New to the Tinnitus World

Well, I thought I'd introduce myself as I've been lurking for a while.

Been living with tinnitus since Nov 2014 now (So a very short time compared to many of you) - due to loud noise (fire alarm at work) in an enclosed space. Boy its been a rough last few months as many of already know (and my sympathy to all of you). I'd describe it as a constant, 24/7 (except when I sleep - which is tough) ring in the 5800-6200 Khz range - medium to higher volume. Since it started - really no change in frequency or amplitude. All hearing tests (4 now in 2015?) show a drop in hearing in the higher frequencies from a test I had done in 2012 for a physical. But arguably, although the drop off is consistent on these recent tests, no telling if that was just natural hearing loss - and I haven't experienced any hearing loss in the "spoken word" range.

I'm pretty active and love a lot of outdoor hobbies. For me the most frustrating times come with silent environments (think backpacking/trips to the desert..etc) - things I naturally seek out. Other times - just trying to get to sleep or the continued day to day struggle to remain focused at work (higher stress job with lots of problem solving). Headaches are daily now - some worse than others - and sometimes I wake with them. Been to a couple ENT's, neurologist, primary docs and the consensus is nerve damage (cochlear to brain??) - likely permanent. I've been trying to the "Tinnitus Pro" application on my IPhone for the last 3-4 months - no real change - but from what I read this doesn't help everyone and sometimes it takes much longer take affect. I worry about the emotion/mental impacts. I'm a introvert by nature and so far this has done me no good on the social front . I also am a log time motorcyclist used to longer touring, and although I usually wear earplugs, the last couple times out I couldn't decide if things were worse (helmet noise) with or without ear plugs. With them, the tinnitus was very pronounced - without it was much noisier (and maybe drown out the tinnitus a bit) but that makes me more susceptible to hearing issues. Not sure what to do there.

Next up - my primary care doc recommended some biofeedback therapy - which I am just starting to read up on. I've been reluctant to try some things like the "Arches" supplements. since I'm pretty active, hydration is a no brainer. Since I deal in statistics most everyday (and have worked the medical device industry) - guess I'm predisposed to treatment results being statistically significant, results being repeatable/predictable - and I may have to break that pattern here. The more I read, the more broad the contributing factors that cause this might be - so maybe I'll find the right recipe to help deal with this. At least in my case - I know the cause (alarm).

As many of you already know or experienced, its really hard to describe the impacts of tinnitus to someone who doesn't have it. I always get the, "huh, did you try this or that.." or "…"can't you just think about something else?"..some give a sideways glance like I'm nuts!

Anyway, I just wanted to share my thoughts/story (therapeutic too!) and I'll certainly be taking more advantage of this site, its members, and resources.

 

Is the hearing loss below 20db in the high freq?

 

I don't have the entire plots nearby right now - so I don't know what the actual reduction (2012 to current 2015 tests). Direct comparison of specific points shows about 15-25db change in the 6KHz range and 20-30db change in 8KHz range.

 

Hi, I am sorry to read about your T and headaches. I am also new to the world of tinnitus and except for your post I haven't found any information about headaches associated with tinnitus. Apparently when I am exposed to music I get the headaches and the T goes louder in a higher frequency. Still the sounds aren't painful to my ears and I did not hear them louder than before the accident so I think my condition doesn't match with general Hyperacusis symptoms. Do you get such headaches after sound exposure?


This is my story with T; I am suffering from tinnitus since 3 months ago. The first month was just the ringing. I had it soft during the daytime and loud at nights, it sounded like a white noise with different pitches and I could not sleep well during that period. Then after the 2 months of having just the tinnitus and getting use to it I begin to experience long period headaches every time I played musical instruments for more than one hour, after playing the tinnitus went way louder too. Still I am not so sure about the cause of the condition since I had a prolongated exposure to loud music while recording a piano using headphones a few days before the tinnitus started also a ball the size of a grape apear on the back of my neck one week before the tinnitus started. I am also suffering from cervical degenerative disc disease and every time I play an instrument for a long period I found the posture to be uncomfortable. I did the auditory test a couple of weeks ago and the hearing is almost normal with the exception of some high frequencies that I didn't hear.


Thanks and I hope quick recovery for your T!

 

Sorry to hear about your T (and degenerative disc in your spine) Antonio. Thats tough that's its interfering with your playing of instruments (and making things worse potentially).

Yeah the headaches are a handful - most of the time (to a degree everyday) its very low dull pain that seems more on the left side (lower behind ear to forehead), but it reaches some higher discomfort about half those days - usually when the T is really buzzing. I've been offered some drug by my neurologist (can't remember right off hand what he recommended but it wasn't IBU/Tylenol) but I'm passing for now. I'm trying not to go down the drug route right now.

My T was most definitely caused by a sudden noise exposure - and has remained the same since - mostly I just have periods where if I'm in intense focus on something else, I don't notice it as much. But those are infrequent right now to say the least - hoping that the biofeedback/neurofeedback treatments do some good - another therapy that seems to have its hits and misses.

Wish you the best in your "struggle"