Almost 3 Weeks and Still Going Strong

Hi Everyone..
Thank god for a forum like this. Venting actually helps me a lot but i font think my wife can take it anymore

Anyways... my story is I has some minor dental work about 4 weeks ago followed by my first root canal. About 3 days after the root canal my T started. Very high pitch whine is the best way i can describe it. It was very faint for the first couple days, so i really didn't notice it. As the days went on, it got worse. I went to see my ENT a few days ago and she gave me the standard "there is no cure" speech and also did a hearing test. The test came out perfect, so i don't have any hearing loss. She prescribed prednisone for 6 days and i'm on my second day now with no change in my T. I guess the reason I mentioned the dental work is I truly believe this may have contributed to the Tinnitus. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
Anyways, I'm using a fan at bedtime and so far it hasn't really effected my sleep but i feel at some point it might. During the day at work i find myself obsessing about it. When i'm out with friends or doing an activity, I will most of the time forget all about it until I go somewhere quiet.

So, i'm 3 weeks in.. should i be worried this isn't a temporary thing? I suppose i could live with this but will fight like hell not to have to. Ive already looked into TRT therapy.

Thanks in advance to all the feedback!

Glenn

 

Hi Glen, My T started out of the blue, I do the fan thing too, actually I run two of them at night. As far as the "live with it" you are only three weeks in, it may just be a temporary thing. In the mean time you may want to consider asking your ENT to prescribe something to keep your anxiety down, which will in turn help to keep the T from bothering you so much.....

 

Thanks Gary,
In reading a lot of these posts on here i was just thinking about asking my ENT about something for my Anxiety. Lord knows.. i have lots of it!

 

hi there
you will adapt we all do eventually to some degree, if your wife doesn't get it I suggest you get a new wife,your tinnitus may be around longer than her.....lol we have a lot of good souls here, honest caring and compassionate....except markku he's real tough to deal, no sense of humor watch out for that guy...I don't give guys hugs ( homophobic) so you'll have to wait for one of our countless wonderful women to respond....lol...my only suggestion to you is that if this noise starts to really get to you, I personally found that a better understanding of whats going on in my head really helped me...it was my turning point...read the book by jasterboff and hazel TRT retraining therapy, its been just over a year for myself and I'm still going along and only find it mildly annoying, as for your dental work causing your noise, nothing has been proven to that cause.good luck and read the forums...
danny

 

hey told you already....your tinnitus started because of the hockey team you cheer for gary....lol go leafs go''''

 

Hi Glenn!

I myself am a fairly new sufferer of the big T.,which just started out of the blue one night. I too am generally okay when I'm at work or around other people. But when i'm home alone,like now, forget it!

I've discovered listening to some music while on the computer helps,and am looking forward to summer,as the air conditioning going all the time will help quiet my head when I sleep,I think. That said,though, that's provided it's still here in the summer,as mine is fairly new, newer than yours! So I still hold out hope it will go away or fade more.

 

LOL DANNY!

 

I guess im still holding out hope that it will go away. Maybe im being to optimistic. My wife has been very supportive so far. Its just nice to have a forum like this as well. I appreciate everyone comments!

 

We'll seeI know you really wanted those hugs Danny!!!!

 

agreed. It's nice - well maybe not NICE,but you know what I mean - to have others who have gone thorugh this or are going through this to talk to. because unless you know what it's like,you really DON'T know what it's like!

 

Danny just likes to talk trash when it comes to hockey. He really is clueless

 

one thing I've found that has been helping me - again,only days into this - is to occupy myself with a hobby that takes most,if not all,of my concentration. This is going to sound weird to most,but I collect,and review,action figures. It's just something i never really grew out of,per se. and it takes quite a bit of time to take pictures,edit pictures,and then write up my review of them. so that occupies my time,not to mention knowing there's more coming for me to do,so i'm already thinking of different shots I'll want to take for this figure,and for that figure.etc.

Yes,I just declared myself a nerd to everyone on here,LOL! But i'm definitely trying to not let this affect my life more than necessary. It's there,it sucks,but i have a lot to do. I have a son to take care of,I have a cat to take care of,I have work to go to,and i have my hobby.

Almost 3 years ago i started to get itchy. just,literally,out of the blue. I remember it well,because it was the day after Halloween, Nov. 1st 2011. it itched for years. I couldn't get rid of it. Went to doctors, dermatologists,allergists,etc. the general opinion was it was extreme dry skin,and something i'd have to get used to and deal with. i did. took years,but i don't even notice it or really actively do anything to try and help it anymore. If I could habituate to that,a literal all over my body itch (even my eyelids!), I can adapt to his with time as well.

You just gotta think positively that it will go away or lessen at some point. And if it doesn't,you mind and spirit will overcome and adapt.

 

Hey Glenn. Relatively new to this myself. Hardly slept for two months. My fiance bought me a sound machine last week. Working great , we both fall asleep within 5 minutes. Still having an extremely hard time dealing with this during the day when it's quiet. But at least i can sleep now.

 

hi there Glenn,

Welcome

Venting also helps your brain focus on your t. Whilst t counselling is helpful, you are probably finding that drawing your attention towards your t will only serve to escalate it along with your anxiety.

I have asked my nearest and dearest to not allow me the luxury of obsessing on this t. When it gets too much I have asked them to remind me of strategies to use to draw my focus away from the sound, as talking about it only makes me more anxious and hence more bothersome t.

I am sure we have all googled ourselves senseless at the beginning for cures.
Whilst there are things in the pipeline (see research section on this website), nothing imminent as far as I can see.

Habituation is the way to go. That is the most useful thing you can be doing right now even though your t is in its infancy. In my opinion, drawing attention to it at the moment may turn a little alleyway into a major motorway! So, start looking for ways to distract yourself. I know that is easier said than done. There are many times I have had to force myself to go out, do things that I really don't feel like doing just so I don't sit at home feeling blue about the noise. Once I am out and about, I am glad I did. You will too.

You t may go away. that would be nice, but if it doesn't, that's ok too. You will be fine as your brain will eventually adapt. it will be a non issue for you as it is for many others who have habituated.

You are very fortunate that your t hasn't affected your sleep. You are already ahead of many of us in leaps and bounds. It is also a good sign in terms of habituation that your brain is already able to make the necessary adjustments to allow you to sleep. Being able to forget about your t is very encouraging too. This means that, if your t doesn't disappear, you will habituate without a problem. That is great news.

You would be hard pressed to find a person with t who doesn't notice their t in a quiet room. that is normal. having background noise can help with this. Mind you, I often sit in a quiet room when I am on the computer. I am aware of the t, but not overly bothered by it. Probably because I am focused on something else. since the brain can only focus on one thing at a time, it wont be able to monitor the sound as much when I am busy reading or writing.

Will your t become permanent? Possibly...........But, you will be totally fine. My life is mostly the same as it was (minus not going to loud venues ie concerts, flicks, etc) before my t awareness. Id like to not have t, but we can all become excellent t managers. We don't have to suffer if we understand that t will recede back into the background eventually. Anxiety is common in the beginning because it is a new sound. It is a catch 22 cause the more you focus on t the more your brain thinks it has to focus on the sound. When your brain is focused on a possible threat (the sound), it will turn up the volume in your auditory cortex (hearing part of your brain) and the noise will seem louder and more bothersome. This of course will escalate your anxiety even further, etc...

TRT is an excellent idea. I would definitely look into that. The counselling aspect of trt is the most useful.

I haven't bothered with maskers. I have mixed feelings about them. For now, I am moving towards habituation without them. Maybe in the very beginning, when anxiety is at its worst, a masker could be helpful, but I feel masking sounds inhibits habituation. How can the brain get used to t if we are constantly trying to conceal it? For many, they are a god send. Something you have to play around for yourself.

Jastreboff and Hazell wrote 'tinnitus retraining therapy'. I haven't read it myself, but have it on order at a local library. that might give you some more ideas.

Good news about your hearing test. If it turns out that you do have a hearing loss, then hearing aides could be of some benefit (masking t). I tried them as I do have a bilateral hearing loss, but I didn't find them helpful. Not sure I trialled it for a long enough period, and was only given one. Am seeing another audiologist next week and will ask about bilateral aides to trial.

anyway, just remember, either way you will be just fine. if you end up with permanent t, you will adapt and it will be a non issue. I know many people who successfully manage their t. its simply not a problem for them. they only think of their t when reminded of it, and when they are aware of it, they are not bothered by it. that is the ultimate aim of habituation.

Have a look at the success stories on this site. That is an encouraging exercise. Habituation takes time, each individual is different, but it is a certainty that you will adapt. The best thing to do now is to avoid googling, researching, monitoring, talking about your t. Focus away from your t as much as you can. You have this support group to fall back on if you need it, there are tinnitus associations you can make contact with, you have your audiologist who should be able to put you on the right track with trt.

http://tinnitus.org.au

above is an excellent website. ive spoken to both phone counsellors at length, who live with t also. fabulous site, easy to navigate about, and gives accurate info in a simple format.

hope this helps
deb

 

Hi Glen, i have read lot's of stories of people having Dental work and then developing T afterwards, i think for this to happen your ears have to already be weak, maybe with long term medication, maybe already had mild T but never noticed it, some of us have weak ears but we never knew until it was too late ( like me ) no one knows if T is going to be temporary or permanent? you already are looking at ways to cope with it TRT which is great at only 3 weeks in, anyway Glen i hope it leaves you soon, let us know how you are doing.

 

Carol and Deb..
Thanks for all your words of encouragement. Its an interesting thing about habituation. Last night even watching TV I barely noticed it.. but then, i started thinking about the fact that I barely noticed it and the T started up again..LOL!
Its going to be a long process for my brain to adjust to this. I am sort of a nervous person by nature and i tend to dwell on things. I think the counseling thing may be what I really need if this is going to continue.

Also, the sleep has still be ok with the fan but i think i may look into a sound machine. Through listening to some masking sounds online, I have noticed that my T almost goes away completely listening to a specific white noise.

G

 

I'm also a very highly strung person, and i always look on the dark side of anything that has gone wrong in my life, my husband says i'm pesimistic, but i say no!! just realistic ... he is always up beat and optimistic, but then when it all goes pear shaped i just look at him and say ... i won't say i told you so!!! so of course now i will only accept the bad things that can happen with T, and now i wish i had his look on the bright side of life attitude ... as for white noise, i couldn't sleep without it, i listen to heavy rain fall every night from my pc, that along with 2 melatonin tablets and a very large vodka i fall asleep with no problem, the trouble is staying asleep, i usually wake up after 4 or 5 hrs sleep, which really isn't enough, i'm always tired and lethargic, anyway i wish you well, and hope this brief touch with T leaves you soon.