The ringing in your ear keeps getting worse. It began quietly enough, one of those “is it really there” kind of things. But you’ve noticed how loud and constant the tinnitus noises have become after a full day on the job at a construction site. These sounds can take many forms, such as ringing, buzzing, or any number of sounds. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be managed.
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will vary from person to person and depend substantially on the origin of your hearing issues. But your own tinnitus therapy will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What kind of tinnitus are you experiencing?
Tinnitus is not uncommon. There can be a variety of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus sounds you’re hearing). So in terms of treatment, tinnitus is often split into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Inherent medical issues, including ear infections, too much earwax, a growth, or other medical issues, can be the cause of tinnitus. Dealing with the underlying medical problem will normally be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: Tinnitus that is related to hearing damage or hearing loss is usually known as “non-medical” tinnitus. Over time, exposure to harmful noise (such as the noise at your construction site) can cause persistent, severe, and chronic tinnitus. It’s normally very difficult to treat non-medical tinnitus.
The best way to manage your symptoms will be determined by the root cause of your hearing issue and the kind of tinnitus you have.
Treating medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will normally clear up when the underlying medical issue is addressed. Here are some treatments for medical tinnitus:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is related to a tumor or other growth, doctors could perform surgery to remove the mass that’s causing your tinnitus, especially if your symptoms are diminishing your quality of life.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor might prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is related to a bacterial ear infection. Once the infection clears up, it’s likely that your hearing will go back to normal.
- Hydrocortisone: Some types of infections will not respond to antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic treatments. Hydrocortisone may be prescribed in these cases to treat other symptoms.
You’ll want to schedule an appointment to get a consultation so we customize a tinnitus treatment plan, particularly if you’re coping with medical tinnitus.
Managing non-medical tinnitus
The causes of non-medical tinnitus are often a lot harder to diagnose and treat than is typically the case with medical tinnitus. There is usually no cure for non-medical tinnitus (particularly in cases where the tinnitus is caused by hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal strategy.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus turns out to be more prominent as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both conditions. When you have hearing loss everything outside becomes quieter and that can make your tinnitus sounds seem louder. A hearing aid can help hide the sound of your tinnitus by amping up the volume of everything else.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: You can obtain training that will help you learn to ignore your tinnitus sounds. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a widely utilized strategy designed to help you reach just that.
- Medications: There are some experimental medicines available for dealing with tinnitus. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication mixtures can sometimes help reduce tinnitus symptoms. However, you’ll want to talk to us before making any decisions about medications.
- Noise-masking devices: Often called “white noise machines,” these devices are created to supply enough sound to decrease your ability to hear the buzzing or ringing caused by your tinnitus. These devices can be tuned to generate certain sounds created to offset your tinnitus symptoms.
Find what works
For most of us, it won’t be immediately clear what’s causing our tinnitus, so it’s likely you’ll need to try several approaches in order to effectively treat your own hearing issues. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But there are many treatments available. Finding the best one for you is the trick.
