How Tinnitus almost made me go crazy

I am currently dealing with Tinnitus and it is not pleasant. I recently got introduced to it during a challenging time. Apparently, many people suffer from it. Most of the time they do not know it is Tinnitus until they visit a doctor or do some research.

What we know about Tinnitus

Tinnitus is ringing in the ears with no external source. It can be caused by exposure to loud noises, stress, hearing loss, anxiety, ear injury, an immune system problem or an illness. It can be present in both ears or just one. The louder it gets the more stressful it can be. It also gets in the way of concentration and sleep.The symptoms vary from one person to another. There is no cure for it currently.

My experience

It started when i lived in an apartment near a street. It was the only place i could afford. I heard a lot of cars and motorcycles. The constant noise from the motorcycles really frustrated me. I believe this is when the ringing started. The more i stayed there the more the ringing increased. It felt like a bunch of crickets in my ears, very high pitched. To top it off, the apartment was not soundproof.

Initially, I did not know it was Tinnitus. I thought there was something in the apartment that was producing the sound. I called people to come check, even the landlord. I even had a friend try to pick up the sound with a device. After all of that, nothing came of it and some people probably thought i was going insane. I even started believing maybe i lost it. But, thankfully, i was not the only one experiencing it. My mother too.

Sleeping was very difficult and I got really stressed out. I was dealing with other problems, but the Tinnitus added more discomfort.

I eventually ended up moving, but the damage had already been done. Nowadays, i still have some ringing, but not as severe as before.

I cannot confirm that i did not have it before living at the apartment. I probably had it before and did not pay attention. Maybe the environment made it more obvious.

Was there a high pitched sound that made the Tinnitus harder? Probably.

At least now I know that the symptoms i am presenting are consistent with Tinnitus.

I did have a doctor check out my ears and do some cleaning.

Treatments that can help manage Tinnitus

• Hearing aids

• Sound masking devices

• Medication

• Behavioral Therapy

  References

  Courtesy of MedlinePlus from the National Library of Medicine