Louder Tinnitus — Is It Really Louder or Just in My Head Again? Need Support

Hello guys,

As some may have followed my post, I have been exposed and having some worries since my T started. I was exposed fire alarms twice and it caused my anxiety to spike (and my T to go louder, or so I believe). It took me 3-4 weeks before I got used to the sound and the anxiety to disappear. Life went on good for at least a month.

On Feb 14th, I was out with my boyfriend for Valentine. We went to see a movie (been to the movies before with good plugs, never gotten any changes in T from that). Then we went to Hard Rock Cafe for a dinner. My first thought when I got there was "oh they are playing music here, hmm should I get my plugs?". We were seated and the music seemed a little louder than most restaurants but it didn't feel like it was anything that seemed way off. I think having my fan over my stove and frying something in the pan creates equal or louder noises, so I didn't think much of it. They played both soft and more rock music in variation, and after 45 min I felt my ears getting tired, that the music seemed louder. I started to get a little uncomfortable. This happens to me during work too, I can get tired in meetings and feel like people's voices are getting louder and more unbearable. That is from one person talking in a meeting room. I just brushed it off as me getting tired in my ears, since it has happen before at work. Put my plugs in and felt better. Rest of the night I didn't think so much about it.

Same with the fire alarms, I started to worry the day after. Started to listen for any changes. Wasn't sure if I did, but the anxiety went up again and I tried to brush it off. A week or so later, I started to feel soreness in my jaw, one of my wisdom tooth were started to erupt. I also felt tired in my jaw overall, something I had problems with at the onset where I clenched my jaw in my sleep which sometimes caused my T to spike for a few hours and then going back. Last weekend I had a really bad T-day with screaming T, sore jaw and a really bad headache (which I believe came from the jaw).

I have started to hear my T in places I didn't before, sometimes even outside if I listen for it, and when I put my plugs in I can hear it being worse on my right ear (which always have been the bad ear and always been louder there). The high pitch is more "pitchy" and I cannot for God's sake figure out if T is actually louder, and if so, was it due to the exposure at the restaurant (my app on the phone said 67-70db, but it seem that it could be a little low, so lets say 80db?) for 45 min before plugs went it. Could the T also be worse right now due to the jaw issues? If I put a little pressure on my cheek and over the jaw muscle, I can feel how sore it is. Left jaw is more relaxed (T is more quiet on my left ear since onset). I just try to figure out if it this is just a spike or actually a permanent change.

If you have any good insight or advices, let me know. I could really need some support. I tried to get an appointment with a therapist, she has not called me up yet. Hoping that she might send me to CBT eventually. GP wanted to give me anti-depressive, almost advocated it. But I refused, I don't want to take them when I know that I can do this on my own with a little CBT help.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the long text.

/ F.

 

I guess I'll attempt to make myself useful before going away. I would recommend going to ent as soon as you can and get hearing tested. If there is any loss they may be able to help you. Everything else can semi be put off.

Sorry your stressed though. But those would be my thoughts on it. Even if it's anything else like a jaw or stress, that stuff can be dealt with on a not time sensitive manner basis.

 

Hi!

I had an appointment with the ENT a month ago, almost 3 months after onset. The test should perfect hearing, even above average. So I am kind of left with the thoughts I described in my post. I am also aware that hair cells can die a long time after onset, not sure if that could be related to the higher to or not. Thank you for your reply!

 

Hey, I am sorry to hear about all you are going through. TMJ can cause tinnitus. I would recommend going to a place (maybe a specialized dentist) where they can try to correct it and if nothing else maybe it will help your sore jaw of they can give you advice on what to do. Check out the following video:

RESOLVING TMJ! Watch a grown man cry with relief!

 

I'm a bruxer too. For years and years I've clenched my jaw and ground my teeth in my sleep. My personal cure for this is to eat a little cereal before I go to bed and not have any noise while I sleep.
With that said,
you should quit dwelling on your T so much and try the Back To Silence method. You sound like a smart person who wants to beat T and would do what it takes ...
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172/

 

Cereal? Hm, can you share some light in how that works? I mean, how does it stop you from clenching your jaw? I'd try that tonight, however I think I've noticed some improvement over the days (since my post) in both the clenching, since I've tried to sleep with my mouth a little open so that my teeth doesn't align with each other. Loudness in T seem to have gone down a little, the high pitch "eeeee" seems be little less intrusive and it's more buzzing (like it used to) in my ears. I have tried to not listen for it today, although I was hearing it in bed when I woke up.

Does your T become worse at night? It seems that my T goes into an annoying high frequent pitch after I eat (seems like it doesn't matter what kind of food, just that I eat ramps it up) and towards evening it seems to be more intrusive than it is in the mornings.
I do want to be better ASAP, I don't find joy in having these annoying thoughts in my head, and I know everybody else here feels the same. Sometimes it is just really hard not to dwell on it, especially if the noise and loudness are changing. I could deal with my old baseline, I did feel completely fine for a month before this happened.

Thanks everyone that replied for your time and advice!

 

Ya, cereal. A
fter a lot of years trying to figure out why my jaw clenched at night, just a little carbs at night keeps me sleeping nicely, and I make sure my mouth is open when I go to sleep.
My T is worse in the silent times like night, yes. But I don't hear it anymore thanks to the BTS method. Please don't get hung up thinking about T the old way.
You have to get it out of your part of your brain that fears and fights.
The method doesn't require that you try to ignore T, which is hard. You just have to do the method right and it does the work for you. I had hopes it would reduce my T a little but it's actually wiped it all away.
It's not a cure, but I'm back to a very quiet baseline that I don't hear unless I listen for it. I guess the method is a way to force habituation.
When T is bugging you, stop what you're doing and say to yourself, "I hear it, I feel .........."
That's all you have to do. This moves the T signal from your fight or flight area of your brain to the logical area. That's how a professional therapist described it to me.
You keep track of these new responses on paper, and watch them fade.
But the old thoughts have to go. It gets easier as you go.