Ears ringing and possible treatment
Apologies in advance for posting this here but as it relates (I think) to the air travel experience and possibly also the NHS, I am hoping to seek some advice relating to the best treatment for the ringing in my left ear.
Back in April 2008, I travelled out to Austria on a business trip with an absolute stinker of a cold. By the end of the trip I was absolutely exhausted having worked long hours over a period of two days involving an intensive series of meetings and factory visits. The journey home took me from SZG to FRA in an Austrian Arrows Q400 prop with onward connection at FRA to EDI on an Lufty 737. The final hour on the homeward sector turned out to be the most unbearable flight experience ever, what with my sinuses blocked and suffering intense ear pain. I arrived home in one piece in the wee hours of the morning and went to bed with my left ear still blocked. I awoke the following morning still feeling wrecked but followed my customary routine of showering before determining whether or not I was fit for work. With ear still blocked and my balance more wobbly than usual for that hour, I called in and retired to bed. Slept for eight hours straight and when I stirred discovered to my relief my left ear has cleared.
About a month or so following this, I first noticed a light ringing in my left ear, initially noticeable only at home, usually when I return from work. However, it has become steadily more pronounced since.
Travelling over the holidays, this time long haul on LH whilst I adore the open plan configuration of its 747 J cabin, it is less conducive than BA's equivalent for kip (and with the FRA connection the need to rest was many times stronger than the equivalent BA connection at LHR) so I cracked open the amenity sack and inserted the ear plugs then fetched my trusted BA F eye mask, found a comfortable setting with the wedge bed and fell asleep shortly after. After a four hour kip, I was back to my old self and fully charged (those 4am wake up calls are truly wretched). Strangely, this was the first opportunity I have had since I think late April 2008 to use ear plugs and I was taken aback by just how loud my inner music had become. So a visit to the GP will be arranged within the week ahead.
I guess the point to this long ramble is, has anyone else had a parallel experience and through treatment on the NHS found their hearing return to normal? From what I have discovered online, I am not particularly optimistic there is a cure for tinnitus (assuming this is what I have).