Really bad days, feeling low

[Amy]

Apologies in advance for the whine. But the past few days have been as close to unbearable as my T has been since this recent spike happened.

I'm not 100% sure what happened; maybe it was having a few glasses of wine on Friday, or not sleeping very well (thanks to the wine), or being too aggressive with trying to pop my ears when they feel full. (Which is all the time these days.) But in the past few days my T has gone from its usual sound, which I was almost getting used to, to a way louder, more high-pitched tone. I've been taking Trazodone for sleep and it hasn't been enough. Masking doesn't help either - the noise is too loud and too high pitched for white noise to block it. (I use a fan and the SleepMachine app.) The only thing that helped was taking a Xanax on Saturday; I got a solid eight hours of sleep, but now I'm afraid that made it worse too.

I'm trying so hard to stay distracted and stay positive but this is making it so hard to cope. When I can't block the noise during a workday, or sleep at night even with meds, it just makes me feel rotten and scared. I don't know what to do and feel so hopeless.

So yeah. Just a rant, hoping I can get some sleep after getting this out of my system. I hope everyone else is doing okay tonight.

 

[shan]

I am having it bad too with all the spikes and run in with sudden loud noises. I hope your spike goes down soon.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Hi Amy, (Shan)

Are you new to t?

I became aware of t 2 months ago.

I was told that about 80% of you who are new to t will have a reduction in your volume within the first year.

Have you considered trt? I am seeing an audio about it tomorrow. I will let you know what I learn.

I find my t always seems worse when i am sleep deprived. You need to focus on quality sleep. If trazadone and Xanax aren't working for you, then maybe consider melatonin?

I also find hypnotherapy helpful in alleviating anxiety. My therapist has tailor made me a desensitization cd to listen to between appointments for cost effectiveness.

Habituation isn't about coping. Maybe you need to start looking at Jastreboff's work on habituation?

I have also found www.tinnitus.org site very helpful. refer to the 4 keys to successful management of t.

I understand your fear, but try to remember that for as long as attach a negative meaning to your t, your brain will continue to think it needs to monitor it more closely. I was lying in bed last night when I had a sudden increase in the volume of my t. It was so loud, I nearly climbed out of bed in an absolute panic. Instead, I decided that the noise itself wasn't going to hurt me, that i needed to ignore it because my rest is important. Eventually with some deep breathing and thinking nice thoughts, the sound faded and i was able to sleep. I addressed my anxiety and sleep naturally followed. Maybe this is something you need to look at: anxiety management.

do you exercise? exercise helps increase your natural levels of gaba (calming neurotransmitter). if you don't regularly exercise, i would strongly recommend it. It helps burn off stress hormones...i know other people benefit from meditation and yoga. Just something to think about..................

let me know how you get on...

 

[shan]

Hi Deb

I have it since 2006 and it has always been stable. The H and spasm in the ear got better along the way. I had a spike in Nov last year and every thing came back worst than before.

I am mostly fine with the current volume. What really troubles me is how the T has become so volatile and noises still appear loud with 33NR plugs in, and that somehow has curtailed the activities I enjoy. Take for example last night, I was in my usual Pilates class and the instructor cranked up the music during the last 30 mins. I started feeling uncomfortable even though I had my plugs in. Whilst the ringing sounds all right after the class, the ringing morphed into a louder gurgling sound in my better ear as I was laying down in bed.

And as I was getting lunch today, the lady carried this tray of glasses which clanged and now the same ear is feeling full and ringing louder.

I can perfectly live with the current volume if only the T volume is not affected by daily noises. And my greater concern is that I am developing phonophobia because of the volatility. My mind knows that daily noises below 85 db will not cause harm to the inner ears but my daily experience dictates otherwise. Talk about cognitive dissonance.