Does Anyone Else Go NUTS Trying to Figure Out What Is Causing Their Tinnitus?

Some of us have reasons and know... such as loud music, a gun going off near you ear, etc. However, for those that don't know why it happened do you go crazy trying to figure out what is causing it or would you rather just treat it? After all, there is an underlying cause for it, right?

 

I really don't understand how T can happen all of a sudden.

It scares me

 

I was in panic because of migraine, vertigo and other symptoms. No one found what I have. This brought even more stress to me. I thought about brain tumor and went to MRI. This stress brought T to me. So I know exactly I was in panic and fight or flight mode. The question for me is more what brought so much symptoms to me. I think it was some kind of exhaustion after years of being busy 24/7 or depression. The body switched to "better deaf and T but dead". It was an alarm. Unfortunately an alarm that will probably last forever.

 

In my country according to statistics 1/3 of the people have undiagnosed depression. No wonder the people live so little here...

 

Hi Stina.
You live in Finland?
I guess the more north, the less sun, the more depression.
At least I am depressed now - with or without T.
Working on this.
Take care and thanks for the hugs.

 

Hahha no in Estonia and I guess we might be even more depressed than they are! It has indeed to do with the climate. Well depression sure iss a battle, but luckily in a lot of cases one can be completely healed. Good luck!

 

I read somewhere there are over 400 possible causes for T, so trying to figure out the cause could make you nuts. My decision was to rule out the most obvious common that could be remedied, and if wasn't any of those to move on to habituation. I do know others who have spent a lot of effort and $ to rule out other more uncommon causes, but I don't have the $ for that. I'm 7 months into my T and I am finding myself able to ignore it for long periods of time, so I'm happy about that.

 

@Isabella 123 what was the cause of your T?

 

I never found the cause. I suspect it was damage to my high frequency hearing due to a fire alarm that regularly goes off in my apt bldg (and nobody can turn it off till the fire dept comes) because my T is the same frequency as the alarm. The alarm is 110
dB and sometimes blasts for 25-30 minutes. I've gotten earplugs and ear muffs to wear now when it goes off.

Our apts each have an alarm in them and I suspect everyone in this bldg is half deaf and has T . This is a senior residential high rise in DC.

I did investigate other avenues to be sure there wasn't some other cause that could be fixed...

 

Many people never know what caused their tinnitus. However, I think worrying too much about finding the reason (after you have had a proper work up to rule out obvious and possible fixable causes) can cause additional distress. It was pretty obvious to me that barotrauma from an airplane flight caused my tinnitus. But when my primary ENT at the time insisted that wasn't the case (because he didn't want me to blame him, I'm sure, as he told me it was OK to fly when I had a sinus infection), I became almost frantic to find the cause. It sent my anxiety levels through the roof.

Two specialists eventually confirmed I was right; it was the barotrauma. But as one of them told me (in a very kind way), at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. The bottom line is that there would be no easy fixes for me.

So this is just my opinion and everyone is different: But I suggest that at some point, even if you never get medical confirmation, you need to let go of searching for a cause if you find yourself obsessing over it. You can throw a lot of money at tests and consultants, and still never get an answer. Better than you spend your energy on learning to manage your T, and save your money for any advanced treatments or cures that will emerge. It also will help you move on to habituation, hopefully.

 

@LadyDi this is so hard (not focusing on the cause of the T). I am so scared of a future increase... some people here are living with such high frequency and loud T... when mine increased in May 2014 and I could hear it even above the shower, I thought about suicide and how I could never live with it It went down but I am scared that it could spike again and stay that way... it scares me everyday

 

I used to go through that exactly, but I've learned that at least for me, spikes always go back down, usually within a day or two, maybe a little longer, but they do go down. Also anxiety about the possibility of a spike can actually cause a spike. I take a tiny dose of klonopin every day to keep my anxiety down...

 

I just woke up with a hissing ear one day and it stayed. My audiogram showed that I have a minor high frequency hearing loss and I was under enormous stress from some major events in my life. My doc tested for diseases associated with T--all were negative. My MRI scan was clean. Was it the stress combined with the HF hearing loss? I don't know. Through CBT I learned to just accept it, as it was making me more anxious to think I brought this on myself. It just is. As @LadyDi says above, it's better to let it go.

 

I've been trying to log everything I eat and drink, what the weather is like every day and how bad the T is.. It is exhausting and pointless. I am very depressed and my life is suffering due to the T.

 

Sherri, how long have you had T? Have you been logging all that time?

 

It's good that you have realized that it's "exhausting and pointless" to try to keep up with all those variables, and really there's no scientific proof that any of those things makes any difference in your T. The three things that are definitely known to impact T are stress and anxiety and depression. So it seems to me that the more you try to nail it down the more likely you are to make it worse. If you need help getting those 3 things under control, whether it's meds or counseling or both, go find it. I think you will be able to redirect all that time and energy to actually getting better. I've been where you are and like you, found that was not the most helpful strategy.

 

Thanks all, for the responses. For me, I can pinpoint WHEN my T started. It was right around the time of a root canal and there was a temporary filling in place prior to having the posts put in. I remember telling the endodontist that I felt the filling was "too high" and she said it was supposed to be like this. During the night (while battling through 3 days of insomnia due to other stresses), felt like my ear closed on me and my T then started. It got progressively worse after the gold dental crown was placed, so I suspect it's the height of the crown causing more.. having this adjusted on Monday. 9 months with T so far. Some days are better than others (like today). And, when I am in noisey places or stay active, I barely notice it

 

Isabella 123: I've had T for over a year now. I've tried to journal it from time to time and then give up.. I take meds for depression, but my job is a GIANT stressor for me. I'm having a hard time coping with the T.. It's driving me absolutely crazy!!

 

I've become very anti-social and can't stand to go to clubs, etc.. Can't do loud noises

 

Hello, my daughter has a friend living in Finland, I am from Canada , Totonto, she use to live here with parents, but they all went back to findland , visit Finland on a cruise, was surprise to see the sun was still up at midnight, all the best to you , hang in there, hope they find a cure for us soon, have t almost 3 months now

 

Hello Finland is a great country. However Im not from Finland, but Estonia - a neighbouring country. Our director Markku is Finnish though.

 

This may sound easy but just try to forget trying figure out how you got it and move on! We all know that if you just keep on concentrating on how you do something the more the brain will go into overdrive and keep you concentrated on the problem. I find it most rewarding if I just get busy with life

 

How long have you been taking the meds for your depression and when was the last time you spoke with your doctor? I'm asking this because it's not just a matter of the meds but also the right dosage that makes all of the difference . If you've been on what you're taking for two weeks or more and still feel this badly then I suggest that you speak with them about a dosage increase. However, if you're already on a really high dosage for a given med then perhaps they might want to prescribe a different drug for you altogether.

I was feeling pretty much the same way as you a couple of months ago. My doctor put me on an antidepressant. The first dosage he put me on did not do the job. I felt very little improvement. After two weeks he doubled-up on the dosage and my depression and anxiety conditions quickly improved. I'm doing really well now .

One more thing...are you able to get a good night's sleep or has it been difficult for you? If you cant' get at least a good six hours or more sleep then mention that to your doctor, also.

I'm really hoping that things improve for you very soon because I know just how difficult life is being where you are right now.

Good Luck!!

Jim

 

I've been on celexa for at least 4 years. I have had problems with depression for years. The T is making things that much worse...

 

That is true, you have to get busy! it keeps your mind off T

 

Hey @ampumpkin, I really do feel for you, tinnitus can make you so anxious and miserable. But unfortunately, fretting about what caused it when you may never know, or constantly bracing yourself for the next spike, just makes it worse, I think.

I know its hard, but try not to do a lot of catastrophic thinking about the future. Remind yourself that you have had spikes before, and they eventually disappeared. They will again. Remind yourself, too, that you did learn to live with that spike, and that you will be able to do it again. Remind yourself how great it felt when that spike subsided, which it will. If it helps, write these positive self-statements down on index cards and carry them around with you. Read them to yourself when you get those panicky "how am I going to live with what may be coming in the future" thoughts. I did this and it really helped.

And @sherry.fillingham, just my experience: I also kept a very extensive journal for about the first three months of my T, recording everything from what I ate to when my ringing was loud. I found it made me constantly focused on my tinnitus, so I stopped. And I think you were wise to give it up, too.

 

I agree that staying busy helps to take your mind off of it, but as of the last few weeks, I'm home due to having back surgery. Hard to find things to do.. Thanks for all the feedback Jim and Isabella!

 

@LadyDi thank you for your reply. I am indeed like the way you describe (catastrophic thinking). Along with T, I suffer from borderline personality disorder (also at a mild level) and these black and white thoughts are part of the condition.

Unfortunately, I may need to stop coming on TT in order to speed up my habituation. The problem is: I love you guys...

 

For sure!And I am the worst hunter for tinnitus cure of you all ,having this torture since 1992 ,and I have tried all :medically prescribed drugs and medicines that are free to buy without preskription, I have been treated with acupuncture many years in order to relax (sleep inproved!) and hyperbaric oxygen without effect.Also treatment by a dentist who noticed bruxism,cases by the nervousness.I did not "forget" the tinnitus a little bit until a close relative of mine was affected by a serious stroke and near dying, that I changed my focus, which is very,very difficult.Tinnitus still annoys me very much but after many years of relaxation and calm living it did not get worse,Tinnitus is related to noise and stress in a bad school environment with sharp noise (whistling) from the ventilation system and an enormous work overload as as a teacher.I left school in order to survive and I still hopen to find a cure some day.