Long Time Tinnitus Sufferer (Caused by Aircraft/Weapons Firing) with Recent Worsening

I just found this forum this morning while looking for home remedies I could try. I haven't looked around very much yet.

I have had tinnitus for more than 20 years. It started while in the Navy working in aviation. It was very mild (2/10 on a scale of 1 to 10) for many years until I deployed to Afghanistan a couple of times with the Army. Since my last tour (2013-2014) it has been way worse (5/10). A couple of times a week, my right ear goes totally silent for a few seconds followed by an extremely loud squealing (10/10) that lasts for 30 seconds or so.

Now on to my current state, which started about a month ago. I went backpacking for a week and noticed the ringing in my ears seemed a lot louder. I chalked it up to the extreme quiet in the mountains, but it has persisted since returning. The ringing went from the usual 5/10 to 8/10.

Starting October 1 I stopped using alcohol, THC, CBG, and Psilocybin in the hopes that one of those was causing this. I was microdosing Psilocybin for PTSD/anxiety for one month prior to the increase in ringing. I was taking CBG for the same condition for about 2 years. Today is October 8 and the ringing is not getting better; if anything it is worse. My anxiety is definitely worse! From a little research the last month, I guess I need to forego caffeine as well. I was hoping I could get away with continuing to drink coffee, but I'm willing to try any natural remedy at this point.

I am hoping that I can get some great advice from fellow sufferers here. And maybe my experience will be able to help others once I get this knocked back down (hopefully). I am still hoping that once the above substances clear my body that I will go back to my usual level.

P.S.

I just looked around a little and out of respect for others that are suffering far more than me I would like to lower my severity numbers. For the times where my ear goes silent followed by a loud squealing I stand by the 10/10, but that doesn't last long.

The ringing is the first thing I notice when I wake and I can't think of much else at times during the day, but for the most part I can still function.

 

Hi @Hellbilly.

You have had tinnitus for quite a while and see that it was originally caused by exposure to loud noise. This is one of the most common causes of the condition. Two possibly three things are likely to make it worse particularly after a long habituation period such as yours.

One is further exposure to loud noise and the second is regular use of any type type of headphones including earbuds, headsets and AirPods even at low volume. The third is stress. If any of the things mentioned resonate with you, please go to my started threads and read the following posts mentioned below as I think they will be helpful. If you are able to print them my advice is to do so. This will help you absorb and retrain the information better than reading on a screen.

Try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings by using low level sound enrichment particularly at night. This is can be achieved by using a sound machine. Please read the posts below which includes more information about this. Some foods and beverages can make tinnitus worse, however, if you weren't affected by coffee before omitting it from your diet may not yield any benefit. Some medications can affect tinnitus and might be an avenue to pursue.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do?
Tinnitus, A Personal View
Will My Tinnitus Get Worse?
The Habituation Process
How to Habituate to Tinnitus
Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset
Acquiring a Positive Mindset
Hyperacusis, As I See It.

 

Can you hear anything out of that ear? It should be duller / somewhat deaf. Not totally 100% deaf. Snap your fingers loud right by it and nothing at all on that side.

If it is 100% deaf I think this is pretty serious (and why you have 100 dB ringing when it occurs). Whatever is causing it to be off/on could be permanent, like mini sudden hearing losses.

How's your cardio health and diet? Could be a blocked ear artery.

Getting an angiography of your inner ear canals done isn't the worst idea.

 

Hey, sorry mate...

Just want to chip in and tell you that when your ear goes silent followed by loud short squeal, that’s what we call fleeting tinnitus around here.

Very common. And you might feel like losing hearing right before but that’s more often just a feeling since the ear goes silent from any tinnitus for a couple seconds.

Best regards,
Exit

 

I just wanted to give an update on my sudden increase. I just discovered a few weeks ago that my tinnitus increase as well as other symptoms were caused by high EMF in the apartment I was staying in. I was staying with friends temporarily in their apartment over the barn. Apparently it is not wired properly because the EMF is well over 100 V/m in most areas. It is over 200 V/m where my head rested during sleep! According to European building standards anything over 50 is considered an extreme hazard and over 5 is a severe hazard. I could not find definitive US standards for some reason?

As soon as I removed myself from the apartment for 24 hours my tinnitus decreased. My constant headaches went away, constant fatigue gone, heart palpitations reduced, and my anxiety and overall mood is way better. I was starting to have suicidal thoughts far worse than any I've ever had. I'm very happy that I figured out the issue, but I am a little worried about the long-term damage I did to my brain.

I first bought a cheap EMF meter to check that this was the issue and then upgraded to one that cost $160. The expensive meter verified my findings. Maybe others would benefit from checking the EMF in their homes?

Just a note, I'm not talking about the radiation from cell phones, smart meters, wifi, etc. That could very well be contributing, but there is a lot of conspiracy talk online about these things and it is hard to find good studies or info.