Tinnitus & Doctors

gstack166

About 8 years ogo one night in work at a factory I felt all of a sudden and strange sensation building in my right ear for all of maybe 10 seconds, been all I heard was a zung like noise in my ear, it is with me ever since. At the start it didn't really bother me as such I thought it would pass itself, I went to my local GP & he prescribed antibiotics for my ear but never diagnosed anything.

5 months later I emigrated to travel (I was 19 at the time) and the antibiotics never worked for my ear, it never really troubled me but at times it did affect my sleep and my hearing on my right side. I often googled about the problem in my ear & came to the conclusion i had Tinnitus even though i was never diagnosed with it. I was away nearly 6 years before I returned home from warmer climates (I returned in Aug 2010) & then I noticed the noise getting worse & my mind on it constantly.

I returned to a different GP & explained my problem with him hoping for a conclusion once and for all, thinking maybe I had wax in the ear. I was assured there was none & the doctor couldn't understand why I had ringing, he made me an appointment in Limerick Regional Hospital. 12 months I was waiting for my appointment. On the day of my appointment the doctor I was assisgned to was on leave & I got examined by the covering doctor who once again couldn't tell me what was wrong with me. He sent me out in the hall for a hearing test, after the test I was recalled & informed I had some hearing loss in my right ear & was told I was being sent for a MRI scan to see if they could find the problem.

Once again 12 months I waited for the appointment for the MRi scan, which was last month. The scan took about 10 mins & took 2 weeks to get the results. My appointment back in the hospital was last Monday gone at 10:50am. It was 4:15pm before I got to see the doctor (which once again wasn't the Doctor I was supposed to be seeing & different from the Doctor I initially saw) this Doctor informed me that they had ruled out a tumour in the ear & said my ears were perfect, nothing wrong with them but I did have some hearing loss in my right ear. Well then I said, how can they be perfect, explain that to me? How can hearing loss be the sign of perfect ears? He then got out his light and looked through my ears again ruling out wax. I said to him, it's Tinnitus I had isn't it? He looked at me like I said 2 heads & never answered me.

He said I could get a hearing aid for the hearing loss if I so wished. Close to breaking point, I told him, how in the name of god is that a sign of good ears? A hearing aid at 26? Once again no answer was given & he informed me he was making an appointment for me with a clinic called Deaf Ears in Limerick & said they don't need to see me again. 5 f*cking hours I screamed I'm waiting here today to hear this when he could of stuck you're head out the door to the hall & told me. Nearly 3 years waiting & still nothing! He practically pushed me out the door to get rid of me, I felt like this Doctor hadn't a clue what I was saying about Tinnitus & STILL I haven't been diagnosed with it like.

I'm close to the end of my teather with this problem in my ear, and nothing seems to help me. It feels like I'm isolated even when I speak with my parents about it, they take the standing that if the Doctor says my ears are fine, the buzzing is all in my head & I'm imagining it! Has anybody any success story's re clinics or things that help them with this problem?

looksee

I can identify with some aspects of your problem, I spent a similar amount of time trying to sort my hearing issues. I ended up with a similar diagnosis, some presumed damage leading to hearing loss in one ear and noise in my ears, which I assume is tinnitus though I don't think anyone has told me that officially.

I would think it is perfectly possible for your ears to be apparently healthy (as in, no infection) and not having any obvious deformities, but for you to have hearing loss. That is apparently my situation also, and I imagine a lot of people. It is very difficult - and probably not very useful - to be able to see inside your ears without an invasive operation.

So the conclusion is that you can get a hearing aid to improve your hearing, and anecdotally you will be told here that having a hearing aid can appear to reduce your tinnitus/noise - I personally would agree with that, though it is not a total cure. You can research on the internet and will find that there is very little known about tinnitus, and it may well be 'in your head', though most people who have it will agree that does not mean it is imaginary.