Being able to Control Pitch and Volume Voluntarily

I recently got tinnitus. But its been very strange because of a following things. I believe i gave myself tinnitus in an almost hypochondriac way. Last December 2013 i went to the docs because of a slight ringing in my ear. She told me I had fluid behind my eardrums and recommended nasal spray, which i didnt buy but eventually i forgot about the tinnitus and didnt hear it again until june 2014 when i begun going through a very strange psychological point in my life. I remember going to the the docs to get a checkup on the last day before my health insurance got cut off and I was fine. But the next day, i told myself. "Oh right i have Tinnitus i should have gotten that checked!" Thats when i started noticing it. But it was very vague and didnt bother me because i thought i still had fluid in my ear and once it got drained it would go away. So i slept fine, relaxed in silence fine, went about my day normally and every once in a while i would notice it. A week ago I decided to go a clinic because it was getting louder. I was entering into a ton of stress, depression, loneliness, and anxiety about 2 weeks ago, before i decided to get it checked out. When i went to get it checked out, the doc said it wasnt due to any fluids behind my ear because there wasnt much and it was normal fluid levels because i was sick with a really bad cold. I had a hearing test done and i have no hearing loss, although she told me i had legitimate tinnitus. After this, the tinnitus exploded and it has been getting louder daily. After i recieved the news, i broke down that day thinking about how im going to have to deal with it the rest of my life. Never did i feel so shitty on top of the depression/anxiety/stress i am going through. So im wondering many things, do i get it when im stressed? Sick? Why did i not hear it for a long time? Did the fear that arose that day trigger me into exploding it? And lastly, why is it that i can shift the noise from ear to the other ear and control the pitch and the tone and volume? I can literally do that. But if it means its not in my ears, its in my head! Could i have tricked my brain into thinking i have tinnitus? Once you get something in your subconscious mind, you portray it to your conscious mind and sensory world. Its like people who have healed themselves through their subconscious or have given themselves poor health. Does anyone know what any of this can mean? Have you heard of something similar?

 

To me you already answered most of your questions. Stay strong!

 

Mind is definitely involved somehow in t. And for many, mind over matter, positive thinking/cognitive behavioral therapy etc helps.
I woke up to the actual sound of someone vacuuming today. It came from nextdoor. But my anxiety was such that after the vacuum stopped, I had soon developed my eighth sound.
I wonder if memorization of sounds also plays a role for some.
This t is crazy and varied stuff.
Not sure anyone has the true answers to your questions, as t is still such an unknown entity.
Might be said that you also have some form of somatic t - where pitch and volume can often be controlled with manipulation of the neck, jaw etc. If that is how you are manipulating it. Maybe we all have a little bit of somatic t in the end, although not all can control it, as t is said to occupy the DCN of the Central Auditory Cortex which shares physical aspects of the somatosensory system.

 

Why when i yawn does my T get louder? Somatic T?

 

My T gets louder when i yawn, clench my teeth and when I kneel over quickly.
I think it seems to be common??

 

When I move my neck or press on the forehead it changes the volume. I am really curious why this happens.
I feel like i might have it due to some neck tension.

 

That is because the first station of the central auditory cortex of the brain is the dorsal cochlea nucleus (DCN). That is also where our somatosensory system engages. If you don't start off with somatic t, it is a pretty sure thing that in time part of your t will be mixed in with this system. @Grace @bwspot
Susan Shore at the University of Michigan is looking into new treatment avenues for tinnitus that connects within this crossroad of the auditory and somatic systems.

 

Does it mean that those that can control it through movements might get rid of it via relaxing the muscles or TMJ problems?

 

@bwspot
I know a couple of my tones are directly related to the somatic system.
But with somatic t alone, if you can treat the underlying issue - be it tmj, dental misalignment, neck misalignment etc, then there is a good chance it can go. That is because for that kind of t, often something is pressing against the auditory nerve or causing more feedback into the DCN. However, having said that, t does somehow make connections with various parts of the brain as time goes on. So, I guess there are no firm answers on that one. What a surprise ... re tinnitus. p.s. that is sarcasm

 

Does it mean that even if muscles are relaxed and dont cause it anymore, the T stays in brain?

 

My T is somatic with pulsative elements when I exercise. I have thought perhaps there is a physical reason that this is happening not related to the ear itself, but seems you can chase a cause forever and never find it.

 

Having had fibromyalgia for 25 years now, I got very familiar with trigger point therapy and its amazing benefits early on. However, I had loaned out and lost my favorite book on it some years ago and didn't think about it with reference to my new more severe T. Yesterday I happened to find a copy in a used bookstore where I was browsing for something else. So I bought it and promptly looked up ear and facial pain. (I have had, along with the T, what feels like a sinus headache continually for months, but my sinuses are clear.)

Here's one of several relevant passages: "Trigger points in the masseter muscles also cause pain in the front of the face ... symptoms often mistaken for sinusitis. They can even cause sinus drainage. ... They can also cause deep pain in the ear, accompanied by a sense of stuffiness or the sound of low roaring."

I just wonder!! The great thing about this book is that it shows you how to massage yourself in the right places, so I tried it last night before going to sleep. I woke up this morning with my low-pitch T at a much lower volume. I know that one time could be an accident, but I'm going to keep on this track for a while and see. And I HIGHLY recommend this book for everyone! Here's a link to Amazon USA:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C9ET5Y/?tag=tinntalk-20

Della

 

@bwspot
So hard to answer that. Everyone is different. More chronic cases may be that way, but again, nobody really knows.
Seems that you have not had t for very long. If you think a trigger of your t may be due to a somatic problem, I would see about getting it checked out.

 

i am not sure. I had a root canal procedure and crown done and it happened month after that. I had problems with the crown being too high and i had to redo the root canal and I still have discomfort so that might be it. My own diagnosis was that root canal was not done property and cause too much trauma to gums and nerves around and in addition crown being too high was pressing and aggravating a lot and caused T. But i also listened to some music so hard to tell which is the root cause if any. Not sure what doctor should i go to now. I went to see ENT and now i am seeing new dentist to fix the bite, but it might be too late as initial dentist 'screw' me already.

 

@bwspot
Don't give up. See these treatments through.
Many cases with t for years and then it disappears.
If you are having tmj trouble from the dental treatment, also worth getting that targeted too with an osteopath or another dentist.
Don't think you don't have time. Nobody knows, as everyone is different.
You can only try treatments out and see how they help.

 

thx, what gives me hope is that i still hear ok, so t might not be due to the ear damage as once hair cell is dead it is game over. I can hear whistling of the monitor 3 feet away (so soft and light that i cannot believe that i can hear it) that nobody can hear if i ask. And I hear it together with my t. I know it is external sound as i don't hear it if i am too far away.

 

My T was purely noise induced and when i yawn a certain way hard to explain it tripples in volume always goes away once im done tho. When i yawn a different way it doesnt do it. So idk
How mine can be somatic when its noise induced maybe im not understandin something tho.
Either way doesnt bother me cause its only when i yawn.