Newcomer Seeking Support and Guidance: Noise-Induced Hearing Loss May Have Caused My Tinnitus

Introduction
Greetings, everyone! I hope you don't mind sparing a few moments of your time to read my introduction and welcome a whippersnapper to the community. While this post might be a bit longer than usual, I welcome any comment or extension of support. I greatly appreciate if those of you more experienced ensure that I am on track to doing the best thing I can to move forward. This whole ordeal has been hitherto one of the greatest emotional strains I've had to endure, one I hope swiftly resolves itself as a brief footnote in quite the abysmal year.

The Situation
About a week ago, likely around the 18th, I found myself acutely aware of a noise that exists primarily in the skull. The cause, as we all know, could be many things. Unfortunately, the likely culprit may be noise-induced hearing loss. I won't know exactly until I get the opportunity to see a doctor and the necessary specialists.

I am not exactly sure how to define the noise. Some might call it a ringing, others might call it a hissing, and I might even call it chirping. I'm not sure, nor am I sure how much this matters at onset. What I can say is that it is bothersome to me, especially as I am one who loves silence and loathes high-pitched noises. I can say the following: this is foreign, this is intrusive, and this is distracting.

As you may expect, my reaction towards this has been less than agreeable. For the first few days, I was either coincidentally struck by some sort of general illness, or my stress and anxiety were so strong that I was actually producing symptoms, such as loss of appetite, fatigue, and other "bleh" responses. I hardly even got out of bed for a few days, I withdrew from friends and family, and I was not treating my body well. Just being awake was and sometimes still is a legitimate challenge.

I engage in considerable mood swings throughout the day, and I don't even think the noise has changed much; my interpretation and tolerance of it seems to differ. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I am also not sure if I am experiencing these "spikes" as are often mentioned or if this is all psychologically-driven by my volatile mental state. Either way, I can't say I've had one entirely good or entirely bad day since last week.

Worst of all, I am probably averaging about 3 to 5 hours of sleep a night. Strangely, I seem to be having a pattern of sleeping for three hours specifically and languishing away in bed in hopes that I can find peace and return to sleep. It doesn't always happen. This part particularly worries me given that I have already suffered from insomnia before this all began and sleep is extremely important for one's health.

My Current Strategy
I have plans to see a primary care physician, audiologist, and otolaryngologist over the the next two weeks. I would have sought assistance sooner, but given that this occurred right before the holiday season and end-of-year bookings, my hands were tied. With that being said, I don't really have high hopes from any medical professionals; my best bet is that this is something that can be observed and treated (such as earwax impaction or a weird infection). For what it's worth, I am also seeing my chiropractor again.

In terms of protecting my ears, I have done well to avoid any sounds above 85 dB. It's not much, but I have been using a sound meter on my phone to ensure my environments are at least within safe ranges. The only exception to this is a visit I made to the supermarket on Christmas Eve. It only lasted a half of an hour, but I sure did not expect that many people to be there. I regret this trip for sure.

I have currently cut out caffeine, as this apparently may agitate the symptoms. I have also stopped taking one of my prescriptions (trazodone) that has been reported to be ototoxic. This was probably bad to do without getting clearance from my "doctor", but he didn't believe it was important enough to call me back on. I do worry about further symptoms from withdrawal, and I will again try to get in contact with him next week.

I have also began taking several supplements. I know this is controversial and that there is little to no scientific evidence for their efficacy, but as some people here have praised them, I figure it's worth a shot. Specifically, they are Ginkgo Biloba, Magnesium, Zinc, and a general multivitamin.

My Questions for You
Primarily, what else should I be doing in these early days? Is there anything else I can do to reinforce my health or try to revert any damage while I still have time? I have done several readings on the site, but there's a good chance I have still missed something or am currently making a mistake in my process. Of course, not everyone's plan is going to work for everyone, but I am greatly welcoming feedback! I am still conflicted on how to approach masking, and my sleep situation is utterly terrible at the moment.

Furthermore, have I been spending too much time on this site and/or the topic in general? I expect the answer to this to be yes. As I have already suffered with stress, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors prior to this situation, all of that has only been exacerbated by having to deal with these symptoms. Many have said over and over to stop feeding importance to this condition. I fear that peering too much into the world of this condition might further reinforce negative thoughts and stress. I was afraid to even write this post, but at the time same, I know reaching out and social interaction with others, especially those who can empathize with you, can be greatly beneficial. I also know it's important to be aware of the problem and how to address it. I'm just not sure I have struck the right balance. I will notice my mood will often rise when I read hopeful or optimistic posts and fall when I see more negative stories or potential indications of prolonged effect. It's a brutal cycle!

Finally, are there any indications I could look out for that might show this to be a temporary ordeal? My anxiety hates to even address this question, but I feel I should know if there are qualities, characteristics, or developments of which I should be aware that may indicate the best case outcome of me being rid of this annoyance. I would like to think that the fact I am young (early 20s) bodes well, but given some of the ages of members here at onset, it doesn't seem to matter much.

Conclusion
This post ended up being longer than I expected it would be, but this is likely a result of my coming off an extended period of social withdrawal. As I'm sure many of you know, having little friends or family that can remotely empathize with these symptoms is excruciating. My grandfather has done his best to provide me emotional support, but it's clear he doesn't truly get the extent of the situation. My grandmother, however, revealed to me last night that she's had something like this for awhile. Chatting with her a bit was quite pleasant, actually. I hope to be able to emulate that with some of you here.

Please offer your greetings, thoughts, comments, ideas, and feedback below. I am looking forward to hearing from those in this community on how I may better tackle this situation, as I am not afraid to admit I don't know what else to do. Furthermore, if you would be willing to chat privately, let me know!

I wish the best to you all, and I hope we can leave the worst behind in 2020!

 

I am a newbie in this too, so I haven't got much wisdom to offer unfortunately - I am still struggling after a month, and especifically your words about the "general illness" seem to describe my current status too.

What I would recommend is to seek help from somebody (possibly an ENT or an otoneurologist) who specializes in tinnitus. "Regular" ENTs seem to be very disappointing, at least in my experience and also according to what I read in this forum.

For me nothing has worked so far. The only slight "improvement" seems to be given by simply drinking a lot of water. It seems to prevent those scary episodes of fleeting tinnitus.

 

Thank you for reaching out all the same! I welcome encouraging, supportive, or guiding posts from any user, both experienced and new.

I'm not sure if it's comforting or concerning to learn that you as well dealt with these weird symptoms as well. I can't remotely understand why they would occur so close to one another, and it was a thought of mine that it had been temporarily causing this.

(Un)fortunately, I have had no sort of stuffiness or blockages in my sinuses that would seem to indicate this might be allergy, cold, or flu related. I regret seeing so many avenues for a potentially temporary cause closing one after the other...

I have some more time before Monday to research further professionals in my area, but from what I can tell, there aren't much by way of specialists in this particular condition. This is quite disheartening to say the least, and I am dreading the whole "nothing I can find / do" schtick that is likely to follow my appointment.

The same goes for my intended audiologist. There is one clinic with "tinnitus treatment" in the name, but it's much less rated than the other I have plans to visit. Conversely, there is worries that the more traditional ones are just there to get you to buy their products. I don't think I need hearing aids, and it probably would be a financial burden as I don't think my insurance covers it anyway.

I should perhaps do better to drink more water. I think my daily intake over the past couple days has been okay, but as mentioned before, I had difficult both eating and drinking for a while.

I think the closest I got to "improvement" was about an hour last night where it almost felt like it was gone entirely. Of course, my anxious might kept wanting to validate and verify this by going into the coat closet and testing. It did seem it came back at some point. Sigh...

I am hoping we both are going to pull through and eliminate this entirely very soon. This is hope I am holding onto in spite of the challenges, but if things are looking to last a bit longer, I am not sure how my overly anxious mind will handle and adapt. This is scary.

 

Try masking using the sound of crickets. The goal is not to drown out tinnitus, it is to give yourself something else to listen to besides your tinnitus.

If it doesn't go away in the next couple of days, it will likely take its time to go away. However, if it begins fading in the first month or two, it ought to continue to fade and within 6-36 months you will hopefully get to "can hear it only in quiet rooms" stage.

Tests/Procedures to Avoid

Now that you have tinnitus, your ears might have been compromised. Those "safe" ranges are safe for healthy people, it doesn't mean that they are safe for you. If a sound feels too loud, or you experience a spike following exposure to a sound, you might consider staying away from that sound.

No, it matters. It's great that you are young, your chances of getting your life back is higher. Check out the numerous research papers listed on the various pages of the thread below:

Spontaneous Recovery Stats: Many Recover (3 Studies)

One's age matters.

You will want to make sure that you don't hurt your ears during this period of vulnerability as your body is healing. You will want to avoid taking ototoxic drugs, avoid microsuction or syringing (performed when you need to clean wax out of your ears; a manual tool should be used), and not let your dental hygienist use an ultrasonic scaling tool on you (a manual tool should be used). For more details, see

Tinnitus Week 2018 / Day 7: What Advice Would You Give to Someone Else Who Has Tinnitus?

 

I think that the distressing situation has an overall negative and "energy draining" impact on the body.

We will eventually get better. It is going to take a while though (at least for me, I have this feeling). Actually your tinnitus is very fresh, it might still fade soon. Do not worry too much (as usual this sounds much easier said than done), try to carry on with your life. Protect your ears, rest, eat well and stay away from noises.

 

Wow, thanks so much @Bill Bauer for personally taking the time to reach out and help address my concerns. In my few days of lurking this board, I have often looked up your posts and positions favorably. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few more questions directly to further ensure I am on track.

Thank you. I will try using crickets. Recently, I have been using sounds from a site called EnviroSounds that I found from someone here ont he forums. There's also myNoise.net that I am using for ambient sound during the day.

One of the things I worry about is how I am managing sound enrichment, as you are advising, versus masking. Is masking bad for you? Sometimes, just hearing it throws me on edge, and I want it to go away. Enrichment leads me to believe that I must hear both, and my mind still focuses on the noise. Is this normal? Does this mean my volume levels are not appropriate?

I've also been going to sleep with my sound meter reading 60 dB on the ambient noise. It's not hurting my ears any, but if I feel if I make it any lower, it's less noticeable and helpful. Should I be prioritizing lower volumes for enrichment over more guaranteed chances at sleep?

This is what I am hoping for. The fact that I can't say it has considerably worsened outside of instances where I am panicked or anxious is probably a good sign. Probably. Lots of uncertainty in this mess.

I did not mention in my original post, but I did have about an hour of where I completely found it challenging to perceive the noise as I have been. This eventually went away, either because I kept trying to find it in order to verify if it had been gone or what. I'm not sure.

This list is very helpful, and I will be sure to keep it in mind when it comes to discussing options with my doctors.

I must say however that I am unsure about saying no to the tympanometry. While I understand the dangers and threat of an acoustic reflex test, which I believe I've actually had before, the tympanometry seems much less dangerous and is often conflated with the threat of the acoustic reflex test as for whatever reason some audiologists/ENT operate them simultaneously.

Can you verify for certain that there is an issue with the tympanometry itself? My searches here come up hit-or-miss, but as you are more studied and a veteran, I feel as if you can condense the information better. The only reason I push this point is because there are many dysfunctions of the middle ear or eardrum that itself might cause tinnitus and be a cause; I want to get those evaluated if I can but not at the risk of the test making the condition worse.

This is a good note. I have to say that I don't think I've experienced an sound as being too loud (aside from the visit to the store) or in the sense that my ear has been caused pain. I tend to be quite alright within the 40-70 dB range at the present. I am still trying to do what I can to keep it lower when possible.

This is a relief to see, and I hope for sure in my case it ends up being the case. I am still too concerned that I may be worrying myself with the condition too much in these early stages, but I also feel the need to learn more and reach out. Do you have any specific advice on this? Should I just "detox" from any and all things tinnitus for an extended period, or should I continue reaching out?

One of the most difficult things I've had to deal with is the isolation, as I mentioned in my earlier post. While I don't which this symptom of any intensity on anyone, I must say it's disappointing to not be able to talk to someone about it and them get why I am distressed. I think that's part of the reason I have spent hours upon hours peering through this forum over the last few days.

Thank you again for this warning and the subsequent tips. I will try to do whatever I can to ensure that this doesn't grow into a worse problem. I am looking into supplements as well that are supposed to reinforce or protect the hearing; they may not do much for the symptom (which hopefully expires on its own), but it should prevent any further damage for sure.

I do have it in mind should I actually have impacted earwax to request mechanical removal. Some of the horror stories I've read with regards to syringing and microsuction, oh man...

 

Possibly so! It seems almost universal that folks who go through the initial stages of a sudden onset of the sympton have endured some sort of anxiety-ridden struggle that lasts for weeks or months. I am hoping I am able to break through this rut much more quickly, as I typically do not have the stamina to deal with mental turmoil for very long, but we shall see. This is why I am doing what I can to ensure I am well-informed and well-prepared going forward. Anything and everything to better ease my recovery.

As before, I certainly hope this doesn't take long for either of us to get through. It would be great if this fades either into the background or entirely without much note; I would be utterly grateful for a second chance like this. I would not make the same mistakes I have made periodically up to this point. Noise can be dangerous, and hearing is precious.

I am still doing what I can to not worry, but it's difficult. I sometimes go from states of relative calm to strong concern. No idea exactly what I can rely on to get through it, but I will keep looking for suggestions and solutions as it is necessary for my quality of life.

I'm not sure if you already have a solution for masking, but this Japanese Garden ambient track seems to do well to at least get my mind off of focusing on the tone when I am not watching a video or doing something (like reading forum threads here on the site).

I must say that I have missed the quiet since this began. I am not using to needing to have sound at a noticeable volume constantly flowing.

 

Is this a psychological response? Or do your ears not feel right?

If it is the latter, I would avoid the noise that made you feel that way for the time being (next 3-6-12 months). If it is the former, then you need to take into account that you aren't choosing between that masking noise and silence. You are choosing between the sound of your tinnitus and that masking noise. Of course if the masking noise is more upsetting than your tinnitus, then you need to find a new masking noise (and if this is true for all masking noises, then I guess masking isn't for you).

Try
https://purrli.com/

Some people can hear their tinnitus even when the masking sound is at a high volume level. That had been my case at the start of my ordeal. If you can completely mask your tinnitus when the masking volume is reasonable, then of course you should do so.

Are you saying that you are focusing on the noise of your tinnitus? What normally happens is that for the first 10-15 minutes after turning on the masking sound you focus on your tinnitus. But eventually you begin focusing on the masking sound. I don't recall anyone reporting that no matter how long they listen to the masking noise, their mind is ignoring it and focusing on their tinnitus.

That's controversial. Unfortunately I am not aware of any actual studies done on this topic. I know that many people who had been using sound enrichment/masking at a relatively high volume ended up getting better (their tinnitus has faded). But perhaps it would have faded earlier if not for that masking. I wouldn't worry Too much about it. You might consider prioritizing falling asleep during the first three months, and then gradually lower the volume of the masking.

Are you saying that you couldn't hear your tinnitus for about an hour?

My initial acoustic trauma resulted in a full ear sensation. I scheduled an appointment with an ENT about it. Before my appointment, my ENT sent me to an audiologist to do a hearing test. I also asked the audiologist to do a test I read about on the net. I haven't felt any discomfort during the test. None of the sounds felt loud to me. My tinnitus had turned on in the evening of the day when I had those hearing tests(!) This was 10 days after my initial acoustic trauma. This was close to 4 years ago, so I am not 100% sure about the name of the test. But I would say that I am 99% sure that it was tympanometry. A number of other people here had reported getting tinnitus or making their tinnitus louder as a result of tympanometry. Having said that, I have no idea what role that tympanometry test played in giving tinnitus to me. My tinnitus might have turned on that day even if I were not to do that test.

We have been abandoned by the researchers, as there haven't been many studies to answer the questions like the one above. All we can rely on are anecdotal stories that we find on this forum. Of course this information might be biased. I suggest that you search this forum using the names of the tests you are considering having and read the descriptions of the experiences that come up.

Having said this, check out the results of this poll.
It is unlikely that your ENT will propose a treatment for your tinnitus...

I have been reading this forum almost every day for the past 46 months. I have never read a post here saying "my ENT found that my tinnitus was due to XYZ middle ear dysfuction. My ENT has treated this dysfunction and now my tinnitus is fading."

If we could travel back in time, many people here (myself included) would not do the hearing tests. Having said this, perhaps this is a biased sample. It is possible that there are some people who did the tests, were able to be treated and get over their tinnitus, and so they never felt the need to make posts about it here.

For the next 1-3 years, consider staying away from vacuum cleaners, blenders, snow blowers, and lawn mowers. Alternatively you could try wearing hearing protection while using them for a couple of minutes, and if you don't get a tinnitus spike, then increase the time of the noise exposure.

I can't imagine stress actually having an impact on my tinnitus. However, many people think that it makes a difference for their tinnitus. You will need to "play it by ear" and see what works for you...

I am the opposite. I love life without compromises. I don't understand the concept of "loneliness". I like solitude. Referring to it using a negative connotation (i.e., "loneliness") is like having a word for "healthy" that has negative connotations.

It is normal to feel horrible early on. Here is another poll that I created when I was three months into the ordeal. The first 6 months or so are the worse, but normally things get better after that.

 

Once again, I would like to thank you for your continued and studied correspodence with me, @Bill Bauer.

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear here; the noise which put me on edge was not the masking rather this phantom I would like to go away. I assume it's a mixture of both the irritation of the unpleasant sound and the body undergoing that fight-or-flight response. I will say that some masking noises can be uncomfortable or unpleasant themselves. One that is nice also might get repetitious after hours of use. I'll definitely give some thought towards using that creative Purrli site you offered.

With regards to my ears feeling "right", there are occasions over the past few days where they have felt weird. Sometimes, I experience periods of warmth, and sometimes with pressure, though I can't recall any pain, blockage, or muffled hearing. As I have not been very keenly aware of the condition of my ears up until this point, I may have been having things like this in the past.

I also don't recall any of the symptoms I did feel occurring until after I had applied mineral oil drops to my ears on the 23rd as an attempt to soften wax. I have not made further applications since to avoid exacerbating the issue; I want my ears checked internally first.

That's the question though: what volume is reasonable? Is it fine as long as it's not causing pain? This is typically what I have gone for so far. Granted, I have not tested volumes or sounds that might bring about pain.

Furthermore, I can't even verify for sure if it "completely" masks it. You mention that some can hear theirs at high volumes, which I assume also means they are compelled to focus on it (i.e. the distraction is not as effective). I can probably say, if this is the case, that it doesn't apply to me.

The difference between perception and loudness really makes it hard to judge situations. Unsurprisingly, this is probably what contributes to many causes of acquired sensorineural hearing loss. I'm sure many have never thought the music they were listening to was that loud...

I actually did not know this. My thought process from hearing everyone talk about enrichment is that you'd have to suffer both since the supporting sound is below the accursed noise. I will have to see if I can try this to some effect when I go to bed tonight, though that tends to be the time when it's the most distracting.

I hope you can understand that it's natural for me to just want to make it go away. I think that's what everyone wants to do. While total silence does not seem to be an option at the moment, there seem to be solutions through masking that at least makes being awake and cognizant less of a trial. I am mostly concerned if full masking will greatly hamper any chances of recovery, which so far I don't believe to be the case.

Some have said that if you mask too much, then the phantom sound(s) come back with an even greater intensity. This sounds like worsening to me. But at the same time, how do you know the sounds wouldn't have been that bad to begin with? There are so many uncertainties.

This seems like the best bet for me. Assuming this will be a bit longer than a temporary stint, it does appear that getting my sleep back on track is the main goal here. For all I know, if I am able to get more consistently long nights of sleep, this could fade into nothing. I can't say for sure, since I haven't gotten a full eight hours (to my recollection) since last week.

There is also a possibility that some of my issues may be resulting from my abrupt withdrawal of Trazodone (two months). After I learned that it is potentially ototoxic, I considered the possibility it may have caused the symptoms, so I decided to drop it. Of course, I tried to contact my neurologist first, but either the receptionist who took my call or he did not feel the need to get back to me.

Unfortunately, I didn't start keeping a rough dairy of my daily events until after I stopped taking it, so I don't know for sure if I was having these three hour nights before. I am tempted to just start taking it again, as I believe that often makes withdrawal symptoms subside, but I just do not want to risk any damage.

Yes, I think! This was also without masking, though I must note that I was watching a few YouTube videos. Either this was the case, or it had faded or obscured itself to an extent that I didn't really care. Perhaps my mood was in a particular stable state as well. I also feel, weirdly, that my dinner might have had something to do with it, especially with the oysters. I had also been watching videos at the time, which might have partly masked it, but after visiting a quiet coat closet periodically and going downstairs, it didn't seem nearly as powerful as it had been.

Of course, we as humans are inherently flawed, especially in terms of memory and processing. I am unconvinced that anything I had felt could be verified, though despite this, I kept trying to verify it. I don't know if this is what caused it to come back. I do regret being so investigative. It also makes me further ruminate on how much psychology influences perception.

Duly noted. The fact that tympanometries haven't seemed to help others here in identifying the cause is probably enough for me to forego it. I will be sure to ask, however, if there's any other methods of evaluation that could be done instead that don't subject my ears to potential trauma. There is of course risk both ways; the tympanometry could find something that might be causing the symptom, but the test itself might also cause it or cause it to be worse. Why does it feel like so much is a coin flip?

Does this mean that spikes tend to happen immediately? One of my concerns has been that if I spend time around a new sound, I might not even feel negative effects until a day or more later. This makes it hard to gauge exactly where my thresholds of tolerance are since you have no indication what could have caused any potential jumps. Was it the supplement I took a couple days ago, or was it the loud refreshment machine last night?

Still, I have been trying to stay away from loud noises so far. I helped my grandfather make dinner a couple agos ago, and I managed to avoid using the can openers. I am grateful that he was understanding.

I have however been avoiding the use of earplugs since last week. Since I still haven't ruled out wax compaction, I'm not sure I want to make things worse there. Plus, the muffled hearing from them makes the noise all the more present, which is why I have since stopped using them at night to sleep. How I miss the silence... though again, I wonder if I did hear some noise before that just didn't bother me for whatever reason. I regret having such poor memory (or that it is being colored by current events, making it harder to recall how it actually was previously).

It's really hard to tell whether or not my stress and anxiety are actually having an affect on it. As I've mentioned before, it seems difficult to tell what could have possible affected it. What makes it go up? What makes it go down? Would it have just happened like that anyway?

With regards to the forum... I hope you don't mind if I provide some thoughts my spending so much time here on the forum.

If anything, it has made me worried that I could perhaps fall into a worse condition in the future. Viewing negative threads and posts where people are afflicted by likely far more severe conditions than I have is extremely disheartening to me. I am not sure if it is contributing to further negative attitudes being held towards this symptom, which might itself be exacerbating my overall quality of life and ability to approach this going forward.

That being said, what has helped or least made me more prepared is posts from you and others with regards to advice for newcomers and what to do.

I just feel like this time in these early stages is so critical that I want to ensure I do what's right in order to not only prevent things from getting worse but also see about putting myself on the path to recovery. The fact that this symptom is so complex and underappreciated makes it all the more difficult to determine the right path.

I know that tinnitus is not a mental illness, but it does seem there's an extreme amount of psychology behind it that can moderate how a person is able to adjust or perhaps even heal. It seems universally agreed that certain conditions from which I already suffered, such as anxiety disorders, depression, and insomnia, are generally comorbid with this blasted thing. I don't want to keep feeding it as a sort of Ouroboros that puts me in an even worse spot. I hate the idea, too, that I might even be generating symptms or making them worse just by my negative thoughts or those ever-pervasive "what if?" moments. Catastrophizing seems to be an issue with me.

For instance, despite you giving me the statistics from what you've gathered, and despite even the official statistics in which a percentage of a percentage of sufferers find it difficult to deal with their lives day-to-day, I am still often fearful of that path. This sucks. I have always dealt with bad anxiety, and situations such as this just inflame it to a considerable degree.

I do think I have spent way too much time just looking through online services, research articles, and even this forum. My mood shoots up and down depending on what posts I'm reading. This can't be good for me. But I don't know what to do. I just don't know. I don't feel directed anywhere else at the moment. I have this feeling, however irrational or potentially harmful it may be, that I need to stay hyper-focused on this. I suppose it's natural for people to want to isolate, address, and resolve any issues they might have with themselves immediately. Unfortunately, this symptom is much more complex than I (and probably anyone else) expected.

I'm certainly glad this works for you. I don't mean to imply that I don't enjoy time to myself, as solitude can certainly be nice. Unfortunately, with a noise such as this, silent moments and being alone has certainly soured an extent.

With that being said, interfacing with those who don't have this problem has proven somewhat challenging. They just don't understand the complications and can't relate. They're going along with their life and their own problems while you're stuck here having to deal with a very frustrating issue. I suppose this is the case for anyone dealing with a condition.

These results were surprising to see. I did not expect that sort of spread.

I have to be grateful for the fact that I have not been crying every day. There have certainly been days up to this point where I have, and I've probably cried more this past week than I have all year, but to see that my emotional distress hasn't gotten that low in a few days is something I like to think is promising. I am very prone to panicking.

That isn't to say, of course, that I am not still distressed. Annoyance, irritation, fatigue, and distraction are still considerable threats to my daily quality of life. Even as I right this now, I'm hearing it a bit in my left ear, which I believe is a result of a change to the general droning that I first experienced last night. I remember some sources saying that change is good in the early stages? Considering it followed a pretty rough visit to Subway (which was very loud internally between the machines and music), I am not so sure. I have no idea if this is a "spike" or just how my symptom planned to modify itself.

One thing I would really like to start working on is getting back to how I was before this all went down. I was just chilling on my break, enjoying myself day to day as my last semester of undergraduate study approaches. I was even getting excited for the holidays, as I've been building up the festivities with my friends since the month began. This all ground to a halt last week, and it's barely recovered since then.

It has recovered somewhat, though. My appetite has gotten much better. My sleep seems to be improving, though I'll need more nights to test that. Certain day-long masking tends to help keep me focused. I need to figure out how I can start playing games and reading books again. I'm trying. It's hard.

 

Perhaps an ENT can help you, after all. An ENT can rule out an infection. If your tinnitus is due to an infection, it will likely go away several months after the infection is taken care of.

I would probably stay away from the volume levels that seem "loud".

Even if your tinnitus isn't completely masked, sound enrichment can still help by letting you listen to something else for a change. In other words, the sounds of crickets will hopefully be less annoying than the sound of your tinnitus.

I was fortunate enough to visit Hawaii and Australia several years before the onset of my tinnitus. They have loud annoying crickets down there. The sound at night was deafening. This experience had helped me to enjoy the sound of crickets that I was using as my masking sound.

There is a good chance that eventually that will (mostly) happen. However, the reality is that ears take forever (i.e., months or years) to heal. Hopefully the thought that there is a good chance that this is temporary will help you to get through this.

If the volume is at the level of a normal conversation or slightly louder, then it ought to be ok. Otherwise it probably isn't.

This will most likely not be permanent, so if that happens to you you will want to stop with the masking and within days you will be back to your baseline.

Taking Amitriptyline might help (back in the day it had helped me). It isn't addictive and you don't feel drowsy the next day. This drug has been used to Treat tinnitus. Like all drugs that improve tinnitus, this drug has Caused tinnitus in a small minority of patients.

That's a good sign.

The only food-related pattern I noticed is that consuming dairy products tend to make T more high pitched.

When it is quieter or louder - you Know.

It is often possible to match the volume of one's tinnitus to the volume of something you can reproduce (e.g., your phone, a door hinge, etc.)

It depends on the person. For most it is immediate, but there are certainly some who got spikes the next morning.

I think that if there is no spike the next morning, it is unlikely that you get a spike. Some people's onset of tinnitus happened a week or more after the initial exposure.

You are not alone! Those who hear tinnitus only in quiet rooms might still be suffering from tinnitus, OR they might be back to where they were before their acoustic trauma.

The bottom line is that right now it is reasonable to assume that eventually you will get over this. I would never want to give someone False hope. I wrote this because I really believe it (having read countless people's accounts of how their tinnitus had turned out).

By the way, one thing you might consider looking into are HBOT treatments (search this forum).

Yes, when tinnitus is relentlessly at the same level for several month it is a bad sign.

If you don't want to wear earplugs, consider buying and wearing Peltor X5A muffs.

 

I hope so. I find it coincidental that I actually have had been to an ENT years before, and the experience was not pleasant. As they are a specialist, it was basically the same as visit my general practitioner, yet more expensive and somehow even less helpful.

Okay, that's probably fine then. I'm currently listening to videos at about 60 dB and want to raise it a bit, but it's often advised to stick to low volume. You also mentioned how the decibel scales are often used in reference to those with normal ears, and I'm not sure how much I want to try my luck. I think I will do what I can to keep 70 dB as a maximum limit for at least a while.

I actually found and saved a few cricket-based sounds yesterday. I might try them tonight! Also, that's neat to hear about your experience in Hawaii and Australia. We actually have loud cricket noises outside. In fact, I somewhat likened the noise I heard to a form similar to their chirping at night (yet much more consistent and smooth).

That volume is estimated at around 60-65 dB from most of the decibel charts that I have found, so I think I am fine then. Keeping the late night maskings in the 50 dB range (taken by my pillow) seems to be alright. There doesn't seem like there's much I can do to guarantee getting back after sleeping.

Strangely enough, amitriptyline is a drug that I took for six months earlier this year. In fact, it's what I originally went to the neurologist about, because I had issues with migraines. Not only did it help alleviate the pain there, but it also helped me sleep. Quite well, actually. However, when I went back in October, I ended up getting the Trazodone instead. Neurologist seemed to think it'd work better if it were just for sleep. Sure...

If I were to get another prescription, what dosage should I go for? Originally, I was taking it at 50 mg.

Yeah, and that's what makes this all the more frustrated. I never had any issue with noise like this in the past. What could have happened on the evening of the 18th that just suddenly made me aware of this? Or, rather, what made me bothered by it?

I have to wonder if I were not afflicted by such problems such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder if I would have just moved along. I probably should have been taking better care of my mental health beforehand.

Thank you for your optimism (or rather, realism?). For so many things in life, I always overreact, especially when it comes to things like classes or exams. It pretty much always works out in the end. I am just not good at handling the stage that leads up to the point of success.

I need to believe this. I do seem to be making improvements with each day. I'll probably just need a couple or few more days to get there. It just feels like every day lasts for much longer than 24 hours. I am surprised, looking back, that I've only been at this for about nine days. When everyone talks in timeframes of weeks, months, and years... I can't deny that's very daunting to me.

I have, actually! Unfortunately, I reviewed my insurance, and it will not cover HBOT when it comes to something like this or hearing loss in general. In fact, one of the things that concerns me going forward is how little actually my insurance covers when it comes to this.

For this condition, in fact, the only thing it covers is CBT. It doesn't even go far enough to cover generators or TRT, which I'd have to pay (and probably couldn't) out of pocket. I think I'd rather save up for FX-322 or something like it at that point.

These remind me of the sort of hearing protection that I used when I went to the gun range. In fact, those might be the same. I will have to find our range bag and see, but if not, I think I will give these a shot.

I don't actually have anything against earplugs themselves, it's mostly the consequence of making it quiet, thus unable to escape the noise. I'm sure this would go for any protection, but it's worth dealing with when it comes to protecting ears.

If you don't mind, I have a question I'd like to ask as it pertains to silence (or rather no extra stimulus). Should I be avoiding this or peppering it in throughout the day? I'm not listening to anything within the dangerous range, but it does seem to be getting way more constant input these days than it did previously. I don't know if it's okay to just have enrichment or masking or normal input (e.g. videos, talking, music all within appropriate ranges) going constantly at this point.

 

I had 10 mg pills, and I found that three quarters of a pill would be optimal for me. 50 mg is what they had experimented with when they tried to use it to cure tinnitus.

If you are noticing improvements within the first two weeks, then perhaps your tinnitus will be gone in less than 3-6 months, after all.

If it were me, I would pepper silence throughout the day.

 

For a bit of an update, I finally got through to see a primary care doctor today. It was not a very good experience, and there was apparently some conflict since I also visit another doctor in network. Sorry, but he wasn't available; I needed to see someone.

Waiting both in the waiting room and the doctor's office was uncomfortable. The noise seemed to be much more irritating today, and the silence did not help. It also didn't help that I ended up waiting almost an hour and a half to be seen for my appointment. Health care, at least in this county, is ridiculous.

After having checked my ears, she noted that they were clean, a little bit too clean. She accurately stated how I had been using cotton swabs (before this began) and should stop. The inside of the ears seemed a bit red, and she also remarked on not seeing much hair? I don't know if this could still contribute to the symptom. She also kept mentioning there was a "little fluid", which she could not identify. This might be remnants from the mineral oil I added or something else. Again, this was not very helpful.

Other than that, she wasn't much help. She did seem to believe that the Trazodone was not responsible for this, nor should I be experiencing any negative side effects. I'm not sure how much I'm with her there, but whatever.

She tried to give me some strong antihistamine for the sleep, but thanks to past experiences and the suggestion of @Bill Bauer, we ended up deciding on Amitriptyline. It's 25 mg, the halfway between my suggested minimum dose of 10 mg and what I took before at 50 mg, but hopefully it will be mild yet effective enough to get me to sleep while not causing any side effects.

I still have my appointment with an audiologist next week, and I make one with what I think is the best ENT available in my insurance network towards the end of January. I loathe having to wait this long, but it's either this or settle for a nurse practitioner. I may start calling around to see if I can get someone well-rated elsewhere earlier.

I'm really tired of this, everyone. I felt like I was making progress, but ever since last night, my anxiety is high, the noise irritable, and my patience thin.

 

I'm sorry you are experiencing this. I'm glad you talked to your grandparents about what you are experiencing. Although your grandad may not have had tinnitus, he has had life challenges no doubt. It often helps to talk to wiser people in our life. What happened in your grandmother's situation like this? Did hers fade?

My dad also has hearing loss. I asked him if he had tinnitus, he said now that I mention it he has a little that comes and goes. My dad has to talk loudly and I have to hold my ears because of hyperacusis!

Some of the things you might consider: if yours is noise induced, have you taken a steroid? I would stay at home as much as possible, but get out in your neighborhood to walk or exercise. If you're having a hard time, consider seeing a counselor. I wish I would have stayed put, especially in the beginning.

Hope you heal and recover quickly! You have youth on your side!

Blessings,
twa

 

Hey Drachen, as soon as you get the sleep "under control" you will feel a little bit better. The sleeping pills will help you in this regard.

 

Hey, @twa. Thanks for reaching out! I really appreciate it. I have not been doing very well the past day and change, which makes me very reminiscent of the first couple days.

I appreciate this, and frankly, I am sorry anyone has to deal with this. I have become privy to an entire community of individuals silently suffering from a symptom nobody else seems to care about despite its prevalence.

If I had known a shred of what I did about tinnitus beforehand, I would have been much safer with my ears. The worst I ever thought I had to worry about was partial hearing loss. Today's youth is not educated enough about the dangers they may face.

It's been depressing for me to reflect upon how the worst thing I had to worry about two weeks ago was what YouTube channel to watch next.

There has only been one other time in my life where my quality of life drastically inverted to this extent. While I got through that last time, I didn't have a symptom like this to deal with either. I am very, very worried about my ability to handle this going forward.

People are suggesting that improvements may be found in ranges of weeks, months, or years. This seems excruciating to me as days themselves are long trials.

People are suggesting here and there that I may find either improvement in my condition or habituation in the range of weeks, months, or years. This continues to leave me shocked as mere days are long and difficult for me at the moment. And I'm currently on break. How am I going to adjust when I go back to university next month?

She had mentioned to me that this is something she deals with periodically, and some days are better than others. The weather, in her case, seems to have an effect. I am not sure how accurate this all is given her memory isn't the best anymore, but it's something. She also has hearing loss in general on a conversational level.

Absolutely. I've even been going to him more frequently for emotional support. I am trying to spend more time with him so as to break from the sheer isolation that you feel when you have to endure this. I successfully managed to watch a movie with him a couple nights ago, which was actually quite pleasant. Last night didn't go as well. Even when I hung out in his bedroom before he went to bed playing word games with him, I found it very difficult to deal with the noise.

I haven't gotten the chance. I know several posters here have mentioned that steroids + tapering can be useful, especially after an acoustic trauma, but I didn't start having problems until right up when the holiday season was in full swing. This meant places were closed and appointments booked far off.

I did see a primary care doctor a couple days ago, but she was a new appointment, and I don't think she'd have helped much anyway. She didn't seem very knowledgeable about this at all. I don't know what I expected.

I still don't see an audiologist until next week. Even in spite of that, what I've learned about how hard it is to actually isolate a cause and how audiograms themselves aren't even that robust, I am all the more concerned.

I do need to figure out what to do about exercising. This was something I have always had an issue with as a very sedentary person, but it's been made all the worst with the pandemic as I am too afraid to visit a gym.

One of the issues I have with taking walks around here is we live right on a highway, which means there's cars coming and going all the time. I'm not sure the noise they make plus the emissions are very helpful for me. I'll need to figure out how I can do circuits around my yard that is effective enough to get me active.

Thank you very much for wishing me well, and I hope the same goes for you. I want every single person on this board suffering to have a better year in 2021. I myself will continue hoping and praying both for my recovery and those of everyone else.

 

I would like to think so, but I'm not sure. The last two days I've had my best sleep since this all began, yet my symptom (or perception) has seemingly gotten worse since yesterday morning.

I am thinking that I encountered a spike yesterday after having taken the amitriptyline the night before. I know that @Bill Bauer and many others have reported that it is safe for them, but I legitimately cannot think of any other reason for this outside of the unpredictability of this whole thing. I don't think it's worth risking building up further levels in my system that could have detrimental effects. I've said to myself on "better" days since onset that I could probably deal with this if it gets no worse. Well, we're seeing how my limits can be tested.

Fortunately, I ended up reverting to Melatonin last night and got a decent bout of sleep. I may not even need the amitriptyline for that, though it really would be nice to have some sort of antidepressant with no risk of ototoxicity. Handling the anxiety and depression associated with this AND what I already had before is becoming an all-day mental struggle.

I have already been having the mood that I just want to stay in bed and sleep, because that's when I don't have to deal with this.

 

I don't know how similar Amitriptyline is to Nortriptyline, but I believe that after 4 days on Nortriptyline, I developed increased tinnitus and even worse, musical ear syndrome that I still have more than a month later.

That drug did not help me sleep at all, but it revved me up so much I couldn't sleep a wink for those 4 days. I wish I had never heard of it.

 

The frustrating part of this is there are people here on the forum that have benefitted well from Nortriptyline, and the same goes for Amitriptyline. There's almost no cohesion to a lot of this stuff. Any potential medication is like a mine waiting to go off.

I do think it's best, just in case, to just not go forward with the rest of the Amitriptyline. I am glad I only took just one, and I hope it didn't cause any lasting damage. It's very possible the spike would have occurred regardless, but I don't want to take any chances.

Even now, I keep having some tone in my left new (new?) flutter. It's really weird.

 

Hi Drachen and welcome to Tinnitus Talk.

Having suffered from tinnitus for six years, I have experienced both improvements (the noise fading a little and me getting more used to it) and setbacks (the noise getting worse due to additional noise exposure).

Here is my advice for you:

Don't ever leave your home without properly inserted foam ear plugs.​

Merely avoiding loud events and venues will not be sufficient. Sooner or later, there will be an ambulance siren, a fire alarm, a car alarm, a popping balloon, fireworks, a slamming metal door, someone shouting in your ear, a kid blowing a whistle pipe, an announcement to humanity from a UFO that just happens to take place as you pass by et cetera. Foam ear plugs, if properly inserted, will lower the impact from noise accidents dramatically.

Always assume the world is out to get you. Be especially paranoid about ENTs. Don't let them run an acoustic reflex test on you (it's a test where a loud beep is inserted directly into your ear). Ignore any assurances the test is safe. ENTs are not your friends and will take cruel advantage of any gullibility from your side.

If you protect your ears and generally take care of yourself, the likely outcome is that the noise will fade somewhat over time and you will get used to it. You may have to adjust your lifestyle a touch, to avoid loudness, but otherwise chances are you will be just fine.

Kind regards,
V

 

I'll emphasize this: if the quacksalver tries to insert a tool into your ear that emits a beep, refuse to cooperate and ignore any attempts of coercion. Move your head away, push the tool gently away from you, and make polite noise meanwhile: "I'm sorry, but I can't tolerate loud noise. I'm afraid I can't participate in this test."

It's also acceptable behaviour to do a surprise attack and then run for it.

 

What you have is Tonic tensor tympani syndrome (TTTS). Normally it goes away after about a year (or sooner).

 

Hello, Vincent. Thank you for your warm welcome and your advice. I actually did end up wearing earplugs out last time, which ended up being a good idea I think since it was raining. Seemed to get pretty loud in the car. I am not sure I will be doing it every single time, but I do think I will try to bring earplugs with me just in case.

This is the impression I've gotten from many on the forum, and it's sad to see such widespread medical abuse is rampant in this field. I am still somewhat looking forward to my appointment with one in less than a month, but I am not having high expectations. I know for sure to avoid the acoustic reflex test. I'm still not sure about the tympanometry, but I am leaning towards foregoing that as well.

One of the many, many problems with this symptom is the lack of any way to completely verify that the cause of it is and how to address that going forward. We still have yet to see any robust test that can accurately pinpoint a cause and outline a possible treatment. It's sad.

 

Oh, please no. The last thing I need right now is yet another potentially chronic condition that is further exacerbated by stress and provides additional distraction.

Seriously, I am very concerned about someday waking up with some form of hyperacusis out of nowhere.

My hope is starting to dwindle, and I feel another panic attack on the way. I have no idea how I am supposed to start feeling better, more optimistic, and less anxious when stuff like this happens.

 

HI @Drachen.

Tinnitus can be difficult to cope with in the early stages but usually improves with time. Many things can cause it and the most common is exposure to loud noise, using headphones, earbuds for long durations and at too high a volume. Hearing loss can cause it too or an underlying medical condition within the auditory system. Ear infection or even the build-up of earwax. When you are seen at ENT and had tests then hopefully you'll get a diagnoses and be recommended treatment.

Please go to my started threads and read the following posts that you might find helpful: New to tinnitus what to do. Tinnitus, A Personal View. The habituation process. Hyperacusis, as I see it.

All the best
Michael

 

Is this regarding the tympanometry?

 

I wouldn't worry about it. It ought to go away in due time.

While that Has happened to people, the vast majority know exactly what it is they did that has caused them to get hyperacusis.

It is normal to feel this way (both physically and mentally) during the first 3-6 months. It ought to get better.

 

Hello, @Michael Leigh. Thanks for reaching out to me!

It has most certainly been difficult to manage up until this point. I am facing considerable bouts of depression to the point that waking up every morning leaves a sour taste in my mouth, as it means I have to endure this distraction. Motivation to do most of the things I had enjoyed previously has largely dried up, and attempts to just *force* through it have not been very successful.

I am not sure how well I will be able to handle waiting through the "time" it takes to get better, especially as I continue to dread the possibility that things may get worse. My capacity to handle great deals of stress and anxiety was always strained before, but this takes everything to a whole new level as I have now seemingly lost the ability to calm myself in respites of silence.

I truly feel as if I am just losing days of my life to nothingness. It might sound exaggerative, but given my general mental state and quality of life over the last two weeks (nearly), I can think of no better way to express my feelings.

I am hoping, but I wont be holding my breath. I have read entirely too many "horror stories" with regards to either the incompetent or discompassionate behavior from one's ENT, and I am already displeased with the healthcare in this county.

I will be seeing an audiologist first, as this is how the appointment scheduling worked out, so I should have results of my audiogram to share with my ENT. Given that "hidden" hearing loss has become a concern to me, it's very likely the audiogram doesn't provide anything of use. It doesn't seem like there will be much I can do outside of checking off some options while having many others left to consider.

 

Hopefully so. Right now, I don't need things to compound. I don't need things to get worse. I need to be able to work with baseline before I can start trying to figure out where I can get the mental strength to manage additional symptoms.

To be honest, I am mostly just worried about psychologically affecting myself to the point where I might obtain symptoms simply due to the associated stress and anxiety I am under. It has already been stated ad nauseam that stress and anxiety both exacerbate these conditions, and I really don't want to add further complications to what I already have to deal with.

It will be interesting to see how I can mentally steel myself for the future. I know I sound like a bit of a broken record at this point, but each day itself is a challenge, and to see that results may come in periods of months of years is just distressing.

I am a person that likes to view problems as they are, analyze them, determine what can be done, and do what needs to be done. With something as complex, ambiguous, and generally misunderstood as this, I have no idea how to go about this.

The forum has and likely will remain the best resource for advice, but almost everything is countered by someone else. There are the optimists/pessimists, habituaters/curers, supplements good/snake oil, etc. I have no idea who is right. I have no idea which side to take. I have no idea what is the best option for me. And reading those who are hopeless, negative, and very distraught after months or years of torment further puts me in a bad mindset as well, regardless of how high my chances are of either recovery or habituation.

I don't want this to take over my life. It somewhat has for the past couple weeks, as my attention has largely been dedicated either to it, my perception of it, or research on it. Every time I try to break from the cycle, the problem itself just flares up and reminds me it's here.

I've just never been prepared for anything like this. I never expected anything like this. Hell, I didn't even know this was an issue!

 

Everyone on this forum has been under tremendous stress early on.

Surely less distressing than to think that you will have tinnitus for the rest of your life.

Keep reminding yourself that chances are you will eventually get your life back. Try to survive one day at a time. Protect your ears, but be rational about it.

I had lost two full years to tinnitus. It is what it is. Beats losing the rest of your life to it.

You can adopt the position that is consistent with how risk averse you are and with your other values. You can also search this forum for evidence to support certain views.

Based on my understanding of what usually happens, if you are one of the few people who get better in the first three months, it won't take over your life. Otherwise, it makes sense to prepare yourself that the upcoming months will suck. Again, all of the above is just the output of my neural network given what I've read here.

There are threads about this on this forum. Many of us think that the only thing that's worse than tinnitus is chronic pain and becoming paralyzed. Having said this, those months fly by so before you know it, it will hopefully end up being a distant memory.

Who knows, this experience might allow you to change your behaviour and this way in the future you won't end doing something that causes tinnitus to stay for longer. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise.