It Seems to Be Getting So Much Worse :(

I've had t for almost 3 months from a very loud gig.

It started off very bad for a week or two, I then took steroids and it improved. I was starting to get used to it and it wasn't bothering me much. Now it seems to be getting worse.

I got back from norway 5 days ago, about a 2 hour flight. This didn't seem to have an affect but since then it seems to be getting worse and worse and I'm really starting to get into a mess again

I'm just scared it's going to keep getting worse until I can't live any more. I'm only 22 so surely this T will get worse and worse? I know people habituate, but surely it gets worse in terms of volume in almost all case?

I haven't gone to gigs or anything. I go to football/soccer matches but wear ear plugs. I can't think of anything which could have affected it.

I'm so scared

 

T will most likely remain a royal pain in the ass, but there are people who have been living with the ongoing sound in their head for decades. It might make you feel bad, but it can not and will not break you.

 

Everything you said has been said before. So, regarding a person with tinnitus, you're in the normal category. And like us, you'll probably have your ups and downs. This is a good place to be - this forum.

 

I can't deal with this seriously it's so much louder and a new noise, it's causing me so much discomfort. Just woken from my sleep for the first time since taking steroids panicking

 

I know it's hard not to panic and be anxious about your T but anxiety/stress makes it worse. When I had a spike in my T which is mild I went into panic mode and worried that it would keep getting worse like you as I am also only 22 but the spike was caused by fluid in my ear. I think it's important to go to the doctor and also have you had a hearing test? Your T is in the very early stages so there is every chance that it will fade into the background over time. It will get better, you just need to give it time

 

Thank you for your support.

I've had a hearing test which showed my hearing to be perfect. It started straight after the gig wth a muffled left ear. It then went to my right ear too. Over the past 2 months it's been improving but since tbe flight home it's got worse and the noises have changed, much more intrusive, higher pitched like screeching and constantly getting louder and quieter. Also impossible to mask which I have been doing I was really starting to get on with life but now I feel rock bottom again. I've just made my self very I'll tbrouh worrying too, as I've just been very sick.

 

It's great news that your hearing test has come back perfect Mine did too & I have had this for a year now and it hasn't got any worse and has faded into the background to the point where I can sleep in silence! I think it's possible from what I've read that the flight could have caused a temporary spike but I very much doubt that this is a permanent change & it should go back to its normal base level...you just need to give it some time. You can download an app called NoiseBox which plays white, purple, blue noise etc which may match the tone of your tinnitus to help with sleep I also find sleeping with a hot water bottle helps too! As your hearing is perfect and it's so early on its best to try and relax as much as you can

 

I think it's more of a case that the hearing test didn't test high enough! It's just frustrating as I've been dealing so well with it and I'm scared it will go back to it's original level permanently which would be the end of the world, literally! It's great to hear yours has faded into the backgroud. I have a dehumidifier which sounds like a fan which had been helping me, but this new T seems to over-power it.

 

You know steroids will increase your pulse rate and make you generally nervous, right?
One time after a steroid shot, I had to return to the doc, my pulse was approaching 140. That's nervous.
The pills always make me shaky and nervous. The doc says, "That means they're working."

 

I don't think they tend to test higher than 8/10hz which is annoying! I know I was dealing fine with mine and never noticed it but then I got fluid in my ear and all the anxiety came back again but it definitely got better again as the anxiety improved!

Anyway just remember that the vast majority of people's tinnitus gets better in time & try to keep positive!

 

Yeah, it is a bit of a pain as I think that's probably where the hearing loss is! Anxiety definitely seems to make it all worse, but it's hard to break the vicious circle.

Yeah true! Thank you I just constantly worry about it getting worse permanently, people habituate to it but I do wonder if it actually gets worse or if they're just getting used to it if that makes sense?

 

I'm only 22. And so many peoples T seems to get louder in time. I know people habituate, but surely In almost all cases it gets louder over time? As mine was noise induced too.

I just see it as it will continue to get worse until I can no longer work or have a life and the only way out will be to end my life.

I know it's wrong to think like that, but I don't see any other way?

 

It is hard to break the cycle but you will eventually! I was the same, had a complete meltdown (even considered ending it all) cause I thought how can I live with this & 'what if' it gets worse. I have a very good doctor though who was really understanding which helped a lot. I also went to the tinnitus clinic which is where I had my hearing tested & from the results she said my tinnitus isn't noise induced but I still disagree.

I don't think it will get worse permanently unless you have exposed yourself to a lot of loud noise which I doubt just going to one gig and you have good general hearing. It's obviously important to wear ear plugs if you go anywhere loud from now on...I still go clubbing occasionally but haven't had any problems or loud ringing after with plugs in

It's possible that some peoples tinnitus does get slightly worse but they just get used to it. I really think that everyone is different & everyone's experience with T is different. I know when I habituated the first time I could tell straight away that my T had gotten louder when it did, it was like a party going on in my head when I was in complete silence haha thankfully it has gone back down to a sort of static sound.

I hope you're feeling a little better than yesterday

 

Sorry to hear you have T. I can empathize with your concern. I had T since 2002, and in 2010 it started to get worse, I finally crashed in Aug of last year. I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say I was at the point of being suicidal. I'm still going. One small step every day. My experience is mine, yours may be different or the same. It just depends on how you react to it. If it gets worse you will have to adapt to it, simple as that. It may be a life long process, and chances are IF it ever got worse, a cure might be available. To fortune tell or catastrophize will only make things worse. I know, I've been there. No one knows their future, 40 % of people live in the past, 50% live in the future, we are on autopilot. So strive to be one of the 10% who live in the present, and make the best of the time that you have. Anxiety, stress, depression, rumination all will make your condition and your mental health worse. I know this is easier said than done. But I am not in the dark place I was back in Aug, I am no longer working either, but I have begun to adapt, along with the other chronic illnesses I have. Hope this helps.

 

Geg1992 hang in there as time passes it will seem to get better it does for most of us....I too came from that dark dark corner of my life. I still suffer with this T beast but time has allowed me to put up with it more and more and my days now don't seem as dark as they once were. You are still very young it may even go away with time. Only thing I can say at this time is be kind to your mind it helps to think that you will get better and if you don't they'll be a cure around the corner....Don't lose hope stay strong

 

I got careless a few years ago and my T went way up but then back down again. I was around some real loud music. To my surprise, it went back down after a while. I'll never do that again.
I've had T for 40 years. I thought it would get worse overall through the years but it didn't.

 

That's very reassuring, has it not changed much except the carelessness?

 

Yeah that's true. What makes you think its noise induced?

I don't think I'll ever go clubbing again to be honest, but it will save some money at least. Good to hear you're stilll enjoying yourself despite the T! The loudest place will probably be football, but i wear ear plugs there! Also I'm going to Disneyworld which worries me as its bound to be loud sometimes.

So did yours to up for a bit then come back down again? And what triggered this?

I am feeling a bit better thanks, I'm just so scsred for the future as I've read about people's getting bad and having to quit their jobs etc which scares me.

Hope you're okay? Good to see someone else from England! Well not good that you have T but you know.

 

I went clubbing every weekend! I would get the loudest ringing after so I know I must have caused some damage. It took a lot to make the T permanent though & unfortunately you don't take much notice until it stays luckily it's still only mild & I have good hearing.

It got louder when I had fluid in my middle ear but yeah definitely went up & then came back down again. Some people do have such severe tinnitus that they can't work or function normally but the majority of people living with this are fine & I know a few of them in person it's crazy how many people actually have this & you wouldn't know unless you asked them 'cause generally people just don't talk about it.

I asked my doctor the same thing about it worseing with age & he said tinnitus doesn't work like that remember not everyone who has hearing loss has tinnitus as well!

Yeah all is okay! Started a new job today as a sales coordinator so been a bit anxious! I can't wait to settle in already

 

It's the same here! Every time I went clubbing or went to a gig I had ringing and thought nothing of it! Everyone thinks it's normal and fine whereas its not! Mines actually quite bad at the moment I hope it settles as its close to making work a struggle.

Ahh I see! Yeah that's true actually, quite a lot of people on my Facebook have it and juust get on with it, luckily for them it doesn't affect their lives much. It's just sleep where It affects me really. I hear it all the time except sometimes at work but it doesn't bother me then.

Oh really? That's reassuring! Good luck with your new job! I want to move jobs but whenever I get the confidence to, this T gets worse

 

Whether it worsens with age, or for other reasons, I cannot say, but here are some some statistics that I recently compiled on the matter (N = 802):



Source: www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-talk-mini-survey-results.7904/

I often hear the saying that those who can be found on tinnitus boards are the "worst cases" amongst tinnitus sufferers (because otherwise we wouldn't be here). However, whenever the staff of TinnitusTalk sends out newsletter updates, for instance, we tend to see a surge in former members returning to the forum (at least for brief while). So perhaps, it is not because people necessarily improve, but because staying on a tinnitus forum (as an active member) has little value when nothing can be done to improve the condition/suffering itself.

So the idea that tinnitus improves - over time - is not necessarily true. We just tend to think it is.

Having said that - and in my own personal opinion - I believe it is entirely possible to see a mild improvement, or at least maintain a status quo, if a person is disciplined with respect to noise exposure and the regular use of earplugs (as required)

attheedgeofscience
23/FEB/2015.

 

Just want to say "Thank You" to you and the rest of the staff (@Markku @Steve H @jazz @Hudson) for putting things like this together. In a sea of questionable information regarding Tinnitus, it is so fantastic that you are "putting the feet to the fire" of the subject and getting real information like this. I highly doubt I would be as far along in regaining my "happy" state without you.

Thank you.

 

It's got even worse now, like when I first got it, I can't live with this

 

What does it sound like? Can you mask it to take off the edge for now?

 

It started off a constant high pitched tone. I quickly got used to it and was happy again, thinking it would not cause too much of a problem.

I've noticed that in the past week it's been getting continuously worse and a new sound has mixed in. I wouldn't know how to explain it, but it's sort of a whooshing/electrical sound which gets louder and quieter constantly and is very obtrusive and sharp, almost painful. If I try and mask it, the noise is gets louder, above any background noise. Today, I also seem to have developed H which is painful and I don't understand anything about it. This just seems to have come out of nowhere! It's been so nice the past month, only mild, until now. I'm now losing sleep again.

 

Also, my ears feel muffled today. Wondering if the T and H increase is due to a cold which is forming?

 

I think the statistics would look quite different for the general tinnitus population. Many join forums due to the fact that it actually worsens. I cant even count how many threads that contains "Ive lived with this for many years, and it has recently worsened, so Im here for advice". You can therefore expect a higher worsening rate on forums like this. I also think there is a correlation between going on forums and worsening your own tinnitus. People who visit forums often makes a big deal of it thus giving the tinnitus attention, wich can lead to worsening. I think i saw statistics of this from a general perspective in the questions and answers thread from the british tinnitusasosiation, and the numbers were quite different. The worsening percentage was much lower, and the improvement rate was higher

 

Being honest, T really isn't the worse thing that could happen, it never usually is. You can survive and live with it. And still thrive. The first thing that is important is to come to terms with it. Despite how uncomfortable it is eventually your brain learns to ignore it. Silence and too much noise will intensify it. Light music in the background gives your brain something more interesting to listen to. It just takes getting use to. My T is constant sometimes gets louder sometimes changes pitch. I notice it for a few seconds and then my brain ignores it. If you think T affects work invest in some hearing aids if your a T is that bad then I'm sure your ENT will refer you to an audiologist if not you can still find a place to get hearing aids. I have hearing aids, they are good at masking T. Don't let T control you. Even if it is really hard you must remember Tinnitus is what has invaded your life and it is something That you mentally can have a lot of control over.

Be brave be strong. Stay and talk to others on this forum. It'll teach you a lot.

Good luck.

 

I would like to think the cures section of the pie chart is artificially low given the survey is directly from a tinnitus forum.

 

One thing I have learned from suffering ultra high pitch dog whistle T and severe hyperacusis a few years back is not to trust what the mind is telling you about a catastrophic future. That projection of the future is based on the worst state of T suffering and by a weakened and tired mind which is controlled by the limbic nervous system functioning in 'fight or flight' mode. In this condition, everything and every bad sensation seems to appear much worse than it is. During this intensely suffering phase, our mind is bombarded by many distorted thoughts (called cognitive distortions in Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT), such as Catastrophic Thinking (my future is bleak), All or Nothing Thinking (life is not worth living with T), etc. etc. We are a product of what we think. When we agree & accordingly react to these distorted thoughts, our suffering intensifies. We need to counter these distorted thoughts with something more realistic and positive.

Dr. Nagler's Letter to a Tinnitus Sufferer has helped me understand that my reaction to T (& H in my case) is what contributed to a lot of my suffering. I followed his instructions to challenge my distorted thoughts and the result has been greatly positive to help relieve from my deep suffering. I remember writing many WORD documents of these countering thoughts and I read them often during the day to reassure myself that T is harmless and that I just need some time to get used to them. Now my brain is hardened to the ultra high pitch dog whistle. Likewise, many people get used to their T, H, pulsatile T, morse-code T, etc. etc. You can read up their success stories to learn some insights and to have hope for your future. Here is the link to the Letter:
http://www.ata.org/nagler-letter-to-tinnitus-sufferer

We don't know if people's T will get worse to the point they can't take it. May be in some rare cases. But you get many people saying their T getting worse are still managing to live a normal & productive life, like these two celebrities said about their worsening T back in 1996. William Shatner (Capt Kirk of Star Trek) said he was suicidal initially, and Letterman said his T is 7/24 constant with 2 tones. They both said their T were getting worse back in 1996 but as of today Letterman is still cracking jokes nightly, and Shatner still doing his movie/book stuff, even appearing in our Vancouver Winter Olympics ceremony, LOL. So don't worry about the future. Take a deep breath and do your best to stay positive. I was in a mess a few years back and had to depend on meds to survive. I never thought I could recover (read my success story for detail). But today I am living an absolutely enjoyable life. Never say never. Take it easy and relax. Your future can still be bright. Keep positive and be patient in this initial phase of suffering. Enjoy the video:

David Letterman with William Shatner - March,...