Last weekend, I had a small gathering with two friends at a KTV we frequented during our later university years. Since there were few people, I ended up singing from 8:30 PM until past 1:00 AM. Afterward, I took a taxi back to my dorm, showered, and collapsed into bed, exhausted.
The next morning, the noise from ongoing construction outside was still loud, so I went to the office to study. During the day, amidst various environmental sounds, I didn’t notice anything unusual. However, by evening, especially after 8 or 9 PM, as the outside noise gradually subsided, I began to sense an abnormal ringing in my ears. By around 11 PM, this sound became unbearable in the quiet, empty office.
The sound is hard to describe precisely—it feels like a high-frequency tone above 15 kHz, constant and monotonous, similar to the chirping of crickets. It’s difficult to detect when external noise exceeds 20 decibels.
A night of insomnia and torment, coupled with finding various online accounts of tinnitus being incurable, left me feeling disheartened, low-spirited, and extremely irritable, almost to the point of despair.
During my sleepless night, I carefully analyzed the possible causes. I concluded that the noisy environment the previous night, combined with possibly getting water in my ear canal while showering, were the primary triggers for the tinnitus. Additionally, listening to 16 kbps exam recordings during this period might have also contributed.
So, early the next day, I went to the pharmacy and picked up Ofloxacin ear drops, Amoxicillin, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin B2. After a day of taking these medications orally and applying the ear drops, about 70% of the symptoms were alleviated. I didn’t go to the hospital because I relied on my detailed analysis of the cause and combined it with various descriptions and treatment methods for similar conditions found online to come up with this treatment plan.
Ofloxacin ear drops are used topically to reduce inflammation, primarily for otitis media, external otitis, and tympanitis. They are effective against common bacteria in the ear canal and are very effective in the early stages of ear canal inflammation.
Amoxicillin, a penicillin-based antibiotic, is a common medication I get almost every time I visit a doctor, mainly for its antibacterial properties.
Vitamin B1 and B2 are small pills I always keep on hand. Despite being inexpensive, they are very effective for various minor health issues in daily life.
By the second day, the problem was mostly resolved.
According to the “Australian Hearing Report” from May 7, 2009, 70% of young Australians aged 18-34 suffer from tinnitus, with 16% experiencing bilateral tinnitus more than once a week, showing early signs of hearing damage.
This incident served as a stark reminder. About a year ago, I had a similar experience when water in my ear canal caused otitis media. Perhaps because it was so long ago, I had forgotten the uncontrollable pain and thus neglected to take precautions against ear canal diseases…
Given that I sleep both in the office and the dorm, I bought an additional hair dryer to prevent such incidents from happening again.