Please help! Cant cope! Ear ringing!!

[scaredycat26]

Hello everyone,

I am here in a panic for a few days. I haven't been able to sleep or eat and its so difficult to take care of my babies.

I am now hearing a loud beep/hissing in my ear(s)/head and I'm focusing on this only. I'm terriifed that if its here forever I will not be able to cope at all and I will lose my sanity.

Please is this a common anxiety symptom will it get better or am i doomed?

Bia:weep:

[Utility]

Hi

It is most likely some temporary tinnitus that can be as a result of anxiety, wax in the ear or may even be trapped water. It will more than likely dissapear but no harm in getting your GP to have a look.

[looking4answers]

I think its an ear infection..sure sounds like it.. see your doctor just in case to make sure but I can assure you that you will be fine.. Michael

[verity]

Hi, it is probably either an ear infection or wax. Both will respond well to ear drops. Dont sit and suffer get yourself to the doctor.

Verity
xxx

[scaredycat26]

No not an ear infection I went to the gp last Tuesday because my head felt loud like after a concert but NO ringing then it left it came back and left again and came back because i was obsessing over it.

Then yesterday evening it started ringing and I"ve been in panic ever since and can't calm down and can't eat and cant sleep and cant take care of kids etc.....

I'm sure its tinnitus but can you get temporary tinnitus from anxiety?

[eeyorelover]

You could have just developed an infection since your doc appointment was last week or it could be wax or fluid in your ear.
Get a recheck there is no harm in it.
xxx
Sandy

[suzy-sue]

Yes you can ..It can be helped with background noise ie soft music or the radio playing ..Its always worse when its quiet ..I suffer with it it sounds like a constant buzzing ..drives me nuts .:curse:But the more notice you take of it the worse it is ..IT will go ..Hugs Sue x:hugs:

[scaredycat26]

Thank you all for the warm replies!!!! You are all helping me relax a bit. I'm sure i'm obssissing and making it much worse!

Hugs
Bia

[meg86]

Hello :)

I am in the same situation as you at the moment, i have had it for 2 weeks, im pretty sure its anxiety and like you i was completely fixated on it!

Today i have been thinking more positively and not letting it ruin my day, i have been doing really well so far and the ringing did get quieter! until my boss asked me if i was taking drugs because i dont seem with it lately, and its because the ringing has been causing me alot of distress and i do feel so stressed today!! my head hurts so much!

I was doing so well today!! and now because my boss said that the ringing is louder than ever and i feel like poo :(.

As another wise member said to me, its not the ringing thats the problem its the focus on it! i think shes right!!

Try to divert your attention and i hope you feel better soon :) xx

[scaredycat26]

Hi Meg,

I feel much better today too. I was fixated on ringing for so many days that I think I put my body into high anxiety., which made it worse.

I don't know if you ever heard of the website Anxiety Center. It is a great website explaining in detail every symptom from anxiety and why it happens.

So I booked an appointment with an anxiety coach from that website. I though enough is enough I need to get a hold of myself or I will never make it. Especially since I don't want to take meds, I think this therapy will help.

The founder of the site and all the anxiety coaches on that site have all been through the worst anxiety and overcame it. So not only have they learned about it in school they went through it and decided to dedicate themselves into helping others. They are all certified and have been coaching for years.

Anyway I spoke to him today actually and he said ringing in the ears is a very common symptom of anxiety. Our bodies are in fight or flight mode so our senses are extremely hightened and our ears are sensitive to every noise ..etc

Also he told me he suffers from tinnitus cause he damaged his hearing as a child. He told me that tinnitus is usually caused by some damage to the ear from loud noise exposure , accoustic trauma or a history of bad infections.

It usually doesnt just appear out of the blue.

I was so obsessed about the ringing I actually went to a tinnitus support board and told them my story and they said the same thing it is unusual for someone my age (26) to get tinnitus for no good reason.

So I'm praying they are all right and this is just stress and it will go as soon as our bodies get back to a normal state ...or a new symptom arises to scare us lol...

[meg86]

Hello Scaredycat! thank you so much!! it really does make sense! so glad you feel better today :) i see that you are in Canada i live in the UK so will see if they have any centres over here.

Thanks for explaining it, it has reassured me soo much! please keep me updated on how you get on! i really hope it goes well for you and that the ringing stops for both of us!

You are right though, im sure when it ends another symptom will arise its how it usually works! hopefully this will get you on the right path, i wish you soo much luck!! take care hun xx

[suzy-sue]

It can also be caused by taking Aspirin over a long period of time ..I dont expect it applies but is a fact ...:ohmy: Sue x

[JaneC]

ScaredyCat, hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread but since yesterday I have had a sore left ear which clicks, sometimes when I swallow and also when I press the front of it.

Does anyone have experience or advice?

[scaredycat26]

Hi Jane,

I think that is more of a TMJ problem...do you clench your jaw hun?

I really hope we all get better soon! I'm not doing to well today again as I am scared again the ringing might not stop again...I'm thinking maybe it will stay for me because my body will never get back to a normal un stimulated state of low anxiety?

anyway I'm thankful for all of you here!

Bia

[suzy-sue]

Jane ..it does sound like Tmj ..my hubs went to the hpspital last week about this .The specialist said it can be caused by clenching the jaw when asleep ..very common in anx sufferers .He was given a list of excercises to do to help ..so far its working ..You also get a mouthguard made to put in when you go to bed .My hubs disc had practically come out of place .So the earlier you get treatment the better ..It may go of its own accord if its not too bad ,but if it doesnt settle go and see the Dr ...All the best ..Sue x:hugs:

[JaneC]

Thanks Sue and Bia, TMJ wouldn't surprise me. I'm going to have a word with doc, as I need to speak to him about my raging sore throat and a flare-up of my back problems anyway. Falling apart :doh:

[meg86]

Hey scaredycat,

Yea i am thinking that to today!! we just have to say to ourselves that we have overcome every other anxiety symptom im sure we can get over this!

Some days are better than others, and we just need to accept that we have ringing ears for a while! remember that you can feel normal with the ringing ears at time, its just hard to change our focus.

Im sure we will get there :) xx

[shaz01]

Hey, I have had constant ringing since I had the flu in September, its mainly at night I stress about it, its sooo hard :-(

[Kathymary]

Hiya i am new to this site and have been looking around i did join with a specific question but have come across this threat about the ringing ears -i got this about 8 years ago,after having hysterectomy -no link -just started and it drove me loopy i too became obsessed with thenoise, i didnt go out, didnt go to loud places didnt go to quiet places obsessed with my ears - this was mainly because at that time everything i read about tinnitus was negative, like nothing can be done, have to live with it etc etc. i joined many groups all the stuff but in the end I found a clinic which dealt with tinnitus, they were very very nice and sympathetic, i was given hearing aids which were maskers for the noise, i used them as i ws told, i also had a bedside masker, and i bought one of thosethings that makes sounds like the sea, anyway gradually it went and now after all these years i still hear my hissing ringing etc but i dont take any notice of it at all, sometimes it gets very loud and this isdefinitely caused by anxiety but i just put in my hearing maskers for couple hours and it goes again, what i am trying to say is that even if you do have tinnitus -you can livewith it honestly, there are so many things they can do about it now, clinics etc so much more information on it in fact i think so many more people suffer with this now and consequently moremoney has been put into research. They can even match your"noise" with a masker- so dont panic because part of the panic comes from thinkingnothing can be done and you wont be able to stand it or it will send you mad it wont- it will get better, even if you left it alone your brain will get used to the noise on its own. Please dont panic over ringing, hissing or any other sort of noise it will go away in the meantime find a clinic and while you are waiting, play music, turn all your radios on,make noise, what i have learned from a really good hearing consultant who dealt wth tinnitus is that the worse thing yu can do is try and keep away from noise, expose yourself to nouse, not loud noise that will hurt you but just general noise, its the worry that it wont go or you wont cope or it will get worse that keeps itgoing. but i can tell you that any noise you hear is no louder than a whisper, you try it - see its not as loud as you think. Hope you feell better soon andhope this has helped - take care kathyx

[meg86]

Hi Kathy :)

Thanks for posting, i agree with what you said people panic the most because theuy dont know how they are going to live with the ringing, i had a great day yesterday, i didnt pay any attention to it, i got the churning stomach occasionally but got passed it and actually had a good nights sleep!!

I think i shift in attitude towards the ringing helps to! and trying to push it away doesnt help either!

I got up this morning put the tv on, put my headphones in at the train now im work and going to have a nice cuppa! and focus on other things! i hope you are coping ok Scaredy cat and Kathy thanks for posting a positive reply! i have found with alot of anxiety symptoms as soon as you stop paying them attention they dissapear! i have used this approach with my other symptoms and going to do the same with this one! xx

[scaredycat26]

HI MEg,
I was just wondering how loud your ringing got ...because mine was so loud last night and today because i'm going crazy with anxiety and worry ...so not doing to well...

Bia

[meg86]

Hey hun, my ringing was loud! especially if i really focused on it! when it really bothered me and i stressed about it, i could hear it over the tv.

Yesterday was another positive day for me, i occupied my mind all day and by night i was just talking to my boyfriend and my ringing stopped! i said to him my ringing i cant hear it! then because i was aware it was missing it came back, but im not letting it bother me and this morning i didnt even have to put the tv on to get ready because it was so much quieter!

I really believe you can help tune yourself out, try masking it as much as you can and be positive! the ringing isnt dangerous i know how hard it is, ive had the ringing for 3 weeks and its difficult! but i know we can do this! xx