Hello, Why Is Tinnitus So Miserable?

[Shea Hillard]

Hello--
I am new to the forum as I have never posted before. But I have been a long time follower of the forum just checking posts. I have had tinnitus for almost two years now. Damn miserable thing it is. I first developed it at my job due to loud noise exposure. It started in my right ear and then a few months later moved to my left ear. It mostly was high pitch whistles, morse code, crickets chirping, and electrical sounds. I had to quit my job. Then a few months later I was in a car accident where the other person came across my lane and hit me head on. From that I believe I developed pulsatile tinnitus. This was well over a year ago. It was all miserable to live through but I eventually got though it. Had to see ENT's, GP's, psychiatrist, and a psychologist. I wear hearing protection most places I go out in public. I am always scared to death of loud sounds. My latest issue though is I had to take a treatment of muscle relaxers and pain killers for another medical issue I had. So now my pulsatile tinnitus has spiked and I am really miserable. It is a constant drum beat or heart beat in my ear and is driving me nuts. I hope it will go down once I get off these damn medications. It is so frustrating getting to a certain point of habituation then having something like this happen. I am frankly rather down about it like I was for months after first getting the damn tinnitus. After reading many of the posts on this forum over the months I have seen many of you have gone though these same terrible struggles. Well anyway thanks for reading this and this is my saying hello and joining the forum.
Thanks

 

[valeri]

One of the lady members here had some success in treating her pulsatile tinnitus so hopefully she can help more.
It's not gone but more tolerable for her.
If others know who I'm talking about can you please tag her so Shea can get some advise.

 

[DebInAustralia]

I think you might be referring to Karen....

 

[valeri]

Thanks @DebInAustralia !
It is @Karen, hope she will respond!

 

[Danny Boy]

Hello--
I am new to the forum as I have never posted before. But I have been a long time follower of the forum just checking posts. I have had tinnitus for almost two years now. Damn miserable thing it is. I first developed it at my job due to loud noise exposure. It started in my right ear and then a few months later moved to my left ear. It mostly was high pitch whistles, morse code, crickets chirping, and electrical sounds. I had to quit my job. Then a few months later I was in a car accident where the other person came across my lane and hit me head on. From that I believe I developed pulsatile tinnitus. This was well over a year ago. It was all miserable to live through but I eventually got though it. Had to see ENT's, GP's, psychiatrist, and a psychologist. I wear hearing protection most places I go out in public. I am always scared to death of loud sounds. My latest issue though is I had to take a treatment of muscle relaxers and pain killers for another medical issue I had. So now my pulsatile tinnitus has spiked and I am really miserable. It is a constant drum beat or heart beat in my ear and is driving me nuts. I hope it will go down once I get off these damn medications. It is so frustrating getting to a certain point of habituation then having something like this happen. I am frankly rather down about it like I was for months after first getting the damn tinnitus. After reading many of the posts on this forum over the months I have seen many of you have gone though these same terrible struggles. Well anyway thanks for reading this and this is my saying hello and joining the forum.
Thanks

Hello and welcome! I'm in the same boat, I have very high frequency tinnitus, 15,000hz, and some days, I wish I wasn't alive...The only thing keeping me going are the hope of Autifony's new drug.

 

[Karen]

Hi, @Shea Hillard,

I certainly sympathize with what you've been going through, and then to have your PT spike makes things even worse! I have both tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus, too, but only in one ear (right ear). Four years ago, I thought my life was over when all this started. But now, I am coping much better, although I still have both the T and the PT.

There is probably no one thing that works for everyone with this condition, but I'll tell you what has worked for me. I've been to many doctors and tried many alternative procedures, including acupuncture, chiropractic, etc., but what has worked best for me is:

1. Time: I've had this for four years now, and things have gotten better with time.
2. Distraction: I've learned that if I keep myself busy, and keep my mind active, I can distract myself from the noises in my head. And, when I do that, the noise level does seem to improve.
3. Natural supplements: I am taking several natural supplements that may be helping. Some of them are:
Magnesium chloride - It is calming, and helps with sleep. I believe it helps a bit with tinnitus, too.
Niacin - I take it once a day, and I do think it helps calm tinnitus.
Carditone - In my case, the PT started after taking blood pressure meds, so instead of taking prescription drugs, I've found an alternative that works for me. It is a natural supplement that helps blood pressure, and I think it helps keep my PT a little calmer, too.
4. Exercise: For me, exercise helps with both the tinnitus and the pulsatile tinnitus. There are some people for whom exercise exacerbates their PT, but for me it has the opposite effect.
5. Sleep: Getting enough sleep can make a big difference in the level of your tinnitus, so I try to get as much as I can. It is really difficult to sleep with PT, and I average about 4 1/2 - 5 hours per night, but that is much better than it was at the beginning.

Also, Shea, it may be that after you are able to get off your current drugs, your tinnitus will settle down. It seems as if those of us who already have tinnitus are sensitive to many drugs, and they may set off our tinnitus. My PT sounds like a drumbeat, too, so I know what yours must be like.

Take care, and please keep me posted on how you're doing.

Best wishes and hugs,
Karen

 

[I who love music]

Those are five good ones.

 

[Shea Hillard]

Thanks for all the supportive posts. I do appreciate it. Karen thank you for your tips on the natural supplements. I am going to give those a try.