Tinnitus - one ear only - TERRIFIED

Thank you for your reply.l.On some days I sometimes hear the sound a little less and then its gets louder on other days. I hope you are right in saying that it will eventually go away. I pray that it does. How long did you have it? Do you still have it now?

Hi, just to continue I'm 60 and female and spent a lot of my early years listening to very loud music and going to gigs so have subjected my hearing to at least 25 years of this. Thanks

Hi, mrspinkrat.

I joined this site just to make contact with you! I read all the posts on this thread you started, and am so glad to see you are dealing with the tinnitus ... and still posting as of 7 days ago!

I am 42 years old (similar to you), high-pitched rining in right ear (like you), and it has been driving me batty for about 2 months now. Something caught my eye in one of your posts that I wanted to ask you about: ear plugs. You said that you had worn ear plugs for years (as have I, 10 years, since the birth of my son). I wondered if they might be a causitive factor, especially with the folks commenting on differing pressures can affect the quality/severity of sound perceptions.

I happen to have a ph.d. (with a correlative in neuroscience) and my husband is a MD (internal medicine/hospitalist), so we have a fair background and knowledge of the workings of the inner ear. I haven't been very worried about an acoustic neuroma, just because I know the incidence/risk is very, very small. (That said, I suppose I will make an ENT appointment in the next couple months just to rule it out). I understand why people would be terrified, though, and it must always be considered, no matter how small the chance.

I have taught myself masking tricks as many previous posts indicate. I do think it gets worse ("louder," more constant) when I am under stress, tired, and of course, trying to sleep. Last night was difficult, hence my discovery of your posts this morning. So glad you started the thread! I saw someone mentioned support groups ... I may also look into that. It really stinks, especially since someone who hasn't experienced it truly has NO idea how disrupting and consuming it can be.

So ... I guess I wanted to probe your use of ear plugs a little further. I wore mine every single night for almost 10 years. I wonder if I stop the plugs, would that lessen the tinnitus? Particularly if it is related to pressures/canal changes etc. I won't sleep well without the plugs, but we both know, dealing with tinnitus is a matter of trade-offs! 

Thank you so much for your posts. It's very nice to "meet" you (from across the ocean) and know someone in this world shares my age, my exact symptoms, and my level of annoyance!! Misery loves company?? ha ha! Hope to hear from you. Thanks so much.

Ive had what would probably be called mild tinnitus for about 9 months now, im 49 and it just started one day. Was really concerned in the first few weeks but per the earlier comments on this thread I gradually noticed it less and less (mines a constant hissing) until i only really realised it was there when i specifically listened for it.

I went on loads of sites early days and theres alot of scarey stories and people strugglin to cope so this one stood out as actually giving some positivity and a future not dominated by tinnitus

That said ive had a set back in that yesterday my left ears suddenly become blocked hearing really muffled and a loud ringing, holding my nose and blowing makes no difference, disturbingly its also made my right side hearing more sensitive to noise to the state im wearing an ear plug in the right side to equal the noise input. Talkings not pleasent as it seems to make my tinnitus ring in unison. My only real relief is total silence which just leaves me with my original hissing and slight ringing.

Im really hoping this is a brief non related issue with my sinuses and blocked tubes. Im really concerned my hearings going to get worse. I had seen a doctor a few weeks back to see if my original tinnitus  was likely to be permanent and im scheduled to see an ENT specialist in august

I have been deaf in my right ear for as long as I can remember but have recently started to experience a loud sound in my good ear. I also get a very high pitched sound and have had that for many years and I have learned to blank it out. The new sound though is power pitch and much louder and when it comes it freaks me out. It only lasts around thirty seconds but is happening more frequently although not too frequently but i life in fear of it becoming more frequent. If I had it for long periods of time I think it would take over my life as it is literally like having a loud mid-frequency wave sound that you hear during a hearing test. I have just been to the Dr this morning and because he cannot ascertain whether it would also be in my other ear if I were not deaf in that ear, he has referred me for an MRI scan just to be safe. I have to wait up to two months for the appointment but will update this post once I have the scan. I don't think I have a tumour. I wish I had beciause that would be treatable. I'm more concerned that I am going to develop more troublesome tinnitus or develop degraded hearing in my good ear.

Hi, I have never posted on a site like this before. I have problems with my left ear off and on for most of this year. It started after a cold windy walk at NY. Long story short after 5 visits to my GP who told me I had ETD I finally saw an ENT consultant today who says I don't. My symptoms are mostly a whoosing sound in my ear which drives me mad. I had a hearing test which showed a tiny difference in my left ear to my right nut the consultant said it was pretty normal. She inserted a camera up my nose to look at my ear. She said it all looked normal and perscibed a nasal spray for three months and said if that didn't work I might have to learn to live with the tinnitus. Then when I was sort of ok the killer. She is referring me for an MRI to check for a tumour. I heard all the stuff about it being begnin but I am petrified. I am terrified of the doctor, it has taken me a lot of courage to go to the doctor and I was shaking all the time so the thought that I might have a tumour is killing me. How long did you wait for the MRI and then the results? TIA

Pretty frustrated. (31/ female/ healthy) Have had noises and random deafness in my left ear for 5 weeks now. Day 2 I immediately went to Urgent Care because it was obviously not normal and I had JUST ended 3 weeks of bronchitis a week prior. The doctor told me to "chew gum" and that bill was $100. I got on a plane literally a day and a half later and was around family for a belated family Christmas for 2.5 weeks which was hellish in noisy areas. Came back home and a month after the symptoms started I went to an ENT. The ENT did testing and immediately jumped to meniere's disease- which I read afterward in their parking garage is PERMANENT hearing loss. I don't know why they jumped to this conclusion SO suddenly and whipped right past it having ANYTHING to do with the bronchitis OR tinnitis. Has anyone else had meniere's mentioned to them...? The newest appointment with the ENT was today and they again tested my ear after having me on a steroid for a week, making me not eat salt or caffeine for a week, etc. Similar results, so they scheduled an MRI for a week from now, then they want another appointment in 6 months. This is SO frustrating and expensive. I feel like no one is listening to me and they're immediately jumping to the worst conclusions and want me to cut salt out of my diet now for the rest of the year. I feel so frustrated and lost. They were talking about hearing aids, hearing implants, etc. They said tinnitus doesn't just do this in one ear, but here I'm reading all of you saying you've had this. Has it stopped for ANY of you...? Does anyone have meniere's?

I know this post is 4 yrs old so not sure if i.ll get a reply but ive got the exact symptoms you describe ..can i ask what your outcome was ..hope it wasnt serious