Bad Spike. Feeling Hopeless.

I'm currently experiencing a really bad spike, the worst since I started noticing the T back on January. I can't sleep, even with white noise and medication (trazodone to take as needed for sleep); the ringing has become so loud and so high-pitched that it's just impossible to sleep. I know I can't give up yet but at the moment, it just seems like I'm never going to get better, or habituate.

How does everyone here deal when they're feeling very low? I feel like it would be so much easier if I could sleep. But there's no getting away from this noise... It's horrible.

 

Any idea what caused it?

 

@inadmin I suspect it's in part from listening to loud music (even though I always used ear protection at concerts after my first bout in 2005), but I'm not sure where this spike came from. I saw two ENTs who couldn't give me a concrete diagnosis. I know stress, anxiety, and not sleeping make it worse, but those are all things I'm experiencing because I can't sleep, so it ends up being this vicious cycle.

 

When did you listen to loud music? Recently?

 

@inadmin No, I'm careful about it now. But that gave me a base level of T that began around 2005. This latest spike began in January for no real reason I can identify (stress/anxiety perhaps, sinus stuff is also a possibility I guess).

 

Give it time...you will get used to sleeping with blasting T. I sleep pretty much the same as I did prior to T, although took me a couple of months.

Try sleeping with ear buds in until you get used to it....white noise, music, nature sounds etc. I found a pillow speaker to be helpful as well.

 

Don't despair over your current condition. It will pass. Spikes generally will fade back to baseline. I was in you shoe a few years back when my ultra high pitch T and severe hyperacusis hit. My brain was overwhelmed too by the new tough sensation of T. Everyday I was facing relentless anxiety and panic attacks and meds were my best friend just to cope. I never thought I would get well again. Little did I know that I can live a good life again. So don't give up. Go read up the success stories. There are many good ones. There is even one by a doctor, Dr. Hubbards, as in here:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-cbt-helped-me-live-again-dr-hubbards-story.4608/

Perhaps you go to the Doctors Corner to ask some question. Take care.

 

Hi Amy,

I was in the same place you are now just this past Winter/Spring. A sleeping aid was not enough to pull me out of the downward spiral of misery I was in. I additionally needed an antidepressant/antianxiety med to do the job. Unfortunately, anxiety and fear just make a T condition worse. So, if you can lower your anxiety level, usually the severity of your T will decrease.
As billie48 mentioned, "meds were my best friend just to cope." Many of us on the forum have had to use a combination of meds in order to help us get through such difficult times.

You mentioned a drug that you're taking to help you sleep. Is that all you're taking at this time? If so, you may also need an antidepressant. Talk to your doctor about it.

Good Luck!!

 

@billie48 and @jimH have several good suggestions. Yes the cause of spikes is often hard to identify. But let me second the thought that many 'experienced' folks would say that spikes often fade considerably. Not in all instances, mind you, but in many. Take care of yourself in the short term (therapy, meds, exercise, etc), consider masking when needed, and hang in there. If your sleep had generally been OK last winter, it will likely only take a small drop in anxiety to get you back to sleeping well and feeling like your old self again. Good luck.

 

@Amy How long have you had this spike? Am I reading this right that it's been since January but you've had T since 2005? I'm currently on week 3.5 of a spike myself and it really sucks. Hoping it fades but I know the longer it takes the less chance I have. All you or I can do is take it day by day and hope for the best.

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone. My T has been around since 2005 but was very low-level until this January, when I had my first bad spike in a long time. I had mostly adjusted to that - sleeping without meds, feeling pretty good most days - but in the past two weeks it's been really bad, and there's been a change in tone/pitch. I'm attributing it partially to anxiety about a bunch of things (including dental work), and am hoping that as the stress/anxiety lessens, so too will the T. I got sleep last night so I'm feeling a little better today. That really does make all the difference. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement! That helps too.

 

So you had a spike in January for unknown reasons that has stuck around and didn't go back to baseline, and now you have another increase? Wow I'm so sorry to hear that. Everyone here says spikes go down and perhaps they do but the people who experience this never post back.

Anxiety can definitely make it worse. Do anything you can do to relax yourself and keep your ears healthy.

 

Yep, @russiancarl, that's exactly what happened. I'm trying to stay positive, because I eventually felt better and acclimated after my first spike this year, but it's hard sometimes. The "staying relaxed" thing is really the hardest!