How to Cope? — Loud Tinnitus & Not Sure How Much More I Can Take

I posted about myself but I don't know how everyone gets support when audiologists, Drs and ENTs (I still haven't been able to see one) don't help. It was suggested to me to wait in ER for an ENT and make up a story. I don't know if I can do that but if it is really bad like this moment, I could probably try - although, it will be torture to sit in the ER room which will likely be loud with crying babies and noise for three hours - that's if I am lucky, I will only have to wait 3 hrs. I was told by a friend I have to go at 6 am in the morning during the week. This would be the plan to get steroids.

But, here in Canada, Drs don't want to do anything if they 'don't know you.' - and I suspect since I have no info on me - they have no hearing test or anything - they won't want to do anything. I have to say I hurt my ears from an alarm. Then, they will do something?

Right now, I was told to have distractions - sound all the time - whether external stimuli like people talking, going outside or soothing music - I guess that's especially for sleep. I was going to try to convert mp4s/YouTube videos to mp3 but having trouble. I am a 'tech' type of person, too. That's how much this is destroying my concentration.

The sound is so loud sometimes, like cicadas or constant buzzing noise, a fast speed, and who knows when it will settle down - these are called 'spikes?' I don't know how much more I can take. I am trying to eat well, switched to tea and the occasional decaf coffee, taking vitamins, C, E, (was going to buy A and Zinc), Magnesium and was going to look in a herbal store for something to relax me - I don't want any prescription drugs (that are ototoxic).

Why can't the medical community look at this thing as 'the brain and ears' 'miscommunicating' instead of wasting money on other things? I am just ranting now but I think it's amazing how some are able to cope. I just want to end things because it's just unbearable. These governments and medical professionals should be able to be sued - if people commit suicide, they should shoulder a large part of the blame and responsibility. It's so horrible how people are just ignored and neglected like this.

 

It's so hard to get into an ENT on such short notice, man. Like with referrals and not having any prior issues of hearing before it is so very, very hard, and I was actually insulted when my physician was like do you have an ENT when no one really talks about having one, or hearing problems, or having an annual audio test like eye tests and other shit. It's mind boggling, and I'm sorry it's taking you awhile, and if you do go with the plan of going to the ER, make sure it's one that has an ENT/AUDIOLOGIST within the facility? You can link the hospital you're planning to go to and I can check it out if you're unsure, but if you go with one not there, it's a higher chance of not getting help from just an LN/RN/or whoever else they have walking around. I really, really hope you get the help and assistance you deserve soon.

 

ENT's can't do anything unless you need a hearing aid and outruling an 8th nerve tumor, just go to a GP for steroids.

 

My GP didn't want to prescribe it. He refused. He's worried about side effects and doesn't think it's needed - typical GP. So, what do I do now?

Do you think it's okay to use those 'tinnitus videos' on youtube for help - for sleep? I was just waiting in silence before and it would take a while - hour or so - I wasn't counting/timing it until it got quiet enough to try and sleep. There would usually be some static or white noise I heard - but it would be quiet enough and I could sleep. An audiologist didn't agree with that strategy so I tried finding a sound/noise that would do the masking stuff. I found two although I think I still had buzzing but it eventually was masked enough or quiet enough. I don't know which steps/strategy to take.

I just want some 'quiet' times and still waiting - I had some yesterday and some rare ones last night but not since.

 

I forgot to add, in the YouTube videos, in the comments, some had theories about how the brain is malfunctioning and was rewired - and needs to be rewired again. Is that accurate - or do you know what they're talking about? When there's talks of 'cures' here and online, including 'devices' - is that a hope for rewiring the brain so the tinnitus 'dies down' / fades etc.? Is that what they are hoping for and do they have some sort of clue about this?

If we are hoping for 'healing' - is that the ear (inner and?) itself healing and the brain rewiring on its own or is it just the ear healing enough - that the brain is not reacting or? I know links have been posted but it's complicated to me. It absolutely scares me that the brain is so messed up (from damage/nerve issues), that it's doing this - and we have no control except not to be stressed and various 'treatments' - some that are alleged to have work/ed and some that supposedly don't work. It makes me depressed because I am putting all the hopes in healing but it's a 'wait and see' and that produces anxiety in itself.

I so wish I stayed away from unnecessary loud noises - I never would have went to concerts etc. or ever considered loud factories. My work is another issue/question which I'll ask later because I so value opinions on here. If I came here when it happened, people would have suggested to get steroids and maybe the ER idea would have worked because my ear problem was at its worst then. Is it still in the possible time frame because I fear I waited too long but I was thinking of going Monday at 6 am.

 

I got a trigger from a loud screetching sound in a grocery store - the overhead speaker announcement.
I should have been wearing plugs?

Can anyone comment? Today was pretty good until then - the buzzing is a lower volume, slower and I was wondering if this was the fading' I'm told about. I was wondering about that because I usually don't go this long without really bad buzzing - it was frustrating and annoying from 8 last night - but, I used a 'masker' on my phone and it was pretty quiet considering for part of the night and some parts in the early morning. It was tolerable for most of the day but what I noticed (I don't know if keeping tabs on it so much is okay or not but I find it hard not to) was the lower volume and the buzzing was really slow or not there as much. The 'cicadas' noise wasn't there or at least, not at the same high volume.

I'm scared to have a setback but maybe it's just a trigger?

 

Any advice for me, in general? :-(

 

Don't focus on it. Focus on healing YOUR ears and letting them recuperate.

 

wait for neuromod and other medicines to regenerate hearing, in the mean time the best goal is to not get worse and try to be somewhat productive in life.

 

I'm trying not to but the noise has been excruciatingly bad. I have had only some moments of relief and mostly in the form of it calming down for brief moments. I so want yesterday morning's moments - I thought it was improving.

I can't sleep because of this and before I was able to manage to - even with some difficulty but I did find sleep periods. I only got 2 hrs so far.

 

I absolutely agree with you, because there is no obvious evidence of their idiotic damage, it’s swept under a big carpet. I think half the time they’re clueless!

 

What about Susan Shore's device? Can one try both? I don't think I can wait though - these are supposedly available at the latter quarter of 2019 and maybe not even until 2020.

 

Hearing loss restoration may not be available until 2023+, maybe near 2030 and I'm not losing hope.

 

It's spiking like crazy - right now. I only slept 2 hrs. I want to kill myself. Is there any chance of this settling down soon? I hate myself for going in that store and for that **** announcement speaker screeching - for not wearing earplugs.....

This is practically as bad as the first day except not as loud but pretty close - it's torture. Why can't the people administering these studies just ask if anyone wants to volunteer to use their devices? I think many people would volunteer.

Sorry for rambling/ranting but I am being tortured right now. I want to die if it won't stop.

 

It will fade over time. You're still very new into your tinnitus onset, so your ears are like newly bare, which is why it spiked again to the near levels of your tinnitus screech before. Mine did the same with family yelling and car honking. But I just gave it a week for it to simmer back down < -- second week, and now it's steadily getting lower and lower, lower than the crying and eeeeeeeee it was when it started. You might be having a spike right now, and it might last awhile because your ears are newly damaged to the point of having your brain produce the sound. Breathe in, breathe out, try to give yourself a month to determine if it's lower, or higher. Getting better, or worse. You can't measure it every day, because you'll get excited it's low one day and be extremely happy and hopeful, but then the next day it can be high and you're just disappointing yourself. Are you taking Magnesium? <-- This has helped me tons.

 

I read a study somewhere that Magnesium had better hearing loss recovery than the steriods taken within the acute stage somewhere on here. Wish I could have both. I have an ent apt coming soon, so I'm hoping I can at least get an ear injection before 30 day onset, or 90 since some people said that was still effective for them.

 

It finally settled down somewhat (lower in volume but still a fast speed) at 11 am. It was tolerable until approx. 12:30 pm so almost an hour and a half with some relief (if you can call it that). I could still 'hear it' but it was much lower in volume.

I know I'm 'just disappointing myself' but I can't help it. It's natural do this? Isn't it? Even though, it's psychological self-torture but the T itself is torture.

I am taking magnesium. I take 3 capsules (Citrate: 150mg) but I try to take them early evening before an attempt at sleep. I was going to get Vitamin A and Zinc - I read that Zinc (besides Magnesium), in particular, helps?

 

I also take three capsules. But I take one in the morning, one midday if I think a noise is too loud, and one right before I sleep. Get whatever you feel will help you. Just protect your ears, but don't try to over protect.

 

What about vitamin D? it can be hard to get good levels of that.

 

@PeteJ -- Sorry to read how difficult things are for you at the moment. Just to mention, what you wrote above is actually incredibly encouraging. Look for any number of small tips such as nutrition, reflexology, TCM, etc. on this forum on how you can facilitate small improvements. They all add up. -- All the Best...

Here's a POST by a woman who got great help from Ashwagandha...

 

I know it makes us so panicked. Start with understanding it won’t kill you. And that obsessing over it makes it worse. Do anything that calms you while you are getting medical help. I got GP to give me a xanex script for the panic attacks. Then try meditation, white noise and exercise. You will find that once you learn to distract your mind it is tolerable. Then proceed with the ENT process. Take ear plugs to the MRI. There are hearing aids that have features for tinnitus. I still have it and am proceeding with diagnosis. I find at night melatonin and Benadryl helps shut it down to sleep. What is discouraging is that people that have success don’t come back to this forum to tell us.

 

But, the most recent update - I went into a grocery store and a screeching announcement on their overhead speakers caused a spike and the fast 'cricket' sound and now I'm in hell again. I had it settle down only a few moments today. Once, this afternoon, around 2pm or so at my veterinarian's - it went almost silent or at least I couldn't hear the low volume buzzing - which happens on occasion but I don't recall hearing even that.... it was strange because it was somewhat loud there with a dog bark. But, nothing there bothered me and it settled right down.
But, now, about an hour ago - before 6pm, it's haywire again and I just want to die. I can't sleep when it's like this. I don't know what to do - how do you mask it when it's haywire? It's so damn loud and fast - the cricket/cicadas noise. It's torture. I hate that this brain is messed up. It was settling down at night before the store incident. I want that again. :-(

 

I don't know what to use when it's like this - the constant speed, loud noise of 'crickets'/cicadas - how on earth do you mask that? I tried with a standing fan last night - I thought that fan was loud but it didn't matter. I don't even know 'what set it off' this time - it seems to do this around the same time for some reason. Before, it would calm down just before I'm trying to sleep but last night, it didn't. I tried meditating, trying to focus on the fan noise, relaxing/with an app on my phone - there's various 'environmental sounds' to choose from and nothing mattered. The T is just too loud and fast.
The ENT should refer me for an MRI? The hearing aids here are thousands of dollars.... I don't know if it will even help when it's like this. If there is any relief from hearing aids, I don't know if I should just spend the $$. But, some people here think it's just a waste of money and I was inclined to agree with them. I just hate this. :-(

Is there anything that would 'knock me out for sleep?' I would prefer something natural / something herbal that would make me so sleepy despite the noise....I wonder if there's something that would make me so drowsy, it would make me sleep despite the T being 'this bad.' I need a tranquilizer or something. But, GPs won't do/prescribe anything helpful or useful.

 

Yeah, maybe I should get vitamin D, too. Sigh.

 

You T is very reactive right now. Many stores are loud, so need to wear protection if you go there. You keep reinjuring, and this is getting worse. Those store loudspeakers can be loud if underneath them.

 

Hey sorry about that screeching incident. Hopefully this spike will calm down.
Have you tried melatonin for sleep??
Also, you can get a sound machine like this one which has different natural sounds to help you sleep.
Is the one I have.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HoMedics...MI8f79j_3p4AIVGIrICh3auQE8EAQYAiABEgLsVfD_BwE


An MRI is pretty loud, if I was you, I would postpone that for a while until my ears settle a bit.

Hope you feel better soon.
Once

 

You may want to check this out:

Tinnitus Sounds Off After Trip to City — And I Was Wearing Double Protection
...Seems like things almost always "happen". Like being in Home Depot, all of a sudden loud, piercing "beeps" in the next aisle from a forklift...
Post by: Lane, Feb 21, 2019 in forum: Support

 

What's getting worse? My T - but, it's not worse permanently, I hope? My theory is that it's especially sensitive or reactive to higher frequencies or high pitches - so any screeching sounds. It temporarily spiked due to someone braking (in their car), while I was walking the dog ( wasn't wearing ear plugs). The problem is that they need to replace their brakes - and that is why when they were braking, it was a particular screeching sound - I think you know what I mean?
Also, I think my computer fan(s) seem to trigger it, at least, the speed goes faster if not a spike as well. They are not the most quiet and I was in the process of building a new computer before all this happened. Maybe I should invest in some 'quiet fans' (Noctua) or something - if it's worth it.
It calmed down at some point - although, it was difficult to mask out - I used my app - it seems the fan couldn't mask it and the app being quiet but having a few sounds mixed together - allowed it to calm down enough to sleep? I dunno....

 

Good point about the MRI being pretty loud. I don't know if I would be referred for that anyway.
I haven't tried melatonin.
I don't know if the sound machine will help but thanks for the suggestion. Currently, I'm using my phone and it's the same concept. This is the app I'm using:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gnresound.tinnitus&hl=en_CA