“WHOOOOOOSH!”

It’s baaaack.  I’ve had problems with tinnitus off and on for the past year (though not nearly as bad as Brandt’s constant static).  Last summer I had a high-pitched tone in my left ear, that sounded like an old television set dying.  After several weeks of sleepless nights and a hearing test, I finally figured out that it was caused by the increased dosage of my blood-sugar medication.  I switched to an extended-release version of the medication and the tinnitus went away, other than an occasional tone that lasts a few seconds and goes away.  It was a huge relief to get rid of it, because it was driving me absolutely crazy.

Then when I was about to attend the National Association of the Deaf conference in Philadelphia last month, I woke up to a loud whooshing sound in my right ear.  It sounded like a tornado roaring inside my head, something I had never experienced before.  I could actually feel the whooshing.  I don’t have health insurance, and this happened on the Saturday of Fourth of July weekend.  I assumed that it was an ear infection, and since I was about to fly, I knew I’d have to get on antibiotics immediately.  So Brandt drove me to an emergency medical clinic, almost an hour away.  I spent $100 to find out that my eardrum was “clean and beautiful” and it wasn’t an infection.  The doctor didn’t have any advice other than to use Afrin nasal spray before flying (I already use it every time I fly).

Fortunately, the whooshing went away two days later, right before my trip.  I wrote it off as a fluke and forgot about it, until it came back a few weeks later.  This time it lasted four days, then went away again.  And it’s been coming and going since, lasting two to four days and then suddenly disappearing in my sleep.  The fifth round started two days ago.  It’s not anywhere near as annoying as the high-pitched tone that was in my left ear, but it’s still really annoying, especially when I’m trying to fall asleep.

I have no idea what could be causing this.  I take the same medication every day, so I don’t see how that could be the cause.  It starts and stops quickly—I wake up with it, then a few nights later it disappears while I’m sleeping.  I’ve wondered if maybe it is being brought on by barometric pressure, or maybe high blood pressure caused by eating a salty dinner.  I’m thinking about keeping a food journal, to see if there is a food or ingredient that is triggering it.

Whatever the cause, I’m ready for it to go away.  “WHOOOOOOSH!”