A buzzing ear makes a surprise appearance

Looking back on the first week of realizing I had tinnitus almost brings a tear to my eye. Not to sound negative, but those that have or are currently experiencing unexplained buzzing ear sounds will know the frustrations and stupid thoughts that come with tinnitus.

This week I want to bring peace of mind to those who are currently suffering from a buzzing ear or two.

It’s okay to do stupid things when you first realize that tinnitus is something you may need to manage going forward. Speaking with many tinnitus sufferers, we all have the same story – first embarrassment then laughter.

Going through such a journey with tinnitus can be difficult but when you get to a point of not being worried or bothered by whistles or buzzing ear sounds, this brings fulfilment and control back into your life.

So what are some of the crazy things you’ve done in the first week of experiencing tinnitus?

The first week for me was extremely difficult and looking back at why I actually thought this would work makes me laugh.

Late at night I found myself listening to a slight whistle. I couldn’t understand where the noise was coming from. Before I knew it, I found myself searching around the house trying to find this unknown noise.

You might find this strange however please understand I didn’t actually know what tinnitus was at this point.

After many hours trying to find an invisible noise I couldn’t understand where this noise was. Going through the list of things of what it could be, I found myself in the loft looking at the water heater with a torch. It must be the heater making the noise….

It wasn’t!

At first I was embarrassed to tell anyone this however when I started speaking with other sufferers they also recalled searching the house at ridiculous o’clock trying to find an invisible noise.

To stop this annoying noise, wearing earplugs at night seems the most logical option to cancel out the noise of a buzzing ear.

Some days after realizing I couldn’t find where the noise was coming from, I purchased a pair of earplugs to stop the noise. Trying for a number of days, I still couldn’t work out why this annoying noise was keeping me up late at night.

For anyone thinking earplugs will stop the ringing late at night – it doesn’t work!

The way that tinnitus works is that the noise actually comes from inside your ear, not external noises.

Research has shown that when the tiny hair cells inside of the ear become damaged, they send vibration signals to the brain causing the ringing, whistling, buzzing, or even music.

Searching for the noise, followed by earplugs, it started to dawn on me that tinnitus is something that I’m going to need to manage.

Googling on the internet, I started to find weird and wonderful products that can relieve tinnitus. I discovered that a common cause of tinnitus is due to excessive buildup of earwax.

Ear cones became my new best friend. Trying multiple packs, I was convinced that ear cones would cure my tinnitus. Although I did see a short benefit in trying this product the reality was I didn’t have any excessive earwax so the noise continued.

For those that are looking at products to help manage a buzzing ear, it must be stressed that there is currently no FDA approved drug that helps or cures tinnitus. There are however drugs that help manage the behavioural side such as anxiety and stress.

When all else fails, what are some of the other options? Reading many articles, I kept finding reports of people having operations to cut the auditory nerve. I was curious and started to wonder why would people go to this drastic length?

Operating on the auditory nerve only means one thing and that’s becoming deaf in one ear. Does cutting the auditory nerve actually stop tinnitus?

Searching the internet, I was shocked to find people having this operation only to still have tinnitus! Imagine the pain…. because tinnitus is experienced as a sound, cutting the nerve that carries sound signals from the ear to the brain might make it stop.

But this is not the case. This is because the brain is involved in the perception of tinnitus and not just the ear. Even if the auditory nerve is surgically cut, tinnitus continues.

Going through the cycle of tinnitus can be an extremely difficult time, that said if you are thinking about such extreme methods you must seek professional help and get the correct guidance you are in need of.

There are some great organizations and people that offer support for those affected by the condition.

British Tinnitus Association

Tinnitus Talk

The above resources provide some great factual informative information that will help if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed. If you find yourself doing any of the above, do remember that tinnitus can make the sanest person insane!