Came Here Looking for Answers and Support

Hi,

As I am writing this the high pitched whine in my ears seems worse than ever. Anything I do to research this problem seems to make it worse. Makes me understand that stress is just making it worse.

I have heard the high pitched noise in my ears before at much lower levels for at least a couple of years but lately (last few months) it has gotten a lot worse. It's keeping me up a night, not just the noise but thinking about how I'm going to deal with it especially if it gets worse.

I'm a 53 year old male living in Connecticut. I went to the ENT just after Thanksgiving and he gave me a little hope after the exam. They tested my ears and said my hearing was "perfect". If they only knew how hard it was to pick out the low level high freq tones (4 and 8kHz I think) below the higher frequency piercing tone in my head. I had a bunch of wax plugging up my left ear (the Dr cleared this before the hearing test). He said that because the noise got worse when I clenched my teeth , there was a chance that the muscle in the ear that protects it from damage by loud sounds was having spasms causing the problem. He told me to stop chewing gum ( I have chewed quite a but ( about 1.5 hours/day for about 3 - 4 days / week for a couple years) take 600 mg of Advil a few times a day, avoid chewing (eat soft foods / liquid diets) and put hot compresses on my ears and jaw for about 2 weeks. He also said maybe try TinniFree which he said might be slightly more effective than placebo.

Well I've stuck with it for almost a month now and still no better. I'm not sure if it just takes a long time to work or if I'm barking up the wrong tree. It's hard to apply heat during the day but I've been sleeping with a heating pad on my pillow and rolling from side to side throughout the night. (This isn't too hard since the ringing often keeps me awake).

Any suggestions.

Just a note - I'm a stage 4 Melanoma survivor who used a similar forum when I was battling that problem. In some ways that was easier since it was a lot easier to put out of my mind than this noise. From what I've seen so far this forum is very similar to the Melanoma Research Foundation Information Page Forum, and I am looking forward to learning and sharing with you all.

Thanks
Ed

 

Welcome Ed. Welcome to the TT support board. You are in the right place as many of us were where you are right now. But after spending time here and getting support, many new T sufferers have gotten better and some have written their success stories in the Success Stories forum (under Knowledge Base), including myself. A few years back I was suffering very much from ultra high pitched dog-whistle tinnitus and then severe hyperacusis. I was full of anxiety and panic too. I thought I would never have happy life again. But today I am living an enjoyable and productive life like before T. So don't worry much. Your T is relatively new and it may fade in time. In the meantime, try to read up something uplifting such as the success stories in the Success Stories forum, and the Positivity thread at the top of the Support Forum.

Right now with the traumatic reaction to T, your brain is under the control of the limbic system, and it functions in 'fight or flight' mode which tends to make you think that things are much worse than they are. Beware of many distorted thoughts at this stage. These are cognitive distortions as in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Don’t believe in these distorted thoughts, which can lead you to think that T is a catastrophe. T is not a catastrophe. It can fade away or if it stays, it is livable and many people prove that in the success stories, myself included.
You can also try to get some masking going so you won't be so anxious of the T sound. I used a PC download with a free sound generator called 'aire freshener'. This way I can work while listening to masking sounds. You can download it here:
http://www.peterhirschberg.com/mysoftware.html

If you have smart phone, there are free APPs out there too. I used an ipod download with nature sounds (bought from Amazon.com) by using the itune software. This gave me mobile masking when I needed it most during the start. You can also buy a sound machine or sound pillow for masking at bed time.

Also, if you are too depressed and anxious, please talk to your doctor to get some medicines to help you to cut off the sharp edges of the extreme emotions. You may consider the sleeping pills to help you sleep, at least during the toughest initial stage of T. As far as treatments, you may want to consider CBT or TRT and you can ask the doctors at the Doctor's Corner here on TT. Dr. Nagler is a TRT expert, and Dr. Hubbard is on CBT. There are many things one can do to help get better. Take good care and God bless.

 

@E_Miller_CT
Hi Ed,
The first months are the hardest. I went through a lot of agony when my T started up. Then I found TT forum and it's been very helpful. It's hard to convey your condition and its stress to others who don't experience it, so here we are all supportive and caring. We know what it's like.

Do what makes you feel comfortable but keep meds to a minimum if you can. If you experience a spike in your T from a med, discontinue it and seek some guidance here. Everyone has a different take on meds and dealing with T so keep an open mind and don't get too far down the road with bad advise from doctors.
ENT's aren't the Best with tinnitus management from my experience.

In time I managed my T better, but it can be tough, it was for me. It still is but with the help from so many here it's been easier. Your only a month in and you may improve. If it gets too hard to deal with, masking helps. Lots of apps available as Billie says too.

Eventually it becomes easier to cope with. Some days are better than others.
Hang tough and stay informed. Your not alone on this.