Tinnitus Resulting from Covid or Vaccines

[DaveC]

Very sorry to hear it Dave. I do feel your stress. Not tinnitus but I had Covid back in December (it was a pretty fierce version of the virus) and it turned into long covid and I’ve not that long now been diagnosed as new onset Atrial Fibrillation. The life changing outcomes of the virus can be drastic. For a guy with the cardio of an ox who’s swam at least 5 to 8 km a week for the last 40 years the change is pretty dramatic/devastating. I’ve been in constant AF for a month now so already persistent AF and I’ve not long started onto beta blockers. The lifestyle changes and work changes have kicked in this week. Just starting to get my head around the implications and also the feeling that my body has gone from very fit for my age to feeling suddenly like I’m 15 years older than I am with fairly chronic shortness of breath (from even just mild activity) and constant exhaustion, and months of sleep deprivation often just 2 to 3 hours a night sleep (unlike most of my life where I’ve been blessed with an easy and reliable undisturbed 6 hours as routine).

That said I’ve had resilient and robust health most of my life so I do feel I’ve had it good but as my GP said after the first EKG knowing how fit I have been and how much I have exercised that this is not the guy I was expecting to become.

As an aside getting an Apple Watch the last few weeks has been a brilliant investment and it’s an amazing health tool and gives extraordinary active cardio support and considerably more peace of mind than I’d have had without it. I’ve been able to indicatively monitor constantly the last month and watched my resting heart rate go spiking at up to 120 and registering consistently with AF before proper diagnosis and treatment and recently since gone back to rest rates around 70-80 bpm(since starting on Metoprolol) and then identify occasional new spikes of up to 120 just getting in the car and driving to work today. Troubling but reassuring to get that kind of consistent live feedback and warning.

The impact brought about by that inevitable virus is certainly life changing. It knocks around the body but also the mind and spirit.

Hopefully as my cardiologist fine tunes the meds I will get a bit less hazard happening and see what I can bring back to something approaching normalcy but it’s a lot of change to undergo in a few short months. I do balance all this against how fortunate I’ve been for most my life though and how much worse still it has been for others. But phenomenal kinds of change and uncertainty it has certainly brought about for most of us.

I'm really sorry to hear this, and I wish you the best for a full recovery!

I never give up on stuff like this, as I believe there is always a solution. When I tore my rotator cuff muscles it took 1.5 years of doing PT for them to heal. My surgeon was shocked at the MRI results, he didn't think it was possible and initially said my body just adapted to the injury. I told him I never gave up and continued to do rotator cuff exercises, and eventually they did heal. I hope eventually we can find some good solutions to the damage viruses do to our bodies, until then I'll do what I can and try different supplements and treatments like acupuncture to see if it works. I do think this is a good use case for acupuncture, fwiw. It makes an undeniable positive difference for me that's easily measurable in heart rate.

I forgot to mention I was in the hospital for a day after my last covid episode a year ago, I had heart arrythmia, but luckily it wasn't an issue, I had bradycardia, or low heart rate, and my system was trying to insert a beat in between my regular heartbeats. It was uncomfortable as it was happening regularly, like every 5-10 seconds, but eventually it calmed down.

I also got a watch, I would have went Apple if I had other Apple devices, but ended up with a Garmin. So far I'm really happy with it. If your hr changes quickly you still need a chest band for the best accuracy, but it responds quick enough to give you a good idea of what's happening. It also measures hr and hrv (heart rate variation) while you sleep so you get a good idea of true resting hr, and hrv is a measure of stress. I think Apple can do hrv as well. I also got a Garmin blood pressure monitor I use daily. Between all this and sleep/stress monitoring it gives you a good idea where you're at with training and recovery.

 

[DaveC]

I'm laughing while reading this, not because it's funny, but because it validates what I've been going through since late fall of 2021 after a bout of covid. For the longest time I thought maybe I caused it by an overly egregious listening session. Yes, it comes and goes, sounds like old CRT tubes partially in my head, and its not what is typically described as ringing.

For you and anyone else who has high frequency tinnitus, this has been the best sound to mask it I've found so far. I use it for sleep, during the day it usually isn't loud enough to be a major issue, but if it is, playing this at low volumes makes a big difference... Some days it's louder than others, some days it goes away.

 

[gilles13]

I have got tinnitus many years ago and the best way I found to cure this is hypnose or mesotherapie. Hypnose if you find a good one, in France it's called clinical hypnotiseur. That's to say not a man who have got a two weeks seminar and begin to practise.
In fact the purpose is to become used not to hear tinnitus. They are here but you don't mind them.
You never I think, manage not to hear totaly them buy you can live with them and have them low instead of loud.

 

[dbeau]

I have got tinnitus many years ago and the best way I found to cure this is hypnose or mesotherapie. Hypnose if you find a good one, in France it's called clinical hypnotiseur. That's to say not a man who have got a two weeks seminar and begin to practise.
In fact the purpose is to become used not to hear tinnitus. They are here but you don't mind them.
You never I think, manage not to hear totaly them buy you can live with them and have them low instead of loud.

Exactually, it is how I live with it as I can not remember ever not having it.
When I think about it, it is there. When listening to music, or anything else, I do not notice it.
I guess that is 'living with it'.

 

[Ground Control]

nattokinateafe. YMMV.

 

[Bill Hart]

I am not an MD but tend to research stuff. I got sick right before Covid became a thing and then it was one thing after another. I've been dealing with it for a couple years now. I have access to good medical here in Texas and have in the past used the Mayo in Minn.
I'm generally healthy, like working out and keeping mentally active.
I don't have a clue as to causes but one thing I learned to do rather than rely only on traditional MDs is use an integrative medicine specialist- she is a nurse practitioner who can write script but is mainly interested in what's going on in my body chemistry. So, apart from the scans, the various tests rendered by MDs, she did all kinds of in-depth blood work ups (via a commercial lab). Every one of the MDs I'm seeing now wanted that info and after some substitutions in medication, I'm feeling much better.
Interestingly, although exposed (my wife had Covid after a business trip), I've never had it according to the blood work. And despite that, a whole lot of health problems just came down on me in a pile.
PS: one other oddity. Back around 2012 or so, I got a nasty rash and was very fatigued. The infectious disease people in NYC did not diagnose it as Lymes, it did not test as Lymes, but caused me a world of difficulty. To this day, I have a "startle" reaction to loud noises and unexpected movement -like seeing a car out of the corner of my eye in a parking lot. I was treated "as if" I had Lymes and eventually most of the acute symptoms went away, but they never had an answer. I didn't experience tinnitus but I cannot be in environments with loud ambient noise- even some restaurants are simply too loud for me to tolerate. Maybe part of it is age, I dunno. I live with that.

 

[DaveC]

Just to follow up, I think I'm turning a corner on this, I don't want to be too optimistic as things do go up and down.

Tinnitus is still an issue but a bit less so, I have fewer days where it's loud and stays on all day. Dysautonomia, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues are all present but a bit less severe.

In case it might help others, this is what I've found. The short story is there are several programs of treating long covid that have had some success:

- Anticoagulants. The theory is the physiological basis of this disease is micro clots that starve tissue of oxygen, especially the endothelium.

- Reigning in the autonomous nervous system. Mayo clinic and some other programs concentrate on this aspect, the virus has shocked the nervous system and it's in fight or flight mode all the time. This takes a ton of energy and depletes the body of many things. I've seen a lot of negativity on this as some folks think it means long covid is just a mental problem. Not the case at all!

- Hyperbaric Oxygen. There's a treatment program that includes a lot of time in 2x atm pressure with 100% oxygen. Since micro clots deprive tissue of oxygen, this super-oxygenates the blood. Very expensive regimen though.

What I haven't seen is a comprehensive regimen that combines these courses of treatment and also addresses the vast myriad of resultant symptoms. Instead we see arguments about whether this is "all in your head" or if it's a result of physical damage done by the virus. IMO, it's both, with the damage done by the virus creating a feedback loop between the nervous system and the rest of the body that prevents healing, and can even make things worse. I never had acute covid, the long covid issues have been far worse than the initial viral infection.

For clots, there are prescription drugs or enzymes. I've been on a regiment of nattokinase, serrapeptase, lumbrokinase and bromelain taken 2x/day, once before bed, once in the morning, plus a couple baby aspirin to thin the blood. This should allow more oxygen to the endothelium and other damaged tissues.

Nervous system... keep track of your stress levels via heartrate/stress, for this my Garmin watch has been very helpful. It helps to periodically stop and do box breathing and a short meditation, maybe combined with affirmations that you are safe and ok. the idea is to reduce hr and stress levels.

Oxygen... instead of hyperbaric chambers I've been doing cold exposure combined with Wim Hoff breathing and Buddhist Tummo visualization techniques. This is especially important after exercise, as I get tachycardia as a result of exercise. Doing this I've managed to bring hr from 110 down to 80 in an hour or so, then gradually returning to normal...

In short, use cold exposure (I gradually reduce the temp of my shower until it's full-cold), this creates a shock to the system, overcome this shock by using WIm Hoff breathing, when you can't take the cold anymore continue Wim Hoff breathing until you are super oxygenated... you'll feel it! Then, continue his technique by breathing out fully and holding your breath, you should be able to get to 30s easily, but you have to fight the panic that arises. Then, more deregulation breathing using box breathing or similar, you can inhale normally than exhale as long as possible too, I inhale then recite a mantra or affirmation on the exhale as many times as possible. There's a lot of info on Wim Hoff breathing online, it's similar to Tummo, which is an advanced Buddhist practice, but for those interested there's some info on this online these days too. But I'd caution it's supposed to only be done by those with a lot of experience, and traditionally taught only to those on a 3-year retreat that probably have a decade or so of meditation practice beforehand. Wim Hoff's breathing techniques are more accessible and well proven.

The overactive nervous system depletes the body and to counter this I've been taking a lot of electrolytes and Mg, inc Mg Threonate as it can cross the blood/brain barrier, and Shilajit and trace brand Mega-Mag for minerals. Then nervous system support such as NAC, Acytl L-Carnitine, L-Tyrosine, etc. Energy support for NAD production using NMN (NR and Niacin work too) and resveratrol. Anti inflammatory suppliments inc. quercetin w/ zinc, CoQ10, Astanaxthin, Vit C. Also D3/K2. And finally probiotics to support the gut, which will certainly be compromised as well.

I also believe you have to prompt the body to recover, for this graded, paced exercise is the right tool imo. The level varies from being able to simply get out of bed and walk around the house, to mild aerobic and strength workouts. The key to this is the same as any exercise regimen, you don't want to deplete yourself so much that recovery is difficult, but you have to do enough to prompt your body to get stronger. I went from a VO2 max of low 50s to mid 30s after getting covid, lost some strength and LOT of stamina. The mitochondria are certainly damaged and will take time to recover, taking NMN as a supplement along with exercise followed by cold exposure and Wim Hoff breathing to deregulate the nervous system afterwards has had some luck for me.

And finally, I think acupuncture can help with normalizing the nervous system as well. Always be grateful for what you can do and try to find the silver linings. I wish the best of luck to anyone reading this suffering from this horrific disease.

 

[Bill Hart]

Just to follow up, I think I'm turning a corner on this, I don't want to be too optimistic as things do go up and down.

Tinnitus is still an issue but a bit less so, I have fewer days where it's loud and stays on all day. Dysautonomia, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues are all present but a bit less severe.

In case it might help others, this is what I've found. The short story is there are several programs of treating long covid that have had some success:

- Anticoagulants. The theory is the physiological basis of this disease is micro clots that starve tissue of oxygen, especially the endothelium.

- Reigning in the autonomous nervous system. Mayo clinic and some other programs concentrate on this aspect, the virus has shocked the nervous system and it's in fight or flight mode all the time. This takes a ton of energy and depletes the body of many things. I've seen a lot of negativity on this as some folks think it means long covid is just a mental problem. Not the case at all!

- Hyperbaric Oxygen. There's a treatment program that includes a lot of time in 2x atm pressure with 100% oxygen. Since micro clots deprive tissue of oxygen, this super-oxygenates the blood. Very expensive regimen though.

What I haven't seen is a comprehensive regimen that combines these courses of treatment and also addresses the vast myriad of resultant symptoms. Instead we see arguments about whether this is "all in your head" or if it's a result of physical damage done by the virus. IMO, it's both, with the damage done by the virus creating a feedback loop between the nervous system and the rest of the body that prevents healing, and can even make things worse. I never had acute covid, the long covid issues have been far worse than the initial viral infection.

For clots, there are prescription drugs or enzymes. I've been on a regiment of nattokinase, serrapeptase, lumbrokinase and bromelain taken 2x/day, once before bed, once in the morning, plus a couple baby aspirin to thin the blood. This should allow more oxygen to the endothelium and other damaged tissues.

Nervous system... keep track of your stress levels via heartrate/stress, for this my Garmin watch has been very helpful. It helps to periodically stop and do box breathing and a short meditation, maybe combined with affirmations that you are safe and ok. the idea is to reduce hr and stress levels.

Oxygen... instead of hyperbaric chambers I've been doing cold exposure combined with Wim Hoff breathing and Buddhist Tummo visualization techniques. This is especially important after exercise, as I get tachycardia as a result of exercise. Doing this I've managed to bring hr from 110 down to 80 in an hour or so, then gradually returning to normal...

In short, use cold exposure (I gradually reduce the temp of my shower until it's full-cold), this creates a shock to the system, overcome this shock by using WIm Hoff breathing, when you can't take the cold anymore continue Wim Hoff breathing until you are super oxygenated... you'll feel it! Then, continue his technique by breathing out fully and holding your breath, you should be able to get to 30s easily, but you have to fight the panic that arises. Then, more deregulation breathing using box breathing or similar, you can inhale normally than exhale as long as possible too, I inhale then recite a mantra or affirmation on the exhale as many times as possible. There's a lot of info on Wim Hoff breathing online, it's similar to Tummo, which is an advanced Buddhist practice, but for those interested there's some info on this online these days too. But I'd caution it's supposed to only be done by those with a lot of experience, and traditionally taught only to those on a 3-year retreat that probably have a decade or so of meditation practice beforehand. Wim Hoff's breathing techniques are more accessible and well proven.

The overactive nervous system depletes the body and to counter this I've been taking a lot of electrolytes and Mg, inc Mg Threonate as it can cross the blood/brain barrier, and Shilajit and trace brand Mega-Mag for minerals. Then nervous system support such as NAC, Acytl L-Carnitine, L-Tyrosine, etc. Energy support for NAD production using NMN (NR and Niacin work too) and resveratrol. Anti inflammatory suppliments inc. quercetin w/ zinc, CoQ10, Astanaxthin, Vit C. Also D3/K2. And finally probiotics to support the gut, which will certainly be compromised as well.

I also believe you have to prompt the body to recover, for this graded, paced exercise is the right tool imo. The level varies from being able to simply get out of bed and walk around the house, to mild aerobic and strength workouts. The key to this is the same as any exercise regimen, you don't want to deplete yourself so much that recovery is difficult, but you have to do enough to prompt your body to get stronger. I went from a VO2 max of low 50s to mid 30s after getting covid, lost some strength and LOT of stamina. The mitochondria are certainly damaged and will take time to recover, taking NMN as a supplement along with exercise followed by cold exposure and Wim Hoff breathing to deregulate the nervous system afterwards has had some luck for me.

And finally, I think acupuncture can help with normalizing the nervous system as well. Always be grateful for what you can do and try to find the silver linings. I wish the best of luck to anyone reading this suffering from this horrific disease.

Some of what you are describing is exactly what I went through back in 2012 or whatever, when I got the rash and they could not diagnose it as Lymes. The nervous system was on total overload, and the fatigue was overwhelming. It took a while to get right-- and as mentioned, I still have that "startle" reaction. This was years before Covid. I'm not sure if it is worth making the trip to a place like the Mayo- I have huge respect for that place b/c they place patient care first. I assume you've had all your blood work done and have access to good medical facilities. FWIW, the Mayo does offer a program for getting a second opinion and you can get a lot of it done via online and phone to set it up. Hang in there- it ain't easy.

 

[DaveC]

Some of what you are describing is exactly what I went through back in 2012 or whatever, when I got the rash and they could not diagnose it as Lymes. The nervous system was on total overload, and the fatigue was overwhelming. It took a while to get right-- and as mentioned, I still have that "startle" reaction. This was years before Covid. I'm not sure if it is worth making the trip to a place like the Mayo- I have huge respect for that place b/c they place patient care first. I assume you've had all your blood work done and have access to good medical facilities. FWIW, the Mayo does offer a program for getting a second opinion and you can get a lot of it done via online and phone to set it up. Hang in there- it ain't easy.

Yes, it seems your body can have a similar reaction to other viruses or stressors, including overtraining syndrome (which I thought I had for a while), Epstein Barr virus, various vaccines, mold illness. Other results are fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and EMF sensitivity. One of my customers got EMF sensitivity as a result of shingles vaccine recently. My mom had CFS and fibro after a nasty gut infection in the mid '90s. The similar root issue of all these is injury to the nervous system, and ultimately it needs to be retrained as the overstimulation it causes is not sustainable. I was also looking into the Gupta Program which addresses many of these issues using the same brain retraining approach for many of these issues. But I think for best results it needs to be combined with a physiological aspect such as addressing micro clots, fibrous build-ups, detoxing, as well as support for the additional stresses on your body via supplements, and prompting your body to maintain it's strength via exercise.

It also seems the effects of cold exposure and related breathing and visualization techniques can be very powerful, Wim Hoff has demonstrated superhuman abilities as a result. I've only just started on cold exposure, and I think adding this to my routine has made all the difference TBH. I was very resistant to it because it sucks to go through, I experimented with it a few years ago... but it sucks a lot less than long covid and I think it may be one of those things you just need to do to reach your full human potential regardless if you need it to recover from illness or not.

 

[DaveC]

One correction to my previous post.

On NAD support, NMN / NR and Niacin produce NAD via different pathways. I just saw this video in which the Dr being interviewed explains why Niacin is preferrable over NR or NMN. He also gives a list of his suggested supplement stack around 30:35. I guess I'll try Niacin as well...

He also has a series on microclot pathology of LC, here's the 1st one:

 

[Alrainbow]

I tried niacin I can’t say it helped anything but too much did make glow red for a hour or two. This made me stop ?. I’ve read some say the heat is my body’s way to indicate issues it’s fixing. Im just totally confused

 

[Alrainbow]

2018 sept I started to feel I’ll. Octal migraines and fatigue multiple times a day.
I went to drs had various tests and scans. All negative. had full Covid symptoms Feb the one with loss of taste but felt fine in a few days. but both symptoms from 2018 persisted for past 2019. I will never know or believe all I read but long term Covid does exist for me. so many things effect us and little is known and now I feel even more is kept away or even just misguided readings
my ears ring but did so before and it varies day to day.
I did read the day before effects today in many factors like food
when ringing is bad it does effect my audio quality but it’s not that I can’t hear but it just makes more sounds not pleasing as much.
I just traded in a sports car early due to it being too loud inside the car lol. I’m getting old fast

 

[DaveC]

I tried niacin I can’t say it helped anything but too much did make glow red for a hour or two. This made me stop ?. I’ve read some say the heat is my body’s way to indicate issues it’s fixing. Im just totally confused

Hi Al, Understood on the flushing! To minimize the issue you can use a sustained release formula and reduce the dose until you don't get a flush. I use NOW brand 500 mg and cut them in half, and will try increasing to 500 mg gradually. Some do say the flush is beneficial.

Unfortunately, all of these supplements and therapies are not cures, there's no cure for this. What they can do is allow your body to heal from the damage done by the virus, including Dysautonomia (dysfunction of the autonomous nervous system) and related immune system dysfunction. This is a long term proposition unfortunately, so I wouldn't expect you to notice a supplement like Niacin and the others on the list in the video to make a big difference short term. I think this is something you'd need to commit to for many months.

I can say that what has made the most difference for me is the Wim Hoff techniques of breath work and cold exposure. It makes me immediately feel better and it reduces stress, which is measurable on the stress readings and heartrate on my Garmin watch. Using his breathing along with cold exposure I've been able to reduce my heartrate from 110 to 80 bpm in about 20 minutes, and this is after having an elevated heartrate for hours after exercise. Wim claims it can regulate the nervous system as well as the immune system. I think this cuts the feedback loop between the viral damage to our system and the body's reaction to the damage, which allows some time for our body to actually heal. But there's a lot of damage done and healing from this disease is a long term proposition even if the feedback loop is reduced in severity by using Wim Hoff breathing and cold exposure, meditation, supplements, or whatever other therapies that help alleviate the symptoms we experience.

My tinnitus also comes and goes, seemingly randomly. The only correlation I've noticed is with exercise. If I don't do some exercise in a day I can count on having tinnitus all day the next day. If I do exercise, even if I overdo it, maybe even especially when I overdo it, my tinnitus goes away pretty quickly after I wake up. Also, it's still the case that falling asleep triggers my tinnitus, this happens 100% of the time. Even if I briefly nod off in the evening watching a movie.

 

[Ian B]

I got what I would characterize as extreme tinnitus a couple years ago resulting from an apparent whiplash injury that was never properly diagnosed. I noticed it would get much worse at night, and especially following physical activity. I really felt like I was losing my mind because it was so loud and unrelenting.

The understanding I have now is that what has made it so extreme is a combination of whiplash causing super tight muscles, and something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, where some tight or injured muscles squeeze on major nerves and veins that pass through your shoulder to your neck.The mechanics seem to be that agitation or inflammation causes veins going to my head to get squeezed, thus increasing cranial blood pressure and causing my ears to ring. This also explained why it would often be much better in the morning and get worse through the day, when sleeping the muscles relax.

In the end what has greatly stabilized and markedly improved my case was a lot of exercise on specific neck and shoulder muscles: scalene, levator scapula, SCM, and trapezius and work on my posture. All of this is ongoing and very slow, and I had to see an extremely specialized telehealth PT guy. I now actually have the ability to predictably create 12 hours of intense tinnitus by exercising my scalene muscles, and it seems to follow that over time the ringing is getting less intrusive as these muscles get stronger.

All of this it did give me a notion that a lot of tinnitus may be related entrapment of veins/blood vessels caused by weakness, inflammation or injury. Obviously, we know that hearing damage, and sometimes drugs can cause it, but I really wonder if other sources of inflammation in the body could also cause the same increases in tinnitus that you find with whiplash or TOS. Considering there are so few explanations for tinnitus in the medical community, one guess is as good as any. Esp, if you have a weak neck or posture it might help to improve strength because it alleviates tightness from muscle trauma and gets pressure off the vascular stuff.

I also noticed that some people market cranial sacral therapy as a way to treat it...by relaxing neck/head muscles. So there must be a connection, at least for some people. For me passive therapy didn't work, supplements were a waste, chiropractic made it worse, and I'm having to spend many months in physical therapy but at least now there is progress.

BTW, around this time I also started to experience Postural Tachycardia, and a sense of constant adrenaline, which has also improved considerably as my neck and shoulders got stronger. I'd guess that the dysregulation could have to do with entrapped nerves, or pressure on the vagus nerve in different posture and with activity.

 

[andromedaaudio]

I had 3 times covid sickness and had gotten 2 vaccines plus a booster ( i basically had no other choice since its mandatory on airplanes / business travel )
Since the pandemic started i had immune system problems / skin problems .
What helped me a lot to build up energy and strength are kelp/ sea weed tablets .
Its a great source of iodine and many more vitamins / minerals.

 

[Alrainbow]

The hearing condition is complex , has many factors that each has no bearing on the other.
we can blame Covid or shots for it. I had Covid many times before and after shots.
I stopped at first round of shots.
my hearing symptoms varies greatly day to day or even hours.
I take a few meds they do effect the level of the sound.
Stimulants make it worse for me.
blood pressure effects it too.
I know this cause I test my self daily 3 times.
while it maybe connected to Covid or shots , I doubt most here have no tin symptoms.
I’ve had some level of tin 20 years back due to hearing loss due to noise.
For me age , weight and how much I exercise has bigger impact on my life then COVID did and I had long term effects for a year when it started.

 

[bonzo75]

One correction to my previous post.

On NAD support, NMN / NR and Niacin produce NAD via different pathways. I just saw this video in which the Dr being interviewed explains why Niacin is preferrable over NR or NMN. He also gives a list of his suggested supplement stack around 30:35. I guess I'll try Niacin as well...

I would be careful of this NMN. All this was started by David Sinclair, who was on the longevity research team at Harvard. They did some research on mice for that and reservtrol. He also sold his research to one of the big phrama firms for hundreds of millions. Since then, there has been research published not giving importance to those findings, and he islinked to the company that came out with NMN. He since started making YT videos promoting NMN, but there is no real evidence of that helping NAD etc.

 

[SuperDave]

Wim Hof is amazing, he got to 24,300ft on Everest in shorts and shoes and had to abort because of a foot injury. Him and Chuck Norris!!

 

[DaveC]

Well, I still have tinnitus. It's not as bad as it was, and I don't notice it nearly as much, so it's headed in the right direction.

Unfortunately 2 months or so ago I got diverticulitis. Covid destroyed my GI system, it took a couple months to get to a point it was healing and I got the first episode of diverticulitis at this time, but I thought it was food poisioning. It flared up a couple more times, each time getting worse until the last time it didn't go away after a couple days so I went to urgent care, who sent me to the ER. ER did a ct scan and was prepping me for emergency surgery when the surgeon came in and said the outer wall of my intensine wasn't yet compromised so they were going to just keep me in the hospital for a few days to give me IV antibiotics. It worked, but they sent me home with amoxicillin which my body didn't like at all, and it came back. I got 2 new prescriptions for antibiotics and it's been a few weeks since I finished them without the infection coming back. If it does I'll have a section of my large intestine removed. I have to guess its really just a matter of time, I wish they just did the surgery up front.

I can only guess covid was the root cause, I guess it's better than heart issues, but diverticulitis re-irritated my nervous system, so I've been set back in long covid recovery too.

Bad luck this year, I hope next year will be better.

 

[dminches]

Dave, sorry you are having all these health issues. I had a bout of diverticulitis a year ago which went away quickly and hasn’t returned but in the process of being scanned for it they found a 2 cm kidney stone. I never knew it was there because it was not moving and never would but they recommended I have it removed. So, I did, but it took 2 surgeries, totaling 4 hours to pulverize it. Not a pleasant experience. In a side note, if you are on antibiotics for diverticulitis it is recommended you take a probiotic during that time and after to help restore the good bacteria in your gut. That’s what my GI had me do.