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How many of you have bilateral tinnitus?

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Brian, Jun 20, 2021.

  1. Brian

    Brian Member

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    I am newly diagnosed with Ménière’s but ignored severe symptoms for years because, well, I’m male and hate doctors.

    It started on 2013 when I woke up with a stuffy left ear and I thought nothing of it. I let the stuffy ear go for months before getting it checked out by an ENT. He said my ear looked clear and no infection. Another year went by the stuffiness was getting worse and in 2015 I went to the urgent care to have my ear looked at as I was planning to fly and didn’t want to fly with An ear infection. Doctor said ear was clear and go fly. I flew and came back and ear was the same and went back to urgent care. They said ear looked good.

    About 2 years later the ear started to ring a bit, nothing bad, but slightly noticeable. In 2018 one night my ear began to ring loudly like mad and I went to sleep and woke up with the room good around in circles. This lasted about 8 hours then went away. The next month Same thing happened. I noticed after each episode the ringing would get more intrusive and stay that way. My last attack was July 2020!, Where I had 4 days off vertigo. Since then the tinnitus go louder.

    In February I got the Pfizer COVID vaccine and it sent my tinnitus into the stratosphere. Sounded like I fire alarm in my head. I went to try ENT he did an audiograms with tympanometry and it showed mild, low frequency hearing loss on the left side and the right side has a borderline loss in the low frequencies. He said you have nothing wrong learn to live with it, even after telling him all my symptoms.

    I went to a neurotologist who saw the suspicious audiogram and immediately ordered a new one. Sure enough I had mild to moderate low frequency hearing loss on the left ear. The right ear is border line loss at those frequencies. I have tinnitus in both ears. Does this mean I have bilateral Ménière’s, but one ear is more affected than the other? The tinnitus is driving me insane.

    Any of you guys suffer from bilateral Tinnitus?
     
  2. Brian

    Brian Member

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    As a side note the neurotologist diagnosed me with Ménière’s and put me on klonopin and oral steroids. I also just finished intratympanic dexamethasone injections.
     
  3. Donamo

    Donamo Active Member

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    I suggest spending less time with the doctors and more energy in trying to heal yourself - lot's of suggestions on this site. Antivirals, JOH, "Heal Your Headache" diet. The tinnitus will probably ebb and flow for the rest of your life.
     
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  4. Brian

    Brian Member

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    For Me the main issue the the tinnitus right now. I can live with the fullness and hearing loss and occasional vertigo. But the tinnitus is a beast and I am not functioning well. I’m screwing up at my jobs I’m distracted and not emotionally present. I’m having terrible trouble sleeping and almost was in a car accident yesterday because of my distraction and fatigue. I’m in a really bad place right now and don’t see a way out.
     
  5. travelershe

    travelershe New Member

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    Hi,
    Try to take a big breath. I am sorry you are going thru this. Getting newly diagnosed is horrible. I know personally how stressful and distraught all this can make us.
    My very first symptom was roaring tinnitus, like a refrigerator and blow dryer running on high for days on end. Lots of tinnitus advice around.

    I am bilateral with 50% low tone loss in both ears.
    I am surprised they rushed you into ear injections but what do I know.
    My best advice is to request keeping oral steroids on hand (Medrol dose pack in my case) should your HEARING suddenly drop. Ween off the Klonopin as soon as you can. Keep it on hand for tinnitus flares, especially if that is a trigger for you, signaling vertigo may be coming on. We all have our own unique symptoms and outcomes.
    For me I get major back of neck stiffness, tightness, like there is no circulation coming up the back if my head. Within hours the vertigo gift usually arrives. We are all different.
    In many cases, no rhyme or reason for flare ups. Limit Salt, chocolate, alcohol, visual disturbances, again we are all different. All the best to you!
     
  6. Brian

    Brian Member

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    my tinnitus is higher pitch like 3khz. Both ears. I have a lot of prednisone in the house with refills. He’s doing the ear injections to try to get ahead of the disease and force it into semi remission. I am also concurrently on oral prednisone and klonopin. I asked the doctor to treat this as aggressively as possible because if this doesn’t ease up it’s game over.
     
  7. Onedayatatime

    Onedayatatime Active Member

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    I have been living with tinnitus for longer than i can recall. My understanding is that a hearing aid can help control tinnitus in the hearing loss afflicted ear. Tinnitus seems to go hand in hand with hearing loss.
     
  8. Brian

    Brian Member

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    Thanks for the input. The doctor said my loss is not severe enough and is fluctuating so I’m not a good candidate and would be waste of money. I’m down 30db at 250 and 25 at 500. Rest of the spectrum through 16khz is great. It fluctuate between 35 dB down at 250 and 30 db at 500 as well, and also back to normal temporarily. This seems to be the nature of the disease. Meanwhile I’m losing my mind quite literally.
     
  9. Kevinb003

    Kevinb003 Active Member

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    Try to get antivirals from your neurotologist. That has been the only thing in my experience that hast helped with the T. I have it in both ears: right ear (dead from laby) has high-pitched tinnitus, that will never go away, and left ear has low-pitched tinnitus, which varies, but is tolerable on AVs. Try turning up your HVAC fans when you drive or crack the window…either should mask the tinnitus. The hardest thing? Try not to think about it! When I focus on it, it becomes unbearable. If I’m not thinking about it, it’s hardly noticeable. A challenge we all just face because, like it or not, life is different with this beast. Fans and white noise generators help at night also at bedtime. There are plenty of apps available for iOS and Android. Best of luck!

    Kevin
     
  10. Brian

    Brian Member

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    thanks for the advice. My tinnitus is reactive and it gets louder with any steady noise like a fan or white noise or even car engine droning. The worst is getting woken up in the middle of the night 6-8 times with a hissing cicada sound and a ring like the emergency broadcast system blaring. It’s really disturbing.
     
  11. Brian

    Brian Member

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    I got a prescription for valtrex from my MD. I’m amazed.
     
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  12. Vicki58

    Vicki58 New Member

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  13. Vicki58

    Vicki58 New Member

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    Brian, my doctor said the use of hearing aides can help tinnitus.
    Since I’ve started wearing a hearing aid I have much less problem with tinnitus!
     
  14. Brian

    Brian Member

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    Doctor said my hearing loss isn’t severe enough to warrant it…
     
  15. Nathan

    Nathan Well-Known Member

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    I have bilateral tinnitus.

    Name the Ménière's symptom & mark me down as bilateral.

    I like to think of those who are bilateral as well balanced individuals.
     
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  16. Brian

    Brian Member

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    is you hearing loss ass severe in both ears or is one less affected.
     
  17. Nathan

    Nathan Well-Known Member

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    The former, & frequently fluctuate independent of the other.
     
  18. Brian

    Brian Member

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    My ear with the worst loss has the worst tinnitus. The both fluctuate and are reactive. How did your Ménière’s start? Did you first notice it as just a stuffy ear or was there something else involved?
     
  19. twodogs

    twodogs Member

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    Instead of that doctor, go to an audiologist who will advise you more appropriately regarding hearing loss. I have had loud tinnitus for forty years or so. I have bilateral Meniere's and the tinnitus is in both ears. The noise fluctuates in intensity and with many different sounds. To me it is the least worrisome of the MM symptoms although I wish it would cease.
     
  20. Brian

    Brian Member

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    yea for me the ear fullness and vertigo aren’t really annoying. The ear fullness is constant but the vertigo comes and goes, although the attacks, when they do happen, are bad. I feel like I’m inside of a clothes dryer. The worst is the tinnitus because it is always there and always annoying. It hinders my ability to concentrate and sleep .
     

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