More On My Tnnitus

Today, with the help of Tita J, I finally dragged myself to the ear specialist, Dr. C. I have been trying my best to ignore my tinnitus for the past 10 months. I tried to live with it with as little whining as possible (I have been barely successful with this one, hubby can attest to that).

I have finally managed to make time for it. I cancelled my clinic for today. After having spoken with Dr. C (for a long time), I am hopeful as she says there is 75% chance that she may be able to do something about it. It also dawned on me that Dr. C. is THE ear specialist, the ear “goddess” and I should have come to see her a lot sooner. For years she was one of only two doctors in the country doing cochlear implants.

These are the most important points I’ve gathered from the check-up:
• I should have continued taking mecobalamin for a long time. She has data to back it up. She did the study from which the data were gathered. And I should have taken it for two months.
• The hearing on my left ear (based on my hearing test done last week) is normal. But the hearing on my right ear (the “normal” ear) is slightly impaired. The tympanic membrane on my left though is slightly less pliant than the one on my right.
• And because I have tinnitus but normal hearing on my left ear, it makes the work-up and treatment more complicated. If my hearing were impaired, she would just prescribe a hearing aid with a mask for my tinnitus and that was it. Not true in my case.
• After she had learned that I was sensitive to loud, high-pitched sounds, she decided I needed to have a CT scan of my temporal bone done. This was to check whether there was any mass and to see if the base of the skull, the bone that separates my brain from my ear was too thin. It being too thin would put me at risk of breaking it and suffering from sudden, total, and permanent hearing loss. If it were too thin I would have to refrain from straining and strenuous activities such as running, lifting, etc. As she said those words, I felt the smile on my face gradually disappear.
• I could have benefitted from an MRI of the ear if it were done within the two months of the onset of my tinnitus/zoster oticus. It could have helped document any autoimmune inner ear inflammation. I asked, SLE? Not sure, but they have seen such autoimmune cases.
• I was advised to eliminate caffeine from my diet. Coffee, alcohol, softdrink of any kind. And less salt (horrors!). And I’m not so sure if I heard her right when she said artificial sweets.
• I asked if it could have been drug-induced? I had regular intake of ibuprofen and aspirin for my headaches. She said yes but that it was hard to say since almost all drugs available listed tinnitus as one of the side effects.

I will have the CT scan done as soon as I get my period. In the meantime, I will start taking my mecobalamin. And pray to God for healing.