Hi Everyone, I was just diagnosed yesterday with this after struggling for years with ongoing ear issues. I've had vertigo spells, distorted hearing, aural fullness and low pitched tinnitus, but as I didn't have a typical menieres hearing loss it took me so long to be diagnosed. My main symptom at the moment is extreme tinnitus. Like a 75HZ Bass tone which fluctuates and is very hard to mask. Does anyone have any tips on dealing with the tinnitus? Is low frequency tinnitus like rumbling common with menieres?
I've found the best way to deal with tinnitus is to listen to or play tones that counteract it. I play piano, so when my tinnitus is acting up I'll hit notes until I find one that makes disrupts it. There are hearing aids that do this for you automatically that I've heard are amazing, unfortunately they are extremely expensive, but if you cant get your hands on them, do. If you don't play an instrument, go to youtube and look up "tinnitus sound therapy" they have all kinds of videos that are designed to help with tinnitus. I've found them really helpful. Good luck!
Before antivirals, the only thing that relieved my tinnitus was the shower or a shower app on the ipad.
This book of some of the resources offered might help https://www.facebook.com/rewiringtinnitus/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED&fref=nf
Yes, that low pitched tinnitus is very typical of cochlear hydrops and i assume menieres (ask comeone with vertigo). I had it 24/7 for 9 months. I thought it was like having a jet engine right beside my ear. I had some odd sounds at night too but the jet engine was always there. Antivirals ended it. I took acyclovir in the beginning and within a month the jet engine was barely there. Nothing else helped it. Eliminating caffeine helped the symptoms in general a little bit. Also stay away from loud noises. Nothing good comes of that.
Thanks for the replies. Honestly, I'm trying to stay positive but how do people deal with the unrelenting tinnitus? I've had a higher pitched sound for years which bothered me initially but doesn't now, but this low frequency rumbling bass sound is so hard. It can feel like it takes over your head at night and adds itself to other sounds etc. Very hard to mask. Not to mention all the other hearing distortion I have that never shows on audiology tests as I assume it is lower than the frequencies they check to see if you are deaf. Everyone talks about the vertigo being the worst part of menieres. I've had vertigo twice and it was awful, but I lay down and it passed after a few hours. I read here it can get very violent though, touchwood I don't go through that. Is it true you learn to live with tinnitus regardless of it's characteristics?
I will take the tinnitus over that which I will not speak of lol. Though the tinnitus over time does have a maddening effect which accumulates on me to the point I go crazy
I have a very good ENT who is willing to prescribe me anti virals as a trial even though he personally does not believe in it. How long do they usually need to be taken for before people get relief?
Most people respond to the max dose within 3 weeks, but some take many months, so don't panic if you take longer. And be sure to avoid Mylan brand generic.
Thanks Guys. I'm hearing from a person with menieres on another forum that while the nerve damage is happening, it's "normal" to get all kinds of fluctuations in tinnitus and weird popping, booming, banging sounds etc. But even this I will eventually get used to and stop monitoring. I really need some encouragement at the moment. I feel like the very low frequency humming is driving me crazy at the moment. From what everyone is saying, I feel like I should just be grateful I don't have violent vertigo (Fingers Crossed).