Can labyrinthitis be congenital?

Labyrinthitis or Tinnitus :(?

• For the past two weeks(on wednesday) now I've been experiencing a ringing in the ears. At first I feared it was tinnitus, since it seemed to match and I sometime listen to my music loud. I later hoped that it would turn out to be labyrinthitis, but throughout those entire two weeks, I have felt no sort of vertigo/dizziness/nausea. So it seems to be more and more like tinnitus :( If tinnitus, it is quite light, the only times I notice it is if it is very quiet and my attention is not already occupied by something else. At first, it seemed to be solely in my left ear, even when quiet, but now it also seems to be in my right ear, despite not listening to loud noises for those two weeks. The fan from my computer beneath the desk is enough to overcome the sound of it, and even the miscellaneous outside noises seem enough to cover it up. I just really don't want it to be tinnitus. P.S. Looking for some sort of real medical advice here, not 'banishtinnitus.net'

• Answer:

  Well im no doctor but I do have tinnitus and I have learned to cope with it. I have the same issue, my tinnitus is very light and easily masked by background noises. It was brought upon one night at a club. I have the tinnitus only in my left ear, and the thing you must realize is that the brain is VERY powerful and can make it seem as these noises are louder than what they really are. If I focus enough, I can listen to ringing in BOTH my ears! Truth be told, everybody has the slightest ringing in their ears but its almost always too faint to notice. For us with tinnitus, the ringing is caused by hearing cell damage in the cochlea and we hear a different pitched tone and different volumes, depending on the damage done. My advice to you is, focus on background noises more than anything, sleep with music or the tv on, ALWAYS wear earplugs in loud environments(even if your skeptical, take your earplugs, never second guess this) you dont want it to get worse. I too was frustrated with it for the first two months but I learned to cope with it the ways I listed above; now I live a normal life and the ringing doesnt get to me at all. Its a part of me now, so to speak. Sorry I couldnt provide hope for you, but I am only providing you with real advice from someone who suffers from the same issues as you.