Tinnitus Support Group

Hello. This is my first post here. I have had mild non-interfering unilateral T since I was a kid. Long story short, I had a cold, blew my nose, and the mucus went the wrong way into my right ear. Ringing starts. Did a saline nasal rinse for weeks and it fixed it. Months later I took a plane ride on a small cesna and my right ear popped and it has been there ever since. But it was so mild that I had all but forgotten that it existed and was certainly never anything I worried over.

But recently my T has gotten much worse. For no apparent reason. I have always worn hearing protection dilligently. I am on no new meds that I have not already been on for over a year or more (Vytorin 2years, and Propecia 5y ears). I have had no trauma and no sinus infections that I know of.

I am not even sure when at this point but it it started being ever so mildly more annoying a few weeks ago. Enough that it got my attention a little to make an appointment with my ENT. Like I said, I have had it so long from when I was a kid that I had not thought about it in years. Now over the last couple weeks it has gotten unbearable to the point that it consumes my every thought.

The familiar sound that I have written off has been coupled by a much higher pitch sounds that warbles in and out. I was wearing ear plugs today and I thought I seemed to notice it slightly change in when I walked. But it is so hard to tell that I cant be sure. I also notice every now and then a mild pain, sometimes a feeling of "fullness" though not like when your ear is actually clogged, and sometimes I hear my tubes clear when I swallow, especially when I wake up. But surely the ENT would have seen fluid when he looked in my ear so I dont know.

If anyone has any thoughts on how I could help this please let me know. My ENT was very dismissive and just passed me off saying I would have to live with it. But something is changing. Something bad. I called him back and demanded an MRI and am probably going to take it to another docter here that is listed by the ATA who claims to have success with cases like this. I am afraid to hope though because there are only horror stories on the internet that make me terrified.

I guess I just wish there was someone to talk to about it because I am really starting to worry that this is it for the rest of my life. All the research I do just leads to fear and dispair making it so much worse. In just the last two weeks I can already see a major shift in my usual Type A strong personality to a much more depressed and reclusive state. I want to make sure that I am not letting my wife down but I dont know how to just get through this.

I started taking Gingko and claritin a few days ago. We will see if that helps. So far, nothing.

Thanks for your help if you can.
Posted on 11/07/09, 06:11 pm