Need Support from Loud Tinnitus Sufferers

I have loud tinnitus and have developed multiple new tones over the past three years despite trying to protect my hearing. Your tinnitus actually sounds somewhat similar to mine. My tinnitus is also very reactive to noise, and to be honest that is the worst part of it. It took me several years to get to the point where I could ignore the loud tinnitus for any period of time, but I got there. If it weren't for the reactivity, the hyperacuis, and the fear of making it worse, I think I would have been able to move on.

Hearing a new tone is always distressing and it forces you to start the process of learning to cope with it all over again.

 

Hello @Alue,
I remember reading your posts. Can you now ignore it? Do you still work? How do you deal with the reactivity? I wear earplugs everywhere except for when I'm home or at the office. This has exhausted me.

 

Thank you for your message Michael.
I have been very careful about noise exposure for a decade now, but since my baby was born, it has been louder obviously. She's got a very very loud voice and it is extremely complicated to predict her screams.
Maybe I took a new trauma with the repeated screams.

For whatever reason I have these new tones and high pitch ringings in my right ear though, finding the reason is sadly not very helpful (unless I can actually eliminate the reason). I plug my ears when I suspect the baby is going to cry, but it is not always predictable, as parents know.

 

You think walking along the sidewalk beside traffic is bad? There is traffic all over beside my building. I have trouble wearing earplugs because they seem to cause pain. At least, the last time I wore them, I had pain after. That's not normal. I asked an ENT about it and he just suggested custom plugs. I wanted to know why they cause pain.
I was able to wear them before t and just after the onset.

I wear muffs sometimes but the tight, suctioned fit causes ear discomfort and soreness. I live in a noisy area and a noisy building. This pos building can have a fire alarm at any time. There are people who have mental illness here and some have tripped it at times.
It has gone off once already after I got tinnitus. I want to move out but I don't work now because the t is so bad.

I desperately want to improve and I want a normal life but all indicators seem to show too many obstacles and potential for serious problems.

Why can't I wear hearing protection like a normal person? Even many people here with tinnitus can wear plugs or muffs without problems.

That part concerns me.

 

Carry some ear muffs with you. I put them on my arm. It's faster than inserting ear plugs. I don't know if you can wear them when around the baby but you can at least have them ready and you will have your hands free as opposed to covering/plugging your ears with your hands.

 

HI @Elliott.S

Thank you for this additional information.

If you have been careful of being exposed to overly loud sounds for passed decade and you haven't used headphones at all within this time particularly in the last two years, and not going to venues where loud sounds are present: concerts or clubs? Then I can only assume you have been doing everything right as far as not subjecting your auditory system to sound that could possibly cause a spike or increase your tinnitus. And yet, your tinnitus has increased with additional new tones. I must say I am a little perplexed.

Have you by any chance been regularly using earplugs at home, when out on the street and at work? If you have this could lower the "loudness threshold" of your auditory system and make it more sensitive to sound. It for this reason I do not recommend people use earplugs whether foam or "noise reducing" , earmuffs too often. These items are useful but when overused can do more harm than good.

Someone has recently contacted me who has been using earplugs (noise reducing and foam types) for the passed 6 years. Wearing them 24/7 due to sensitivity to sound - hyperacusis. This person was advised by their ENT doctor wearing earplugs this way will cause no harm. This person's auditory system is now hypersensitive to the slightest raised sound and has an increase in tinnitus. This person has now being referred to a Hearing Therapist, who is trained in Tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management. The plan is now to try and desensitize the auditory system but it's something that will have to be done very slowly. All this was caused by following the wrong advice from an ENT doctor that should have known better.

IF you have been using hearing protection too often to suppress normal everyday sounds, this could be a reason that you are more sensitive to sound and the prone to additional new tinnitus tones you have mentioned. In any event, I advise you to have some tests done at ENT and possibly get a referral to Audiology to see a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in Tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment and management.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

Sounds like you first need an ear exam to look for any infection, or skin issues. Custom earplugs may be the answer. I know I went through several types and brands to figure out ones that work well for me. I find the Mack's ultra soft to be about the most comfortable, but others will have different preferences.

Try a pair of low profile muffs, which do not squeeze as much.

For the record, I do not think walking alongside the road is bad, until a big truck rolls past that hots above 90 db's. For a while my T was getting worse from every brief exposure. While it does not do that anymore, I still protect in these situations cause I am well aware of how bad this can get.

 

No I haven't been using earmuffs at home. I suspect being regularly exposed to screams is the answer to my T increase + hyperacusis. I didn't know baby screams could reach 110db. I guess it's not that harmful for a normal ear that has never been traumatized because I don't see why nature would give babies the ability to destroy their own hearing capital.
But for us who have suffered multiple ear traumas, maybe it's too much.

I have an appointment with a hearing specialist in June because I was hoping I could get my hearing aids adjusted to my new tinnitus, but unfortunately, my new tones being in the high range (13 000hz), I fear there's not much less to be done.

I did get help from hearing aids in the frequencies that my other T are (2600, etc.), that correspond more or less to my hearing loss, because amplifying those frequencies helped mask part of the ringing, but you don't find natural 13 000 hz frequencies in everyday life, that's why I'm pretty doubtful about getting any help from a new hearing aid setting.

 

The ENT looked into both ears. Are the Mack's foam plugs? I think I have small ear canals and that brand supposedly has a model that is for small canals. I was told that custom plugs can sometimes cause problems even you get fitted? I don't want any more risks
There's always going to be trucks and loud vehicles in traffic.

I think it's so troubling what this does to us. What it does to our threshold etc. Why couldn't someone tell me?!? I would have heeded it.

Now, there is just suffering.

 

This throws a new light on the subject as I didn't know you wore hearing aids. Perhaps your hearing specialist may suggest wearing a combined hearing aid with white noise generator fitted. These are known as dual purpose units and may help desensitize your auditory system especially if you have some level of hyperacusis that has never been treated. The white noise generators along with the hearing aid will help the tinnitus.

Best of luck
Michael

 

Some things I don't get. In the USA lawn darts are banned because of injuries and death. Why are they allowed to manufacture headphones that can go higher than 85 dB? Cars that can go over 100MPH? That is like saying the guy is Jaywalking, I can hit him.

 

The Mack's ultra soft fit slightly larger. The narrow ones are marketed for females as Dreamgirls in the US, but men with smaller ear canals sometimes need them for the right fit.

 

Well, I didn't choose these ear canals. I was just hoping to find something that might work but I am running out of options. It would be nice to have some earplugs as options besides the muffs all the time.
I am afraid that whatever I try will cause irritation though. :-/

 

Hard to know, unless you try. You can also try the silicone ones that are quite inert and smooth, and unlikely to cause an allergic issue. There are also the wax ones that you ball up, which some folks say are comfortable, but I have no experience with.

 

Hi guys,

So I've been searching around the forum but I definitely can't find any tips for masking the very high pitched tinnitus.

I've tried cricket sounds, not working. White noise not working either.

I've calculated it at around 13/14000 Hz, but it sounds higher pitched in my head than my hearing limit (I can't hear above 14 000 Hz). So basically, how can I mask something that I can hear only in my head?

 

Have you tried white noise generators that look like hearing aids?

 

Are those how expensive?

 

I have hearing aids with white noise generators. They are not masking the 13/14000 hz unless I turn it really loud (but then I'm doing more damage to my auditory system)

 

I agree with you @Elliott.S that you are possibly doing more harm than good turning up the volume on your white noise generators in an attempt to mask the tinnitus. It is just not advisable although I can understand the reason you want to do this. Try to keep the white noise at either the mixing point, which is when the tinnitus and the white noise blend together, or the preferred method, setting the WN at a level that is comfortable and not causing irritation.

I think you should return to ENT for tests then referred to Audiology to see a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist for any possible treatment.

Best of luck and hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

 

Sometimes you can't mask your tinnitus (I'm in that case).

 

Thank you Michael, I have booked an appointment with my Audiologist in June. At least, he'll let me know how my hearing has changed in the last 2 years. For the new high pitched tinnitus though, the existing hearing aids range from 100 Hz to 8000 Hz, so I sadly believe it will not help on that one. I keep my fingers crossed for Lenire though, who knows...
I had learned to live with the multiple sounds in my head so far, but this time, I'm feeling really devastated with this new frequency.

This forum is very full of nice people, most of them facing mild tinnitus, but sometimes, I get the impression there are only a bunch of us suffering from debilitating tinnitus and it's pretty tough to read testimonials from people that tell you to "learn to live with it". Well, I had learned to live with I believe loud tinnitus, but this relapse is a bit too much this time

 

How do you cope ?

 

Free in the UK...

 

You are doing the right thing @Elliott.S by making an appointment to see your Audiologist. Hopefully he will find a solution in making the tinnitus reduce and enable you to cope with it better. That is the best that you can do for now. I am of the belief that tinnitus gets more problematic or (louder) for a reason. Something usually causes it. I know your tinnitus may not be related to noise exposure. Therefore, medication and possibly a change in hearing aid may prove helpful.

I hope that a solution can be found and wish you the best of luck for next month.
Michael

 

I don't do anything to actively cope. I just let time go by and try to focus on other things. It's not a success story.

 

I can ignore it for most of the day, although some days are worse than others depending on sleep, stress, and loud noise exposure. I still work. I wear earplugs often and double up on hearing protection in certain circumstances. There are a few rare occasions where things are too loud for comfort even with double protection, I have one upcoming in the next few months that I'm not sure what I'll do about.

 

That's my typical day when it comes to traffic noise here. There are countless blasting motorcycles. How do you deal with the tinnitus' interference on your hearing? On My super loud days I sometime can't hear efficiently (with plugs). I used to hear almost everything in site of wearing plugs because my tinnitus wasn't that loud.

 

Sometimes it's difficult. I don't know. My loudest and most intrusive tone is ultra high pitched (somewhere around 14kHz), so although it's loud it doesn't interfere with hearing voices as much. Hearing plugs do somewhat interfere with my ability to communicate: one if I'm talking to someone that's very soft spoken I may have a hard time hearing them with plugs in, and two I end up speaking softer because the occlusion effect makes my voice seem much louder.

As I'm typing this I feel like I'm experiencing a bit of a spike due to me trying to get out and socialize. People get loud and start shouting when they get excited, and that bothers my ears even with earplugs in. If I'm in a relatively quiet environment and I'm getting enough sleep my tinnitus is tolerable, if I'm exposed to loud noises etc. then it gets to the point of being really bothersome again for some time.

I put myself in a very similar situation to the one I made a thread about a couple months ago: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...pt-to-socialize-because-of-hyperacusis.34379/

 

I 100% relate to that. With the added fact that my tinnitus' dropping ability is becoming less, thus I experience much longer periods of spikes and increased reactivity. I wish I could establish a job from home.

I have already read your linked thread. I totally understand. I turn down more and more requests to socialize, but this gives me a really hard time, as I am a social person by my own nature.

 

Hi there, @Elliott.S: I have 12 kHz tinnitus and this clip helps me out a lot.

MOST POWERFUL TINNITUS SOUND THERAPY 1...

I hope you find it useful mate.

Clint