Hoping I Will Eventually Hear Silence Again

Hello all,

Been dealing with my Tinnitus for only a couple weeks now, and from reading on the forums 3-4 weeks is not so bad. My Tinnitus has shifted in tone drastically over the weeks however I would never say it was every more than a 5/10 though when I am stressed it feels much much worse.

I usually go to a weekly loud meetup and went to one or two concerts. Never had any signs of issues after that, no ringing directly after those events.

I noticed my tinnitus when I was under a lot of stress prepping for an exam. I recall first getting a loud ring in my right ear with tapered out quickly. I was nervous after that but had to keep studying. Took my test, passed, had a huge sigh of relief and went about my life completely forgetting about Tinnitus. A week or so after that it came back worse.

Since then, within the last couple weeks, I've been all over the place with my T. Went to the ENT and was told I have no hearing loss and nothing wrong with my ears. Went to a primary care doctor and who told me everything looks fine, that I'm just stressed out.

There were days when my T was really bad. There were days when I had no T at all.

I went back to the ENT and told him I was still dealing with this on/of T. He gave me a prescription of Prednisone. I took it and the next day I had a complete day of absolute silence. That same day I got a deep tissue massage which is the first time I ever did one. Next day I woke up with the loudest my T had ever been- or at least that's what it felt like. My shoulder/neck hurt like hell after the massage. The next couple days well still on Prednisone my T is the lowest it's ever been. I feel like when I work out at the gym if I do certain exercises my T gets worse. You can see how hard I am trying to understand my T and find some sort of root cause. I've been taking supplements as well, truthfully I don't know if they help at all but at this point it's worth a shot that it may help.

I know that I have cervical degenerative disc disease. I've had pain in my neck and left shoulder for years because of it and the weight (morbidly obese). I've been working on the weight and so far am almost at 100 pounds down.

I'm now seeing a neurologist who has scheduled me for an MRI, I'll be doing that this weekend. Hoping we'll find something.

Emotionally this has been a roller coaster for me. Not knowing the cause of my T has been the hardest part. Feeling like I need to be the detective because the ENT and GP told me there's nothing they can do. Is it something with my neck and spine? Do I have hearing loss I don't know about? Why does it fluctuate so much from 0/10 to 5/10 (imo) - there absolutely is a fluctuation in severity from day to day or time to time. The best days have been silence and the worst days were relentless at night while crying about it.

Stress and anxiety are absolutely a huge part of it. Anxiety definitely makes it worse. The mental fatigue this has had on me is intense. Sometimes my T is very low or not there but I always am scared I am hearing it. Something a little loose in the fan, the fridge is whining a little because it's making ice, the PC fan is squeaking a little too much- is it my T? Is it changing getting worse? Coming back? Is it there? I didn't hear it when I was outside do I hear it now that I'm home? The anxiety I am causing myself is insane. I am trying my best to stay calmer and keep pushing through. I need to stop googling every single idea that comes into my hear for a cause. I need to just relax.


What gives me hope that I will hopefully one day walk away from this is that there is variation in my T. There was a lot of variation before the Prednisone and with it I've been able to have even a day of silence. I can hope that even if my MRI doesn't find anything that eventually this will go away over time- it just might take more time than I want.

Sorry for spilling my guts. It's been so stressful not understanding this. This mild T is nothing compared to what I am sure many others here have to deal with every single day. Your posts have informed me, some scared me, and some gave me hope. Either way the information is appreciated.

I hope that in time I too can contribute something of value with whatever I find on this journey.

Much love.

 

First of all tinnitus can result from cervical issues and I am assuming that is your cause.
https://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/tinnitus/cervical tinnitus.html




Next let's move on to hearing loss.

It's common knowledge within tinnitus and hearing loss communities that most ENT's that test hearing use really outdated methods and don't care about keeping up to date with researcher, in the majority of cases tinnitus is associated with hearing loss.

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

In a nutshell tinnitus is usally caused by any form of hearing loss but may also be caused by TMD, Cervical issues or head trauma unless you have pusatile tinnitus which is a completely seperate group of vascular conditions just with a similar name.

 

Do you have ear pain, hyperacusis, sensitive hearing or balance issues?

 

So sorry @I_Will_Survive. But your mild tinnitus could very well fade with time. Were you exposed to loud noise recently? Usually the prednisone is prescribed within a reasonable time after a loud noise incident. It can also increase your stress and anxiety temporarily.

Different meditation methods can help your body relax. Just remember to breathe....it is so common to tense up and not breathe which tenses your body even more. I do slow breathing in through the nose slowly to the count of eight and feel the air make your belly expand then without hesitation slowly breathe out through the mouth to the same count of eight. Just repeat this several times.

Congrats on the weight loss!!

I do hope you one day experience silence again.

 

No ear pain, the only thing I can describe is a feeling that my 'ears are there' -- normally I'd never 'feel' my ears but while driving and such I could 'feel' they were there, like there was a fullness to them. I told the ENT about this but he was dismissive, saying he saw nothing wrong.

Hyperacusis? Sensitive hearing? I would say no, I don't think so. I've had no overly negative/painful reactions to sounds around me, at least not that I am aware of. Maybe mental due to my negative emotional reaction, but not 'ow that hurts'

Balance issues no, I worked with my physical therapist for some testing with that and was told my balance looks good. The neurologist had me go through more testing for things like that as well.

No loud noise recently other than normal day to day sound (and city sound). I really do think the Prednison made some sort of impact as following it's use I had a day of absolute silence. Either that or it was a good coincidence. I am thinking perhaps just the anti-inflammatory helped me somewhere. Not sure. I am no doctor. Not that a doctor has helped me all that much yet lol.

Meditation is really smart. I've been listening to some things on youtube. Thinking I might look into some local yoga. The slow breathing technique you've described has helped me a lot too! Thank you for the tips, I need to keep with the deep breathing when I can feel the anxiety creeping.

I am hopeful that working with the neurologist will at least help me. He took me seriously when I explained my T and said it's always possible that issues in the upper snipe can cause tinnitus. I am in a lot of pain due to my condition so either way I think working with him is wise to find relief.

Thanks to both of you for your time and input.

EDIT:

Just as a little extra tidbid, I also have sleep apnea and am looking into doing another sleep study to follow-up on my needs for that. Don't think it's a cause but I think it may contribute.

 

Your tinnitus is most likely caused by cervical issues, please look into that, I linked it above.

I heard if the original issue is corrected it can be solved.

 

Hope you feel better.

 

Thank you Contrast. I hope that is the case and the neurologist will help me more with that once I have my MRI complete.

Thank you!

 

Thanks @ I_Will_Survive (funny I hear that song in my mind when I read your user name was it Dianna Ross?)

Sorry about the sleep apnea issue I agree it could also be a reason or at the least a contributing factor. Do you have to use one of those devices when you sleep?

All in all you have a wonderful attitude dealing with many issues regarding your health and it seems you have a good plan for addressing different aspects.

Please keep posting.

 

Just a quick update. Had my MRI today.

Last two days had no ringing at all.

Today I have light ringing again. Perhaps because I am stepping down with the dose on the prednisone? Was so happy to have no noise the last couple days so it's hard to not let it getting me that it's come back a bit. We shall see if it gets worse or not.

 

Went to my main doctor today.

He pulled up the CT scan of my sinuses that the ENT had me do. The ENT originally said he saw nothing wrong, but now in the report it shows a finding of chronic ethmoid sinusitis.

Doctor thinks this will be the root cause of my tinnitus. He checked my ears and said he saw bulging on the right ear drum.

He was very adamant in thinking my neck and shoulder had no relation to my tinnitus. I'm not totally convinced but I am following through with his advice for now to see if there's any difference.

He has prescribed me more Prednisone and Azithromycin. Took them both 3 hours ago and don't hear any difference.

We'll see what happens, wish me luck.

 

@I_Will_Survive ,
Good luck and hope it helps.
Steam inhalation can help clear your tubes also by loosening he mucus.
let us know how you get on.
love glynis

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I've picked up a steam inhaler at bed bath and beyond which works nicely. Not sure if it's making any difference for my T, though it is nice to use.

My T is still here though it has had a lot of ups and downs and over the past weeks and days. Some days it's a lot more quiet. Overall I was thinking from the beginning it started low, got louder to a high pitched 'eee' noise, and now it's much lower in tone, it's hard for me to tell if it's my T or the AC running.... It's more like TV static now. Last night I could hardly hear it unless I plugged my ears, though I think it is louder today than it was last night.

Since my T fluctuates so much I can only hope I am somehow on a path to recovery from it. At this point I am not sure if it's because of my neck issues or if I have sinus issues per my doctor's thoughts. It disappointing me that my main GP doctor does not think my neck could be related at all, though I feel I've seen evidence otherwise (such as my T changing when doing physical therapy and after my massage.) I guess right now my path is to continue with the antibiotics and see if they make a difference over this week.

I still have an appointment set up for the neurologist to go over my brain and upper spine MRI. He was a bit more receptive to my neck being a possible cause of my T so maybe he will be a bit more diligent in looking for a root cause there. Pushed my appointment back though which is disheartening. Now I need to wait until next week.

Been feeling a bit down today since this is still ongoing. I should probably go outside for a while and not let it eat away at me this week. I am under the assumption at this point that if anything is going to change over time it's only going to be after a 2-3+ months into this.

We'll see what happens. So far it's just been a difficult day.

 

@I_Will_Survive ,
Tinnius can change sound and strength and can effect our mood just as quick but don't let it win the day and try do what you can lift your mood and out in the fresh air.
Easy said than done if feeling down but it does help.
love glynis

 

Hey @I_Will_Survive,

I feel sorry you’re having a difficult day. I’m new to T as well, but i’m on 11 weeks now. I guess I can relate to your story a little since I developed my T after a cold and ear infection. Besides that I have problems with my neck, shoulders and jaw.

I was also very concerned the first month and didn’t notice any progress. I had very few good days with mild T. When i was 7 weeks in, I started to feel a little better and I noticed the volume went down gradually. I now have more good days with mild T (2 or 3). I still have nasty spikes though, but I’ve been told that progress comes with ups and downs.

I used nasal spray called Nasonex/Mometason. My ENT also prescribed Dexamethason for 14 days. After using the Dexamethason, things started to get better very slowly.

I don’t know if this helps you, but maybe I can give you some hope. I know this thing sucks and that it can make you very impatient, cause you want to see progress. But progress comes with time. Give it time, and don’t lose hope.

I wish you all the best and I hope you’ll find some relief soon.

 

Thanks to both of you for the support. All I can do is keep as positive as possible and keep taking this day by day.

Much love

 

Have you done MRI ?
It has spiked many T members in this forums.
Be very careful !

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-spike-after-mri.29032/

 

Yes already did it and it had no impact.

 

I can tell you this much from my over 30 years living with tinnitus. Don't dwell on the noise, don't build an obsession towards the noise. Don't think to yourself, that you must hear silence again. I really do hope, that you do hear silence again. Having such expectations and hopes can possibly bring on stress and anxiety and that itself will steam roll tinnitus and can possibly make it worst.

Let time do it's thing. Protect your ears, curb the stress and live your life.

Bless.....

 

Thanks fishbone for the advice. I know you are right. At the end of the day I have no idea what may have caused my Tinnitus and in the end it may not ever go away. Stressing over it and thinking about it definitely an issue for me, and I'm thinking of seeking some counseling to discuss my OCD-ness with it.

I know that even it goes away or not my obsession with it's ups and downs is not healthy mentally and only making my qualify of life worse. It's a hard habit to break and a vicious cycle. I am not 100% sure what the best way to just 'stop caring' and 'move on' is- but I am doing my best to stay strong and cope.

I'll say that I've never encountered anything as mentally taxing as T. I've never know I'd have so much of my mental fortitude sapped from something so not worth my time. I will do my best to hear it and not care and make positive strides towards habituation. Hoping for it to go away and obsessing over it will not be the way to do it, that's for sure.

Today has definitely been more stressful than the rest and has caused me to focus on my T moreso than other days, probably making it worse.

I again thank everyone for their input and support. No matter what happens I appreciate everyone's time to talk with me and let me know I am not alone in dealing with the mental taxation that T causes.

Thank you all so much, I really do appreciate it.

 

Just wanted to update everyone on where I stand so far with my T.

Today has been a very good day. I do not hear it unless I go drastically out of my way like putting in ear plugs and listening for it. Right now it is very normal. My shoulder and neck pain is doing better today as well and I still feel there may be a correlation.

I had an updated appointment with the neurologist I was working with. With reviewing my MRI he noted that C2,C3,C4, of my cervical spine show disc bulge. Nothing extremely serious but probably explains my pain in my shoulder and neck. He recommended physical therapy and if I can't handle the pain possibly getting an epidural steroid injection.

I went to a pain specialist who I described the situation to. He agreed that upper cervical inflammation and disc issues could cause tinnitus as a secondary cause and recommended I proceed with the epidural steroid injection. Of course he is the one who would administer it so he has a vested interest in my getting the procedure.

I ran the idea by my doctor who asked me very nicely to just get a 2nd opinion from another neurologist. Although he understands I am in pain he thinks that jumping to a epidural steroid injection to be a big jump and would rather I avoid it. I can understand where he is coming from.

I am going to wait for the 2nd opinion of the neurologist if he thinks a epidural steroid injection is a good idea for my overall pain condition and if he thinks there could be a connection between my cervical degenerative disc disease and disc bulge causing my tinnitus.

Day to day my tinnitus is varied. I am logging now when/if my T is more apparent. For example I worked with a personal trainer yesterday and during upper body exercises I felt the T was increase. During times of increase pain in my neck and shoulder if my T is more apparent, etc.

Right now I am calm and relaxed, not feeling a lot of pain today, and thus my T is also lower, again to the point where I don't hear it right now- it has been much much louder before.

I am doing what I can to test my theory that my neck pain is related. Perhaps inflammation related? I have also been fasting which I feel is having a positive effect as well.

Today I have scheduled a Swedish massage. I am going to see how this affects my T to see if there is more evidence of a connection. I've also decided to give acupuncture a shot as well perhaps it can help me with pain relief and my T if they are actually related.

I am feeling very hopeful today. I feel I am actually making progress in figuring out what is going on and I have doctors who agree with me that perhaps my upper cervical issues are related. The thing is my condition isn't THAT bad. I have pain yes, and it sucks- but I've dealt with the pain for years. Why now after all this time would T start to set in as a symptom of this? Perhaps because I started physical therapy in the first place which began upsetting things?

I think the answer will obviously be containing to lose weight and work on physical therapy. Maybe acupuncture can make a difference too. I think the epidural steroid injection is something I will hold off on for now, but ultimately it may be a good idea just for my pain management. I do understand my GP's hesitation though and I will do as he recommend for now while I keep exploring what may or may not trigger my T.

Much love again to everyone for the support here. I am really using this as a place to vent and go over in my head what I've done and where I'm going. No matter what happens I'll report back with what happens and what I choose to do.