First spike - now in both ears.

I've been learning to cope with the ringing in my right ear, which can't be heard outside quiet rooms.

However, last night, I attended a get together in a classroom with maybe thirty people. My ears started to hurt a little bit, even though it wasn't very loud, so I played it safe, went to the bathroom and put in earplugs. However, later that night I developed a very high-pitched ringing in my right ear that didn't go away overnight, and is harder to ignore than my right ear's tone.

I'm feeling really anxious about my future at the moment, and am worried that this spike might be a permanent thing. I was doing quite well up until now, and this is a major setback for me, - I've tried to stay positive but I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning.

I'm wondering how long these spikes usually last for people and how to cope in the meantime. Thanks again for all your help and support, guys.

Best,
Justin

 

Hi @Justin5150 ,

Everyone experiences tinnitus differently, so it is difficult to say how long this spike will last. I (and probably most if not every member here) understand the depression that tinnitus can cause (tinnitus and depression can sometimes create a feedback loop, each feeding the other).

As for coping, that again depends on the person. You stated that your pre-spike tinnitus could only be heard in a quiet room. Is the spike completely un-ignorable or are there circumstances where it can be ignored? Have you tried a sound machine? Many people have had luck with such devices, or playing "white noise" type sounds from youtube. People have posted that specific sounds help, for example a shower sound, rain, night sounds with crickets, etc.. Experiment with those sounds, and search this forum for posts that give examples. hopefully those will help.

 

Thanks for your reply, Kolisar.

I don't Think the volume is particularly high, but the extremely high pitch makes it more difficult to mask than the lower t in my right ear. When I woke up this morning, both ears were quiet, but after moving around a little bit, the volume started getting up again. I'm in a library right now with a computer fan next to me and people moving around, as I type I can't really hear it.

I'd rather not go the masking route, because not masking the other T has helped me overcome the anxiety it gives me. I'm really just looking for some assurance that it will go down eventually. and advice for forgetting about it during the day and getting on with my life instead of obsessing over it like I do now.

 

Hi Justin, from my very limited experience, the best thing to do is to not worry about it - which I know is much easier said than done. What you described happens to me frequently. Life is not quiet, there's going to be noise in our lives no matter what you do or where you go, which may temporarily spike up our T, but we will adapt to these minor setbacks. Most people who have had tinnitus longer than we have, are usually much more calm and not as bothered by it. Because we are relatively new to tinnitus, our auditory nervous systems are still on high alert, which makes it worse. The attention we pay to our tinnitus will subside, in time, as the brain loses interest in it. Of course there is still the possibility that it will go away on it's own. If not, we will habituate and it will be forgotten the majority of the time. Hope you feel better soon.