Developed a New Noise on Top of My Old One

Hey guys. I have had tinnitus for about 9 months now. It has been a mild hiss in my right ear since that time. But, I woke up this morning and now I have a solid ringing noise on top of the hissing in the same ear.

Seeing as It's been so long and I am getting worse. I have lost all hope and I see no way of coming back. I'll probably be one of those unlucky few with 10 tones driving them crazy. I have never felt so alone or depressed. If I had the courage to end it. I probably would.

 

@Anthonyr ,
Tinnitus can change sound and strength and added tones and can give you a bit of a emotional wobble as it does for most people but our reaction to it will change as you get use to what is normal for you.
If this is your first added tone I can imagine how you are feeling but try go about your day and just think stupid ears and will settle.
We are all here to support you so your never alone so take comfort from that and hope family support.
Love glynis

 

Everything that Glynis has told you is the journey for most people.
We understand and I have found wonderful support here when I felt life was too difficult to go on.
Don’t despair, we’re here.
@Anthonyr

 

“.....we’re here....and we can work wonders...”

 

Tinnitus usually gets worse for a reason and therefore, it depends what originally cause it? Is it related to an underlying medical condition or what is caused by "loud noise". One of the most common causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud noise. If this is the case and you have been using headphones, even at low volume or being exposed to other loud sounds? This could be the reason your tinnitus has increased.

Please click on the links below and read my posts.
All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

 

Hello Anthonyr. I truly understand how disconcerting developing new tones can be. Just know that, even though yours has been pretty constant for a few months, the one that has set in can take a leave again all the same. I've been dealing with a few tones myself that are liable to fluctuate a bit, but I try to stay as calm as possible. Elevated stress levels may always have a hand in how we experience all of this.

I'm sure you have done a lot of backtracking already with regard to things that might have changed the last few days, but seeing as you haven't figured out a cause of T yet either and like Michael Leigh said, it might be worth looking further into it. Could it be that you have a tenacious ear infection , since you have it on only one side? Have you gotten an MRI yet? Could it be that allergies are acting up (it's that time of year again) or have you been exposed to types of sounds or stressful situation that weren't there for the last 9 months?

Take care and try to remain strong despite all.

 

I have been very stressed for the last year or so due to family. My health issues did not start with tinnitus. I was diagnosed with BFS first (Benign fasciulation syndrome). Another anxiety based illness. A few months later after that diagnosis. That's when the hissing came. I also went to the cinema to watch Dunkirk around the same time. Stupidly, me and my girlfriend sat at the front. I have a sneaky suspicion it might of caused my tinnitus. I remember thinking that it was super loud at the time. But, when you don't have tinnitus. It rarely crosses your mind to protect yourself. You know? Here are some of my recent test results.

Bloodtests - B12, folate, Iron, Ferritin, U&E. Thyroid function, vitamin D, full blood count and Copper - Normal.

Eye test, Hearing exam, Physical exam, Eardrum check - Normal.

Head and ear MRI and Lymes test - Normal.

This forum has been a great help by the way. Not sure where I would be. If I did not have this place to fall back on. Guess it just gets frustrating for us all that there's no effective treatment or cure in sight. Not for the next couple of years at least. I used to wonder how anyone could get depressed or even think about suicide. But, now it makes perfect sense. One of the only things keeping me going is hoping that one day I will hear silence again.

 

Okay, it seems you have been very proactive with regard to getting the right diagnosis. I can only applaud you for that.

Maybe you want to look into seeing a jaw specialist, who can tell you if you have been clenching your teeth at night or overtaxing your jaw in any other way. A splint may bring relief after a few weeks in that case. TMD is, I'm sure you know, known to be a cause or at least an aggravating factor for a lot of T sufferers as well.

With regard to going to the movies, this is often reported as being the initial cause. They really play these movies at ridiculous volumes nowadays. It's also not very well documented that cinemas also require hearing protection. Rarely will any hearing protection campaign mention this, but people should really be better forewarned.

I vaguely remember you mentioning having TTTS as well. Sound sensitivity is often also reported as having an impact on T. Have you noticed H or TTTS getting worse lately?

 

I do have a crackling noise coming from my ear when I chew. Maybe jaw related? I'll definitely look into going to a jaw specialist and buying a splint too. It's worth a shot. Unfortunately, I went to the cinema a lot last year and the year before. If my tinnitus is due to that. Then, I only have myself to blame. It's puzzling as to why It's getting worse though. Ever since my tinnitus came. I have cut out headphones, cinema and concerts. Only noise I hear is everyday noise like people talking and traffic.

My H and TTTS are through the roof at the moment. Even the mildest of sounds are causing pain and my ears to flutter/thump. I just put this down to my BFS diagnosis. I'm so screwed

 

You are not screwed. Try to not give in to sensations of impending doom. You are not on a flight heading for disaster. While I am in no way an expert when it comes to T (and all that is related) and BFS, it seems to me that both are extremely intertwined with stress. You have to do whatever it takes to get those stress levels down. The chances are, if you are able to turn this around, that new sound will go away as well, but try and make peace with it for now. Accept it for what it is. Also, try to do activities that actively require your attention elsewhere (on other sounds preferably). This is something @Ed209 's posts taught me and maybe he can give you some advice on how to cope at this moment as well.

 

Try to think what you did before your first T and before the second.

 

The first real time I had a breakthrough is when I hosted a charity event that I had put together and had to publicly speak all night. Public speaking to a couple of hundred people is not my forte, and so I felt a certain amount of pressure to come across as entertaining, confident and funny. I realised - in the run up to this event - when everything was being put into place, including getting a sound engineering crew, making all the food, organising raffle prizes etc, that my preoccupation with tinnitus dramatically reduced. In comparison to before, my obsession with T in those weeks fell off a cliff. On the day of the event I didn’t think about tinnitus at all. The pressure of the occasion took precident; my brain couldn’t handle thinking about both. At the end of that evening I realised something very important: when tinnitus wasn’t my main drive and there were other stresses (good stresses) the tinnitus perception, and how it affected me, changed.

I often use this analogy which is rather extreme but uses the same principles: if your house was burning down and you were suddenly awakened, you would be so preoccupied with finding a way out, that your tinnitus in that moment would affectively be non-existent. On a non-stress based model, it’s also the same as how airline staff do not care about spending a good portion of their lives (12 hours at a time) being surrounded by noise. They don’t care because they feel they have control, and they know it will go when they get off the flight. But, if it doesn’t bother them for hours at a time, then why should it ever bother them? The answer is the lack of control over it. This changes our perception from non-threatening to ‘please god stop this awful noise’. The moment this switch is flicked in our awareness it makes ignoring tinnitus incredibly difficult.

 

To further add to my above post, I also lost interest in the tinnitus noise when my historical chest issue reared it’s ugly head. It’s part of such an incredibly difficult part of my life, and so when this re-emerged, tinnitus was dropped by my brain as a concern completely. I’ve noticed others on this forum have experienced the same. The only name I can remember explicitly is @Fangen, but we aren’t the only ones. When something bigger comes along you will quickly realise how your brain can quickly lose interest in the tinnitus signal. I’ll add a disclaimer here and say that this based on my own personal experience, but it’s a known psychological process.

 

I felt like this not so long ago when I acquired a new tone. Never lose hope, things can change for you, and it can happen quite quickly. It’s incredibly hard to make yourself feel better when you are in the middle of it, but you shouldn’t lose hope. Ride it out and in time you will adjust.

 

I agree with @Ed209, all my tinnitus worries and anxiety dropped the moment my sister died of suicide. I remember my ears screaming that night because of grief, shock and fatigue. It has barely been on my mind since. I still avoid loud places and try to stay safe of course, but I am less worried about it. I was in a cafe once and the waiter dropped several plates a few meters away. It was loud but I didn't even flinch. This is something I would have jumped out of my seat for before, but loud sudden noises in everyday environment simply isn't one of my worries. The power of obsession and anxiety over tinnitus does make it seem a lot worse. Sometimes other life events make you see the world in a different light. I would have endured fireworks over my head without protection, going to concerts, clubbing or any horrible place you can think of that would be your worst tinnitus nightmare, if I could have had one last day with her. I look back when Tinnius was my biggest worry in life and laugh a little (with sadness) and wished I could have that back instead of where I am now.

 

I’m so sorry for your suffering Fangen, but you beautifully demonstrate how our awareness can be diverted when our brain has other concerns. I wouldn’t dream of comparing my situation with yours, but when my chest problem came back, I literally took comfort in my tinnitus noise. Sounds bizarre, but I wanted my tinnitus to be my main concern again, to drown out the pain I was going through with my chest. Tinnitus has so much to do with perception. I don’t recommend looking for misery, but this same process can be achieved with positive distractions. This is why I’m an advocate for taking up new hobbies and for challenging ourselves to do new and exciting things. Whatever it may be, it has to be deeply interesting, and/or challenging (involving fear/excitement).