The buzzing in your ear keeps worsening. At first, you could hardly notice it. But after being at the construction site all day (for work), you’ve noticed just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. Sometimes, it sounds like ringing or other sounds. You don’t know if you should contact us or how ringing in your ears could even be addressed.
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that ringing is called) will vary from person to person and depend substantially on the source of your hearing problems. But there are some common threads that can help you get ready for your own tinnitus therapy.
There are a couple of different types of tinnitus
Tinnitus is not uncommon. The buzzing or ringing (or any number of sounds) in your ear can be caused by various root issues. That’s why tinnitus is usually divided into two categories when it comes to treatment:
- Medical Tinnitus: Underlying medical problems, including ear infections, excessive earwax, a growth, or other medical issues, can be the cause of tinnitus. Treating the root medical problem will usually be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: Tinnitus that is triggered by hearing damage or hearing loss is usually known as “non-medical” tinnitus. Significant, constant, and chronic tinnitus can be the outcome of hearing damage related to long term exposure to loud noise (like at your construction site). Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to treat.
The type of tinnitus you have, and the underlying cause of the hearing affliction, will determine the best ways to manage those symptoms.
Treating medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will typically clear up when the root medical problem is addressed. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is caused by a tumor or other growth, doctors could perform surgery to remove the mass that’s causing your tinnitus, particularly if your symptoms are diminishing your quality of life.
- Hydrocortisone: Not all infections can be addressed with antibiotics. Viral infections, for example, never respond to antibiotic treatments. In these situations, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you control other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is a result of an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Your tinnitus symptoms will probably disappear when the infection clears.
If your tinnitus is caused by a medical problem, you’ll want to contact us to get personalized treatment options.
Treatments for non-medical tinnitus
In general, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and treat than non-medical tinnitus. There is normally no cure for non-medical tinnitus (especially in cases where the tinnitus is caused by hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal course of action.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices hide your tinnitus sounds by generating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Certain sounds can be tuned into these devices depending on what noises your tinnitus is creating.
- Medications: Tinnitus is in some cases treated with experimental medication. For example, steroids and anti-anxiety medication combinations can sometimes help minimize tinnitus symptoms. But before you make any decisions, you’ll want to talk to us.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing diminishes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both conditions. When you are dealing with hearing impairment everything outside gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus sounds seem louder. A hearing aid can help mask 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 disregard your tinnitus sounds. This frequently utilized method has helped lots of individuals do just that.
Find what works
In order to effectively 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 there are various treatments available. Finding the right one for you is the trick.