Hello All, Newbie Here

Hi all, I have found reading that Im not alone struggling with this nasty symptom a morsel of comfort in the past week.
I wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience and can offer their advice for my particular circumstances.

Im 32 years old, a GP (doctor in UK) and have been in generally good health albeit with occasional anxious tendencies over the years (but I did believe I had a good handle on this nowadays).

I have had intermittent tinnitus at night before that I have been able to ignore by diverting my attention elsewhere and then forgetting about it. However, randomly a week ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible anxious feeling and that high pitched tinnitus sound that I have heard before. It was much louder than previously and I was immediately perturbed. The first few days I wasn't really noticing it in the day and I was quite calm and not thinking about it. However, for the last 4 days or so I have been continually thinking about it, thus making it louder and have entered the full panic/ fight or flight response that we all know is what we are meant to avoid.
Im not sleeping well- usually sleeping for an hour before waking up and getting max 5-6 hours a night in very broken stages. This disturbed sleep then feeds into the next day making me feel worse.
I cant help feel annoyed with myself like I have done this to myself. I feel like ive tuned into mild tinnitus and amplified it up so that its present 24/7.
I went to an audiologist yesterday and she said my hearing test score was perfect- which I found surprising as some tones I was struggling to hear past the tinnitus.
My ears look healthy with no wax etc.

The only trigger for this that I can think of is that last week I have an ultrasonic tooth cleaning and the week before I had a root canal which I did recognise at the time was creating a very high pitched LOUD sound in my head. I have very patulous eustacian tubes and worry that this sound was conducted indirected into my inner ear at very high dB. I ahve to say I wasnt aware of tinnitus immediately after the drilling but I wonder if I just didnt notice it. Anyone else had issues with dental treatment?

I know that my history is very short compared to many of you but at the moment I feel that each day if anything it seems worse not better and I know my mental state is probably part of that.
My final questions regard masking. Last night I used in ear headphones on my phone playing rain from spotify which did make my feel better. I had the sound on the absolute minimum and could hear the tinnitus over the sound when I attempted to. I have heard some people saying not to use headphones at all? It is better for me not to disturb my partner. I also wondered on the general feeling of white noise vs environmental sounds?

Thanks for any responses
John

 

The sounds of crickets are great when it comes to masking a high-pitch tone.

You could buy a pillow-speaker...

My T began 10 days after my acoustic trauma. Delayed onset is common.

Most sufferers get to hear their T 24/7. I also doubt that stress alone can turn minor T that you couldn't hear during the day into moderate T that you hear everywhere you go.

There is still a good chance that your T will fade. Ears take forever to heal, so it might take 3-24 months for this to happen...

I believe that some of the information in the post below will be useful to you:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

HI @Jonstorm

You are new to tinnitus and it's important to know what has caused it because many things can be responsible. Please know that it can also away on its own. Although dental work and anxiety can cause it's onset as you've mentioned, the most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud sounds/music. Typically, this is listening to music through headphones or attending venues where loud music is played. If you have done either of these things regularly particularly using headphones, most probably it is this that has caused the tinnitus.

If headphones are responsible then I advise you not to use them even at low volume as there's the risk of making it worse, and I'm serious about that. There is more information on headphone use in the links below which I will provide and advise you to take your time and read them in full. Use a sound machine at night placed by your bedside and at attached it to a pillow speaker as @Bill Bauer has suggested. You can also download nature sounds from youtube to your mobile phone. You could Bluetooth this to an external speaker or connect it to a docking station that has speakers, for a more enriched and fuller sound.

Wishing you all the best
Michael


New to tinnitus what to do?

The onset of tinnitus can be difficult for a lot of people to cope with. It comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. When it is mild, moderate or occasionally heard in quiet surroundings it is usually not too bothersome and a person can go about their daily affairs quite happily and unperturbed by this anomaly. This type of tinnitus usually comes on gradually and in some cases it’s associated with hearing loss, as we get older and the usual treatment is the wearing of hearing aid/s.

Tinnitus can be also be caused by an underlying medical problem, build up of ear wax (cerumen). Jaw problems. Some medications and even irregular blood flow through the body causing Pulsatile tinnitus. One of the most common causes is exposure to loud noise or music that has been played at high levels that can affect the cochlea in the ear. This type of tinnitus can be loud, intrusive and very debilitating. Often leaving a person at a loss and not knowing which way to turn to escape the noise. I fully understand how difficult it can be for someone new to this condition to take this in and believe it to be factual.

If you are having difficulty sleeping you might have been advised to try a nighttime sedation or an ant-depressant to help cope with the stress and anxiety that often accompanies tinnitus. These medications can be helpful especially in the early stages and they don’t have to be taken long term, so it’s something to consider. They can act as a safety net so you don’t become too down.

A referral to ENT will usually be recommended. In the mean time try to keep occupied with something you like doing, as it helps to distract the brain from focusing on the tinnitus. Avoiding quiet rooms during the day by playing low-level non-intrusive music such as classical in the background can be helpful.

At night a sound machine placed by the bedside playing nature sounds or listening to favourite mp3 tracks or Cds are good. Keeping the volume just below the tinnitus is ideal and set to play throughout the night until morning. It takes time to get used to sound therapy so please stay with it. Whilst in a deep sleep it supplies the brain and auditory system with sound enrichment. Over time the tinnitus is pushed further into the background helping to make its perception less noticeable during waking hours.

In the early stages of tinnitus, if one chooses not to use sound enrichment sleeping can sometimes be difficult and there is also the chance of the tinnitus becoming more intrusive as sleeping in a quiet room can allow the brain to increase it’s own background activity. In doing so it will also increase the tinnitus making it more intrusive during waking hours.

There is a tendency for newbies to try and cure their tinnitus which is quite understandable. There are many remedies, treatments and concoctions out there. Some affordable others quite expensive. I am not averse to trying to help myself but want to say, there are charlatans and con artists eager to relieve someone in distress of their money so please be careful. Even tried and tested treatments I wouldn’t recommend a person try until they have been seen at ENT. Often a person after been seen at ENT is advised to wait a while.

Many people habituate to tinnitus within six months sometimes a little longer and it has been known to go away. The ear is a very delicate organ and many Doctors prefer to wait before investigating further and then suggesting a treatment. If other problems are experienced such as: pain in the ears, deafness, dizziness or balance problems this is of more concern and a person will usually been seen quicker.

It is best to have a word with your GP if you’re feeling stressed or depressed in any way, as previously mentioned there are treatments available. Leaving things alone until your ENT advises you of the next step is the best thing to do in my opinion. Don’t try to fix anything or throw large sums of money at treatments that you have no way of knowing whether you’ll get any relief.

I advise not to listen to audio through headphones even at low volume especially if the tinnitus was "noise induced" and keep away from loud sounds. By all means go out but anywhere that plays loud music then wearing noise-reducing earplugs, the type that has attenuation filters would be a good idea. 18 to 30 decibels reduction should suffice. While reducing external sound they will not impair sound quality.


Michael

PS: By the way, you will get the best help and long term aftercare for tinnitus, under our NHS system that no private healthcare can match in the UK. The best treatment for tinnitus in the early stages, is to leave it alone. Unless you have other symptoms accompanying it that I have mentioned above.


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

Thanks for the responses guys.
Michael I honestly very rarely use headphones and have never done throughout by life on the levels that some people have. I have been to countless club nights however and a fair few gigs but I think on balance I have had pretty average exposure to loud sounds. Interestingly in recent months/years I have rarely been in loud music at all since I'm no longer into that scene.

Bill, interestingly that link you posted to mentions ultrasonic tooth cleaning has been frequently noted to be a cause of new onset tinnitus. This would correlate with my experience and I cant believe that we are being subjected to this treatment with this risk.

My Dad complains of tinnitus from time to time but he often only experiences it for a couple of weeks at a time. His method of treatment is actually to use ear plugs at night rather than masking it which seems counter intuitive. Its interesting that for him that seems to settle it down.. perhaps some form of rest for the acoustic apparatus? However hes not anxiety prone as an individual and that perhaps just means hes much more rapidly able to adapt to it.

I have another question regarding the 'Back to Silence Method' that has been listed on some popular threads. Am I worth trying this right away or simply waiting for now. The method of labelling my emotions and writing them down would be very involving at the moment since I am thinking about it all day and all night. perhaps this method is best tried after a small amount of habituation?

 

@Jonstorm

HI John,

Thank you for your reply and additional information. If exposure to loud noise can be ruled out and this would seem the case. If I were you, I'd take a backseat and just relax. Please read my posts in the links above regarding positivity and the habituation process. The habituation process is something that cannot be rushed it takes time. People new to tinnitus as you are, need time for it to settle down because it places havoc with one's emotions. The last thing you want to be doing is writing how you're feeling or keeping a diary of daily events. And please do not go down the food and beverages route. Omitting certain foods and drinks in the quest to find something that has caused the onset of the tinnitus. Inevitably, this causes a lot of stress and is a total waste of time.

If you like a drink then have one in moderation of course and go out try to have a good time as possible. All this is covered at length in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, in the link above.

Take care and I wish you well
Michael

 

I am also leaning towards resting my ears as a means of promoting recovery.

 

Please listen to Mike! He is one of the most resourceful person on this forum and has helped me so much in my initial stages of T.

 

My emotions are yo yoing like crazy at the moment such that I can go from feeling really positive to having some very dark thoughts indeed. Im trying to toughen myself with the thought Im going to need to be strong for my wife as we are expecting our first child in a few months time.
The one time Im not doing well is at night. Im finding sound therapy/masking just makes my T louder and louder. I bought an expensive sound oasis machine but unless its up way high it really seems to make things worse. I don't turn it up high as I was told to keep it below the T. I cant even have a fan on even though its so hot. Last night I finally fell asleep with sheer exhaustion with no background sound. I think there may be a touch of hyperacusis which I suspect is due to my fight or flight reaction. I think this is the case as I only started to feel this after a few days of the T realising it wasnt going away. Im turning the TV volume way lower than I normally would and some sounds with high frequency such as cutlery sounds jarring and uncomfortable.
Thanks for the advice all

 

Urgh.
Had a bit of a setback last night hoping for some calming words.
I had been making big improvements last couple days. Not with the tinnitus as such but my mental state and reaction to it. Id been using the general strategy of the BTS method as well as some mindfulness and debriefing with family etc. I had started to see a bit more colour in the world etc. I tell myself that T doesn't have to fuck everything up I just have to adapt. Im sure many of you know the feeling.

Last night I began thinking that my tinnitus had seemed less intrusive (im sure due to less anxiety etc) when I began to think about my hyperacusis. If anything despite feeling better in myself this seems to have got worse. Last night at a dinner party with a few colleagues I found so many sounds very aggravating- the sound of wooden chairs on the floor moving etc. It was piercing and my T spiked badly. Im telling myself its the anxiety of the hyperacusis that triggered this but I wondered if other people had this early in their course?

Another issue was I keep waking in the night with loud T and bilat neck pain/stiffness and cracking around C1/2. Im feeling stiff and the T does ease with some neck massage and exercises. Im still unclear on the cause of my T but think there could be a somatic element. Working out how much of it is somatic is very hard. If I flex my neck down the T volume can almost double. Similar story with pushing upwards on my teeth in the upper jaw or down on my lower jaw. I believe I had some of this even years before I heard any significant T as I now know it.
Is anyone who experiences the same at night?
Thanks for any advice
John

 

Consider listening to your body and stopping attending events that are loud enough to give you spikes. Now that you have T, your ears have been compromised, and it takes a lot less to cause serious damage as far as T is concerned. Most of these spikes are going to be temporary, but if you ignore your body long enough eventually the spike might end up being permanent.

 

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.28745/

 

This link seems to be broken

I get what you are saying regarding the ears being delicate but the idea that normal / low dB sounds can cause worse tinnitus /hearing damage permanently just doesn't make physiological sense to me. I think its much more likely that the psychological impact of hearing the sounds that hurt triggers feelings that it will worsen the tinnitus and so the tinnitus gets worse. I will of course avoid loud sounds as much as I am able- no clubs etc but the idea to wall myself off from otherwise normal sounds seems counterproductive. Surely the idea of settling your mental health down again and reducing anxiety levels is preferable than the idea that tinnitus has 'ruined your life' because you cant go out anymore
Thanks
John

 

Thank you for letting me know! I am not sure what has happened, but here is the right link
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/learn-from-others-mistakes.29437/

 

The problem with the hypothesis above is that a lot of the time T sufferers also think that the sound is too quiet to Possibly be hurting them, I know this had happened to me. Also see the stories at that link. So they are not worried. That's when T spikes.

My rule of thumb included moderately loud noises like that of a vacuum cleaner, but if even quieter sounds bother you, you might consider staying away from them. In my experience, after I began to stay away from the sounds that bothered me, eventually the sounds stopped bothering me, and I could resume being exposed to those sounds.

 

@Jonstorm Hi John: Me too - what you said has common element relationship to physical somatic tinnitus.
I use stretching exercises. Stand straight, relax shoulders and bring them back slightly. Stretch neck upwards and back very slightly. Breathe in and out while doing this.

I use magnesium chelate/calcium, but it can take weeks for this to help.
I sleep on sides or back with a small pillow for support under neck.
I am very careful with noise blocking headphones as the weight can cause more damage as it doesn't take a lot more weight when bending the head forward.

 

@Greg Sacramento
Its nice to know other people experience this issue. I am going to book with a local massage therapist that is supposed to be well recommended also to try and release some of my neck tension.
I found last night that sleeping with no pillow suddenly seemed more comfortable- I tend to sleep on my front so use a very soft pillow generally.
Cheers
John

 

If your tinnitus was caused by loud noise some degree of damage in the cochlea is guaranteed.
Audiograms are only designed to test hearing within the human voice range.

http://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/
(skip to "hidden hearing loss")

You have some degree of hearing loss even if clinically insignificant and this is enough to generate tinnitus.

 

It might not make sense to you but there are many stories where normal sounds caused temporary or pemanent spikes for other people. Especially if someone is also struggling with hyperacusis on top of tinnitus normal everyday sounds can cause tinnitus to spike - which is not to say that those sounds cause actual physical damage but they can definitely make tinnitus spike.
There are also stories from people whose tinnitus got worse once they started listening to music through headphones or earbuds again even though the music was kept at a low volume.
Emotions can play a role and affect tinnitus but we shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that it’s always only due to them. If normal sounds don’t affect your tinnitus you probably don’t have to be as cautious but let’s not turn tinnitus into a pure mental health issue.

 

My audiologist says delayed onset is not possible. It happens then and there according to him.

 

Speech in Noise.

 

Even if something else, besides my acoustic trauma, had caused my T (e.g., tympanometry test, Valsalva manuever), I got T hours/days later. I remember very well how it all began. I was sitting in front of my computer not doing anything related to my ears. The room was quiet. That's when my T had just turned on.

 

My Audilogist said that is not possible. Acoustic Trauma happens on the spot and T starts immediately. He also said that acoustic trauamas cause bilateral tinnitus and not unilateral.

 

It might be a good idea to find another audiologist.

In my case, the sonic toothbrush came into contact with only one ear, so that was the ear where, 10 days later, I developed T. However, it spread to the other ear about 9 months later.

 

how is that even possible? I know you got like three more traumas after that.

 

It just proves that the problem area is the brain, and not the ear itself...

 

T is a brain disease

 

Hello all
Thought I would post an update on my past week.
At the weekend I was feeling improved in myself. I had been doing the Back to Silence method and had noted the pickup in mood and optimism that many say had accompanied that also. I had felt comfortable in the presence of the ringing when at home watching TV with the wife etc. I had even had moments in near silence where I couldn't hear the ringing or (or rather wasn't LISTENING to it more likely).
I have also been using another strategy of meditating/mindfulness (headspace app) where I try to relax and become as comfortable as possible in the presence of the ringing and let my emotions swim past as it were.

However the past few days have been a dip. I became low and very anxious again. Its almost like any step backwards I catastrophise. Im sure many of you can relate to this. I think a lot of this is related to poor nights sleep- the ringing wakes me up very loud during the night no matter how I feel before bed. Im also finding night time masking/ sound enrichment very tough to get used to and am not even convinced if it amps up my T for when I wake up. My brain often struggles to interpret the nature sounds I have playing (such as crickets) and my brain just hears it as fuzz mixed in with the ringing.
Anyone else experienced this with sound enrichment?

Sleep wise, I only get a few hours in a row if using a zopiclone. If I take nothing I tend to wake almost hourly with long stretches awake. Going to work with 4 hours sleep max is possibly taking its toll.
Anyway just hoping for some reassurance that setbacks are quite common and that Im on the right track I guess.

Thanks
John

 

The setbacks are certainly common...