Heavy Tinnitus Back Again

I have lived with tinnitus for the past 30 years and it's always there but I and thought I had coped well with it. Well now it's back so loud that here I am up at 3am trying to get some help! There are two factors. I had heavy irritation in the ears a couple of months ago and doctor said I had an ear infection and prescribed antibiotic tablets then atibiotic drops so this could be the cause.My ear infection has cleared up but my ears feel full all the time and the tinnitus is heavy.

However, last year I visited a physio for another problem who worked on my neck very gently. Whilst he was doing this I suddenly lost the tinnitus and it went completely quiet, it was like a light being switched off, however immediately he twisted the neck again the tinnitus returned. Also when I fall asleep in the chair and my head falls back I always awake with heavy tinnitus.

Yesterday I actually lost the noise for a whole day and how wonderful it was. But during the night it has returned. Has anyone else had the same trouble. Would be grateful of any help. Thanks for reading this.

 

@Philbey Hi Philbey. You have had tinnitus a long time so are very experienced with it. As you know many things can cause tinnitus including an ear infection. The ear is too delicate an organ to leave alone with the symptoms that you describe and also the length of time you had tinnitus. The best advice that I can give you is to be referred to ENT for tests.
Michael

 

Welcome a T veteran to our site. Hope your spike will be temporary and that you will heal in due time. I think the fact that T seems to be loud when we wake up, particularly after a short nap, is that our brain tries to monitor our vital function to make sure we are alive and well. Unfortunately it treats the T sound as a vital sign and it tries to zoom in on it to make sure it is there. This is called 'awakening response' by some people. Dr. Nagler has written the following before:

“I have always felt it to be due to the role of the reticular formation in tinnitus perception. The reticular formation is a primitive structure in the brain stem. It's a "vital sign monitor." When you wake up, the RF checks to see whether or not you are alive! It looks for heartbeat, respirations, blood pressure, temperature - basic bodily signs. It does not care whether or not these signs are good or bad - just that they are present. And as far as the RF is concerned, tinnitus is part of "expected" body function in an individual suffering from severe intrusive tinnitus. So when you wake, your RF checks to see whether or not tinnitus is present. And if it doesn't immediately find the tinnitus, the RF seeks it with a vengeance - - especially in the post-nap state, when there has been inadequate REM sleep and when, therefore, the RF is on already "high alert" that something might not be quite right. Theoretically - very theoretically - this RF hyperactivity in seeking tinnitus, which in a person with severe intrusive tinnitus it equates with life, results in temporarily markedly augmented tinnitus perception.”

 

Am curious as to what antibiotics you took. Some are known to be ototoxic and can lead to both tinnitus and hearing loss. My tinnitus increase was caused by two antibiotics - Cipro and Augmentin.

 

Did you ever heal? I got tinnitus from Augmentin.