After 6 Years of Coping with Tinnitus, I Developed a Low-Pitched Humming — Caused by Stress?

Can I ask if any of you developed a new tone, like a lower frequency tone, did it ever go away?

My other tones are louder and very intrusive. It’s driving me insane :/ I just wish I had hope it will reduce to what it was.

 

My tinnitus completely changed in 2008 after a second noise trauma. It became variable. Silent, mild, moderate, severe and very severe. In addition to this I heard a cacophony of sounds including the lower tones that you speak of. The lower tones did go away. Prior to this my tinnitus was low and only heard it in quiet surroundings. It took 4 years to habituate for the second time.

We are all different, so what applied to me doesn't mean the same will be for you. You are in the early stages of your tinnitus increase. It is distressing but give yourself time and try not to think that you won't recover because you can and will. Seek help by contacting your GP and read the articles on my started threads when you are able to. Print them and take your time to absorb and retrain the information. They will help to reinforce positive thinking, because this is important during the recovery and habituation process.

I wish you well,
Michael

 

Thanks @Michael Leigh.

I am barely getting 4 hours sleep and that’s with benzos. It makes me relax for a bit, I fall asleep but wake 4 hours or so later and hear the loud noise. It’s, as you stated, a cacophony of sounds. Mine is like a frantic 2 tone violin off tune. It goes berserk on and off - when it’s not frantic, there’s a lower tone added to the pre-existing static and hissing.

I had Cranial Sacral Therapy on Thursday and it did relax me a lot but my friend is very sick and I have a lot of stress going on so it’s near impossible to relax plus I’ve got the blaring of tinnitus going on.

I went to bed as late as possible (2 am) after painting my whole hallway. I knackered myself out and fell into bed and took Diazepam. But only 4 hours later I’m awake and I’ve been lying awake since 6 am trying to get back to sleep with the sounds blaring.

I’m sick of it and feel like I can’t go on like this. I’m truly at breaking point.

GP has prescribed Mirtazapine which I had last time. I collect it Monday so I can hopefully get a better night’s sleep as those knock me out.

Just feeling incredibly helpless and miserable. :-(

Where can I find your articles @Michael Leigh?

 

Click on my Avatar @VickiD and a box will appear on your screen, then click on Started Threads, you will find them in the list.

I recommend that you print the ones I am going to recommend rather than reading on your phone or computer screen. This way, you will absorb and retrain the information and can refer to them often. They will help to reinforce positive thinking, something I believe is one of the most important things in recovery and the habituation process.

• New to Tinnitus, What To Do?
• Tinnitus, a Personal View
• Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset
• Acquiring A Positive Mindset
• The Habituation Process
• How to Habituate to Tinnitus
• Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?
• Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus?
• From Darkness Into Light
• Tinnitus and Mental Health
• Sound Machines and Tinnitus
• Hyperacusis, As I See It

I know you are having a lot of difficulty at the moment, but I think you are a lot stronger than you think. You can draw inspiration and positivity from that, because you are decorating which is no easy feat while coping with ragging tinnitus. At the same time don't push yourself too hard because the body needs rest. Try to have a radio playing music softly in the background while you work and place a sound machine by your bedside at night for sound enrichment.

See how you get on with the medication your GP has advised and remember, there is help under the NHS if you need it.

Michael

 

I’m wondering if anyone has constant fluctuating tinnitus? One minute it’s doing crazy noises, then goes to one sound for a bit, then bang to the crazy sounds again.

 

Mine sounds like an orchestra of squeals, like a bunch of high-pitched pigs trying to out-squeal one another all day long.

 

Mine is crazy. I have background ringing with multiple high pitched tones that make a sort of electrical storm in my ears and head. I also get a background sound like a fridge in my right ear. It's so hard to ignore I know because these sounds are like live variable sounds, rather than just a pure tone which is always there too. Mirtazapine should help you sleep. If you can sleep better, then you will cope better.

 

Wise words there. Like Michael says, us veterans all have the resources to dig deep when needed @VickiD.

Everything you're describing here I went through a few years ago after my tinnitus got crazy worse after 20 or so years of stability. It can still drive me mad but I'm less 'in the dark' with it if that makes sense.

Like @Tweaker says, the most important thing right now is to do everything you can to stabilise your sleep patterns. Small steps.

 

So true @UKBloke.

 

Sounds like a familiar quote

 

It's one of yours @fishbone.

Nice to see you and hope you're keeping well.

Michael.

 

It's a rare tinnitus you got.

 

Hey VickiD,

I’m so sorry that you’re feeling this way too. I, after 7 years of tinnitus and hyperacusis, am at this point with screeching in both ears and a horrible high pitched eeeeee in my good ear. I feel exactly the same and mine has been triggered by noise/stress. It frustrates me when we make progress then end up back at square one, like snakes and ladders. Please know you’re not alone. Have you looked up Joey Remenyi’s Healing Vertigo and Tinnitus, a hopeful inspiring read. Hope you find peace again x

Absolutely free Vicki! I certainly know when I’m in this fight/flight state, talking with those who understand helps calm my nervous system but affording these sessions is not possible. Sending hugs x

 

Hey Vicki, I thought I would put your mind at ease a bit. Is it possible your hissing started after a flight or ear infection? I've seen 4 different ENTs and found out that 99% of the time, hissing comes from inflammation in the Eustachian tube. The eardrum could be being sucked in slightly due to the pressure being off and thus, you get a hiss sound.

Steroid sprays are usually given by GPs/ENTs to resolve this (it can take a few months as the tubes adjust to their original positioning). However, they only work if the infection is 100% gone. The only way to find that out is via a Neutrophils blood test.

I also woke up with the hum you have 2 weeks ago after having hissing for several months. It's been consistent for 2 weeks now. It was triggered by taking antibiotics for my throat infection the day before. I woke up the next day and bam, constant hum I've never had before.

I looked into this and consulted a doctor, and they said that a lot of the time the hum people hear after having a cold/sinus infection/flu is a ton of backed up congestion. I spoke to a few friends and they said they also had the hum after a cold which took a few weeks to disappear. The fact that yours constantly changes sounds and pitches suggests to me you have ETD. ETD can last years and years if untreated without you even knowing. I developed mine in 2011 completely unknowingly after flying abroad with a cold. I've had hearing problems ever since. Turns out I have zero hearing loss - my tubes have been glued together for years and years.

Sudafed helps massively to clear the sinuses. So does Vitamin A. So does taking Vitamin C and ginger, as well as steam inhalation. So does anti-allergy tablets. Bear in mind Vitamin A and anti-allergy tablets are both sedatives, so take them before bed at night or you will feel very drained physically.

Also please know that sinuses take MONTHS to heal. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It is an extremely slow healing part of the body.

I seriously suggest speaking to a GP because something must have triggered this in you (an infection, pressure under water or pressure during a flight).

 

@Sugarpuddle, would you happen to know if ETD can also produce somatic tinnitus? I'm considering that I may have ETD due to hissing in my right ear, but with the added symptoms of being able to make it worse by pressing on parts of the right side of my head. It's been several months and progress has been slow and steady I think, so don't give up hope @VickiD!

 

Hi @VickiD - I'm sorry you've been suffering so much.

I've found Mirtazapine to be helpful in terms of getting my baseline of stress and anxiety to a more manageable level. I'm curious to know whether you've noticed any positive developments from it.

Wishing you peace, calm and quiet!

 

I couldn't tell you without knowing what caused your tinnitus. Tinnitus from ear infections 99% of the time is from extremely swollen Eustachian tubes which can take years to go down without treatment (steroids, anti-allergies, saline sinus rinses).

It's extraordinarily rare for an ear infection to be so bad that it physically damages your nerves buried in your cochlear. Even if ENTs love telling you that, it's completely false and they only say it because there's an extreme lack of research in this area.

Somatic tinnitus is caused by the nerves in your neck. Have you tried massaging the back of your neck and cheeks? Or been to someone who specializes in face and neck massages? That seems like your first go to.

In terms of mine, I've found the cause. My higher turbinates in my nose are completely swollen from multiple infections. They slightly released and made space yesterday for the first time in months and I realized that's what is causing the suction in my tubes - my turbinates are literally blocking the entrance and throwing off the pressure, plus I have a ton of congestion behind them.

So I've gotta figure out how to get this turbinate swelling down (vitamin A usually works, takes about 2 weeks for them to shrink) as the steroids aren't touching on it sadly.

 

@Vicki14, I am sorry it has built up to this.

How does it affect your job?

 

Hi @VickiD, just checking in on you and wondering if you are coping any better? I had some CBT recently and the therapist explained a sleep mechanism called 'back-chaining' - I would be happy to explain it to you if you are still struggling, xx

 

Hi. I have an update to share.

As you know, I developed a new noise in October. Low-level humming that has been there ever since. It varies in intensity and just appeared randomly. I am so frightened because yesterday another noise was added to the cacophony of noises I already had. My tinnitus was manageable since 2016. I had it under control, in fact it was 2 tones and would go low when I was relaxed.

Then, in October, I started stressing over mortgage with new rates etc and a new noise appeared and hasn’t gone despite the mortgage issue sorted.

My friend died on Saturday and I’ve got a hell of a lot going on, but usually I manage.

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket and an old banger car pulled out of the space making a loud screech. I got home, I realised I had a high pitched eeeee like a dentist drill in the ear that’s usually noisy. The left ear was nearest to the car but of course - the right ear probably takes the worst because it’s already knackered.

I didn’t sleep because of the noise. I just started to sleep with low noise with the help of some natural stuff and waiting till I’m absolutely wiped out.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been getting headaches. I went to ENT about forehead pain as it felt sinus related. They did endoscopy which showed inflamed turbinates. I have no idea if this is contributing to the new sounds? The forehead pain started the beginning of the year but the onset of the new humming sound was in October, before the sinus issues. And yesterday, a high-pitched noise was added to the mix. Was it the banger car? Is it sinus issues or is it more related to stress?

I am using a sinus spray called Dymista. It isn’t ototoxic. It’s helping a bit with the headaches but guys, I can’t cope with all the stuff going on and the not sleeping is making it worse.

You lot have always helped me when I’ve hit some hard dark times. I really don’t know what to do. I am grieving for my friend and I am supporting my other friend as it was her relative, and all the while I am terrified that I can’t cope myself because of the triggers.

These new noises - it feels I have no control. It feels my tinnitus can do what it wants and I just have to put up and shut up.

For the record, I have no hearing damage. My original tinnitus in 2016 was caused by Optimise ear drops, which I only recently learned out. It knackered my right ear. It will probably never ever be repaired now.

Any advice - please, I’d love to hear.

I can’t sleep with sound, noise maskers etc. I have tried. I just can’t do that. It distracts me.

 

Sorry to hear this.

Despite your initial onset not being noise, but drug induced, my guess would still be the noise exposure; otherwise, the sudden increase is very coincidental.

So assuming that that's what this; a recent noise induced spike (most likely). You can take supplements which might speed up and encourage recovery (listed in this post).

For the sleep, you could try Melatonin (if you haven't already), as it's a natural sleep aid, and is unlikely to interfere with, or complicate, recovery.

Although I saw in your earlier posts you're a regular user of Diazepam. So I'm assuming you've had no luck with that since the spike?

A friend of mine on here found Nortriptyline to be very effective for helping them to sleep longer hours. So you could speak to your GP about trying that.

Goes without saying that good quality sleep is going to be one of your best friends in combating the spike and reducing the time you suffer with it. However, I've gone days without sleep while suffering spikes, and still recovered from them; so don't stress over it too much.

Apart from that, really not much else you can do other than wait for your brain and ears to handle it as best they can. You're only a couple days in, so very high probability of it going back down to baseline. Just going to have to ride it out.

 

Do you think my turbinates being swollen could be the cause of the extra tinnitus noise? I am getting lots of headaches and facial pain too. It’s so grim x

I’m curious to whether you have sinus issues - headaches and facial pain? I’ve had them since the beginning of the year.

When I can sleep, I’m ok during the day. It’s the evenings when I get so anxious about sleeping and with being unwell, headaches and pain around forehead, it makes for a really difficult time to be honest. Struggling

 

Hey Vicki, you need to go to your GP and get them to request a CT scan at a hospital. If you're having facial pain and headaches, then you could have a tumor, a mucus ball blockage, or anything else. You need to see an ENT.

I have no facial pain, just occasional headaches/tension in my face from the swelling and a hum / hissing noise in my left ear. My turbinates in my nose also twitch and move around constantly.