The Ears Have It

Ever since the ringing in my ears started, I've also had a really hard time with fatigue.  My shrink recently put me Wellbutrin because it has a mild stimulative effect.  It didn't seem to do anything.  Last week I saw her and she changed the med to Ritalin.  That's had a pretty big effect.. while it's active in my system.  There's been a big change to the nature of the ringing in my ears as well.  It's not gone, but it's much less intense and just feels different.  The problem I have now is that she prescribed it for twice a day, but it only lasts about 4 hours in my system.  I think I need to get a higher dosage and in the extended release variety to try and cover about 15 hours of the day.

I know that when the ringing came on, something had happened to me.  This isn't a result of hearing loss.  Something in my brain got tweaked that doesn't show up on an MRI.  The good news is that I've got a referral to a doctor at the University of Texas (UTSW).  Apparently this guy doesn't just have a conveyor belt of patients rolling by him.  From what I understand, he's interested in complex and rare conditions and might actually try and figure out what's going on.  UTSW also has some of the more sophisticated methods of treating tinnitus.

Here's hoping..