It Has Been 17 Years...

[Dorian84]

Hello,

I got T when i was about 15 yrs old, I shot a Magnum 357 revolver with no protection.
I blame the guy/owner of the gun and the man who convinced me not to use protection so I can experience
the power, blast....etc

I was DUMB enough to actually listen to him (he was a police officer at the time) After 6 rounds I almost went deaf, my ears were ringing like never before, accompanied by a hissss....almost made me cry.

After 2-3 days It got better and it almost disappeared, but a very gentle high squeal did remain. So years went by and I kind of got used to it, could not here it most of the time except when I looked for it.

Well as I typical teenager / student I partied a lot between 16-25 and offcourseI never used protection when clubbing. Each time I went out I had terrible ringing for about a day but then It went back to my own "normal" ring that I was used to.

Well now I'm 32 and always carry ear protection with me.
But last week things changed, I don't know why but my T changed its frequency or got louder?!
Suddenly from managing T over 15 yrs I went into panic/anxiety mode. I have no idea why this happened?
I was not exposed to loud sounds nor did I have any head trauma, a cold....

Now I am having major trouble adapting to it. Struggling at bed time, at work, concentration...
Listening to a lot of pink and white noise when working, helps a bit.

Is it possible that the ringing has not changed at all but only my perception-focus did?
I did read a lot of literature about tinnitus ...maybe that made me look for it and made it spike.

An advice is welcome,
thank you
Best regards
D.

 

[Matsik]

Yes it is possible, even probable

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. You obviously have a spike. There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including drug reaction or side-effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma, neck muscle problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for the loss of love ones, untreated sleep apnea, elevated stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc. If you have had anything like above mentioned or other reason for it, then you may trace down to the source of the problem and fix it. Hopefully this is the case. If it is purely mental that you really have had some stresses in life that cause you to be more prone to anxiety (which can cause T to spike and bring it back to focus), then you need to deal with the stress and anxiety first. If you need them, try take something to help you sleep better or calm the nerves, and in turn T may be tamed when you are more rested and relaxed.

You can try natural alternatives such as Melatonin, Lemon Balm, Valerian, Hops, Catnips, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Lavender, Kava, etc. You can do google search or check Amazon.com for each of them to know how people review these products, and see if you can take them as a supplement. Check out this site on using natural herbs for helping to sleep or to calm the nerves. Take care. God bless.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/lib...ealth/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia /

 

[MikeL1972]

Hello,

Is it possible that the ringing has not changed at all but only my perception-focus did?
I did read a lot of literature about tinnitus ...maybe that made me look for it and made it spike.

Hi Dorian,

Welcome to the site and sorry you are going through such terrible turmoil with your ears.

If I were you, my first course of action would be to go to the ENT and have him or her check your ears for wax. In addition, it would help to get your hearing checked out. It would also not hurt to have your BP checked. Take the clinical route first to eliminate any underlying causes.

Hopefully, your tinnitus will quiet down quickly. Mine fires up when I do not get enough sleep and or when I am stressed out about something. Good luck!

 

[Dorian84]

Welcome to the forum. You obviously have a spike. There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including drug reaction or side-effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma, neck muscle problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for the loss of love ones, untreated sleep apnea, elevated stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc. If you have had anything like above mentioned or other reason for it, then you may trace down to the source of the problem and fix it. Hopefully this is the case. If it is purely mental that you really have had some stresses in life that cause you to be more prone to anxiety (which can cause T to spike and bring it back to focus), then you need to deal with the stress and anxiety first. If you need them, try take something to help you sleep better or calm the nerves, and in turn T may be tamed when you are more rested and relaxed.

You can try natural alternatives such as Melatonin, Lemon Balm, Valerian, Hops, Catnips, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Lavender, Kava, etc. You can do google search or check Amazon.com for each of them to know how people review these products, and see if you can take them as a supplement. Check out this site on using natural herbs for helping to sleep or to calm the nerves. Take care. God bless.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/lib...ealth/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia /

Thank you very much for the long and detailed answer! Will try some Melatonin first since I already have some (use it for jet lag) best regards

 

[Samantha R]

@Dorian84 hi there! Sorry to hear about your struggles. I too experienced a similar thing to you - not sure if my tinnitus had increased or I was noticing it now

@billie48 - I just did a sleep study and I have moderate sleep apnea. Using a night guard now and that is helping. Having trouble with the CPAP machine, that's going to take time to get used to. Also have some weight to lose being 4 months post partum. Interesting how you mentioned sleep apnea as being a cause for tinnitus. Why do you think this is?

 

[Bobby B]

@Dorian84​

If I were you I would avoid loud clubs even with plugs

Unless you want to join the other "club " of tinnitus sufferers - a Club running 24h/7

Give you ears a rest, protect form noise and sleep well and it should improve

I also got T due to firearms , army and then loud clubbing and more firearms