I Acquired a Weird Form of Reactive Tinnitus on Top of Normal Tinnitus

Hi All,

I got a mild tinnitus after a bad flu 11y ago. 6 weeks ago I woke with with my sinuses filled up and new trouble started.

Tinnitus got louder. After 6 weeks it seems it got a bit better, however the biggest problem is my new tinnitus (which I had since 6 weeks ago, but now I just realised what it is). It's reactive for a second or two to certain sounds.

When I'm in the office (or other indoor area) and someone is opening a door then I hear for a second a spike (like 5 or even 10 time louder than normal tinnitus). It's really annoying. Other sounds include switching light, someone dropping something, people speaking in echoey rooms.

However it doesn't spike when people speak in normal big office, I'm not annoyed by a copier or many other sounds.

If feels like spike happens when some pressure changes/echo is involved.

Has anyone ever experienced anything like that? It's really annoying and ruins my life a bit. I don't want to go to the office anymore

Adam

 

Adam I understand what it's like.
After 4 years of "just" tinnitus I just woke up one morning with my head sizzling and that was the beginning of reactive t for me.
It started beginning of August. I work in dental radiology and I'm surrounded by a lot of noise, X-ray equipment, computers, printers, dental clinic across the hallway with ongoing noises from drills, suctions... nothing dangerously loud but an absolute killer for my reactive tinnitus.
My ears feel almost painful after a day at work.
At home even tv and fridge noise feels like cutting through my ears.
I have no clue why this sudden change.
There are others on board with the same problem but I really understand when work becomes an issue.
Others say it should get better.
Sorry I can't help you, I'm in the same position and I wish there's some solution for this.

 

Valeri, thanks for your reply.

I really hope both of our reactive t. will get better. Have you noticed any changes in reactive t? Better/worse or just the same?

Mine started a month later than yours.

 

Did you get a recent hearing evaluation after this happened?

From your description it looks like it's a form of diplacusis, more common when asymmetric hearing damage is present.

 

Thanks Nucleo for your suggestion. I will have a look what diplacusis is. I went to GP and privately to ENT. Both were useless and didn't do anything apart from looking at my eardrums.

I still don't know how all that happened. I just woke up with sinuses filled up and now my life has changed

 

It also sounds like Hyperacusis to me. The sounds don't need to be dangerously loud, I have H again now and I have checked with my db meter and most sounds which effect me are well under 80db. A lot has to do with frequency of the sounds. Mine came on due to stress and medication issues, no noise trauma at all. Life is very hard now.

 

I still don't know how all that happened. I just woke up with sinuses filled up and now my life has changed[/QUOTE]

Did you mention this to your ENT?

 

Noisebox - it is true that sometimes sounds seem to be louder as I pay more attention, however I don't feel pain when hearing noises. When I'm outside when I hear traffic, my tinnitus is usually masked and I'm not bothered by noise, sirens any more than usual. Also, my T is not noise induced.

Truesilence - I told ENT that I woke up with sinuses and I have louder tinnitus (at that time I didn't realise my T is reactive). He said to give it 4 weeks and said it's likely to settle. Normal tinnitus seems settled a bit (but not to the levels before unfortunate night) and now I also have reactive tinnitus which is quite a problem at work. ENT was more concerned about my sleep than checking what's wrong (I know there are limits, but he didn't do any proper checks or gave suggestions how to progress).

 

It just varies from day to day, my ears don't feel the same as before this started.
Somebody mentioned stress as a possible cause, I did go through a lot of stress end of June so this could be my answer.
Even last year I experienced similar episodes of reactivnes but it only lasted a day or two, it was also during a stressful period so maybe there is a connection.
How are you going? Any improvement?

 

I have the exact same thing.

 

No worse and no improvement on my end. I think mine doesn't react to stress as is the same most of the time now.

Tomorrow I will go to another ENT. Probably waste of money though.

I wonder if it's possible there's something wrong with eustachian tube. Something mechanical causing reactive tinnitus. Something that can be fixed in time. I experience sometimes weird pain deep inside of my affected ear. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. Futile hope.

 

Your reactive problem sounds really similar to mine. Did you maybe find the cause of it? Did it fade away? Or is it still thesame?