Loud Tinnitus with Many Pitches and Sounds

Hello! Recent member. I used to have a constant tone in both ears for a long time, which I had acclimated to.

Then suddenly, it got very loud and chaotic in my left ear. Not clear why, didn't have any particular trauma that I could think of. I did used to use q-tips in both ears, but there is seemingly no hearing loss or damage from visiting an ENT. The volume and pitch in the left ear change constantly. My left ear also has less pressure than the right, but not outside of the normal range.

Has anyone had the chaotic ringing? I saw some threads where people have. I'm just very frustrated, sometimes overwhelmed. I don't want to be a drain on my friends and family, but there are definitely moments where I am at a loss. I did have one decent day yesterday, but today it was not as good.

Also, I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

 

Hello, I hope you are doing well. I am unsure about the condition since I am not trained. I have a different condition, so I cannot offer you an explanation. But if I were to guess, I think it might have to do something with your Eustachian tubes or maybe it is just some change in pressure in your ear. Have you explained to your ENT about the change in pitch and volume?

And I also feel lost as well, so you are not alone.

Peace and Love.

 

Hi ownagealan! I've been trying to ask for more help and described my tinnitus in detail but the ENTs I saw were somewhat dismissive. Trying to see a new one next week. I'll be sure to mention Eustachain tube dysfunction.

I'm sorry you also feel lost, but it feels good to know that we aren't alone. I don't know your exact condition but I hope things get better. I think it may take time and some days will suck but we can do this.

P.S. Anime Lovers ftw!

 

Hi @Utsab Das.

You have had tinnitus for many years. Although it reads on your profile cause unknown this is not usually the case. In order to seek the right treatment it's important to know what originally caused it. If an underlying medical condition within the auditory system is not responsible and it's not linked to any medication, two probable causes are left. Pulsatile tinnitus and noise induced tinnitus, the latter being the most common.

If you work in a noisy environment or regularly listen to audio through headphones, earbuds or headsets. Listen to music through speakers at high volumes levels, whether at home or in the car. Go to venues where loud music is played. Engage in an outdoor sport such as shooting a gun etc. Any one of these things will cause tinnitus to develop and make the condition worse the more you continue the activity.

Stress can cause the onset of tinnitus too but will usually subside and go away once it's brought under control. This can be achieved with lifestyle changes that may include counselling and medication if required. Someone that already has tinnitus needs to manage stress as it can make tinnitus worse.

From your posts, I gather you have been seen by more than one ENT doctor? I will assume you have had all the necessary tests and they can find nothing wrong and is probably the reason they have been dismissive towards you. The auditory system is their area of expertise. If there was a problem with your Eustachian tubes, tests would have revealed anything untoward. Therefore, it may not be worthwhile going to see another ENT.

ENT doctors treat underlying medical conditions within the auditory system that cause tinnitus and there are many. However, they don't treat tinnitus as this is not their area of expertise. You need to see an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. Especially if your tinnitus is noise induced and has been made worse by further exposure to noise, of the types I've mentioned above.

Michael

 

Hey Michael!

I do believe my initial tinnitus 10 years ago was noise induced. I'm unclear what made it worse in this instance.

I don't generally listen to loud music or spend much time in loud areas. I do have a lot of stress, but have been reducing it. Leading up to spike of tinnitus in my left ear, I had a lot of insomnia. I have reduced some of this now (sleeping regularly, exercising, etc.). I found a tinnitus treatment center in my area and will have a consultation in a couple of weeks.

I try not to listen to much noise. I am having trouble masking my tinnitus, which is frustrating. I listen to TV at a low volume during the day to try to cope. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Just trying to keep my mind off of it has been hard.

I appreciate the advice. I just keep hoping that my ability to overcome the tinnitus will get better with time.

 

Hi @Utsab Das.

Noise induced tinnitus will usually remain stable for many years providing a person isn't exposed to further loud noise. It is advisable not to use any type of headphones even at low volume, as there's a risk of making the tinnitus worse.

If you previously habituated to your tinnitus and it has recently spiked, causing it to increase and it hasn't returned to its previous baseline level, two things are usually responsible. Stress but more common is exposure to certain sound or sounds, that don't necessarily have to be loud, particularly if you have always been sensitive to sound. It is quite possible to habituate to tinnitus. However, if a person is experiencing oversensitivity to sound or hyperacusis and this isn't treated, the risk of spikes and the sudden increase in tinnitus will always be present.

Please go to my started threads and read the posts that are mentioned below. If you have a printer my advice is to print them and refer to them often. This way you will absorb and retrain the information better than reading on a screen. Take your time and read the articles. Self help techniques are included that I advise you to follow. Please try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using low level sound enrichment. More about this is mentioned in my articles.

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? Tinnitus, A Personal View. Hyperacusis, As I See It. Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? The Habituation Process. Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset. Acquiring a Positive Mindset. From Darkness into Light. How to Habituate to Variable Tinnitus. The Complexities of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis. Can Tinnitus Counselling Help? Sound Machines.

All the best,
Michael

 

Gotcha! I've began looking at those.

I'm honestly unclear what triggered it, as I woke up one morning and suddenly it was there in my left ear. The ENT says that it doesn't appear as if I have any hearing loss, which leads me to think stress and insomnia but even though I am addressing a lot of those symptoms, it's still taking its sweet time to go down.

I did want to ask, though, I don't know if a particular sound is making this worse, how do I find out what sound it may be? I do have a fan on at night, but I can often hear the tinnitus over it. However, adding more sounds makes me fear that it will now be too loud and that could be harmful. I can usually hear it over low level music, so I'm not entirely sure if I should have it. I try to keep some TV shows going during the day because they can sometimes be mentally distracting as well, though most days I feel like I'm thinking about it a lot.

 

Since you already had tinitus, it was probably just day-to-day noise eventually taking its toll on your already weakened synapses. The modern world is incredibly loud.

 

As I have previously mentioned @Utsab Das, something usually causes the onset of tinnitus and if it has been present for some time, over a year or more and it has suddenly increased, there is usually a reason for it. You have already had tests at ENT and no underlying medical conditions can be found to cause its increase. Therefore, it could be a combination of stress and sound(s) that has been the trigger.

Have you printed my articles yet and begun reading? I have suggested you do this as it will give you more understanding about tinnitus. By following some of my self-help techniques you can potentially save yourself a lot of money and may not need the services of an audiologist trained in tinnitus management. They are a form of counselling, please do not dismiss them.

I suggest you do not use a fan at night unless for cooling. Ideally, you should use a sound machine by the bedside to play low level sound enrichment. The sounds should be kept below the tinnitus at all times and not mask it. This was the reason I advised you to read my article Sound Machines as this is explained in detail.

To help manage stress, you could talk to your GP/Primary care physician who may prescribe something to help or you could try herbal medicine. St John's Wort is particularly good for stress but talk to your doctor Before taking.

Please take your time and read the posts that I have suggested.

All the best,
Michael

 

@Michael Leigh, thank you for the information! I don't have a printer but I started reading the articles. I couldn't find the sound machines listed but I selected another one from Sound Oasis that should be coming in tomorrow.

I just read through the Sound Machines article again. I wanted to ask if there was a particular decibel level I should keep my low level sound enrichment? You also mention to keep it below the tinnitus sound and not mask it. I am genuinely curious why this is? Or is that referred to as partial masking?

Lastly, I am looking for an audiologist in the area for tinnitus treatment. I believe I found one. I was reading through your Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? and I wanted to confirm what I understand from it, as this variable tinnitus appears to be similar to my own (at least at the moment). This may be a dumb question, but after going through those treatments, did your perception of the loudness of the tinnitus go down?

 

Hi @Utsab Das.

Please do not concern yourself with decibel sound levels. My advice is not to use a sound level app on your phone. They often cause more harm than good by instilling fear and negative thinking about sound. Just set the level of the sound machine below your tinnitus, so it is not drawing attention to itself. The idea being you only become aware of the sound enrichment when you deliberately focus on it. It can take up to 8 weeks to get used to using sound enrichment at night, so be patient.

Tinnitus should not be masked or covered up with a sound so it can't be heard. For the simple reason, if the brain cannot hear the tinnitus it will be almost impossible to habituate to it. As soon as the masking sound is stopped, the brain will immediately focus on the tinnitus and often it will appear to be louder. Therefore, the rule of thumb is to keep sound enrichment below the tinnitus and don't attempt to mask it.

I am not a fan of partial masking also called setting sound at the mixing point. This is where pink or white noise, or other forms of sound enrichment mix or blend with the tinnitus so both are heard. More often than not this causes irritation to the ear and auditory system, especially if the person is experiencing oversensitivity to sound or hyperacusis. Again, set sound enrichment below the tinnitus. If you are wearing white noise generators, I recommend the sound should be set slightly below the tinnitus at all times, so the least amount of irritation is caused to the ear and auditory system.

Variable tinnitus of the type I'm referring to are for people that have noise induced tinnitus and have suffered a second noise trauma. This type of tinnitus can be very debilitating. My tinnitus has improved and continues to, so give yourself time.

Michael