Hello! Got Ringing on Sunday Night. Been Reading and Wanted to Post for Some Advice.

Hello,

I've believe I have similarly developed a case of what I hope is temporary Tinnitus.

(Because I am stressing over this, I wrote a novel below. To ease your reading, I've bolded the important parts. Much appreciation to those who read through my entire concern! Thank you. Any comments are appreciated).

I am 25 and last Sunday, 12/3/17, I was watching Netflix at home with normal volume from my home surround sound speakers when -- as far as I can remember -- I felt a strange pressure change in my left ear and then a ringing noise. Additionally, noises felt amplified; for example, my cat's meowing bothered me to the point that I had to leave the room. The amplified nature of the noises lasted until Monday afternoon, but the ringing (or really a high pitched buzz) continued.

Previous Exposures / Possible Causes:

I work I.T. at a hospital and spend my time in a quiet office building.

Since 2014, I have worn earplugs to bed on most nights because I consider myself a light sleeper and noise (snoring) prevents me from falling asleep. Sometime it hurt to take the earplugs out

I have not been around loud noises in the past few months. Last week, I went to a local holiday orchestra concert but the sound was not loud at all as it was not amplified electronically and we were far back.

I have been to outdoor concerts (Coachella twice) over the last two years. This may have added some noise issues, but I was never close enough to the speakers for it to be a concern. I have been to clubs, bars, and loud parties... but never had a concern either.

The only thing sound wise that may concern me, and may have contributed, was me being at a Gun Range in September 2017 and taking protection off as we walked away. Someone fired off at a disc and the sound seemed close (though it was not) and it bothered me for a few seconds until I got into the car.

I was recently sick. From 11/11 to around 11/23 I had severe congestion, post nasal drip, coughed up a lot of mucus. I am generally fine now, though I still have a runny nose and cough up some mucous.

I also live in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, which is currently going through unusually strong (25-80mph) dry winds and several wildfires that have polluted the region. The winds began on Sunday night, just when I began hearing the buzzing.

Thinking far back, sometime in 2016 I felt as though I had a similar sound. I felt a faint high pitch noise in my right ear. At the time, I attributed it to a internet router in my bedroom that I thought was emitting a buzzing noise. I unplugged it and after a few days I forgot about it. Not sure whether this was an episode of Tinnitus.

In general, I have always heard a faint buzzing noise when going to sleep or when in complete silence, nothing that ever caused concern. However, this new high pitched noise feels a bit more amplified, or "louder" and more noticeable.

Doctors Visits:

The buzzing didn't bother me to the point that I noticed it the whole time, but it is present. Especially if I focus myself on it, or if I'm in a completely silent room. It feels like it comes from my left ear, but sometimes I feels like its in the center of the ear.

So I went to Urgent Care on Monday (not even a whole 24 hours after it began) afternoon because its across from my work. While waiting I looked up ringing in the ears and learned of Tinnitus, I told the Physician's Assistant about ringing in my ears and asked if its Tinnitus. He explained that Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying problem. He examined my ears, twice. He found no signs of trauma or infection. He performed a informal test where he rubbed his thumbs near my ears and asked if I could hear it, I could on both sides.

He was a bit concerned that it could be hearing loss but he did not feel the need to give me steroids, yet. He asked that I monitor it and return if the sensation gets worse, I hear less, or get headaches. He recommended a follow-up with my Primary physician.

Out of caution and self induced stress, I saw a physician at my medical group on Tuesday (2 days after the noise began) because my primary physician was unavailable all week. The Dr. said she likewise sees no signs of trauma to the ears or infection, and asked that I give it time. A week or so and if it does not subside she will send me to an ENT.

I already saw an ENT for a different issue earlier this year, so I decided to message him for general advice on Wednesday. His assistant wrote back on Wednesday night saying "ringing in the ears by its self is nothing to be concerned with." The ENT is a very nice guy so he called me on Thursday morning. He told me not to worry myself (as I expect all ENTs and doctors generally do). I explained that the primary physcian and PA examined my ears and found no sign of trauma or infection. At this point I had already read enough panic stories about Tinnitus so I asked him if he thinks it could be permanent. He told me he does not think its permanent and it could be caused by a variety of factors (though I am not inclined to believe him). I had my primary doctor refer me to the ENT for another visit and have made an appointment with him and already am set up for an audiogram.

General Health:

I am 25 in good general health.

However, during my visits to the Dr and Urgent Care, I was measured with slightly high blood pressure (probably from stress).

I also have scoliosis as well as khyposis (slight hunch back) with backpain from my bad posture.

I would not consider my self "fit" or "in shape" (I've been meaning to go back to the gym for quite some time).

I did just have a severe cold, from 11/11 to 11/23, I was severely congested (Dr. says its was a Upper Respiratory Infection) with lots of post nasal drip and coughing up flem. I still have a runny nose and sometimes cough up flem.

I also had a cold in mid-October while traveling in Europe. I did fly with the cold (the same symptoms as above).


What it sounds like:

It feels (or rather sounds) like a constant high pitch noise coming from my right ear and sometimes in the center of my head.

When I sit and think about it, it sounds "louder" and more noticeable.

When Can I Hear it:
I can usually hear it when in silence (as many others have stated). It seems most prominent then.

However, I can also hear it over normal talking with family at home when there is little to no background noise.

I can hear it before going to bed, but surprisingly I do not have trouble sleeping.

I have moderate volume music going through my surround sound at home and I can faintly hear it.

Its worst when in complete silence.

I can hear it when using my noise-canceling headphones without sound or when using headphones on low volume.

Its noticeable when watching TV.


What I can feel (other than the noise):
Pain: At times it feels like I have a throbbing pain in the left ear, this occurred a bit more on Thursday night.

Pressure: At times I also feel like I have pressure in both years, the type that wants to make you yawn or relieve an itch in the ear with a Q-tip.

Headaches: Throughout the week I have also had headaches. I had a headache for most of Wednesday. However, I feel like this is due to either to the stress of dealing with the thought that this sound might not go away or the intense winds Los Angeles is having and the pollution from the fires.


When do I not hear it:

I do not hear the noise when outside on the street (however, I have the "urge" to try to "find" the noise and I feel as though I can hear it... I know I need to stop this).

For some reason, I do not hear it when I immediately wake up. I just hear general noises that I have heard for a long time in general (I have read that humans are not naturally inclined to hear "silence." For instance, we hear buzzing in sound proof rooms). After waking up, I find myself with the "urge" of thinking "is it gone??" and after maybe 10-20 minutes of being awake I am aware of it again.

It does not wake me up. I have been able to wake up in the middle of the night and go back to sleep.

I can not hear it when listening to music at moderate levels with headphones.

I can not hear it when listening to nature sounds (rain, ocean waves, etc...) at moderate sounds with headphones.

I can hear it faintly when focused on something (like writing this post for instance) but its much less notice able.


How I dealing with it:

At certain moments I am not stressed out. For example, I seem to be "relaxed" while writing this post.

At other times, I find myself extremely worried. Since my visit with the Urgent Care PA on Monday, I have spent much energy and countless hours on Google reading about Tinnitus. I have read more about people struggling with it for months, years, and decades than I have people for who its no longer an issue. This worries me.

I have even panicked a decent amount and written to my Primary Physician and the ENT (have not had my appointment yet) asking if they have had previous cases of people with Tinnitus and if the noise subsided for their patients or if it did not (I have not gotten a reply back).

I've tried placing myself in positions that make it easier to mask the noise. Last night I went out to a bar with friends, I went on a walk with my puppy. I've watched TV (though I can notice it then).

So in general, its a struggle between self inflicted stress and worrying and moments of "not caring."

The worry:
My worry is the same as many on this forum and many on the internet; will it be permanent? I know that no one can answer this question as its different for everyone. I would hope that it is not permanent. I shall provide regular updates.

Plan:

So far I don't really have much of a plan. I want to go to the audiogram appointment and ENT and see if there is any way he can help. I have set myself up to expect the answer "it will go away, give it some time" with some skepticism.

I had been listening to nature sounds and music to calm myself down. I have also tried breathing techniques and the "reddit cure" / the technique on Livestrong.com of putting your hands behind your head and making drumming noises. Not sure if that helped or not.

Its mainly a struggle to deal with stress. The noise can really make me nervous, but I feel as though its more about the worry of "what if it stays forever" than it is "that noise is so annoying."

I will be trying my best to ignore it.

Comments or advice?

I know everyone is different and I know no one knows how one got Tinnitus or if it will stay or if it will go. I've read many "horror" stories on the internet of people that suffer from this, and I have read a lot of articles on it on medical related websites. So in general, I guess I know what to expect... but I still feel stressed.

Besides writing (and probably bothering / annoying) to my physicians and complaining to my family members I have not posted anywhere until I came across this forum and read a few people's posts. I felt like I might some progress by writing here.

I tend to take the worry some and pessimistic approach. Its been roughly 5 days and I still "hear" the noise, while I hope it does not stay... the posts on the internet have not been reassuring.


Apologies for the abnormally long post. Any comments are appreciated.

Thank you!

 

If I could address your post in random order, I'd start with the "worry" part.

Tinnitus does come in many forms, and so your doctors are right that it's not certain how permanent or aggressive yours will be. Which is to say, worrying about the unknown is natural, but pointless. Instead, educate yourself as much as you can on tinnitus and hyperacusis: the more you know, the better your perspective will be. If you can afford it, get hearing tests and auditory profiles so you have a clearer picture of what's happening. Knowledge makes acceptance easier, on the whole. Not easy, but it beats being bewildered.

I sometimes think that many people's "worry" is actually a form of grief: they grieve because the person they used to be is dead, and this new person has a ringing in the ears that in all probability will never go away. You're young enough, and your condition is specific enough, that there's hope it will diminish or go away by itself: several things in your medical history suggest that your ringing in the ears is more of a secondary issue stemming from other stuff... Bones and blood are both going to affect the body all over the place.

But if not, cross that bridge when you get to it.

Most of all, understand that you are not alone in this. Lots of other people have had to cope with the grief and fear that comes from this disease. There might not be answers for all your questions, but it can be a comfort to know that you're not the only one asking.

 

The sentence above implies that you have had T for a long time now. This means that your ears have been compromised. Once this happens, it takes a lot less to cause a permanent or temporary spike/worsening of your T. When I say "a lot less" I am talking about noises that healthy people won't even notice. For example, I got a spike that lasted over three months after pressing a loud phone to my ear.

If you were not wearing hearing protection (i.e., earplugs) at that bar, and it was somewhat noisy there (people talking or a TV turned on), that is the kind of an event that can lead to a T spike (that might even be permanent).

Some people on this forum believe that they got a T spike (or even that they got T) as a result of wearing noise cancelling headphones (to see for yourself, search this forum). Theoretically, there should be no reason for this to happen, as those headphones ought to generate sound waves that cancel out the sound waves from your environment. To be sure that you are not being hurt by your headphones, consider wearing earplugs underneath the headphones. This way there ought to be no way for anything to reach your inner ear.

Also many people are convinced that people who had ever experienced T should stop using headphones (even at low volume). For more information, search this site for the relevant threads.

This is what ENTs and people on this forum refer to as a "full ear" sensation. It is a sign that your middle or inner ear has been damaged.

If you protect your ears from loud noises, chances are that your T will fade. Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
There is certainly a reason not to lose hope.

I suggest that for the next year you give your body a chance to recover and stay away even from the moderate noises like that of a vacuum cleaner, blender, hair dryer, lawn mower.

Another thing to worry about (and use as your motivation to adopt that safer lifestyle I described above) is that your T might continue getting louder. What you have now sounds like minor T. It can get louder (some people here describe sounds made by freight trains, or someone screaming), and its pitch can change so that it is unbearable. Your T had already gotten worse compared to how it used to be. If you take this signal from your body seriously, you will be able to avoid T continuing getting harder to ignore.

 

@Calipol2009 You probably have at least some ongoing conditional stress. You have a noise exposure history, and with that your auditory system (already alerted)) may have reacted to physical problems within your somatic system.

Scoliosis, bad posture, not being in shape probably led to a somatic reaction from tighten stressed neck or back muscles - mastoid pressure as a cause of high pitched one sided ringing. This can also move at times to the other ear or become centralized. It may be likely that your upper trapezius muscle and temporalis muscle received muscle spasms or at least tension.

Your history to what I have written is the basic cause of tinnitus in 12% to 15% receiving tinnitus. I would take some cautionary measures. Keep emotional and physical stress under control. Drink water. Take some vitamin C. Deep breathing exercises. Take relaxing baths. Be careful with improper physical body posture - no heavy lifting, no extreme forward bending of neck and back. Very soft muscle massage done by someone using finger touch for now. Physical therapy on muscles maybe later. Use ear protection around loud noise, but try to avoid loud noise. Be kind to yourself, spirit and body and take it easy for awhile. Improvement will happen.

 

@JamesNOLA : Thank you for the reply. I tend to be a worrisome person and I realized throughout the day that I can't hear the noise most of the day, but I find myself trying to find it and panic during the search or once I've found it. So I agree with your statement about worrying, I defiently need to improve on this.

@Bill Bauer : Thanks as well. I'll need your advice. However, I was told by one of my doctors that it is normal to hesr a buzz when in quiet rooms or preparing to sleep. So I don't know if I technically had Tennitus back in the past.

As for the noise cancelling headphones, I'd searched a bit on the forms and an a but surprised at the notion that they may have caused this.

@Greg Sacramento: Thank you as well Greg. I dont mean to be rude, but are you a physician? I just ask as I did not consider my scoliosis a potential cause. I have always been afraid of what my bad posture and scoliosis could do. I am wondering whether this is something worth mentioning as a possible cause when I visit my ENT and Primary physician. I am curious if taking strides to improve my posture and scoliosis would help reduce this.



In general I am trying not to spend too much time worrying about this. Most of today was spent worrying, but once I stopped I felt much better. However, I am back to being a worry wart after reading some.of the comments above.

 

From reading the description of your tinnitus, it seems to be a mild case of it. Saying that, your T being new and you worry a lot about it, your brain is trying to figure out if this is a 'threat' or not. This then will cause your brain to perceive T as something much worse as it is. Try to stay away from getting too stressful or anxious about your T as this can aggravate T. Too much stress/anxiety is an ingredient to invoke the limbic nervous system which can cause you function in fight or flight mode and that will cause your brain to zoom on T. But don't be too worried about this. This state of mind will slowly pass as you focus back on living life and get busy with things. As long as you don't put up a painful and emotional resistance to T, and given time of getting used to T, you stand a very good chance to habituate to this mild form of T. Sometimes, doing nothing for T is a good strategy as the author of this success story clearly stated in his story. It is when he stops struggling with T and let it be that the brain will start to ignore T and finally habituate to it. I also include below my story so you know that even as severe as my condition of ultra high pitch T 7/24 and severe hyperacusis, it is still possible to live a good life again. Take care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/doing-nothing-worked-for-me.4778/

If you still find T bothersome after a while, you may consider masking it so you won't get too stressful with it. This will buy the brain some time to get used to the sound, especially if you set the masking sound volume slightly below that of T.

 

Thank you for your reply @billie48.

I wouldn't characterize it as severe. I can sleep fine, and in the morning don't notice it at all.

Its when I'm in quiet that I notice it. As I mentioned before, I have heard something similar when going to bed for a long time. I am a picky sleeper and like things very quiet (I've recently routinely used earplugs to sleep to channel noises). With the earplugs in, I always heard a slight buzz. I once asked my primary doctor if that was normal and my ENT (for an allergy) and they said that it is normal and everyone has it to a degree.

I only began anxious when I realized that I could hear it when talking to friends and family after Sunday evening.

I have noticed that at times I "perceive" the noise as more prominent or bothersome than at other times. Not sure if thats because the noise itself is changing, or I am making myself more stressed or aware of it.

I am going to try to watch TV and relax.

While the forums are very helpful, they have also noticeably increased my stress. I feel as though I should not be actively reading but just checking in once in a while. I will be trying to do this as well.

I have always been an anxious person that stresses easily, so I am trying to figure out the best way to relax about this until my ENT appointment on 12/18 and Audiogram this upcoming Monday (if my referral is approved in time).

Thank you for your help though.

 

Just one question, is there a way to message members directly on the forum? I see a "conversations" tab but no way to message a person with a question.

 

Yes, you can start a private conversation or message with a member by clicking on their poster name/avatar, and then click 'start a conversation'.

Yes, this has been mentioned by some members before that reading about negative posts can make then feel worse about their T. If you find that this is the case, then it is best to stay off the forum for a while, or just focus reading the success stories where you can find more positive messages as well as learning some good strategies from others.

 

Hello everyone,

Another long post but I feel the need to write a bit.

Its now approaching the second week since I first noticed the sounds.

Its sort of been a roller-coaster in terms of mental stress and emotion.

One day I feel confident that I can handle this and it generally feels unnoticeable during the day except for distortion of songs on the radio. The other day I find myself panicking again and analyzing my entire life / last few years for things that could have triggered this.

I saw an audiologist on Monday, and she told me I have "perfect" hearing.

I am still anxiously awaiting the ENT visit, though after reading posts here on TinnitusTalk I am not enthusiastic as for a cause. I have been calling the office everyday to see if anyone canceled and he could see me sooner.

In the meantime, I have also been emailing his physician's assistant. She has been very kind but could not offer much more than "consider suing a sound machine to mask the sound, Tinnitus can be bothersome but it is not dangerous. Work on your anxiety as stress makes it worse. We will see you in the clinc soon."

I also shared my audiogram with the ENT Physician's Assistant and she told me I have "excellent" hearing. I asked about the possibility of hearing loss, and the PA was not too concerned. I asked the audiologist the same thing, and she waved it off and emphasized that I should work on my anxiety.

Last Sunday, a week after the noises began, I either caught another cold or had allergies. I got severely congested again, extreme cough came back, and began to swell (which is why I suspect allergies).

I took Benadryl and found that my ringing subsided entirely. I kept taking it and got through most of the next day, but it returned and was slightly noticeable with the Benadryl. The ENT's office said Tinnitus and Allergies are not correlated and I should not be taking Benadryl for the ringing. I assume the sensation subsided because benadryl makes one drowsy and it may have calmed me down.


The sound itself has fluctuated. It can be nearly unnoticeable during the day (I saw nearly because i'm still struggling to not check in on it). I work in I.T., the office is decently quiet and has lots of electronics... so the sound seems to be similar to a mechnical sound at times. Other times it turns into hissing. It has primarily been on my left ear, however, I hear it from both at night sometimes.

As I write, I am sitting in the kitchen and can hear it faintly as a TV-esque distortion.

I've been able to sleep decently. Last night I was awaken by my puppy, and I could hear it fairly loudly from both ears. However, I managed to breathe deeply and achieve a feeling of "I don't care about this" and go back to sleep. I am struggling to keep that feeling throughout the day.

I've requested the ENT to give me a call if he can to just discuss the possibility of some of the "physical" causes of Tennitus, mainly so I can stop "researching" over the weekend and try to relax.

My immediate family is sentimental and empathetic -- my father has ringing that he's long gotten used to from 20 years ago when he was shooting guns multiple times without protection. Though the fact that he can still hear it when he focuses on it after I ask him kind of dissuades me.

My friends on the other hand have been supportive but are asking whether its a psychological issue and have suggested I see a therapist. While I am a generally anxious person and I think I may benefit from a therapist, I feel as though these types of reactions anger me.


I have tried I Love Music's method of telling myself how I feel every time I hear the ringing but have not been consistent. I will keep trying.

 

I also began worrying that it may have been caused by an oxotoxic reaction. I took small amounts of Asprin (AlkaSeltzer Cold Plus, 2 tablets at 325 each so 650mg). Took it during my two colds, though only for maybe a day or so.

I have in the past (throughout many years) had to take 600MG of Ibuprofen about twice a day for 2-3 days for dental issues. I last took just one such tablet in the middle of September. Never had symptoms of ringing in the ears.

I was always careful to never take it earlier than stated (would usually wait 30 min - 60 min after stated time) to take them.

Could it be an oxotoxic reaction, or would that be more immediate?

 

@Calipol2009 it seems like our T started around the same time and I also am a super anxious person, mine is very high pitched like a tea kettle mixed with a dog whistle 24/7 and it seems to be in the center of my head! I was suicidal the first week it started which was scary because I have 3 kids that need me, I have seen an audiologist, ENT, Neurologist and been to the ER multiple times all have no clue what’s causing it and seem to have the “it is what it is” attitude, mine started 5 days after I had a lumbar puncture which I believe is the TRUE cause of it as I have read that Tinnitus is a side effect. But I also was taking certain meds at the time as well but my gut is telling me I have a spinal fluid leak that is causing this nightmare so I am going to be seeking another opinion at a hospital that deals with these type of issues. I wish you the best and hope you’re feeling better. What keeps me hopeful is that most ppl don’t post on forums because they’re tinnitus is short lived, and I’ve only read a few hundred horror stories which is a tiny fraction of ppl that actually get Tinnitus so I like to assume for most people it subsides on its own. To get me through the stress of it all though I have been taking Xanax which greatly helps and I only take it because my T is so severe.

 

Hi @Hazel

Thank you very much for your post. I truly appreciate the advice.

I'm in a much better place anxiety wise than I was when I wrote this initial post.

My Tinnitus is mild. I can at times detect it in moderately noisy environments, and can most of the time hear it in quiet.

However, I have been practicing CBT, going out with friends, and AVOIDING these forums. I realized that some of the "advice" on the forums from certain people is more problematic and anxiety causing than helpful.

While it does still bother me, I'm working on my reaction. It's just a sound afterall, it does not in any way mean anyone's life is over.

I'v been trying to live life as normally as I always did. Going out, enjoying movies, restaurants, walks, etc. I feel much better.

It went away for a few days and sometimes a few hours a day, or I just wasn't focusing on it and just didn't hear it.

So I'd say I'm doing much better and though I do hear it and hope it goes away, I don't want to panic anymore. Lost too much energy on it.

So I do feel good and I advise everyone to pick a few people to direct message on here for advice and support but otherwise avoid the forums as it can do more bad than good to obsess over it.

I will update my situation as time goes on.

Wish you all the best in 2018!