I'm Travis, My Tinnitus Is 10/10 — Please Send Good Vibes and Advice

Just so I am clear, you perceive noise coming from your head, not your ears?

What do you think has helped?

What do you hear?

Is your head noise somatic? Can you experience residual inhibition?

 

How long/what dose was your course of steroids?

 

I cannot recall. At least 14 days. Several at 60 mg.

 

Yeah, there's a layer of softer noise that's much more in my head than ears. The other sound is high pitch that moves from side to side, I experience that one more in the ears.

But my tinnitus isn't stationary. It moves around and fluctuates, the sounds also changes in character at times.

As for what helped, Lenire reduced the quantity of sounds from 8 down to 2. I also had a catastrophic tone that I've pretty much forgotten about now and Lenire took that out pretty much immediately i.e. after I used it the first time I never heard it again. I'd had tinnitus for year when I got Lenire.

However, if I use Lenire now it tends to aggravate what I've got left so I experienced the good and bad with it.

I've used Will Sedley's sound therapy for about 15 months now and that has helped reduce things a bit more. For example, I can often walk my dog and not be aware of my tinnitus, I can also have conversations and not hear my tinnitus. This doesn't happen all the time but the fact it happens at all I'm very grateful for.

Also, meditation has helped me, if I meditate in a quiet room so I'm fully exposed to my tinnitus, it can almost always reduce my tinnitus volume after 15-20 minutes, I've done this hundreds of times. There are videos on YouTube where scientists show before and after brain scans to show how meditation changes the brain. The video I saw were in relation to chronic pain but my experience is that it can be beneficial for tinnitus. However, it needs to be practiced consistently over time, I think the brain scan results were after an 8 week course.

Hope that helps.

 

@Travis Henry, a review:

Neck problems can cause tinnitus as the neck and shoulders along with the lower areas of the skull and jaw are connected to the auditory nerves. The neck serves to support the head and the skull bones, and damage to these areas can cause tinnitus. Neck injuries can also result in injuries to the nerves of the ear as these nerves run from the inner ear through the neck and to the motor cortex. Nerves are protected by the muscles of the neck and when they are compromised, tinnitus may result.

Key muscles can be weakened within weeks or months after receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. I heard of three per the above; then not having the neck support the head resulted in tinnitus. How many more Moderna cases can there be? Probably plenty. All three with treatment have improved.

Besides sternocleidomastoid and trapezoid muscles having involvement, several other neck muscles may also have weakened. See link to photo of muscles in my post above. Seeing a certified neuro-posture specialist should help. Getting neck X-rays to see if there's possible muscle pressure to the c-spine, vertebral artery (blood flow) and occipital area may be wise.

Was the Moderna vaccine your cause? Not sure, but it's worth investigation.

 

I believe the Moderna started it all. I did get it in August and then noticed tinnitus in October, but only in quiet. I do have a history of noise exposure of course. I got a new bed around the same time period, in fact in November. I was sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic for like 8 years. It had a sag in it where I slept, and I slept on only one side, my right side.... So I am thinking when I got the new Purple Premier 3 Mattress in November, it completely threw me outta whack and possibly be a cause also!?

Thank you so much for your time here. I am suffering so badly from making all the wrong choices here so I am hoping you are right. I plan on getting more exams done ASAP. I want to be one of the success stories so bad. It's amazing how much pain the old ears can give you.

I only got the first Moderna vaccine and then had the WTF did I do moment. My mom pushed me so hard to get it... I feel it and my stupid choices after only hearing tinnitus in silence ruined my life.

 

HI! Do you think the steroids helped kick out some of the tinnitus?

 

Yes. I would agree that my tinnitus resolved as my hearing improved.

 

Hm, has it helped you?

2 mg is quite a lot. I take 0.5 mg occasionally as needed and it does prevent anxiety and depression when taken. I was incredible suicidal a few months back, but we have to focus on life, there are so many good people trying to find a solution.

 

God I hope they find a solution soon cause there isn't much life with reactive tinnitus.

 

It seems to just get worse and worse, it is so loud now with earplugs in that it scares the living s*** out of me. I don't know how many more months I got in me to live like this. Can't get an MRI because they're too loud. Can't drive places because it makes it worse. I feel so lost. I love you all so much.

 

Can you handle a silent room with no earplugs? I think it’s time you take them out, just my suggestion if you’re not around any sound. Need to build up some sound tolerance even if only trying 5 minutes a day with natural outside noise or even lowest volume pink noise.

 

Yeah I haven't been wearing earplugs enough I guess and that's why I've worsened. Been taking in too much regular sound. So hard to protect when needed when living in the city. Even in my own home I feel like I've gotten damaged from outside sounds. These conditions are so hard to manage.

 

Damn bro, that sucks, not sure what can help you

 

Nothing but suffering and worsening since April 27th. Sucks. Life isn't fair. I just wanna get anywhere stable. Even if I'm homebound.

Tempted to go try PRP injections in my AA joint to see if they help. Maybe TMJ area and shoulders. Desperate. I just wanna survive. Just can't believe there is nothing to help us and even herbs can make it worse.

 

The levator scapulae muscle is what connects your neck's cervical spine to your shoulder. The third and fourth cervical nerves control this muscle (C3 and C4). This muscle is most affected from sleeping with the back/neck in a bad position or with sleeping on one side. This muscle along with the sternocleidomastoids and trapezoid muscles can give the head unbalanced support from sleeping on one side. Treatment of levator scapulae and other muscles can lower tinnitus. Still think you have unbalanced head support (page 3 of thread). Forward head motion with computer use can make tinnitus temporarily worse. Moderna vaccine difficulties can be from stressed cervical nerves.

Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment. An electrode is applied to the impacted nerves and electrical stimulation is offered. The hope is that the treatment will provide tinnitus relief by altering cervical nerve currents and transmissions. I would research this for a better understanding - but it's your call and for discussion with a qualified medical provider.

Do you have neck X-rays notations?

 

No but I want to get X-ray notations. I'm so lost on who to see about all this.

Found this place:

https://aritx.com/radiofrequency-ablation/

 

I wanted to mention that I have forward head issues from bad posture (I have developed significant kyphosis in my mid-back over time). I also sleep on my side since I have sleep apnea. I've long suspected my neck contributes to my tinnitus experience, so I chose to see a chiropractor who is helping me adjust my back. My posture has gotten better, and I've been working on my head position while I sleep (better pillow with the proper thickness for side sleeping, and keeping my head from rolling forward by putting a smaller pillow under my chin). I feel these two things have improved the number of better days I experience as well as lowered the severity on worse days.

 

Hello Travis! I'm in the same boat 24/7...

If you have reactive tinnitus and go to a quiet place, do your ears calm down and the tinnitus reduces?

Have you tried videos to help calm you? Have you taken supplements? Massage of the neck and jaw? Just trying to see if you can get any relief!

 

@Travis Henry, your general doctor - practitioner - family doctor or internist probably has a X-ray room with a radiologic technologist to take pictures of your neck. These pictures are then reviewed by a radiologist. If your doctor's office doesn't have X-ray capabilities, your doctor can send you to a nearby imagining center. Let's see if we can work around a cervical MRI with cervical X-rays. I think we can. I will tell you what I think tinnitus wise (non surgical treatment that will improve tinnitus) either from posted scans and/or written notations.

Compassion and goodwill wishes is nice, but if possible, go to the batter's box with proper physical treatment action - let's do it.

 

I wish I could listen to any music or find a quiet enough place for this to calm down.

 

You don't have a quiet house? I mean, you can't, at night, get a quiet space to give your ears rest?

I was curious after being in a quiet place for an hour if the ringing comes down.

Do you use any sound therapy to help mask and possibly reduce your tinnitus for relief?

 

Please do.

Yep, and I need to see scans. Talk to your primary doctor and request cervical neck X-rays. If you can upload the scans that would be great, but will also need exam written notes from radiologist.

 

Can't mask. Can't reduce. Reactive tinnitus. Can't listen to audio without worsening the tinnitus as I've stated. I'm running out of time. I can't believe it.

 

Travis,

Please know that I fully understand that tinnitus is largely subjective and EVERYONE is experiencing it the same yet immensely different.

I'm not going to pretend for a second that i know exactly what your dealing with. All I can do is give advice based on my own experience. Which is still fairly novice (18 months) please keep that in mind.

I can't help but feel like you are overtly punishing yourself for things out of your control. During onset and the the first 4 months or so of my condition I was suicidal AF. It felt like every sound was super amplified and painful even. This caused me to believe I had a form of reactive tinnitus. Some people would suggest there is no such thing but it sure as hell feels that way.

I may be wrong here... but I feel as if you need to let more sound in. Hiding behind earplugs in my experience only served to amplify the ringing and make it seem so much worse. This may not be the case for you but understand why I feel it is.

An antidepressant became absolutely necessary for me to more forward as well since I was severely depressed and beating the shit out of myself. I can't tell you how times I just sat in the shower crying.

I wish there was a way to speed up your habituation. I truly do. Life can still be good. I know it now. Dude I still have bad days. My ringing is still loud and annoying AF! But it's manageable. Maybe I'll never have silence again. That sucks but I'm learning slowly to deal with it.

I know you feel like your in hell. Most of do at times. And whatever you choose to do for yourself, noone here is going to judge you. We are all in this together. Much Love brother!

 

Thank you brother. I've been letting sound in. Way too much sound. Dog barking next door now and it's punching me in the ears.

I wish I had your level of tinnitus. I am in pure reactive hell and calm with it, but it is getting more and more difficult to cope with. It getting worse everyday and being locked in my room and it still getting worse is horrible. My parents stuck me on Lorazepam and that was the worst decision of my life. I am in pure hell now and not sure how long I can make it. These conditions are getting unlivable. Muffs on, pure hell. Muffs off, pure hell. Can't mask anything. Can't leave the house. No peace. No comfort. This is ridiculous. I have an absolutely wonderful life too.

The vaccine is straight poison.

 

This could cause blood flow to favor your right side. Try to start sleeping tilted to left side. Uneven blood from consistent sleeping on one side can make the nerves and muscles on side more sensitive. With this, a noise factor or medication can cause tinnitis to happen easier. X-rays for C-spine may give indication as to vein and artery stress on one side of neck to nerves of inner ear. Muscles and nerves may also be stressed. The vaccine could also cause tinnitus from uneven blood flow. Sleeping tilted more to left side may bring down your tinnitus, but this may take a few weeks or months. An MRA of neck would be ideal, but because of the noise factor, neck X-rays and ultrasound of neck would be very helpful - very helpful for us to see scans (see below) Treatment could then start.

I compared notes with a former associated medical group that includes a tinnitus radiologist, one of two west of the Mississippi. They are in full agreement. If you go for therapy, make sure to mention what I quote from you from above.

Whatever you decide, wishing you the best.

 

I have reactive tinnitus too. Both ears, 2 different tones in one ear react to all sound. I'm sitting in my backyard as the neighbors have a small gathering to try and get some natural adjustment. My ears are squealing! They always do now, that's what's killing me. I will retreat inside soon. But I'm trying to expose my ears in small doses. I have filter earplugs coming tomorrow to help with the adjusting.

I posted this below in your profile page too:

Have you matched your tone on tinnitus videos? Find one that masks, play a few minutes (speakers or VERY low on over ear headphones). Should help reduce the ring for a few minutes to a few hours. It worked for me at start. When ears got worse it stopped working but it masks & calms after an hour. Some people use tracks all night as sound therapy & say it gives results of lowered ring all day. Worth a shot!

BEST WISHES. IF I'M HANGING ON IN TOTAL ISOLATION - YOU GUYS BETTER TOO!

 

@Greg Sacramento, is what they offer here the same thing?

 

I use two pillows - sleep on my side - I push my shoulder under the pillows and this supports my neck.