanks to some personal circumstances, was yes. So I asked him straight whether stress/anxiety had caused this and he said that in the absence of any physical issues, this was the most likely explanation. Itās helped me to understand and process whatās happened a bit but itās also helped me make some personal decisions.
He didnāt recommend anything in terms of drugs/medicine/therapies etc. What he recommended was to take a break from the world and the stresses of life in general and do something I want to do, try and reduce the stresses and anxieties, and concentrate on me. He said that the most likely way to combat the tinnitus was to take the stress out of my life, in whichever way I thought was best. If that is talking therapy/yoga/meditation then so be it. If it means going on holiday for a week to recharge then thatās okay too.
I donāt know if that helps you DanielaHobbs_ or anyone else at all? He was the first person Iāve spoken to to take the time to explain, to understand and to empathise. Itās made a difference.
I have been doing lots of Exercise & Relaxation & my Tinnitus is pretty bad still, I think something is still to do with the Brain & Blood Pressure & or the Auditory Nerve that has trigged it to be a lot louder. My hearing tests are still pretty good, to the point the NHS ENT department has basically closed my case & advised me to do deep breathing and relax and all that. I don't think that will solve it all, as I do think I have some natural aging & old age damage is in there, even if it is a little bit and the tinnitus is also coming from that, but, annoyingly the brain wants to focus on it, even if I try and ignore or mask it. I am still with the private clinic so will continue working with them for advice and trying to mask it or get my brain to ignore it or habituate to it, although I don't think it will be that easy, as my Tinnitus seems stubborn & I may have it for life and I just need to ignore it which isn't easy. I will be back up the Doctors again, to see if I can try some different meds to calm the brain down a bit, the focus online with others, seems to be a lot on the Anxiety type drugs that work for some people and not for others. Kevin with your updates, are you still going to try some CBD Oil or have you started on it yet ?. I am tempted to give this a go as well and see if it has any calming effect. The feedback online is very limited on this, but, if you have started it already, has it made any difference, even with a few days in..?
My private clinic hearing tests are a bit more advanced to the NHS Hearing test and there is a couple of blips on them, but, nothing major, this is where I still may have some Tinnitus coming from, if so, you could call it damage or natural aging or not, depending on how you look at it, but, it also shows the difference between the NHS and the Private clinic. The NHS think I have nothing seriously wrong, so my case is closed and the Private clinic, thinks I am a work in progress and there is a chance, my tinnitus may decrease with the hearing aids they supplied which I can still get all my money back if I want in a few weeks time under the 60Day Money Back they offer, but, the service is pretty good, even if they can't solve it straight away, I may stick with them, as it may take a lot longer to solve if I go with the Brain Habituation route which seems to work for others, even if it takes a few months.
Yes Iāve been taking capsules of CBD, they were Ā£36 for 60 capsules and each capsule is 10mg. Iāve been taking 2 capsules every night for about a week and my tinnitus has definitely reduced, but I canāt say whether itās the CBD or not. The private consultant gave me another hearing test which showed my hearing has recovered somewhat from the near-complete hearing loss I was suffering from a couple of weeks ago, and the consultant said that if I was lucky enough to have my hearing improve, I could expect improvement in tinnitus to follow on behind that. So not really sure what the CBD has done, I know Iāve slept a whole lot better this week and for longer, but again is this CBD or just a coincidence?
Aside from cold hard cash, Iām not sure I had anything to lose from taking CBD and Iāll keep taking it until the capsules run out, so that will be 30 days from when I started and then Iāll see what state Iām in then š
Your ears could still be in some kind of recovery, it is good news, somethings are improving, most people with one sided hearing loss, never really recover from it. It may well be a lot of blood pressure caused some trauma when you was sleeping or having a nap, many people suffer issues when sleeping. I know my tinnitus has felt louder or a lot of pressure sometimes and often when waking up or a lack of sleep. CBD may well have had some benefits, the research data online is still lacking. I do wonder if you are still recovering after having a dose of Predisnolone, which seems to do wonders sometimes in repairing or settling damage for some people. I am going to ask my Doctor if I can try some Predisnolone anyway, I didn't push for it much before, as I was trying other meds and he wanted me to see ENT. Your brain might also be slightly adjusting to what's going on, so in the future, it may well all clear up to near perfect hearing and no tinnitus. Keep us updated with progress and the CBD progress. I have nothing to lose also in trying CBD, so will probably give that a try soon, along with some different meds. Where did you order your CBD from ?. Holland & Barrett ?
Hi KevinS72 I am genuinely happy that you found someone who took the time to talk, explain and express empathy. Sometimes the human side is that we need the most, especially when we are in a difficult situation.
I do agree that the audiologist is making a good point: our symptoms are real, 100%, but our brain and subconscious fire them up and amplify them 100 fold! if I really think about my case, for example, I do acknowledge that "ear problems" were there before, but for some reason now they have become more noticeable, I started thinking (obsessing) about them and then created a vicious circle
Just to add to this, I had a long chat with "chat GPT" yesterday (oh dear, I talk to softwares now!) who gave me interesting information around neural plasticity, neural hyperactivity and central auditory processing and also indicated that emotional factors do increase neural excitability , thus contributing to this cascade of tinnitus and other symptoms. To add to this (sorry if I am going on and on), my sister (who is a doctor, though NOT ENT) indicated that in her opinion I feel better one day and then worse another day, based on different levels of anxiety . The more anxiety I have , the more tinnitus I hear.
Different people react differently to situations, also based on their personality. We all have individual responses/reactions. We need to manage our emotions, be patient and be resilient/persevere. Well, sorry for the ridiculous rambling !!! I am off to the hospital in few minutes for my CT scan this morning !
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