Reactive Tinnitus and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)

My T seems to be quite reactive. When I try white noise my T goes up quite drastically after some hours. Anybody with experience with this? Is TRT the right way to go anyway?

 

Does it only happen with white noise or any kind of noise? i.e. loud music?

 

I have the same white noise aggregates the tinnitus a lot. I have however not tried TRT because my tinnitus keeps changing a lot so I don't think it would work for me.

 

Also with loud music. Manly high tones.

Seal, can you use anyting to mask your T?

 

Yes I can mask mine with music/ the TV (most of the time at least) but too much music will make my tinnitus worse. and what also works really good is the noise that my heater makes. It doesn't rally mask the tinnitus but sort of blends in and makes me not noticing the tinnitus, I don't really know how to explain. But that's actually what "masks" my tinnitus the best without making it worse.
BTW what I really can not stand is the noise the pan makes while cooking/frying food, it makes my tinnitus so much louder and worse,..
What I find kind of strange is that your tinnitus gets worse after a few hours mine reacts immediately to the white noise.

 

I have exactly the same with the frying pan. The ringing goes wild...
Also the same with tapping water if I am too far away.
Another stange thing is that my T comes more in pulses. Never stabiles. I am just 10 weeks in to this so that I hope it will later on…

 

Yes I think our tinnitus is quite similar - running water sometimes is a problem for me too. Especially large water fountains in parks are bad. But mine doesn't come in pulses.
If your only 10 weeks in it is very likely that it gets better with time! It's normal that the tinnitus changes a lot in the beginning... Have you tried cortisone injections or pills yet? If not it's worth a try!

 

I will ask my ENT for a cortisone injection. Have you tried that? Any effect? Also Sobril (Benzo) seems to calm it down but I do not want to stay on that. I used it for 3 weeks and I already se the effect goes down but for the moment I can´t stop taking them.

 

I haven't. The ENT I went to when my T started just sent me away.... but I wish he would have given me cortisone.

 

Forgive my late post. I am researching reactive tinnitus.
My t gets louder over white noise, which includes environmental noise such as traffic, running water, fans etc. If I go into a quiet room though, the t fades almost immediately once I am away from the white noise. Also, when tested for residual inhibition - I do not hear the t pitch a few moments after a similar pitch is played.
As I understand it, reactive t is when t reacts to noise and then stays loud after the noise has disappeared. This apparently can be tested by residual inhibition. The reason I am exploring this is because I am thinking of doing Neuromonics, but it is known to make reactive tinnitus worse as there is a white noise signal embedded in the music.
Here is a copy/paste about reactive tinnitus:
Reactive tinnitus – Rarely, some individuals with tinnitus report that moderately low intensity sounds aggravate their tinnitus, and that this exacerbation tends to continue for more than a day. Some ways to identify this “reactive tinnitus” may be a case history identifying prolonged tinnitus perception after exposure to moderately low level sounds, the presence of decreased sound tolerance, and a worsening of tinnitus after residual inhibition testing. Treatment for reactive tinnitus is multi-faceted, but from the standpoint of acoustic stimulation needs, requires a very soft-intensity level sound that emphasizes maximal comfort and relaxation.

 

TRT is all about modifying how you react to your tinnitus. It has nothing to do with how "reactive" your tinnitus might be.

Stephen Nagler

 

Hey Lisa:
First, true "white noise" is not made up of real-life sounds like water or wind. It's an electronically generated sound. Many people find listening to white noise uncomfortable.
Second: The signal in Neuromonics (also called NTT) is a sound designed to match your own tinnitus signal. So the fact that your ears are reacting to white noise does not disqualify you from NTT. And reactive tinnitus is not tied to any particular sound, like white noise. It s a loudness perception issue.

Also, with due respect Dr. Nagler: Lisa is considering NTT, not TRT, which you and I both have agreed is not the same. But we do agree that

Anyway, bottom line: best way for you to determine if you are a good Neuromonics candidate us to go to a QUALIFIED audiologist trained in Neuromonics, who believes counseling is an important part of the program, and have an evaluatHion. If you are not a candidate, you only will be out the cost of an eval.

And: When you do any sound therapy, be it masking or Neuromonics, your tinnitus will sound louder when you first remove the sound. This is normal, as your ears are used to the additional sound. Your T should return to normal levels within a few hours. If not, then that's an indication it might be reactive. To help with the transition: gradually start turning down the volume of any sound therapies you use about a half hour before you plan to stop the therapy.


By the way, if it matters: I am in a Neuromonics program.

 

With all due respect, LadyDi, the title of this thread is "Reactive Tinnitus and TRT." Moreover, I was responding to David S's specific inquiry about TRT.

If Lisa is considering NTT, that's just fine - but it has nothing to do with the subj line of this thread or with David S's inquiry.

Stephen Nagler

 

Good point. I see now you were responding to David' original post, not Lisa's post. Apologies.

 

Not a problem. Hard to keep track of things somethings.

Stephen Nagler