Severe Tinnitus People — Describe Your Tinnitus

If you rate your tinnitus an 7 or more on a 1-10 scale (10 being suicidal), can you please describe your tinnitus -
How does it sound like (places you hear it/maskability, # of sounds) and probable cause (noise, drugs, head trauma).
Mine:

9+/10
Cause- noise trauma
Characteristic - heard everywhere, masked only by shower, multi-tone jet engine type sound.

 

Horrible drone, generator like noise!
7/8, started after flu
not coping at all
Habituation is an imaginary word to me

 

Viewing my own condition from a medical point-of-view, I am no longer in the "severe category" (ie. I can go to sleep easily - and stay asleep for the entire night without meds). But, when my tinnitus (besides the one I have had since early childhood) started April, last year, I would describe it not using a rating of 0 to 10, but simply as "catastrophic". Indeed tinnitus has had a catastrophic impact on every single area of my life (and it isn't over yet). And I would not exactly describe myself as a weakling: prior to developing tinnitus last year, I had not had a single day of sickness absence from work for +10 years. Not one - despite having had both eg. Shingles and a Salmonella infection during that period. And I work in a very large office building complex - and basically every one of my colleagues has the "usual" 5-10 sickness day absence rate per year. But tinnitus proved to be more than I could handle...

Tinnitus since childhood. Not loud, but unmaskable, and probably reactive (ie. I can hear it while driving at +200 kph). Does not really bother me since I have always had it. Cause? Don't know - but possibilities are a physical trauma from a low speed car accident my mother had when I was six months old (no childseats back then - or seat belts for that matter) or when my older brother slammed a door in my face when I was about six years old. I did at one point suspect that aminoglycosides medication for a Yersinia infection might have been the culprit, but it seems unlikely that the hospital - which I contacted some 30 years later - would have used them on infants (in that particular case), but my medical records had since been destroyed (so not confirmed). Tympanometry, a jaw evaluation at the dentist, and a scan at the stem cell clinic in Bangkok independently confirm that there is some kind of problem with the right side of my head/airways - which is where my tinnitus is (but not visible to you and me from the outside). That's why I suspect a blow to the head from a long time a ago... My tinnitus (right side) has two components: a very mild morse code sound that is masked by almost anything - and a second cyclic/rythmic/pulsatile-sound which is not so loud, but unmaskable (except when in the shower). A cicada sound describes it best.

Tinnitus since April, 2013. Catastrophic to begin with. About 6-7 different sounds which would all "compete" with each other - especially when lying in flat position for sleeping. It was beyond human comprehension. The noises (not voices! ) were in my head (and not in the ears). Later on - after much therapy - the 6-7 different sounds were reduced to the main tinnitus tone (which is tonal) and settled down in my left ear (which is the ear I have had three ear infections in and which I treated with topical CIPRO, but with intact eardrum, I believe - in all three cases). It's unclear what happened. I have never been to a single concert in my whole life; I have always been mindful of noise (I have perhaps been to a nightclub 5 times in my whole life, for eg. 30-45 minutes each time). I did develop eye floaters a month prior to developing tinnitus. So-called "micro eye-floaters". Because of these, I started doing "funny" movements with my neck 200 times per day (in order to get the eye floaters to move out of my field of vision when eg. working at a computer). This left me with a sore neck in a strange kind of way. But who knows. The only thing I know for sure is that tinnitus is tinnitus. Meaning: look forwards, and not towards the past.

I did have ear tubes inserted as a child. For my 6th or 7th visit to the prestigious Acquaklinik, I asked to have (yet) another examination of my eardrum - but this time displayed on a video screen so that I could see for myself. Indeed, the scars from the tubes were still visible some 30 years later, but seem to have healed properly. Persistent ear infections can leave the eardrum with scarring that can result in tinnitus. This type of tinnitus can possibly be treated. Hence the reason for my request. The highly professional (and polite) lady doctor did say something like "we are not used to patients examining themselves..."

 

Drone type noise in my right ear as well as electric hiss in both and multi tones which come and go.
My right ear goes up and down in volume and intensity on about a two week cycle, very bad for a week and then seems to go so high in pitch that it almost seems as though it disappears for a day or two only to return with seemingly more intensity than previous.

Pre April of this year, living with it with very little problems for 24 years. 3 to 4 out of 10.

Sleeping never a problem can fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow most times.

Now 7 to 8 out of 10 probably worse for me as I have to wear earplugs 5 days a week for 12 hours a day for my job.
Shower, faucet, noise of jug on to boil almost masks mine but can hear it over a fan and watching TV etc.

Can still fall asleep straight away(don't know how) usually at 10PM but find I am waking up after only 4 to 5 hours of sleep and can't get back to sleep again just cat napping until alarm goes at 5 AM.

Cause: Noise trauma first time and ear wax suction the second.

Very uncertain if I can wait two to three years for Autifony without going f#*%ing mad!

Regards Rich

 

High-pitched dog whistle. Only maskable with high-pitched cricket sounds.
Sometimes (very rare) at little bit less intrusive (then a 6-7)
Today very loud, cuts through everything (9-10). On days like today, very difficult to handle. If I would have a gun...
Sleeping no problem for me. Take Remeron and sleep 7-8 hours.
Sometimes can hear in the shower, sometimes not.
Highly annoying. If no cure will be found or if the tone does not go a little bit quieter, I don't know what will happen on the long run.
Habituation to this? I don't know if this will be possible.
Caused by stress/anxiety. Have hearing loss in the high frequencies.
No noise trauma, explosion or whatever.

 

-9/10

-Ototoxic meds

-One loud single tone around 8khz with a mix of scratching, squeaking, hissing and beeping in the upper range-12khz plus. I try and concentrate on the 8khz single tone, this relaxes me slightly. The other sounds seem to bounce around my brain and cut in behind my eyes creating a never ending headache. The unpredictability of the multi tones put me into a state of constant shock and nervousness. I don't believe it possible to habituate to this...I mean let's get real, we as humans can only adapt to so much!!! However, maybe I can get used to the constant suffering and sub par miserable life, not sure yet. I do have my frequent doubts about this.

Ear pain and H, very bad, but the T kills me.... Sucks the life right out of me.

 

I do not know the cause and cannot put a number on loudness, but on a good day it is a 6 kHz whine in my left ear. On a normal day it is a 13.5kHz beep and even higher frequency electric hissing filling my head. I can hear it in a plane taking off or in a field filled by cicadas and crickets. It sucks, but I try to live normally. A year ago I was suicidal, now I'm just not ok with it. Progress?

 

I think half the battle is not thinking suicide. It's a scary alternative. Scares me every day.

 

audioologist did messure 5 db static @ 8khz is that bad ?

 

Sheesh, this is a bs affliction.. But in my experience those thoughts will fade away after a while. Annoyance lasts quite a bit longer, but that is manageable. Stay strong.

 

@Telis What modalities have you tried? Most people on here are going to this, that, trying this, that... Have you tried most of them?

 

My T is pretty catastrophic at night. Two tones which modulate if I as much as move a muscle. Haven't slept without meds or alcohol for months. Outside can barely hear it and sometimes inside can seem quite low depending on background. Interesting that someone said tinnitus from eardrum scarring can be treated. This may well be the cause of my condition. Two perforations within a year. Anyone any more info on this?

 

Helicopter turbine/cicadas. Nothing seems to mask it. Best in the morning, then ramps up during the day, worse at sleep time - pretty consistent.
A massage in bed before sleep (with lavender oil) is a good alternative to Valium for me.

 

I often wonder what "normal" tinnitus is. I know it's completely subjective, but after reading Telis, Snow, and a few others accounts of their tinnitus I called mine moderate. That being said I can hear it everywhere except the shower, it's too high pitch for things to mask, even crickets. And it's been very difficult to deal with. It screams in silent places, at night, or if I put earplugs in.

Other people say that can only hear it in a quiet space or can easily mask it but characterize it as severe.
Maybe mine is severe? I don't know. I keep hearing over and over again that most people get used to it in 3-6 months and it doesn't bother them anymore, but 5 months in and I can't say it has gotten any easier to deal with. I don't think an hour has gone by in the past 5 months where I have not thought about my tinnitus (while I'm awake). It's just constantly there and impossible to ignore.

 

Mine started out as mild but is quickly becoming something else. Idk what is considered severe. A couple weeks ago, I could have masked this easily. Now I have developed this new high pitched hiss that isn't masked ever. Luckily, it still comes and goes. My tinnitus is a evil being that likes to f with me. I have at least 4 different tones that I can pick out. Lately, it is making other sounds sound distorted. It has started to compete with sounds and will get quieter for a while in quiet before it ramps back up again. It used to be just the opposite. This noise is ridiculous. I can't even believe I am experiencing this most of the time. I keep thinking that I must be going deaf but somehow I am hearing amist all of this noise. I have no idea how I got this. I just woke up one day with it after having surgery and being extremely stressed. Idk if I qualify as severe, so feel free to kick me out of this club. It might actually make me feel better.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the really loud pulsatile tinnitus that has joined the ranks this week.

 

8-9/10
Cause- Benzo withdrawal
Characteristic - It'is bitching in every silent enviroment. I can not hear it when I'm outside but at home or silent places like it my T becomes catastrophic. I can almost hear 5 different tones.

 

YOU ARE LUCKY YOU DON'T HEAR OUTSIDE! BE HAPPY OK

 

I know I'm lucky if I compare myself to most other people but I got a school to finish and it is not likely to happen as long as I have this tea kettles in my head.

 

Outside can include a pretty big range of noise. I can hear mine in my neighborhood almost all the time but I live in the suburbs. If I am in the city, I can't hear it. Same thing with stores. I can't hear it in a grocery store but I can hear it in a smaller quieter store.

 

My dream is to get to the point where I cannot hear it outside.

 

Yes I live in the city and that is why I do not hear it. But when I go to quite streets like in night time I can hear it.