Hello. New Tinnitus Sufferer Here

Hey guys my name is Anthony and Im a New T sufferer since nov.

I work(ed) with music production (rock/metal etc) in my spare time and I had a massive migraine in november after a spending a whole day in the studio. I felt like something in the back of my head " popped". anyways i went to the hospital and got checked out , basically I had told them i had a bad headache blurred vision and ringing in my ear and gave me a CT scan and said its just a bad migraine. and it will clear in a few days etc.

the migraine and blurred vision cleared even tho i noticed i was getting a bit dizzy specially when i turned my head around. I noticed i had a slight whistle on my left ear but I had gone to an audiologist and he said it was something that will clear in a few weeks.

then I went to a new years eve party and it was really loud. and thats where I F ed up Big time as I spent the whole evening in a very loud club and my ears were ringing like craaazyyyy.. and so far its been ringing non stop . sometimes i feel like the volume goes up or down but its ever present.
went to a different audiologist and confirmed i have noise induced hearing loss which is whats causing the tinnitus and the dizziness.

Im in so much despair at the moment as i work in a call center ( struggling to spend a whole day on the phones)and im having a lot of trouble sleeping ( on AD meds at the moment)

The doctor told me the tinnitus volume tends to go down but it might take a long time . I feeel so so so stupid as it was preventable and i basically didnt notice the warning signs...I can only not notice my T when the TV is on but it has to be a bit louder than normal ( I used to watch TV at really low volumes too so its hard getting used to it)

sorry for the whining guys anyways I hope theyll find some treatment for us T sufferers ive read some posts from you guys whove had it for years I cant believe the courage you guys have I was already thinking of some really negative thoughts just a few days ago

 

Welcome to the forum Anthony! Sorry for your T experience. There are a lot of knowledgeable members here that I've found with great advice to share! I too have trouble with sleep lately but I'm trying melatonin which is a naturally occurring hormone for inducing sleep rather than using prescribed meds. May be helping. I've had T for 8 years, lately it has become a little worse but the fight goes on! Hang in there!

 

I've had my T since 5/13 along with hearing loss and dizziness which I have been told is vertigo. You will have good and bad days as I'm sure many will tell you. The dizziness comes from your brain trying to readjust to what is going on with your ear ( this is what my audiologist told me). I didn't sleep for about 4 months from the T but eventually you get used to it and just pass out from being exhausted! It will get better. This support group provides amazing information and has helped me deal with all this in ways I can't even describe. It's hard for my family to understand what I go through but everyone here definately does! Good luck and be well!

 

Hello Sue, welcome. My T since Dec 2013. Either from a high pressure ear wash or TMJ. My ENT and psychologist work together to help. Had a hearing test mild loss. I am on Remeron 15mg and will up the dose tonight since I woke at 4a unable to sleep again. I have a fan at night. I'm watching the 49er game soon and the T gets in the way but need to focus for now. I've left my psychologist a phone message asking about the reason for the higher hissing will see what she has to say.

 

Go Niner's!

 

Hi Jeff,
Niner Faithful! I hate the Hawks! The decibal level at the stadium will be out of the ball park.

 

Hi Anthony, sorry to hear I'm a newbie since Dec. 2013. I'm on sleeping aids Remeron 15mg and was told ok to up my dose to 22.5mg tonight. Haven't been able to sleep the whole night yet. When I wake at 4a is why I need to get a higher dose. A lot of advice on these forums. Keep us posted.

 

**Anthony

Warm welcome

Sounds like you have been through quite an ordeal.

You have done the right thing seeking medical and audiological opinion/s.
Good news your CT was normal.

Have you seen an ENT? Wonder with the vertigo symptoms, if it's worth looking into (to rule out menieres). Others on this board would probably be able to comment on that.

Stop beating yourself up about noise exposure. All you are doing is reinforcing the negative and this will ultimately just feed your t. I am sure your audiologist has spoken to you about protecting your ears. I even have an app on my phone you can download for free if you are wanting a quick estimate at a venue regarding loudness.

Has your audiologist suggested hearing aides to you? Even if you have a mild hearing loss, you might find amplifying the external sound to your ears helps to diminish your awareness of the t and thus, your distress.

Has anyone spoken to you about habituation?

When I asked if my t would ever go away, an audio put it to me this way.........

he said that everyone has t, but not everyone is aware or bothered by it.

t is just a benign sound. it wont harm you.

With a history of a mild to mod bilateral hearing loss (discovered a year ago) and a recent ear infection, this has caused the volume in the auditory cortex of the brain to be cranked up, so now that I am aware of the t sound. The auditory cortex is intimately connected with the limbic system; the area of the brain that controls your emotions. Your brain is hearing a different sound; a potential threat. So, it has turned up the volume so it can carefully monitor the sound. That is where your limbic system kicks in. The more distress and anxiety you experience, the louder the t will seem because your brain thinks it needs to make the t a high priority in terms of monitoring etc.

What do you do?

In the long term; habituate. (the t will fade back into the background where it always was before your awareness became apparent)

Right now, you need sleep.
You are quite dysfunctional when you are sleep deprived.
. go to bed when you are ready for sleep
. make your bedroom a place you enjoy and look forward to spending time in
. avoid quiet environments; ambient sound very important. for some, its white and pink noise apps, for others relaxing nature sounds or relaxing music.
. sedatives can be helpful. hesistantly (but gladly) I used diazepam just twice to allow me to sleep. it really did help. I no longer require them.
. natural sedatives ie melatonin. im sure there are lots of others.
. i use a fan. some have fish tanks in their rooms. be creative. it doesn't have to be music.

www.tinnitus.org.au

have a look at this web site. there is a very helpful section on sleeping.
the authors make a very interesting point about insomnia and t.
they say insomnia with t is more commonly associated with anxiety, not the t itself.
I tend to agree with this now given I am no longer anxious about my ability to sleep.
( i never thought id ever sleep again)

I would also look at sound therapies.
I am not sure where you are from, but I am looking at neuromonics and another sound therapy company that is similar from Perth Western Australia. I also know of another sound therapy that is emerging in the UK called mutebutton that has been discussed on this site.

Distraction does help diminish t, but at the moment you need to sleep. you will feel as you do because your brain is exhausted. So firstly, focus on getting a couple of night's sleep. YOu really need to take that seriously.

Have a chat to your dr and tell them how tired you are, how difficult it is for you to get off to sleep etc, and ask for some sedatives. You don't have to use them long term. just for now, to get you over this initial shock.

Keep us posted.
We are all here for you ok?

cheers
deb x













I work(ed) with music production (rock/metal etc) in my spare time and I had a massive migraine in november after a spending a whole day in the studio. I felt like something in the back of my head " popped". anyways i went to the hospital and got checked out , basically I had told them i had a bad headache blurred vision and ringing in my ear and gave me a CT scan and said its just a bad migraine. and it will clear in a few days etc.

the migraine and blurred vision cleared even tho i noticed i was getting a bit dizzy specially when i turned my head around. I noticed i had a slight whistle on my left ear but I had gone to an audiologist and he said it was something that will clear in a few weeks.

then I went to a new years eve party and it was really loud. and thats where I F ed up Big time as I spent the whole evening in a very loud club and my ears were ringing like craaazyyyy.. and so far its been ringing non stop . sometimes i feel like the volume goes up or down but its ever present.
went to a different audiologist and confirmed i have noise induced hearing loss which is whats causing the tinnitus and the dizziness.

Im in so much despair at the moment as i work in a call center ( struggling to spend a whole day on the phones)and im having a lot of trouble sleeping ( on AD meds at the moment)

The doctor told me the tinnitus volume tends to go down but it might take a long time . I feeel so so so stupid as it was preventable and i basically didnt notice the warning signs...I can only not notice my T when the TV is on but it has to be a bit louder than normal ( I used to watch TV at really low volumes too so its hard getting used to it)

sorry for the whining guys anyways I hope theyll find some treatment for us T sufferers ive read some posts from you guys whove had it for years I cant believe the courage you guys have I was already thinking of some really negative thoughts just a few days ago[/quote]