I Want to Beat This... But I'm Getting Worse Every Day

So.

Two months ago I developed very faint tinnitus. It was not noise induced—no one knows where it came from. At first it was due to fluid in my ear but it remained even after the fluid drained. But as I worried about it more, it got louder and louder until it became something horribly bothersome.

At first, it was one consistent, low ringing.

But since I got to college, it’s gone haywire.
I now hear multiple tones in both ears. I can’t sleep without white noise. One day, I woke up with a loud static noise that was impossible to mask. The only loud activity I can think of that might have worsened it is that I went to a loud activity’s fair, but there I was wearing foam earplugs.

I’ve been trying to protect my ears as much as I can. I have earplugs and I never go to parties or concerts.

But a new development happened 3 days ago, and I’m freaking out. Basically, I hear a whistling noise over sounds. Like if someone talks to me, I hear their normal voice, but also a sort of metallic, strange whistling over their voice. Or if I’m listening to a song, I’ll hear a piercing ringing noise over the music that ends as soon as I stop the music. I’ll be in a cafe, and a loud ringing will start and end as soon as I leave. Basically, every time I hear something, it gets distorted in a scary way. This morning I woke up with a high pitched static that I can almost feel more than I can hear. The static isn’t loud per se, but it feels uncomfortable in my ears and is impossible to ignore. I know it gets better if you don’t think about it, but how do I do that if everything sounds so wrong?

How can I help myself through this? I’m in college and my normal life is getting harder to navigate. I can’t get an appointment with an audiologist or ent until late November and I’m getting worse every day. I’ve been avoiding earbuds, eating healthy, exercising and trying to get good sleep, but this is catching up to me and impacting me for the worst.

 

how do you know you don't have hearing loss?
ENT's don't keep up to date with any research about hearing loss or tinnitus, they just run a tonal audiogram and say no hearing loss within the human voice range.

 

Do you have TMD, or cervical issues?

head trauma

 

They just gave me a hearing test and told me my hearing was excellent.

 

Not that I know of...

 

they only test 250-8000hz

An extended audiogram test up to 20,000hz and for speech/competing frequencies in background noise
to see how well you can hear in complex noise environments.


Does your jaw crackle or make noise when you open it?

See a specialist about TMD if it does.

 

Actually, I did notice that yesterday. I guess that could be the cause but this was a problem before hand. Any idea why I’m hearing strange noises over other people’s voices? Do you know why my T is reacting to people talking to me?

 

i dont know why some peoples tinnitus reacts and spikes more then others. (no one does to my knowledge)

You mentioned your jaw popping that is an indication of TMD, see a specialist and you might get some help.
https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd

 

TMD/TMJ

 

I am so sorry to hear this. Is it possible you could call up various ENT's and try to tell them that you really need to see the doctor asap? They might be able to schedule you to come in earlier, especially if someone cancels.

 

see a professional about TMD/TMJ

 

How old are you @wonderful9235

 

Are you listening to music through earbuds or headphones? I'd recommend not to listen to anything through earbuds/headphones for the time being.

 

No, I’ve been avoiding headphones or earbuds.

 

I am 19 years old.

 

Maybe. I could see if there’s someone else. Any suggestions in the mean time?

 

Hang in there, it could be that things are just fluctuating because your t is still very early on...with time, it will get better

 

Can you get an appointment with a neurotologist?