Severe Tinnitus Has to Be One of the Most Mentally Challenging Conditions

I probably had moderate tinnitus that sometimes spiked to severe. Since COVID-19 and ENT tests, I think I may have entered the severe category. Today, I woke up to a very high pitched squeal that won't settle. I also have some hyperacusis in my left ear.

The past couple of months have been physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Trying to maintain a job and the busyness of family life whilst suffering with this level of tinnitus is really tough. I know many on Tinnitus Talk are struggling right now and probably the time of year with dark cold days can make it all seem worse. Praying for better days ahead for us all.

Any tips on coping with severe levels are most welcome.

 

Hyperacusis is the devil! I'm sorry to hear that it got to you, too. The only thing that helped me was self-isolation. Probably the only good thing about the lockdowns because nobody really questioned my reclusive lifestyle back then. Since that doesn't sound like an option, I can only advise you to protect your ears. I didn't in the beginning because I didn't really understand what I was dealing with and it got pretty bad before it got better(ish).

As for your spike, I hope it will only be temporary. My third tinnitus noise is intrusive like that, so I know it sets you back pretty bad. Give it some time, fingers crossed!

All the best,
Leila

 

Mine has seemed to vary in severity. Yesterday was particularly bad but today hasn't been all that bad. I'd recommend trying as many things as you can including masking sounds like crickets, white noise or another color noise that's closer to the pitch of your tinnitus but is less annoying, different types of sound therapy like notched audio therapy, different medications like Clonazepam (under the care of a doctor and with the caveat that some people develop a tolerance and addiction if taken at high doses and too frequently), THC if it's legal where you live or if not, if it's safe and isn't going to land you in jail, etc... Those are all things that while not having cured it for me have made it a lot more tolerable.

 

I don't know about notched audio therapy. How do I go about trying this? Is it an app?

 

Sorry to know you are going though such a difficult time @Tweaker.

Talk to your GP and ask to be referred to ENT for tests because you have had tinnitus for a long time. Something usually causes tinnitus to spike and become more severe. When it is noise-induced as in your case, the reason is usually (but not always) caused by further exposure to sound that doesn't always have to be too loud. Have you been using any type of headphones, listening to loud music or working in a noisy environment? Do you engage in combat sports, run on hard ground or suffered a trauma to your head? These things aggravate noise-induced tinnitus in some people.

Noise-induced tinnitus can also increase when under stress. If ENT doesn't find an underlying medical condition within your auditory system that is causing spikes, then it's likely you will be referred to Audiology to see an audiologist that for tinnitus management.

Hope you start to feel better soon,
Michael

 

Thanks for your replies.

I find if I'm lying in bed awake 2 to 3 hours, the noise builds up to crescendo, making it even harder to get off to sleep. Do others find the same?

I've never got much relief from sound therapy as the internal noise is too intense.

 

When I lay on my left side, the noise builds up. It doesn't tend to if I lay on my right or back. I do tend to have feelings of tenderness when I press upon the right side of my head and neck, but not on my left. My osteopath says that the neck muscles on my right are way more tight than on my left. Have you tried different sleeping positions?

 

Hi @Tweaker -- Sorry to hear difficult things have become for you.

Just in case you're interested, you can check out the following two posts of mine. In them I describe a simple spiritual technique that works well for me (similar to meditation, but much easier). -- Take care!

Post 1 -- Post 2

I might just add that occasionally when I sing the song of HUuuuu (out loud) that I describe in the above links, I actually feel a soft, gentle (and might I say healing) vibration in my inner ears. Almost like a pleasant tingle. Doesn't happen every time, but when it does, it feels really soothing.

 

There are websites that sell the audio files but you can make them yourself for free very easily. What it is is just white noise with your tinnitus frequency notched out with a very narrow filter so only that frequency or frequencies are removed. You then listen to this audio at a relatively low volume as often as you can.

You can use a 100% free software called Audacity to make your own notched audio files. Audacity will generate white noise and then you can add a notch filter to it to notch out the specific frequency. Audacity will do all of that.

Like any tinnitus therapy or treatment, it doesn't work for everyone and it's not a cure. But if it works for you it can make it a little better and less annoying.

 

You describe it as a high pitch squeal. You should be able to find masking sounds that although they won't make the noise disappear, will cause the noise to blend in with the masking sound. Masking isn't so much therapy as it is a way to temporarily lower your perception of the tinnitus sound by replacing it with a more pleasant sound.

Mine is also a very high pitch squeal in my left ear but I can mask it at night with cricket sounds. I can still hear it but if I don't focus on it, it does blend in with the cricket sounds which are much less annoying and actually help me sleep.

When I first developed tinnitus, I didn't sleep for weeks until I found the crickets. Since then I've developed a nighttime routine that has solved that.

7.5 mg Mirtazapine, 2.5 mg to 5 mg THC, Melatonin, and cricket sounds playing all night. Might sound like a lot but I can now sleep through the night and if I wake up in the middle of the night, I can still get back to sleep without any issues.

 

Thanks for this info. I think I have Audacity on my Mac. I will take a look into this.

 

Yes cricket sound does seem to be the best for masking. I'm trying that at the moment. I also take Mirtazapine but it doesn't make me sleepy anymore.

 

I went to ENT and the acoustic reflex test I think he performed as part of tympanometry is what caused this terrible increase. Happened a few hours later. Prior to that COVID-19 had caused an increase. No headphones involved or any other loud noise. I don't think I'll visit an ENT again but I have had good experiences with audiologists.

 

What dosage are you taking? Anything more than 7.5 mg is not indicated for insomnia. With Mirtazapine, the lower the dose, the better it will work for sleep.

 

I tried everything between a quarter to a whole 15 mg tablet. It used to help but with tinnitus being severe I think anxiety must be playing a part in keeping me awake.

 

It really upsets me the amount of folk who have reported that their tinnitus has increased due to visits to ENTs and Audiologists. So sorry to hear what you are going through just now. I had a terrible experience with an Audiologist and I use that word loosely! It’s actually quite barbaric.

Hope you feel better soon x

 

The tests they do that play loud clicking (I think it can reach 100 dB) directly in your ear for 30+ minutes can definitely make tinnitus worse. I only have tinnitus in one ear but by the time the tests were done both my ears were ringing. The new ringing in my right ear turned out to be temporary but I can see how it might cause a permanent spike in some people.

Stick to just doing regular hearing tests and avoid the tests with the clicking sounds.

 

Don't take any medications ever again. Stay far away from all meds and drugs to have best chance at healing.