In Sept 2017 we decided to visit my husband’s uncle in Ohio, we flew to JFK New York and then hired a car and drove through, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. I was very nervous about this trip, since 2001 I have (or at least I did back then) had a fear of flying so didn’t really fly much and had never visited America before (the USA always seemed so vast and unreachable) so didn’t know what to expect, but we made it safely to Ohio and we had a great 2 weeks, although I spent much of it worrying about money (as we really couldn’t afford the trip and borrowed a lot from my in-laws whilst out there), worry about my children and their safety, and the youngest one was really playing up and wouldn’t sleep. I was also constantly worried about the flight home, so I coped with all of this by binge eating, drinking in excess and constantly using whatever I could find to itch my ears (which were extremely itchy especially after the flight) eventually I found a pack of ear buds lying around, they weren’t my usual Johnson & Johnson brand but I didn’t care as the urge to itch was really strong, and so I continued to use them for the duration of the holiday.
Once back home I suffered with quite a few migraines and it took me ages to get my sleep back on track, but we were home safe and sound and had got there and back again in one piece! Over the next couple of months I started to suffer with more migraines and just before Christmas I was convinced I had some kind of sinus infection as my teeth felt like there was a constant charge going through them, and I started to notice that my ears weren’t clearing after a shower and I was finding it difficult to hear especially in my right ear.
I visited the doctor who looked in my ear but could only see a build up of wax and gave me antibiotics for the sinus infection. Fast forward to the end of February 2017 and I really began to suffer with my hearing and feel unwell which was panicking me a little, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to follow conversations. As well as my ear being constantly blocked, I started to get this high pitched noise it was intermittent and not all the time.
I was already familiar with the word “tinnitus” and knew that it led to a lifetime of misery and despair! I had been told it was so bad that people had committed suicide! So I already had a real fear of it, but now it was in the forefront of my mind and the word “tinnitus” was fast becoming a regular part of my vocabulary!