New to Tinnitus and Not Coping Well at All

Hi
My name is Brett and I live in Qatar with my wife and two daughters (16 & 18). I am brand new to tinnitus (over 2 weeks now). It came along with with an ear infection - the infection is gone but the high pitch ringing remains. Have seen a few doctors from GP to ENT. Is it time to give up and accept that it is here forever?

 

Hey Brett, mine started with an ear infection as well and going on 4 weeks now. From some of the stuff I've read here, people say there's still a chance for it go away in several months. If it stays after 6 it's most likely permanent.

Protect your ears. I honestly believe I wouldn't be in this position if I had protected my ears while they were infected and vulnerable, and allowed them to heal slowly. I went to several loud events which made my ringing much louder, which makes it difficult to deal with.

I'm a bit more accepting of mine these days cause I suffer much more if I'm constantly wishing for it go away, but I still have hope that it'll go (or at least reduce to a more bearable level)

For now I find the most helpful thing is to do things which make you happy and stay positive, talk to loved ones and engage in hobbies. The depression and anxiety definitely starts to settle down as time passes, and they do return but they pass again. It's a test of patience and acceptance.

I hope your wife and children can give you support and understanding through this time.

 

Thanks so much Ludvik. It is good advice. And I have been doing just as you mentioned - hoping and wishing it away. I have had the past 2 days off work, more out of depression than anything else. I am a musician and have had to cancel gigs until it gets better.
My wife and daughters are fantastic. But everyone else are wondering why I'm not my cheerful best. I dearly hope I can be strong enough to adapt.

We are going on vacation tomorrow to Zurich. Hopefully a bit of Christmas cheer will work wonders!

Thanks again and all the best

 

Guys - can you please elaborate what caused the ear infections ?

 

@Scottrock. my tinnitus started after an ear infection four years ago and I've accepted it's not going to go away. The longer you have tinnitus the chances are that it's going to be permanent for the rest of your life. you have had tinnitus for two weeks only so it might go away. Good luck.

 

Hi Scottrock. I have had tinnitus 20 years and you've had it for just 2 weeks and convinced yourself that the you are going to have it forever. That isn't necessarily the case. Tinnitus can go away within the first 6 months and some times longer. @Richard zurowski is right: yours might go away so for the time being just try and enjoy life and see how the pans out. Please read the post below.
All the best
Michael

New to tinnitus what to do?

The onset of loud intrusive tinnitus can be very traumatic for most people. I use the words loud and intrusive, because tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities. When it is mild, moderate or occasionally heard in quiet surroundings it is usually not too bothersome and a person can go about their daily affairs quite happily and unperturbed by this anomaly. This type of tinnitus usually comes on gradually and in some cases it’s associated with hearing loss, as we get older and the usual treatment is the wearing of hearing aid/s.

Tinnitus can be caused by other things: an underlining medical problem, build up of ear wax (cerumen). Jaw problems. Some medications and even irregular blood flow through the body causing Pulsatile tinnitus. There are a plethora of other conditions that can be responsible. However, the most common cause is exposure to loud noise or music that has been played at high levels causing some damage to the cochlear in the inner ear.

This type of tinnitus can be loud, intrusive and very debilitating. Often leaving a person at a loss and not knowing which way to turn to escape the nightmare that has suddenly come upon them. Your Dr has probably told you, it’s tinnitus and nothing can be done, you’ll just have to learn to live with it. I remember those words as if it were yesterday resonating through my mind and thinking, live with this for the rest of my life, impossible. So I fully understand how difficult it can be for someone new to this condition to take this in and believe it to be factual.

If you are having difficulty sleeping you might have been advised to try a night time sedation or an ant-depressant to help cope with the stress and anxiety that often accompanies tinnitus. These medications can be helpful especially in the early stages and they don’t have to be taken long term, so it’s something to consider. They can act as a safety net so you don’t become too down.

A referral to ENT will usually be recommended. In the mean time try to keep occupied with something you like doing, as it helps to distract the brain from focusing on the tinnitus. Avoiding quiet rooms during the day by playing low level non intrusive music such as classical in the background can be helpful.

At night a sound machine placed by the bedside playing nature sounds or listening to favourite mp3 tracks or Cds are good. Keeping the volume just below the tinnitus is ideal and set to play throughout the night until morning. It takes time to get used to sound therapy so please stay with it. Whilst in a deep sleep it supplies the brain and auditory system with sound enrichment. Over time the tinnitus is pushed further into the background helping to make its perception less noticeable during waking hours.

In the early stages of tinnitus, if one chooses not to use sound enrichment sleeping can sometimes be difficult and there’s also the chance of the tinnitus becoming more intrusive as sleeping in a quiet room can allow the brain to increase it’s own background activity. In doing so it will also increase the tinnitus making it more intrusive during waking hours.

There is a tendency for newbies to try and cure their tinnitus which is quite understandable. There are many remedies, treatments and concoctions out there. Some affordable others quite expensive. I am not adverse to trying to help myself but want to say, there are charlatans and con artists eager to relieve someone in distress of their money so please be careful. Even tried and tested treatments I wouldn’t recommend a person try until they have been seen at ENT. Often a person after been seen at ENT is advised to wait a while.

The reason being. Many people habituate to tinnitus within six months sometimes a little longer and it has been known to go away. The ear is a very delicate organ and many Drs prefer to wait before investigating further and then suggesting a treatment. If other problems are experienced such as: pain in the ears, deafness, dizziness or balance problems this is of more concern and a person will usually been seen quicker.

It is best to have a word with your GP if you’re feeling stressed or depressed in any way, as previously mentioned there are treatments available. Leaving things alone until ENT advise you of the next step is the best thing to do in my opinion. Don’t try to fix anything or throw large sums of money at treatments that you have no way of knowing whether you’ll get any relief.

It is not advisable to listen to audio through headphones even at low volume and keep away from loud sounds. By all means go out but anywhere that plays loud music then wear noise reducing earplugs.
Take things slowly and one day at a time. Read some of the positivity threads and ask other members for advice. Many people eventually habituate to their tinnitus and go on to lead a happy and fulfilling life even though it may take a little time.

Michael

 

Hi Brett,

Welcome aboard!

You are new to the game so hopefully the tinnitus will go away for you completely. A little hope goes a long way!

In the worst case scenario that it does not, do not fear! Countless millions of people around the world from young kids to the elderly have it and the overwhelming majority of them live happy, productive lives. Anyway, after a certain period of time, your mind gets acclimated to the noise and dismisses it as non-threatening, thereby not triggering anxiety. Good luck!

 

Hi @Scottrock,
You have had great advice and can only agree that yours has every chance in going away so try stay positive.
Protect your ears around loud sounds and give it time .
If your mood remains low ,Have a chat with your doctor as tinnitus comes with unwanted emotions at the start of tinnitus and can be hard to deal with but we are here also to support you ....lots of love glynis

 

A heartfelt thank you to you all. I have been in a dark place for the past couple of days in particular, and your messages are giving me real hope, despite the anxiety. I guess it is going to be a roller coaster for a while?
Not sure how I got the ear infection in the first place. I'm thinking it is probably a case of the culmination of years of live music.
Might be time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with it!

 

Don't give up. It can still go away. Even if it doesn't, you will be fine in a few months regardless. In a year you won't even notice the ringing unless you deliberately focus on it. Keep living your life exactly as normal and don't let your thoughts obsess on the ringing, that's the key to fast habituation.

 

Hello Brett, we have all been where you are and being its only been a couple of weeks there is a good possibility it could go away. How ever being a musician there are ear plugs you can purchase to keep the decible threshold below creating damage t your ears which is a no brainer. I play nature sounds from utube at night to sleep and try to keep in a sound rich invironment at all times. My T I believe is permanent but after awhile I have habituated to the sound and dont pay that much attention to it and volumn has backed off. We all adapt sooner or later but hopefully yours will go away but keep protecting your ears from loud sounds...

 

Thanks again for your support everyone. I go to sleep every night hoping that I'll wake up and it will be gone. But it is still buzzing away! I'm going back to work today after a couple of days off. Somehow I have to get myself in the right frame of mind to habituate. Can't see a light at the end of the tunnel yet but your help is certainly appreciated. I can only hope. Life has definitely taken a turn for the worst really quickly.

 

I hope I can be as strong as some of you!!! For the first time in my life I understand what depression feels like. Sinking rapidly.

 

Know exactly how you feel, I would get so depressed waking up to the ringing.
But you might start to notice that you stop caring at some point. Mine is pretty loud, and not maskable at all - and I have moments where it doesn't bother me a bit. I think the trick is to notice these moments and appreciate them, and slowly they start to increase.

Try to think of positives, now that you know what depression feels like it will make you a more compassionate person.

Be patient, be kind to yourself. And when you're sad allow yourself to be sad. Are you into meditation at all?

 

I have done meditation yes. Tried yesterday but at the moment the ringing is so severe I wasn't able to shut down.

 

For the first 3 weeks I wasn't able to meditate at all as well - which really sucked as it's what usually helps during times of suffering. A friend introduced me to Tonglen meditation, here's a brief video on it:

Pema Chödrön: Tonglen Meditation

I'm still pretty new to this type of meditation but what I've been doing is when I breathe in, I feel my suffering/anxiety/sadness, then when I breathe out I wish for other people's suffering to ease. I started out with sending the wish to other tinnitus sufferers, that they might feel some relief from anxiety and depression.

It kind of takes you out of yourself and your own suffering, even if just for a moment. Almost using our sadness as fuel to transform into compassion for others if that makes sense. I woke up one morning, just feeling SO depressed and the ringing was so damn loud. I started doing Tonglen and after a while I started to just feel really good, the ringing was still there blaring but I felt fine.. I managed to go back to sleep.

It's worth exploring different types of meditation if it's something you've had good results with in the past, I think in times like these where we have no control, something like radical acceptance is the only option to keep our sanity.

 

Thanks again Ludvik.
I will give it a go. I simply can't allow myself to sink further into this depression. I'm struggling to talk to people at the moment - emotionally and physically exhausted.

 

Started the day well. T volume was down. But got too excited too soon. Sitting at my desk at work it is going through the roof!!! Flying to Switzerland tonight for Christmas. Hope the holiday spirit it helps. Wishful thinking I know - but it would be a great Christmas gift. I know that i have to push on and take hope from you all that it will get easier, but right now I'm at the lowest point in my life - really scared. Visited another ENT last night - same result - the infection is gone. I've taken to Xanax for the meantime - Is this a good idea?
Had a wonderful chat with my wife and daughters last night where we talked about T and explained what I am going through and my change in behaviour - I'm isolating myself from everyone at the moment. The chat just reminded me of how very lucky I am.

 

Benzos can help in the short term for your anxiety but they are highly addictive and can cause larger problems later on. Instead I found doing relaxation exercises and meditation was very helpful when dealing with my anxiety. It took a few weeks to really notice a change but when I did it was profound. I still have tinnitus but my anxiety and depression over it are much, much better these days.

You have to realize that what you are experiencing is something most tinnitus sufferers go through. There is a connection between the auditory nerve (the ears) and the Limbic system (amygdala) in our brain. For some reason the "flight or fight" response gets triggered and causes us to panic (again, the amygdala). This signal loops over and over and over and makes us anxious and depressed. The answer is to stimulate the Para-sympathetic nervous system (the "anti-anxiety system" for want of a better term). The Vagus nerve is integral to the Para-sympathetic system and stimulating it is very helpful in eradicating anxiety, at least that is my experience.

Here are some helpful links that explain things better. Best wishes.

http://breakingmuscle.com/learn/the-vagus-nerve-an-unexpected-key-to-better-performance

https://selfhacked.com/2015/07/30/2...agus-nerve-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-it/

 

I would try clonazepam over xanax, as the half life of xanax is very low or clonazepam and gabapentin together, as it will lower your tinnitus to extreme low levels. Since clonazepam's half life is longer you should get the same reduction but over a longer period of time.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136369/ -
PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS FOR TINNITUS: NEW AND OLD


This list will help your understanding of treatments old and new.


Additionally, https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...azol-in-patients-with-chronic-tinnitus.19141/

Keep positive and me and other members will always be here to help, discovering new treatments, trials and just friendly talk.



Dr. Shulman et al have been working for several years on the concept that there is a central pathway through the brain through which all tinnitus symptoms must travel. This pathway is a chemical receptor called the gamma-aminobutyric acid-benzodiazepine-chloride receptor (GABA/BZ/Cl) in the medial temporal lobe system. This paper supports the concept of a final common pathway for all clinical types of tinnitus.

Using an advanced type of brain scan, the single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), they have demonstrated irregularities and reduced chemical binding in this GABA receptor in people with severe tinnitus. They hypothesize that this deficiency in the GABA receptor is directly related to the worsening of tinnitus, which is marked by increased emotional difficulty, anxiety, stress, depression and fear.

The function of the GABA receptor is to inhibit central nervous system synapse activity. Impairment of GABA function has been considered to lead to convulsions, which provides clinical support for the concept that tinnitus is an epileptic-like auditory phenomenon. Accordingly, they began treating patients with anti-seizure and anti-anxiety medications. They conducted a clinical trial of patients with severe, central tinnitus who were treated with the anti-seizure medication gabapentin (trade name Neurontin) and the anti-anxiety medication clonazepam (trade name Klonopin).

The trial began with 30 patients. They monitored both tinnitus intensity and tinnitus annoyance. The Neurontin was used to lower the tinnitus intensity and the Klonopin was used to lower the annoyance. They began with a very low dosage and increased until the desired effect was achieved. The dosage of Neurontin begun at 100 mg and increased until the desired effect was attained. A range was established of 100-2,700 mg per day in three divided doses. The dosage of Klonopin began at 0.25 mg at bedtime and was not to exceed 1 mg per day. Therapy was continued for at least 4-6 weeks with a continuing maintenance dose determined by each patient's response.














Potential side effects included drowsiness or nausea, visual disturbance, vertigo, headache, and interference in cognition and memory. Of the initial 30 patients, 30% (9) did not complete the trial due to complaints of side effects from the medication. However, of the remaining 21 patients who completed the study, 90% (19 of 21) reported their tinnitus was improved. Tinnitus was reported as unchanged in 10% (2 of 21) and no increase in tinnitus intensity or annoyance was reported by any patient.

Of the 19 patients who reported improvement, 84.3% (16 of 19) reported significant improvement. The average patient estimated subjective improvement for all 19 patients was reported to be 36.8%. The duration of tinnitus relief ranged from 4-6 weeks to 3 years or more. Tinnitus relief equal to or greater than one year was reported by 52.6% (10 of 19). Relief of 1-12 months was reported by 47.3% (9 of 19).

Subsequent brain SPECT studies were obtained in 10 of the 19 patients. All of them revealed improvement in the irregularities in the medial temporal lobe system.

 

Hi @Scottrock and welcome!
There is a chance that your T is not permanent but it's probably not healthy to invest too much time and energy into wishing it away. If you go on the assumption that it is here to stay, you can begin figuring out how to move on. Even if it does not go away, it is very likely that you will feel less afraid and less depressed in a few months or a year.

 

Thanks Lorac. It's good advice I know. I have had moments where I have done that, but I guess at the moment I can't see through the fog! At the airport in Doha last night it was down to such a low level, but once in the air it kicked off again with even greater force. And landing here in Zurich it was back in full force. I just woke up from a medicated sleep and it's intensity has gone up yet another notch. Never been so scared in all my life!!

 

Hi Brett,

Don't panic brother. We all feel your pain, but stressing out is never good.
According to lots of research stress creates and worsens diseases in 95% of the cases. And tinnitus is no exception.

Besides, every year thousands and thousands of people do recover. And you don't see a lot of these recovered people on the forum. They just go on with their lives.

I strongly believe in body-mind medicine. So does ancient/eastern medicine and the University of Hardvard. Basically that means that your mindset has a huge impact on your health.

So for now, accept the sound and calmly look for solutions. It's the only and best option you have.

Wish you the very best.

 

Cheers Bernard. I am trying so hard! Had a good day out yesterday telling myself that it wasn't going to get the best of me, and for the most part it didn't until getting back to the hotel and the noise kicked in with an intensity like never before.
Ironic that the thing I love doing the most has brought about my downfall. Being the frontman in a band, I have to now tell the others that I'm out. Gonna wait until after Christmas. Have already cancelled solo gigs for New Years Eve and beyond. Not feeling like entertaining anyone right now. And can't even think about getting back into the studio. I'm full of fear that the music will make it worse.
Just glad to have this website to commicate what I'm feeling to those that understand.