Hello I'm New and Trying to Habituate to Tinnitus Again!

[AmyD]

Hello everyone, my name is Amy ant I am new to the forum, I have not been on a forum before and it is lovely to see so much support out there, although I wish no one had to suffer with tinnitus in the first place! I wondered if I could ask a question please? I have had mild tinnitus since being a child (eustachian tube dysfunction) which never bothered me too much. However in June 2013 a whole load of new tones started due to stress I believe and an MRI scan although of course I cannot prove that! I have very slight hearing loss in the lower tones, possible otosclerosis but not sure. Anyhow, after a roller coaster of a ride to eventual habituation, in the last week (possibly due to stress again!) I have noticed a sound which I have actually had before but seems to be sticking around too much for my liking. It is two tone, very high pitched, that pings then dies down to a slightly lower tone and these 'pings' can be longer in length and variable, very hard to ignore, seems to die down completely at night and start to wake up with me in the morning. (I am sorry I am not very good at explaining, I just wanted to give as much detail as possible, all I can definitely tell you is it is very hard to ignore due to its two tone nature!!).

I wondered if anyone had come across this before and if it could be a spike due to stress? I am hoping this particular noise doesn't set up camp as it were, it's always been the worst one and I am finding it hard to habituate again!

Thank you so much for any responses and help it is very much appreciated, I am trying not to panic!

Amyx

 

[dan]

I would say noise exposure more than stress is making your tinnitu worse over time - adding you tones etc, etc. MRI, rollercoasters....are all very damaging- even hearing protection sometimes is not enough if you are susceptible to tinnitus.

 

[billie48]

When my ultra high pitch T was new, it was very hard to habituate to it too, doesn't matter what masking or support I received. The newness and alien nature of the new sound make the brain think it is a threat, or at least it is trying to figure out this new intruding sound. So be patient with your brain. It will take some time to adjust to the new condition.

Don't panic. At the early stage of T or when it hits a new intrusive level of pitch or loudness, a new sufferer will usually be very scared and worry about the future. T is undesirable but livable, even long termed. But at the new stage, a sufferer usually falls trap into thinking life with this level of T is not acceptable nor livable, therefore giving rise to so much anxiety and stress.

This is quite normal reaction for new sufferers. But that will change gradually over time and you will be less stressed about T. You are now functioning with the limbic nervous system which functions in fight or flight mode, and everything about T feels so much worse than it is. Over time when you are more positive and relax, you normal parasympathetic nervous system will return and things will be easier to handle.

Having multi-tone T is a bit hard to get used to but people do get used to it and function normally. The famous comedian David Letterman has 2-tone T. There is a lower hum and a high pitch one. He joked that it is like the Emergency Broadcast system on test mode 7/24 every minute of his life, and he jokingly asked his audience to have some sympathy in this 1996 show with William Shatner who also happens to have T. But almost 20 years later, he was still cracking jokes nightly despite his 2-tone T. So attitude can play a big part in the intrusiveness of T. Take care and God bless.

 

[AmyD]

Dan and Billie48 thank you so much for your responses it is so much appreciated, I have recently moved to a new country for my husband and I have an awful lot of time on my hands and trying to settle in and I see a pattern.

Billie48 that's amazing thank you that explains it all perfectly and I can't thank you enough. That is the state of mind I am trying to get away from. Funnily enough I watched the clip of William Shatner and David Letterman recently, very inspiring.

Dan sorry I meant that it had been a roller coaster in emotional terms, I agree I think the mri didn't my right ear tinnitus, thank you very much for your help.

Thank you both again for taking the time to respond to my post and for your wise words it is very kind of you and has really helped. Mm have I said enough 'Thank you'se' in this message :-o!!

Amy

 

[billie48]

Thank you for the kind words. If our posts can help relieve some burden of suffering for you, it is worth our time. I am happy to help and answer questions as many TT members do. They are heroes and heroines in my book. I have benefited from some T veterans of my time as a newbie so I am just giving back to the T support community.