Tinnitus, I wish I could say I hardly knew ya!

My doctors think I have a vague illness called autoimmune disease of the inner ear. AIED includes asymmetrical, progressive hearing loss and can cause tinnitus and vertigo. Fortunately, I am vertigo-free but I do get tinnitus. A couple months ago I had my worst bout of tinnitus (in my case, my tinnitus is sustained ringing in my ear, sometimes pulsating, sometimes not). The episode lasted a full week and I sustained a 10 dB loss in my left ear at 1000 Hz. That loss wasn't enough to cause too much alarm, fortunately. Now, just when I was hoping that episode was just a weird phenomenon, I'm on day 3 of my latest bout of tinnitus. I am headed to the ENT and audiologist this afternoon. My ENT has told me that each bout needs to be analyzed and my hearing tested. If there is a 20 dB decrease in any frequency, an inter-tympanic shot of prednisone might be worthwhile. IT shots mean a shot into my eardrum. Prednisone is a steroid. Never thought I would be "pumping up" my ears. But, apparently, if a prednisone IT shot is warranted, it can often stop an episode and possibly restore any hearing lost during that episode. I am a little squeamish at the idea but now that I'm on day 3 of this latest episode, I can honestly say I am DYING for some relief. I'll post the result soon.