Day by Day Fluctuating Tinnitus

Does anyone else get tinnitus that fluctuates like crazy - but day by day fluctuations rather than fluctuating by week or month?

I just can’t figure out why mine is screaming one day, then quiet the next.

 

My volume and pitch, as well as type of sound fluctuate by the hour. Not sure why, but I am wondering if it due to the negative pressure in my ears.

 

Same here, and I still don't understand if this is normal or not for noise induced tinnitus. My tinnitus is gone several days in a row sometimes, sometimes constant for days on end. Seems to be absolutely no pattern to it.

 

Must be awesome when it actually goes away! That’s actually a good sign, sometimes when people report that later on it does go on together. Mine doesn’t do that, it just goes from quiet/moderate to very loud but it’s never gone.

 

Fluctuations by the hour is even more unusual, can you relate it to what you eat perhaps?

 

Mine fluctuates a decent amount, but I'm still a relative newbie. The fluctuations are less and less, it went from several times a day to a few times a day. I'm trying to stop checking in quiet environments. It's hard.

 

Yes they say the less you monitor it the more likely it is to go away! But it can be difficult when it fluctuates.

 

100% mine constantly changes, I’ve kept a record and there’s no actual pattern. Sometimes I swear it goes away for a hour or two or at least to barely audible but then it’s back with vengeance. I think this is why I’m having trouble coming to terms with it, getting used to it because my T it’s fecking bipolar.

 

Mine is primarily in the left ear, but sometimes leaves and goes to the right ear. Pitch and sound remain pretty well contstant though...

 

Anyone with noise induced tinnitus that wants to chime in?

Trying to find the cause of my tinnitus

 

Absolutely. Mine has definitely faded in terms of volume, but mainly tone. It's less piercing and "clean" more hissing. I'm really trying to pay it as little mind as is possible. I'm habituating, you could say. I still want it gone.

 

That’s a great sign. How many months in are you? Any fading in the first six months is a good sign.

 

I don’t know whether or not the cause matters? It could be that the damage to the ear is one and the same for multiple tinnitus causes. For example mechanical trauma to the eardrum, which supposedly can result from ear infection or ear irrigation, mimics the effect on the eardrum and inner ear of loud sound.

 

3 month anniversary next week. I actually went back to the scene of the crime yesterday and saw a comedy show. I was a bit scared, brought plugs with me. Stayed aftewards for a few drinks and did not have a major spike, but the fear of one kept me a bit on edge.

 

When did yours start to fade? Did you experience fleeting T?

 

I'm not sure why. The fluctuation happens even if I laying down or sitting still.

 

It fluctuates for me. It's either really loud buzzing, I call it 'cicadas noise' and here, I think people are calling them 'spikes.' It then will go to low buzzing (same speed or slightly slower) but still really distracting. If I am really lucky, it will go to white noise, static or a low tone I can barely make out. I am afraid to try to find a pattern in case there's no 'improvement' or if it is relatively the same 'cycle.' The fact I sometimes have 'quiet' moments (quiet for me - the static/low noise) is interpreted as improvement (here) and I pray that they are correct.

 

More in the last month, I would say, so 2 months after acoustic trauma. Some of it is due to vastly different behaviour, like wearing ear protection in noisy environments and limiting headphone usage. Some of it is probably due to habituation, in the sense that I am more accepting of the tinnitus, so my brain has probably calmed down and is less prone to the maladaptive process that tinnitus is. Some of it is probably due to the antidepressant I'm taking, called mirtazapine. It's anecdotally been shown to lower tinnitus, but it's also been a spike for some.

 

Did you experience fleeting T?

 

When people say fleeting tinnitus, do they mean where you just get a "beeeep" randomly that lasts for a few seconds, etc? Before the trauma, very occasionally. I would get temporary tinnitus after concerts, but those were fewer and farther between in the last few years.

 

My tinnitus fluctuates as well. I obtained tinnitus, which sounds like the hissing of air coming out of a tire, after using a metal grinding tool. My 6-month anniversary is coming up tomorrow. There are days when my tinnitus is very quiet and can only be heard if I listen for it, but there are other days when it's so loud, it's hard to ignore. Even when it's quiet though, it's never gone. It's always there.

I've been working on habituating and not letting it bother me in an emotional way, which has really helped. There doesn't seem to be any pattern in terms of diet, sleep or exercise. I've worked hard to accept that this is just a part of my daily life.

I am very careful with my ears now and use hearing protection when doing noisy tasks (yard work, vacuuming, etc).

 

It's common for both acoustic trauma and for those with more physical aspects. So many things could be cause that can also relate to brain processing or just brain processing. It's impossible to find a list or discussion for all reasons unless pulsatile tinnitus has involvement. On the lists from gathering are cranial nerves 9, 10 and 11. The 11th being most prominent of the cranial nerves. Muscles - sternocleidomastoid and trapezius may be weak and influence the 11th cranial nerve. Vascular insufficiency, posture position, jaw-nerves/muscles, teeth, soft palate, throat, sinus, any of the many facial complexes, ear wax. Meniere's.

Much less - Jugular vein or jugular foramen syndrome, carotid artery, Horner's syndrome, Wallenberg's small vessel syndromes, endolymphatic hydrops, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, intrathoracic goiter with hyperthyroidism, thyroid, superior vena cana syndrome, Sigmoid sinus diverticulum, vestibular schwannoma, infection and steroid withdrawals. Other arteries including the vertebral artery.

 

I just passed two months (looking back I think I had it for a few months earlier at very low levels more of a hiss). I realized I had tinnitus and then "dialed in" when it became much louder. Because I dialed in, is there still hope for improvement despite the fluctuations which point to a more physical aspect (I have ETD and also somatic symptoms)? In the past couple of weeks, tinnitus has moved to the right ear and I have experienced fleeting tinnitus more in the right ear. Not seeing any improvement and haven't really habituated.

Also, general question, does tinnitus become deafening for everyone when in a silent room?

 

@Drone Draper

I think normally people mean fleeting tinnitus that lasts seconds. Before I got constant tinnitus, I would sometimes get fleeting tinnitus that lasted about 30 seconds, starting loud then fading out. I never had constant tinnitus.

 

That's a great sign if you are already having days where you have to listen for it.

 

Right. I had that very occasionally before tinnitus, maybe a handful of times.

 

It seems louder for everyone in a silent room, mild tinnitus won't seem that bad even in silence but even moderate tinnitus can sound frighteningly loud with no masking. What do you mean by dialed in?

 

Dialed in meaning it was the first time I realized I had tinnitus. I was visiting and the bedroom I had was a silent room. I was thinking, why is this room so loud? There is nothing here, no fan, no vent, etc. I focused on it, panicked, and from then on it got out of control. I could be overthinking this.

 

No that's interesting, there's a school of thought that says because of tinnitus's link with the limbic system and fear, the more you freak out about it the louder it gets - vicious circle - and thus if you stop reacting to it it's more likely to go or quieten in time.

 

I did have panick/anxiety attacks in the months preceding due to the death of a loved one. I was on pins and needles. So now, I'm worried my T is more of a brain issue and can't be treated like ETD. That said, I do have ETD and my T changes with movement. Hoping to find at least a bit of relief.