22 Years of Tinnitus Under Control, Now Randomly Spiked and Rearing Its Ugly Head Again

Hi all,

First time poster. I wish I knew about this forum (if it even existed?) back in 2000, when I first got tinnitus; I was 15 years old and I assume I got it through excessive loud noise while wearing headphones, while practicing to DJ at home.

First my left ear and then a month later my right starting to fuzz or hiss. The noise was never ear-piercingly high and from reading other peoples stories my tinnitus was never as bad as theirs, so I think I'm lucky.

Having said that I do still remember being very down, sad, and worried. I wanted to cry, and (unwisely) I would go into quiet rooms in the house and listen for 'it'. I had never been clubbing or to bars with my friends at that age, and I thought I never would due this noise. Thankfully, it must have taken nine months or so to get over it and get used to it, and pretty much forget about it day to day (from reading this forum I think that's 'habituation'?).

Anyway, over the past 22 years, it's never been too troubling for me. I can honestly say I would go months without thinking about. If some loud music increased my tinnitus, then I wouldn't worry about it, as I knew it would subside.

However, randomly, about ten days ago it's started to rear its ugly head again. It's a hiss, a fuzz, that doesn't really feel like it coming from my ears but from the back of my head if that makes sense. No obvious thing has set it off (no change it diet, no change in stress, no loud noise).

One part of me is starting to get a bit concerned about it, as it hasn't been this prolonged for literally decades. Then the other part of me thinks that for some reason I noticed it, and it's becoming a vicious cycle where I'm hearing it more, because I'm listening for it, and maybe it's always been like this, but I'm now 'on alert'.

Whatever it is, has anyone else gone so long with their tinnitus not bothering them, for it to then reappear out of nowhere? And if so, did it (hopefully) go away again?

Sorry for the lengthy post!

 

I think you answered your own question. It does not always 'subside'!

 

I went a few years with extremely low tinnitus after about 4 years of severe tinnitus.

I got very severe pulsatile tinnitus and tinnitus back again after the COVID-19 vaccine late last year.

 

Ha, true. Although in this case, there's been nothing obvious to set it off.

 

How long after your jab did it begin? I've actually had five (two in a vaccine trial and three Pfizer). My final Pfizer was four weeks ago. Whether that's at all linked though...

 

My nightmare began 8 days after my first Pfizer jab. Reading up it takes a week or 8 days for the vaccine to kick in.

It seems that the vaccine can actually cause tinnitus in some people. COVID-19 itself can also cause the condition. Wish I had known before I thought about vaccination.

 

In case this is still annoying you. I think it's likely you're just focusing on it again. You can have weeks where it increases and goes away again. You really don't have anything too bad, so you just need to get back into your habituation stage. It's very common to occasionally focus on it and be upset.