ringing in ear CONSTANT for two years. help, someone?

[asailorswife]

two years ago today, i woke up and my left ear was ringing. it has never stopped since that day. when i plug my right ear, i cannot hear out of my left - just the ringing. i am wondering if anyone else has had this issue? this is an all day every day thing - not just here and there ringing. at first, my quality of life was ruined, because all i did was focus on the ringing. now i am used to it. i am scared to go to the doctor.

thanks in advance.

[asailorswife]

thank you so much jemma <3

[jemma116]

A build up of wax isn't a bacterial infection.  It is just what it is, your ears produce ear wax to protect the ear, but if there is a build up it can block the ear and put pressure on the ear drum and it would feel like you had cotton wool stuck in your ear.  A doctor would look into the ear and tell you whether it was a build up of wax or another problem.  For a wax blockage, putting in some olive oil every day for about a week, will help to loosen up the hard wax and the doctor or nurse would then syringe the wax out if it did not come out on its own.  This does not hurt, they just squirt in warm water to wash out the loosened wax.

If you know for definite that you have a build up of hard ear wax, you can purchase Earex or similar from the pharmacy or large supermarket that helps to dissolve the wax.  At hospital many years ago, they sucked mine out by what sounded like a vacuum cleaner.

If you have had Tinnitus for the last 2 years straight, then you will have that now without it ever going away.

Mine started on and off in my 20s and the last time I got it when I was about your age it has been with me ever since.  I will be 62 this year.

If you do go to gigs, get some protective ear plugs.  What a lot of people do not realise is that loud noise actually destroys the hearing mechanism in our ears.  Once the hear has been damaged there is no cure, only in some cases wearing a hearing aid.  Listening to loud anything, radio, television, banging, hammering, shouting, will all damage the hearing if it is above a certain decibel - this is the measurement of noise.

[asailorswife]

thanks for the comments. i know it's tinnitus - but to have it for two years straight? if it were just built up wax - wouldn't i be......dead, from the bacterial growth? eeeeeeek

[flipper336]

I agree with Jemma when she said Tinnitus. If you have been dealing with this issue for two years now, that is where I would put my money. Follow her advise and make an appointment to see your doctor.

[jemma116]

Don't be scared and make an appointment to see your doctor so that he can look inside your ear.

You may have a build up of wax pressing on the ear drum and that can be easily remedied if that is the case.  Or you may have damaged your hearing by going to loud gigs.  Sometimes congestion in the Eustachian tube can cause pressure.

Ringing in the ears is called Tinnitus and in a lot of cases there is no cure for this. Your doctor may send you to see the ENT (ears, nose and throat) specialist who will be able to check your ears and do a hearing test.  
Although there is no cure for Tinnitus, there are gadgets that cause what is called "white noise" that masks the ringing.  But as you have got used to it now, you can leave it as it is.

But do make an appointment with your doctor as it is always best to get things checked out.

Let me know how you get on.

Best wishes.