I'm Effectively Cured but Can't Let Go of Tinnitus

So I developed Tinnitus back in April, it was originally a shrill noise in my left ear (What you guys would describe as a 4-5/10) accompanied by "head zaps" which occurred at night. It has, over the passage of time slowly improved to the point that it is only noticeable in a quiet room and then I have to focus on it to notice it.

Alternatively, if i plug my ears I can hear it very subtly. Weirdly, it tends to come back in force when I wake up in the middle of the night, or alternatively if I don't get to sleep after an hour or two (lying down for periods of time tends to slowly ramp it up - possibly a tmj problem?). It is easily maskable though, and tends to greatly fade after i've been up and about a bit.

The problem is, I can't let go of it. I'm obsessively researching about it and constantly live in fear of it. I also find it very difficult to get to sleep with masking on - because I used to always sleep in total silence with ear plugs in. I have always had some degree of OCD.

My obsessiveness with it usually causes me to find quiet places at work to "check" whether it is still there or not - and it's really taking over my life, when I know that really I should be damn grateful it is barely audible most of the time. I keep thinking "is that background noise tinnitus?" and my thoughts are always directed to what I can hear in the background - even if the background ambient noise isn't tinnitus at all!

Another issue I have experienced - If i sit in a large quiet room it's as though i can "feel" tinnitus - but when i play the sound of crickets very low, it stops. Now, is that just me? is it possible for an ambient noise (such as the sound of crickets) to actually stop tinnitus - rather than mask it, or is it "all in my head" so to speak!

Any tips anyone? Feel free to tell me to stop it and others have it far worse!

 

Your reaction is natural..you want it gone 100%, because having even the slightest Tinnitus is like having a time bomb strapped to your chest..

You never know when (or if) it decides to go off and ramps up from barely noticeable to debilitating.

I'm kind of in a similar boat..mine is still there, but faded to the point that sometimes it's almost gone.

It is the threat of it coming back that keeps you neevous and obsessed..for a good reason.

From what I gather, there here are many cases in which Tinnitus turned from mild to catastrophic in very short time..

 

Everything you are saying is fairly normal for someone with Tinnitus, especially when its new. Since yours is not that new anymore there might be something more to it concerning OCD, but seriously its normal to fear something like Tinnitus like you have never feared anything before. My feeling is that sleeping with earplugs is the cause of your Tinnitus or certainly an aggravator. The brain does not like to be starved of auditory input, it turns up the internal gain knob and as a result Tinnitus manifests or gets louder. I also get the crickets thing, sometimes its like as soon as i press play the Tinnitus literally stops, the sensation everything stops immediately. For the last 7 months i feel like all iv been able to think about 24/7 is Tinnitus and not because i hear it 24/7, just because i find it to be quite terrifying.

 

If your T is almost gone after three months, it ought to be completely gone a year or two from now.

If/when your T is gone, PLEASE come back here and let us know. It will give hope to many other people (who took over a year to get to the stage that you are at now) that it Could eventually be gone.

 

I really wonder what this is. I'm relatively sure it isn't me imagining it - even if the crickets are on super low the tinnitus/sensations stop. Has anyone else had this?

 

During the time period that your tinnitus slowly improved, were you sleeping in silence with earplugs in or were you using a masker?

 

You may want to consider massaging your ears (and areas around the ears. Here's a link to a good video by a man well versed in tinnitus on how to do that:

How to Massage the Ears

Since I first watched that video a while back, I've learned that there's an "auricular branch" of the vagus nerve that goes to each ear. The vagus nerve is a major nerve in our body that has a huge impact on our ability to relax (initiates a parasympathetic response, and takes us out of fight or flight mode). By gently massaging (or stimulating) the vagus nerve via the ear, you can calm many parts of the body. In some cases, the auditory cortex that t is correlated with can be calmed as well, leading to a reduction in t.

There's apparently a "facial branch" of the vagus nerve as well. Perhaps that's why "facials" are so popular at various spas--they are deeply relaxing because of how they affect the vagus nerve. I wonder if anybody has ever gotten up after having a facial and said something like, "wow, my tinnitus volume is lower". I'm guessing it's happened.

All the Best!

​

 

I wrote A POST recently with some tips on addressing OCD, from a variety of different angles. Perhaps one (or more) of them will be of interest to you. -- Best!​

 

Well you're probably a bit like me. I waste time worrying abour what might be. I also obsess on things when it comes too my health.
I have to tell myself regularly that obsessing on something won't change it.
And try and look at it like this. If you are going to waste time monitoring your tinnitus, worrying about your tinnitus and fearing your tinnitus, you may as well have loud tinnitus. It's effecting your life anyway.
Also, although it probably won't, your tinnitus may get worse in the future. So just enjoy the quiet time you have now!
I would love to have tinnitus that I could only hear in a quiet room. So just be greatly and get on with your life!

 

Thanks Bob. That's kinda what I needed to hear. I really need to get a grip and realise that it could be far worse! I get alot of relief when I don't notice it - I'm amazed that some of you guys get by having no relief at all 24/7.

 

Well the truth is, if you had loud tinnitus like I have, you would learn to live with it. It might take time, but you would.
My t is about the volume of a loud TV, and a high pitch screech 24/7. And I spend 99% of the time not thinking about it.
So if I can cope, you should be able to not monitor your tinnitus for 3 days! I challenge you to not focus on it for 3 days. Don't waste time trying to hear it for 3 days starting tomorrow. If you forget, and do it by accident, get up and do something else to take your mind off it. Up for it?

 

I accept. Let's see how it goes!

 

Cool. Good luck. And post here when you've done 3 days!

 

That is extremely interesting. I have Bell's Palsy (face nerve not working on one side) and that has considerably released since doing metal detox. BUT, I am getting pain behind my ears, around the lump and in the crease at the top. This morning I got rid of it with mustard packs but it's back.

 

Hi @Laurie1961,

Did you notice what I wrote about the "facial branch" of the vagus nerve? With your Bell's Palsy, it seems quite possible to me that's where your tinnitus is coming from--or at least being impacted to a certain degree.​

 

Good post Bob.
Most sufferers will not believe it, but it is possible to essentially ‘desensitise’ yourself to your sound,
just like you can to spiders, or public speaking.

The catalyst for me is ‘willing exposure to my Tinnitus at the commencement of meditation sessions.’
Be prepared to listen to your sounds, enter a state of deep relaxation, and drift off regardless.
Jazzer
Dave x

 

Funny....?

Did you indicate Funny - Autumnly ??

 

Thank you for that video.
I'm not sure which part to read but your mention of the vagus nerve and video how to massage it really helps!

I've also applied some of my detox remedies along that line to my nostril (vinegar mustard tumeric coconut flour, clay, castor oil, with noticable improvement, My habit of sleeping on my left side might be part of problem.

 

This is what my T sounds like. It is loud as TV. I cant even make out what people are saying.

 

I get spikes too. Mine is also a 4-5/10, but sometimes goes to 7/10. Especially at night! Or when I've been especially stressed. For me the spikes can last a day, a week, a month(s). But then go back to a 4-5 like you. I don't know why it does this, I'm not exposed to loud noise all the time, I hate loud TVs, usually avoid headphone usage—I'm actually very sensitive to noise, I still maintain a normal range of hearing, even fine noises. So I have tinnitus, by normal hearing. I've found ENTs unhelpful—at least my first was, so I never went back (My dad's ENT is a saint, never gone to him, maybe I will). Don't put out going to an ENT though, they can help.

Give it time—it might go away, since you've not had it too long. If not, there are alternative methods to help, this forum is full of them. As for me, I've just accepted it, had it for 5 yrs—have spikes, hate them, wait for them to go away. I think environmental issues cause my spikes, but that is not what you are asking about. You can try talking to a therapist, or phycologist, I did this to 'retrain my brain', to help condition my brain to 'think' about it less. There are therapies for such things—where the noise doesn't essentially 'go away', but you can 'train' your brain to think less about it. Not sure if that makes sense, it's like a 'pavlov's dog' type thing.

Hope this helps. This forum helps me. Many people here have had it for years. Some severe, some not. I try to disassociate myself from it. But my coping techniques are mostly psychoanalytic, conditioning, etc. I'm on a lot of meds for something else—maybe some have made my T worsen, I don't know, but what I have is worse than my T, so I trade one demon for another, my other condition could ruin my life in a literal sense if not treated properly (not saying that T cannot be debilitating), even with my horrid T.

Exercise helps me too, a lot. I'm an avid cyclist—going outside, even if I can hear the blasted noise, I hop on my bike or go for a run. But I've had a lot of time to 'habituate'. I like to get as much daylight as possible and try not to stay up at night too late (like now). Spending too much time without natural light can worsen depression and also put more focus on the things that are troublesome in your life.

Best of luck.