3 Weeks In — Tinnitus of Unknown Origin

Hi,

I'm 38, and am~3 weeks in what probably has been the most anxiety-ridden period of my life.
A day after I complained to my wife about the feeling of having water in my ear, I started experiencing diplacusis in the left ear (people sounding like robots and music sounding off-pitch). Before that (but after I had already complained about feeling water in the ear) I used in-ear headphones to listen to podcasts on low volume for a few hours. Other than that I had no exposure to loud noise, I was not sick recently and otherwise had no injuries.

I had experienced a milder form of diplacusis it a year ago and it resolved itself in a matter of days. This time it was stronger and more frightening. I saw my primary doctor who suggested Sudafed. A couple of days later the diplacusis subsided but I started noticing constant static ringing in my left ear instead. It was getting worse so I asked for and started taking prednisone while I waited to see an ENT. After 5 days of prednisone things did not get better, so I stopped taking it.

The ENT did not notice anything unusual with my ear. An audiogram was taken and it didn't show any hearing loss either. The ENT said it's tinnitus and gave me pamphlets about support groups etc.

Since then (almost 3 weeks now) the sensation has changed a few times, spreading to my right ear as well (although it's still much louder in the left). It seems to be stabilizing to the following pattern:
During quiet times, I hear a constant high pitched electrical/static-like sound. The sound keeps changing pitch ever so slightly every few seconds, almost like a leaky electrical wire. When it's not quiet, I am extremely sensitive to sounds and it affects the static sensation in terrible ways; for example music can make this high pitched static sound louder. People's voices also sounds tinny and contribute to the static sound becoming more annoying. I think higher frequencies have a worse effect. It gets worse in the evenings and specially at night, when the static often changes to a more audible high pitched 'ring.'

Since this started, I have had very little sleep. White noise doesn't seem to help because the noise itself makes the static in my ear louder and more annoying. I take Lorazepam before sleep (and occasionally during the day) to calm myself down.

The doctor's best guess is that it is stress-induced. I didn't think I was particularly stressed before this started, but I've certainly been feeling downright anxious since. I've had some very dark days and moments.

Other possible clues:
* I grind my teeth a lot and lately my jaw 'pops' when I chew (although when I change my jaw position it doesn't affect the tinnitus)
* My neck and shoulders are generally very tense/stiff
* I get bad headaches 3-4 times a month and usually take Advil to deal with it
* Several years ago for a period of 2-3 weeks I would feel ringing in the ears for 2-3 minute periods 1-2 times a day
* More recently (a few months ago) during one sleepless night I noticed an ever so slight ringing my ears and thought to myself this sounds like a VERY mild tinnitus. I didn't notice it again and didn't think much of it

I'm hoping this forum can help answer a few questions:

1. I've started taking Ginkgo B and other supplements (Zinc, Magnesium, B12, Omega-3), although I'm not sure what the right dosage is. Are there other supplements I should be taking as well?
2. I know no-one can answer this, but my fear is that since it hasn't gotten better in 3 weeks it'll never get better or go away. I wonder if anyone knows about the remission rates for non-noise-induced acute tinnitus

Thanks, and positive thoughts to you.

 

Hello @Pendar.

I am sorry to learn that you are currently experiencing tinnitus and a bunch of other symptoms.

It looks like you are currently experiencing a spike. Tinnitus is still a conundrum to the medical field and can be brought about by a single or multiple causes - from commulative noise exposure, noise trauma, ear infection, eustachian tube dysfunction, TMD, injuries, tumor to ototoxic drugs. Sometimes, the cause is unknown (i.e., idiopathic) that is why a good bunch of ENT doctors can be quite dismissive and fatalistic about tinnitus.

Anxiety and fear play a big role in tinnitus perception so staying calm and positive are key to recovery.

Warm bath, soft massage, stress management, better diet, white noise or nature sounds, consistent good sleep, and positivity may really be of help to you.

Also, careful on combining ginkgo biloba and omega-3 supplements, which may cause bleeding problems. No one can also tell the duration of tinnitus but most tinnitus cases improve over time.

Keep on seeing specialists who can further help.


Warm regards,
Albert

 

Thanks Albert

 

Hi!

I have a similar case to yours. My tinnitus is unknown and I've had it for about a month and 1 week now. I've done so many test and my doctors cannot find anything wrong with me besides that my iron is high. My doctor said that has nothing to do with my tinnitus but a part of me believes that it might be. Anyways, I hope we can both fight this ringing in our ears and be somehow cured from it and get our silence back.

 

Hi Pendar,

Sorry about your situation. Most people on this site understand the anxiety you're going through.

It's not just the doc's best guess, it's his/her ONLY guess...
I personally think it's doctorese for "I have no clue".

Anyways, if you want to do more than take this doc's word, here's a link to a diagnosis flowchart that you can use with a doc that is slightly more motivated than the one you've seen.

Here it is: https://www.tinnitusresearch.net/index.php/for-clinicians/diagnostic-flowchart

T can have many root causes. Surprisingly, some are actually fixable! (but not many unfortunately)

Don't be hard on yourself, and good luck!

 

My tinnitus has somewhat stabilized. I hear layers of extremely high pitched sounds that constantly modulate. They are so high pitched that I can't make out a tone, except for some nights where i can hear a pure tone at a lower frequency amongst the surging high pitch sounds. I have started hearing a similar layered high pitch sounds in my right ear as well.
The worst part is that the the left ear tinnitus explained above is extremely reactive to the pitch (not volume) of the sounds I hear. For instance, almost everyone has a certain 'hiss' when they talk and whey they utter certain sounds that have high frequency (e.g. S sounds) the Tinnitus amplifies or I hear an annoying ring just that moment. Other sounds that trigger or amplify the Tinnitus are: car breaks, cellophane, plastic bags, most sounds coming out of speakers, water....

I also think I have a clue about the cause. A day before my tinnitus started, I used a test version of a pair of in-ear headphones that have not been released yet for 5+ hours, the longest I had used them ever. The volume was not high. Today I heard other testers had reported hearing a modulating high pitched cicada noise from their left earphone, but that when they asked 10 people to try it only 2 out of 10 could hear the cicada sound, and the 8 did not hear it.
My theory is that the in-ear transmission of ultrasonic sounds for 5 hours directly into my ear drums have damaged something. DY signal to audiogram shows DPOA signal to be 0 in the highest frequency (8khz) in the left ear.

I'm wondering: could the high pitch (moderate volume) exposure through the earphones have caused the tinnitus? Has any one encountered a similar case on the forum?
Is there any hope that whatever was damaged would heal itself? Or has anyone experienced a similarly reactive tinnitus and tried strategies that worked? Lastly, sleep has been very difficult. If it's silent I hear the high pitched modulating electrical signals, if I play white noise or other sounds, they may my Tinnitus react and sound uncomfortable.

Thanks in advance.

 

My T is also of the very reactive type. However, after using this web site for about a year now, It seems that there are as many different versions (and maybe causes) of Tinnitus as there are sufferers. It is still early for you, so way to soon to assume it will never improve further. There are many stories of improvement, even if it's just an improvement in coping with it. I too was devastated when first confronted with this. Totally lost it. But a year later, I am going on quite well considering. And my T really hasn't improved much at all. I have an app on my phone that mimmic's almost exactly the sound of my T, and when I play it for others to listen to they get this wild look in their eyes, as if to say,..."THAT, is what is inside your head?" And then I just look back and say "Yep,..24/7. Follows me everywhere". Playing the T sounds on the APP is something that I do occasionally that helps people understand what I am dealing with. Although, I still don't think they really believe me when I tell them that it NEVER goes away. They just cant fathom anyone putting up with it. The thing is, I couldn't fathom it either when it first hit me. Total panic and disbelief. That's where I began, and this is where I am now. And hoping for better days ahead for me and for you. Going forward, my advice is to continue trying remedies until you discover some things you can do that give you a measure of relief. If you find something that gives you even periods of relief, at least you have that to look forward to. This forum is a wealth of information. But I caution, don't jump into things until you have read an assortment of reviews. A lot of stuff is nonsense. Some things, even if it doesn't do a thing for your Tinnitus, may have other beneficial effects, such as head and neck massage. Be careful about the oral supplements. Do your research. Best of luck...we know how you feel.

 

It’s strange to see all these posts and realize that nobody has mentioned that BENZOS can cause tinnitus or make it worse.

If you notice your tinnitus getting progressively worse- stop the lorazepam because there’s a good chance that’s the culprit.

Giving up the security blanket of Benzos can be tough- but it’s easier than living with severe tinnitus because nobody told you that Benzos are Ototoxic.

 

I have similar type of sound. I hope you're doing better.

 

Yes. I think the high frequency sound for 5 hours at moderate level caused it. The high frequency carries a lot of energy. I hope you are finding sleep easier.