Tinnitus and migraine may go together. This patient, in his 40s and suffering from headaches since he was a child, was also suffering from tinnitus for a year. “There is always a rustle in my ear. Like it’s in my brain, it affects both ears. When I talk, I do not hear it but at nights or in silent places, it disturbs me a lot. The headache is there for ages, so I already accepted it but this noise is unbearable. The pain is usually on my eyes and temples but it might also come from anywhere else. It begins at the top of my head and goes down to my shoulder blades. When I’m in pain, I cannot lay down or sit still. I do not vomit but I feel the uneasiness too much. My head feels like someone is squeezing it.”
In the first examination beginning with the above paragraph, I learned that my patient was working in an R&D department and it was very clear that he was not just a technician. In fact, he had worked in the development stages of many products of the company for 20 years. When I told him that, he got surprised and asked me how I could tell. To me, it was not surprising at all. He had a childhood migraine. Those patients tend to be smart and creative. I thought that he must have severe clenching and this hugely affects tinnitus and low back, neck pains. Clearly he had more stress than a technician. Due to his family’s financial situation, he was only able to go to an Industrial Vocational High School and was using his creativity for 20 years in R&D together with engineers. He found the right place for himself but the conditions in Turkey were making him work for a newly-grad engineer salary.
The lesson we should learn from this patient is that we need to understand better the children suffering from childhood migraine. We should clear the way for them to use their creativity. They should not depend on a low salary like this patient. If I were the responsible of his R&D department, I would provide him better conditions to reveal his potential more.
As for the treatment: rustle is also considered as tinnitus. It is not just about ringing. For a patient suitable for this treatment, the first thing to do is to treat headaches. However the tinnitus requires more patience. With this patient, I observed once more how creative migraineurs can be.