The buzzing in your ear keeps getting worse. It began quietly enough, one of those “is it really there” kind of situations. But you’ve noticed how loud and constant the tinnitus noises have become after an entire day on the job at a construction site. At times, it sounds like ringing or other noises. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be treated.
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that buzzing is called) will vary from person to person and depend substantially on the source of your hearing issues. But there are certain common threads that can help you get ready for your own tinnitus therapy.
There are a couple of different types of tinnitus
Tinnitus is very common. There can be numerous causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus noises you’re hearing). So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is usually split into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Some tinnitus symptoms are caused by an inherent medical issue, like an ear infection, excessive earwax, or a growth, among other conditions. Medical providers will usually try to treat the root problem as their first priority.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: Tinnitus that is caused by hearing damage or hearing loss is usually known as “non-medical” tinnitus. Over time, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause constant, severe, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is often more difficult to manage.
The best way to manage your symptoms will be determined by the underlying cause of your hearing problem and the kind of tinnitus you have.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will normally go away when the underlying medical issue is addressed. Treatments for medical tinnitus could include:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is a result of a tumor or other growth, doctors could do surgery to remove the mass that is causing your tinnitus, especially if your symptoms are decreasing your quality of life.
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. Viral infections, for instance, never respond to antibiotic solutions. Hydrocortisone might be prescribed in these cases to manage other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: Your doctor may prescribe you with antibiotics if your tinnitus is related to a bacterial ear infection. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably disappear when the infection clears.
You’ll want to schedule an appointment to come see us so we personalize a tinnitus treatment plan, especially if you’re dealing with medical tinnitus.
Managing non-medical tinnitus
Usually, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and manage than non-medical tinnitus. There is normally no cure for non-medical tinnitus (particularly in cases where the tinnitus is a result of hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by alleviating symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some instances, you can be trained to disregard the sounds of your tinnitus. This widely used strategy has helped lots of individuals do just that.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus noises by generating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. These devices can be tuned to generate certain sounds designed to offset your tinnitus symptoms.
- Medications: There are some experimental medications available for treating tinnitus. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication mixtures can sometimes help minimize tinnitus symptoms. Still, you’ll want to talk to us before making any decisions about medications.
- Hearing aids: A hearing aid can help if your tinnitus is getting worse as your hearing gets worse. The tinnitus symptoms probably seem louder because everything else gets quieter (because of hearing loss). A hearing aid can help mask the sound of your tinnitus by raising the volume of everything else.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing issues you will probably need to try out several approaches as the exact cause of your tinnitus most likely won’t be clear. In most situations, tinnitus can’t be cured. But many different treatment options are available that could reduce the symptoms. Finding the best one for you is the trick.
