If you have never suffered from Tinnitus, it is a difficult disorder to understand.
The condition causes hearing distortion, and sufferers often complain of constant noise, often a ringing noise, which can cause severe headaches. One sufferer described her Tinnitus as a “high-pitched sound in my ears that pulsates in a rhythm.” This condition is known as pulsatile tinnitus.
If you have tinnitus, you know how debilitating it can be. It often leads to severe panic attacks and extreme anxiety. It is not unusual for the victim to become deeply depressed.
A man, who had been learning to live with his Tinnitus for over 10 years, suffered an extremely painful leg injury. The persistent pain in his leg caused him to become agitated, which, in turn, resulted in his tinnitus coming back “with force!” This condition became so severe that he actually considered having deafness surgery in one ear in an effort to end the constant noise.
Another man said he suffered from pulsatile tinnitus as a child, but it eventually went away. Recently, however, he hit his head when he fell at work and immediately the condition recurred and the sounds returned with more ferocity than ever.
These sounds appear to be caused by a change in blood flow to the neck and head. As the sounds increase (often at night while you are trying to sleep) it is common to feel an adrenaline rush.
Since a mild case of tinnitus is very annoying, an extreme case can lead a person to desperate measures, sometimes even committing suicide.
Some sufferers have tried to use alcohol to deaden their feelings, but as one man said, “Alcohol makes it a billion times worse.”
Many report that even taking an aspirin for pain relief dramatically increases their symptoms.
Pulsatile tinnitus can affect all aspects of your life, especially if you develop anxiety-related problems. Over time, the noises can cause overwhelming fear or dread—the feeling that something “bad” is going to happen. This can lead to serious mental disorders that actually prevent the sufferer from going about their normal daily routines.
One sufferer of the disorder yelled: “The worst part is, the more you think about it, the worse it gets.”
No wonder doctors often prescribe antidepressants or antipsychotic medications to their patients suffering from tinnitus. While antidepressants can help a person suffering from tinnitus cope, they will not cure their problem.
What causes tinnitus? It is obviously a malfunction in the body. Some have been told that they suffer from an inner ear disorder. Others have been told they have sinus infections. Some patients have been told that the hairs on the cochlea are damaged or missing.
I have placed a link that will give you a detailed list of the various causes of tinnitus at the end of this article.
One person I spoke to, a musician, said he lost some of his hearing from his years playing clubs to extremely loud speakers. “My otolaryngologist (ENT) gave me a hearing test and told me that my hearing loss caused my brain to ‘turn up the volume’ to fill the range I lost. But due to the damage to my ear, all I hear is a ringing of high tone. He told me there is no cure for T (Tinnitus)”.
He went on to say, “I can’t bear the thought of living the rest of my life like this. I’m on the brink of madness!”
Others have been told that the problem stems from stress. Hypertension is often mentioned as a possible cause.
One patient was told that his problem might have to do with his sinuses, but as he put it: “Trying to figure out what causes my problem, or what can cure my Tinnitus, is draining my wallet!”
