New to Tinnitus, Very Scared

Hello, im a 22 year old female. I've been experiencing tinnitus for about a week. I've been hearing a very high pitched, tinny ringing sound in my ears. Almost like someone is jingling keys next to my head, but also shrieking in my ear simultaneously. It's completely unbearable and dehibilitating. I'm going to an ear, nose, and throat doctor on wednesday, and also an audiologist as well, I believe??
I suffer from severe depression and anxiety, which ive recently been getting help for. So I'm under a lot of stress and hardly get any excercise, which may be contributors. I also drink coffee everyday and listen to loud music in my headphones. So I'm not surprised I've developed this. I'm more than willing to give up the caffiene and music. I'm desperately hoping maybe I've just got an ear infection and this can be treated, because I'm honestly petrified this wont go away. I've been crying nonstop for days, and cant concentrate on anything. I've tried all the masking techniques and nothing offers any sort of relief. I'm losing my mind,the sound is deafening, which at this point I'd welcome, if not to hear some silence. I'm scared to live with this, moreso that I wont be ABLE to live with it. If anyone can offer any advicw for coping methods, or medications to avoid (I've heard some horror stories on meds damaging the ear further) I would be very greatful.

 

Oh, I've also had broncchitis for about 2 months, untreated, so maybe that could play a role in this?

 

hi Amm , you can try valerian root , or black cohosh , it will keep ya calm ...i reccomand acupuncture as well ..the sooner the better ..youll be ok

 

There us so much to know and learn about this thing we call Tinnitus. The good news is that many people on this forum have some great advice and insight about tinnitus. Please take the time to browse through the information. For me this is when the penny began to drop. This forum gave me faith and hope to bigger and better things in regards to tinnitus. Time is your best friend.

 

Hi.

I am so sorry to hear your problems. I myself have only had T for a week and I know exactly how hard it is. Yours sounds terrible.

I am not sure what has caused your T, but I am leaning toward your bronchitis. It is illness in the throat if I am correct. Since the throat, ears and nose are all connected, I would have thought this would have contributed. Hopefully if this is an illness-related cause, it will go, though this unfortunately can take a while.

Ask to speak to a therapist that specialises in T if you can - they will help you learn to cope. Make sure your ENT runs plenty of tests - tinnitus is a symptom of something, so finding the cause is important. Good luck and stay strong

 

That is the reason for your tinnitus.

 

Hi Amm12,

Welcome

Thankyou for joining us. You have come to the right place.

Karen is right. the tinnitus might go away once the bronchitis resolves. That would be nice wouldn't it? If it doesn't, that's ok too. You wont believe me at the moment, but either way, you will be OK. Karen has given you some helpful advice about medications.

I am certain everyone here can relate to your feelings when you first become aware of the sound. I know I do! I am about 2 months into t following an ear infection, so I am quite new to it as well. I am writing to tell you (as I was told in the beginning) that it is going to get better. You wont believe me, because at the moment, you are in panic mode, but it will

It was explained to me by a very skilled (has t himself for 40 years) audiologist, that everyone has t...not everyone is aware of the t. In my case, he believes the ear infection caused changes in my auditory system that has led to the volume being cranked up in the auditory cortex of the brain.

The sound is new, so your brain focuses on it as a potential threat. The more you focus on your sound/s, the more you monitor it, read about it, talk about it etc, the more your brain will focus on it. Your auditory cortex works with the limbic system (emotional centre in the brain). That is why panic, anxiety, depression are common with people who are aware of their t.

It seems unbearable and debilitating at the moment because your brain is listening carefully for the noise. You brain is busy filtering the important noises to the ones that aren't so important. The attention you give your noise will inevitably heighten your brain's focus on it. So, if you can, try to find ways to get your mind off the t.

www.tinnitus.org.au

an excellent resource. please have a look. it contains the four keys to successful management of t. I have found it really helpful.

Seeing an ENT can be helpful to rule out other cause ie., ear infection/other. The audiologist is another good idea. They should do a hearing test (since you mention your exposure to loud music) and a tympanometry (to measure inner ear pressure changes that might indicate fluid behind the drum).

Knowledge is power. Gather your support and knowledge here, with your ENT, audiologist, and your referring doctor. Stop reading horror stories on the internet. This is not helpful behaviour.

I bet your sleep has been affected? If so, what are you doing to develop healthier sleep patterns?
I had terrible trouble for a few weeks with quality sleep.
what worked for me was:

. talked to a phone t counsellor (with your local t association re t counselling) A lot of tears, anguish and panic this end at the beginning too. that is normal. you will adjust.
. tried relaxing music, hypno cds, white and pink noise, etc. nothing worked. in the end I now use a fan. I have no trouble getting off to sleep. Actually discovered it wasn't the t keeping me awake, but the anxiety. So I needed to address that first...then the sleep followed.
. i went to my dr and have diazepam on hand for nights when i cant sleep. I have only needed to use it twice. Once I managed to sleep a few night's consecutively, i was fine. the anxiety around sleep dissipated and i zzzz in no time at all
. Karen mentioned melatonin as a natural alternative. I didn't need to go there, but did try valerian and lavender. didn't work for me, but could help you. If you have someone to massage you, i would go for that. (always did like my feet being rubbed)
. go to bed when you are tired, and don't take your troubles to bed if you can help it
. make your bedroom a place you look forward to being in

I would definitely try reducing your caffeine, salt and sugar intake, but more importantly, turn down the volume of your music. I was told to avoid situations that are 85 db or more. I have downloaded a free app on my phone to use as a guide in situations that im not sure about. Ear protection is important for everyone, not just not those afflicted with hearing loss/tinnitus/hypercusis.

As for silence...it doesn't exist. Studies have been done with people without t being placed in sound proof booths. They didn't last long, as they then became aware of their own sounds.

T is a benign sound. It wont hurt you. You will get through this.

Best advice I can give you is this...

. get a couple of good night sleep in a row. you need it. your brain is quite dysfunctional when you are deprived of zzz. do what you have to to ensure that you get quality sleep.

. once you've done this, see your audiologist about trt (tinnitus retraining therapy) do some reading on habituation. your brain will adapt. at the moment, its on red alert...because you are negatively reacting to the noise, your brain will focus on the sound even more. The ultimate aim of habituation is that you will develop a neutral reaction to the noise, and/or you wont even notice the sound. I can reassure this has already happened for me in a very short amount of time. it will happen for you too.

I didn't believe this either but there is no reason why your life has to change (other than looking after your hearing) because of t. There are many people who live with t quite successfully because they have accepted the presence of their t. As a result of this, the brain gets bored with listening to a non important sound, and it starts to wind down the auditory volume of your t. Get it?

Anyway, I hope it helps.......

Looking forward to getting to know you xxxx

 

Hello Deb.

You are a newbie, but sound like you have been around forever. Good on you for taking the time to share your insight and thoughts about your tinnitus experience. This will give a lot of hope to other newbies, and hope is all
we have at the moment. I am so glad you are feeling a lot better.

Miss Lavender.

 

I love all the advice these awesome people have already given you, and I don't have much to add other than say that I was totally where you were, and 6 months later while I do still struggle and think about T many many times a day, things ARE better.

I think firstly you need to try and relax. Hard I know but stress does increase T is some cases (mine included!) my T came on at a very stressful time in my life combined with sinus infections.

I was hopeful in the beginning that it would go away and while unfortunately in my case it hasn't that doesn't mean that it won't for you. 1 week isn't a long time and I'm willing to bet if you get your health under control your T will disappear.

Stay positive x

 

clap bang boom , well said

 

ok, useful...

'Welcome' to the forum! How exactly is your t sound wise? I'm 22 female myself and been having tinnitus for the past 3 months, like most others music was probably the pitfall. Through a decade atleast I've too have suffered from different anxieties, and depression, and t-wise to me the first two weeks were the far worst (on that scale you're 50% through already!).
I really want you to know that despite you feel alone in your own mind only with this intrusive new sound, you are not! At a point I read a study saying 1/5 collegestudents have permanent ringing, there is much difference in how we perceive these things, but even for the most anxious t-newbies there is hope
You should get that bronchitis treated right away, however I must be prepare you that t-wise ENTs know less than most people with t. Nobody knows, your tinnitus might stick, it might decrease or subside. What we do know is that in habituaion rate and regaining quality of life lost to t, the odds are great. There's lots of great advice, information, support and place to vent on this great forum. We have all gone through the stage you're at now, and even member numbers might come of scary at first (a lot of t) know that far the most who have t are not t-sufferers, but people who live happily ever after, with their t - many who are here to help us keep our cool

Also in some countries I know after the onset people are pumped with oral steroids which Might help, can't tell as I don't know much. Check out the search bar with that.

 

Also I would advise taking zinc supplements/tablets. My mum got them for me and I don't know whether my T is simply subsiding because I'm getting over an illness or whether they are actually helping, but zinc is meant to be good for your ears so it can't hurt. I've also heard magnesium is very good for T, but I'm sure more people know about that then me.

 

At 22 years of age, it is likely that your tinnitus will just go away. In the meantime, there are 4 things you need to do: (1) Educate yourself (2) Relax - your anxious reaction to the tinnitus will make it seem worse so speak to your doctor and get psychological and medication assistance, (3) Sleep - make sure you sleep so you may need medications for that, and (4) Sound Retraining. Don't worry about medications - most medications do not cause to worsen tinnitus. Most the medications on 'Lists' that you fond on the Internet do not actually cause or worsen tinnitus. Unfortunately, much of the advice about vitamins and other supplements is wishful thinking - none of this stuff works. Tinnitus will naturally wax and wane so whatever someone was doing when it lessens is seen as a treatment, when it really isn't.

 

Aloha amm12, just wanted to say you are not alone as you can see we all here went throughthe same thing as you for me the first 2 months was the hardest, but your brain will adjust but you cant focus on the T you need to keep busy, what reallt help me was getting this thing that looks like a hearing aid but plays a sound that make the T less noticable i like white noice so i use that , i got T july of 2013 out of the blue ? went to bed fine and woke up with it, no loud music , i dont take meds i was pretty fit... i did drink coffee but not since having T. you will be fine and we are always here.....

 

Hey guys, thank you for all the insight. It's nice to hear other's experiences and coping methods.
I'll certainly try everything suggested to help ease it, and try to be as patient as I can.
It's been very hard though. It's really really loud and so present, it's hard to even begin to fathom blocking it out. It's been giving me constant migraines and makes me feel nauseated. It was so bad last night that I went to the hospital (with the idea there probably want much they could do, but I was in such pain and distress I didnt know what else to do) They did tests and a CAT scan, and found nothing, not for sure sign of ear infection. I'm aware theyre not experts, and I'm still holding out hope that the ENT and audiologist will be able to diagnose something.

Some of you had mentioned that over time you can learn to block it out. What does that entail though? Do you still hear it? Or just accept it and live with it? Or do you actually feel like it's gone? I'm scared to just "deal with it." I'm hyper sensitive to every noise. Like I tried to go out yesterday, just to the store and I felt like I was gonna pass out, the sounds were so overwhelming. Same with having the tv on to try and distract myself. It's physically and emotionally exhausting.

I will try the things you all mentioned though. It sucks cause I have such a high anxiety anyways so sleep has never come very easy to me.

Also, is there anything I can take for headache pain? I know youre supposed to avoid asprin, so is ibuprofen okay? I need relief from at least that.

Ahh sorry this is so disjointed and worded poorly, my brain is sorta fried at the moment. I can say that I'm happy to have found this group, though. I've been in such anguish that this would disable my life because it certainly feels this way, but maybe this forum here will give me more hope.

 

Turmeric or rohdiola for headache pain ..hang in there it will get better

 

Dont be afraid of it, it is not your worst enemy to encounter. Before i have that T it gives me too much depression and i was anxious because of it but there are ways to cope with it and to live you life without noticing your T. the most important thing you have to do is to stop taking to much coffee and dont get stress too much cause it will make your tinnitus spike and loud. if you going to sleep, use some sound machine of listen to some white noise like i do.
Just dont give up hope cause there will be cure someday that will give us peace and silent.
More wishes to you and godbless

 

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Hello, I also have this, the keys jingling / metallic bird chirping in my right ear only, I've been in four mental hospitals to treat it with no luck, what did you do? Luckily the keys jingling is loud enough to mask but I still hear it, i wear a in ear masking hearing aid at night so I can sleep! It's been so hard I had to stop working and sell my business and my wife left me because I can't function without masking. I also have high pitched shrieking in both ears and ringing in my right ear but the jingling keys noise is debilitating beyond words, nobody can understand how much worse it is than normal tinnitus! What did you do??

 

I hope I can offer a little support, I also had T for a short period due to loud music...however after 2 weeks it went away completely and I cannot hear it any more. Of course this can be temporary (I don't know)...but at least there is hope that it can be permanently gone. I was just as scared as you, but don't worry you will be fine. Relax and don't stress hon!

 

Hey, sorry to read that you have this horrible condition, I know it's been a while and don't know if you are still having issues, but let me tell you I've had ringing in my ears for over 20 years maybe more it's easy to loose track, and have lived with it, not with just my own strength but with the strength the Holy Trinity gave me (Father God, Jesus, The holy Spirit), I can tell you first hand it gets more easy to live with as the years pass, you stop focusing on it until it becomes a part of you and becomes just background noise. To help you sleep use a box fan on level one, and if that doesn't help turn soothing music on, there are apps on phones for sleep deprived folks that can help people like us, also if you listen to music through headphones use external ones not earbuds and listen at lower volume or you'll make the ringing worse. Never heard of coffee hurting ones ears, I've actually heard good things about coffee, but idk. If you have any questions just ask, I have many years of experience with tinnitus, just trust me, it gets easy as the days, months, years go by.