Continually on the Rise for the Last 3-4 Years

I have heard many tales of 'in such-a-such' a situation it gets worse, but when I (leave the party/get unstressed/whatever), it goes back 'down."
According to my Audiologist, my T is getting lower and lower in pitch, which means I hear it more and more. It has done this almost weekly if not more for the last few years. I know of no other case like it, but I could be wrong.
My psychiatrist says its stress, and if I'm not currently stressed, it's 'ripple' effect from the previous stress of T or my hectic lifestyle.
I would appreciate hearing at least one other person with this dilemma. I have 'habituated' to the noise the last 376 times (or 389, but who's counting). It's not so much the T (well, now it's ridiculously loud), but the never-ending increases. Any help here?

 

Hey chris sorry to hear about your ordeal, im not sure why that happens but for me at least the lower frequency sounds are easier to mask then my high pitch sounds, are you able to mask at all? Again sorry to hear and wish i could add more.

 

I'd probably welcome my tinnitus getting lower pitched. Mine is so high it isn't really comparable to any other real sound. I think a lower sound would be preferable.
High pitched noises are more irritating than low pitched. So embrace it pal.

 

that's good, a lower pitch is like a normal environnement sound, easier to mask and less annoying.

 

When your audiologist says your tinnitus is getting "lower and lower in pitch", are you actually perceiving a change in your tinnitus tone, or are you just experiencing increased tinnitus volume?

I ask because I haven't read too many cases where someones tinnitus pitch continually dropped over a period of time like what you seem to be describing, on the other hand I've read plenty about people experiencing new tones on top of their old ones.

Have you had regular hearing tests (including high frequencies over the standard 8khz) done at all during this period? It would be interesting to see if there is a link between your continual change in tinnitus and your performance on an audiogram.

Have you had an MRI done at any point? Also, are you currently taking any medications?

 

Lots of questions:
CullenBohannon: I measure my T volume by what sounds can cancel it out -(tho when my Widex had an adjustable white noise switch, my audio. said you shouldn't mask it completely, just 'take the sting out ). So in the early days, I complained, but turning the car fan on high masked it completely. But eventually even the shower noise couldn't block it out. On Wed., I was in a food court in Iowa City with 100 or more people and that 'white noise' alone would guarantee I couldn't hear it. But I could make it out, and I wasn't even trying to hear it.
My widex now is "zen tones" and "white noise" neither of which are adjustable, except by audio.

Yonkapin: MRI? No. Medications? Yes, but psych had me stop with SSRIs and go to Lamotrigine as he said the other affected the T (problem: I had been taking SSRIs before T even started and never had a problem of increases for the first two years).
I have only mild hearing loss, not tied in with T. Also, when measuring the T, I can tell them when it hits the left ear, but right ear is (a shade) quieter, so I can't hear to match that cuz left ear is louder.
Will have to double check my hearing tests, but they said as the pitch gets lower, I hear it more. So they say it is not "louder" in a literal sense, but more noticeable.
I want to know if T is an 'arc' that will eventually go under the radar (not disappear, just be quieter), or there's an infinity aspect that will keep climbing.

Valentin, BobDigi: My T sounds like a pressure cooker about to go off, so maybe compared to a high whine, that is better. My beef is that I will habituate for several days and it literally goes in the background (even now, 48 hours after a small spike noticed at the mall), it's audible but not as annoying.) But then, because my brain is used to whatever level, I can't help but notice another "spike" that never comes down, and I'm depressed/discouraged again.


So for those who responded so far, how "loud" is yours? (using my measuring stick, as in: "when the car fan is at full blast I don't hear it" or "I always hear it, even in a wind tunnel" or ???

More later. I tend to unload too much too soon.

 

P.S., how do you make those yellow quote boxes?