Good to Share This 'Lonely' Condition...

Hello
I've finally decided to join this forum as I think there's only so much the people closest to us can take! It's like most things, unless you experience what life has decided to throw at you, how can you be expected to understand. Everyone's experience of Tinnitus is probably different anyway. How can we describe what's going on, because nobody can hear what we're hearing.

My Tinnitus started just over a year ago. Initially there was just an irritating clicking going on in my right ear. I started to think something had made its home in my ear, so I sought my GP's opinion. She was concerned that I might have a acoustic neuroma so sent me for tests and an MRI scan. Thankfully all was clear but in the meantime the noise was taking on a different sound and I was starting to feel slightly giddy on occasions. Meniere's was ruled out as I wasn't feeling nauseous and my hearing wasn't impaired.

I'm not sure what's caused the Tinnitus but I think stress is a major contributor. It links in with the distress caused by the loss of my faithful old Labrador last year. Plus I'm now in my sixties, so therefore I guess age could be another reason.

I can go for a couple of months with just a low clicking in the ear and although annoying, I've learned to live with it. However, when it flares up the noise is off the scale! It presents itself as a very high pitched screech consisting of a mixture of the sound of a million Crickets and somebody scraping a metal implement against a blackboard. It last for around 15 to 30 seconds every minute. This can go on all day and night. I somehow do manage to get some sleep with the help of the occasional sleeping pill.

Sometimes it's so shrill it jars my head and I have to hang onto something to steady me. When it first happened I was really frightened but now I'm used to it.

Over the last year my experience has been that it subsides back to an acceptable level of noise after about a week, but each time it rears its ugly head it seems to last longer and this episode has lasted for nearly a fortnight now.

My concern is that it will just get worse as time goes on. More and more different noises are now exacerbating it.

Like all of you, I just need to know I'm not alone. We know there's no cure but pray for some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

In all honesty, I have had 1 major sound for over 20 years and then a new low tone one for the past 7 years. If you protect your ears and reduce your stress, then you should be ok. Tinnitus can come from many different factors. Stress, loud places/noises and some meds can bring on new sounds and new intensities for tinnitus.

You are doing a great job and i like your mentality. At the end of the day, you have to have a calm mindset and not fight this issue. Fighting it and stressing yourself out, can increase your tinnitus and drive you nutty.

 

Thank you for your reply. Which sort of ear plugs do you use? Also, do you have a hearing aid that helps suppress the noise? I'm not quite sure how that works being as my hearing is OK, but it's something the doctor mentioned.

 

I agree with Fishbone that stress and distress can aggravate tinnitus. Excess grief for the loss of loved ones (in your case is your favorite pet) is also known for causing the onset of T. Trying to remain calm and relax is going to help prevent the T from getting more intrusive. Have you found what pattern can trigger your spike? Perhaps try some natural supplements for calming your nerves during the spikes, such as things like gabacalm, lemon balm, hops, valerian, chamomile tea, kava etc. Search Amazon on these and read their reviews to see if these are good for you. You can also mask your spiking T with nature sounds such as heavy rain, crickets or cicadas, waves, waterfalls, even shower or faucet sounds to help you relax. Do you currently mask your T? Yes, T is quite common. Millions have this condition. Even famous celebrities have them. Here is a video clip of David Letterman and William Shatner (Star Trek Captain Kirk) in 1996 talking about their T which they say was worsening. Letterman has multi-tones in his T which he said was like the emergency broadcast system in test mode going on 7/24, even while he was cracking jokes to entertain his audience. Lol. Worsening or not, these gentlemen have moved on and have had great success in their life. So I learn from this to remind myself that people do learn to live with T and move on living a normal and productive life. So enjoy this video. Take care. God bless.

David Letterman with William Shatner - March,...

 

Hi,

Mine worried me quite a bit when it first came on and I thought it was a sign I was losing my mind. That was 30 years ago, half my life, and I've learned to live with it. Whether or not I lost my mind is subjective.

Mine varies from a whistle, to a buzz and a wavering conbination of both those sounds. Yours sounds much more disconcerting and having it in one ear must be very hard to deal with. I've always considered myself "lucky" that it's the same in both ears.

 

Warm welcome Marianne.