Greetings!

Hello, all. I've been reading this forum for awhile now for tips and such I've found some useful information so I would like to say thank you for that. This, however, will be the first time I've ever posted.

I'm 24, turning 25 in a few weeks. I've had tinnitus for about 3 years now, so I'm no stranger to all the "fun". As with everyone, it was extremely difficult when I first discovered my T, which was in my left ear only. Probably the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life. I thought I would never hear silence again. On a scale of 1 to 10 mine was probably about a 6.5 at it's worst. Maybe one year later and I rarely thought about my T. In fact, most days seemed to be completely silent. it was wonderful. (and I probably took these days for granted).

Bascially, I would have weeks where the sounds were almost literally completely gone. I would then have periods of time where the T would come back and each time I would think to myself (Oh man, it's not going to go away this time. It's here for good! ) And yet, it eventually left again. On the days I could hear it, though, it was definitely of lesser annoyance (loudness?) than it was when I initially discovered my T. So, Basically, I guess I habituated and I had no problem with my T the way it was. This lasted for about 3 years. I thought I had beaten T and that was the end of it.

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Recently, within the last month, I had another "spike/relapse". Probably the worst experience I've had with my T since the very beginning. A few weeks later I ended up with an ear wax impaction which made it about 3x worse. on a scale of 1-10 I'd it was a strong 9. It was loud, and it was miserable. During this time I had to undergo an MRI for a seperate neurological issue. I had an MRI before in the past, which wasn't that loud. I wore earplugs/muffs and everything went fine. It didn't affect my T at all. this time, however, the MRI machine was much louder than the previous. even with 33 NRR earplugs the dang thing was loud as heck. The tech told me afterwards that the newer models were louder than the older ones. The trade off being a more powerful machine. The technician afterwards then told me to ask for the older machine if I have sensitive ears. (I wish I could have had this information prior).

After this I ended up having to visit an ENT to have to wax removed via suction, which I had wanted to avoid at all costs, but in the end it was not possible to remove the wax with manual tools. Anywho, the suction procedure was very loud and I was/still am afraid it could make my T worse.

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Basically, I'm undergoing another spike/relapse. My worst yet. I fear a recent loud MRI (w/ use of earplugs ect.) and an ear suction cleaning to alleviate an ear wax impaction may have cause permanent damage/caused a permanent increase to my T. Somewhere during this last month I developed T in my previously healthy right ear.

I'm worried the MRI may have caused this, though it could be completely coincidental, as I know it's not uncommon for people to have their T spread to both ears over time. Right now I'd say my T is still prominent in my left ear, but some days it seems like the noise is equal in both ears, unfortunately. My sounds and the tone/pitch of the sounds change frequently. Sometimes it's like a low hissing noise. At other times it's a high pitched screeching electrical noise. I've had a few quieter days here and there, and a few bad days. Overall, though, everything is definitely less pleasant than it was, say, 2 months ago. I haven't had a "nearly completely silent" day that I used to have.

I have also developed moderated hyperacusis which seems to come and go throughout the day. It's gotten to a point where even clicking my mouse or typing on my keyboard will sometimes "hurt" my ears. Even the air conditioner causes me trouble, which makes me sad because A/C used to be one of the things that helped mask my T. As you can imagine it's pretty annoying and distressing. What's interesting though is sometimes it seems that when my H flares up, my T tends to fade out. No idea why, but I thought it was interesting.

It freaks me out that I now have bilateral T even though a lot, maybe even most people have it in both ears. Right now I'm trying to be optimistic, hoping that both my T and H WILL quiet down again, which I am certain that they will eventually. I kind of feel like I'm starting the habituation process over from scratch. It's just hard to calm your mind when you have so many new things happening in your head. I'm sure others can relate. Running water / showers completely masks my T, which I'm very grateful for. Sadly, these things can aggravate my hyperacusis sometimes. Bleh.

Anyway, that's my story. I'm sorry it's so long. Thank you for hosting such a helpful website. I hope everyone here struggling with their T stays strong and is able to find peace in some form!

[On a side note, I'm currently taking Gabapentin and Remeron (Mirtazapine). Does anyone know if these could cause any negative effects on Tinnitus? I haven't heard anything from my doctors but I thought I'd ask here. Thanks a lot!]