So This Is Tinnitus

Hey,

New to the forum and the world of tinnitus although after a decade of being in bands and gigging I should of seen this coming! Doctor was no help what so ever.

T started about a week ago with a devastating spike in both ears at around 4am that kept visiting for the next couple of days. After that only the left ear was playing up especially when i listened to it. However, today my right ear starting kicking up a fuss while the left one has gone away completely. I think this was because i was listening to some quiet music in my right ear for a day. It's like some terrible tag team wrestling match!

Has anyone had experience in swapping ears?

It's only been a week but this has changed my behaviour. Am completely irritable and anxious especially when I need to start concentrating on work and to listen to other people talk. Ironically, I started a mindful mediation course about a month ago which does help dramatically (I recommend it to any first time T sufferers).

Will this ever go away!?

 

Could deff go away.. Your only a week in!! and if it doesnt just look forward to the future thats what im doin!

 

Hey,

Trying to think positively about the whole situation but it's such an annoyance. Just when you think you have put T behind you, it turns up again! I went a day without it (or noticing it) but I think a nosy night out on Friday has aggravated it to rise again. Stuck to pubs and restaurants but I don't think that helped matters. Think this baby is going to be crying for a while...

 

It depends. Supposedly the reason we get tinnitus is because the brain doesn't properly adjust to hearing loss. Whenever you hear a ringing noise after being in a loud area that is your brain adjusting to your new, irreversible hearing loss. For some reason, for people who get tinnitus, the brain fails to properly adjust and the neurons that failed to adjust and receive information from ear hair cells become overactive and create that annoying buzz.

It's possible your brain is still "adjusting" to hearing loss brought on by whatever loud noise exposure you have had recently. It might go away. On that other hand it might not. I should warn you against further loud noise exposure as any more noise exposure could very well make the tinnitus louder. This was the case for me, and it drives me insane thinking I could have prevented further hearing loss and the resulting louder tinnitus.

But hopefully, for you as with most people, this tinnitus is only temporary.

 

Generally, your t wont be considered permanent unless you have had it for 6 months or more.

There is every reason to hope that it might disappear for you. If it does, that's good. If it doesn't, its still ok. You will be perfectly fine. I have read that in the first year of t, for 80% of t people will notice a decrease in the volume. Most people will habituate eventually, so that you will either not be aware of the t unless you think of it, or you are aware of the sound but have a neutral reaction toward it.

You might want to consider a hearing test, and of course look into ways to protect your ears in the future.

It is normal to feel irritated and annoyed at first, and sleep is often affected.

I think it is great that you are studying mindfulness. I was interested in doing something like that myself.

What I do when I feel irritated is find a distraction. I have been aware of my t for two months after an ear infection, with a history of a hearing loss. I have been told I have t because of the hearing loss, but other variables ie ear infection and ototoxic medications are probably responsible also. I spent a lot of time still thinking about my t. When it all gets too much I find ways to distract my brain. For me, the gym, meeting up with friends, going for a walk etc helps with this. Find something you really enjoy doing, something you can get absorbed into. Hypnotherapy is also helping me.

Please come back and chat to us. I have found this group a very friendly, and supportive group.

cheers
deb

 

@DebInAustralia, what a perfectly informative answer!
I would also suggest going to an ENT to rule out anything that can be easily fixed by medicine (but you've already done that, apparently, to no avail). By the way, I would recommend exploring the option of prednisolone. It has no direct effect on tinnitus, but allegedly helps with acute hearing loss in some cases. It must be administered within 72 hours after the onset, but some evidence shows its effectiveness even after. Anyway, this is a hormone, and it should be taken seriously.

It would be reasonable to avoid loud environments.
And one more thing, I read somewhere, maybe even on this forum, that listening to white noise after the onset can bring the T volume down, or somehow prevent it from becoming permanent. Sounds fishy to me, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

 

Welcome to the world of tinnitus^^
It might go away as the others say, for many it goes away after a short while, others months, some years, some decades..some got a 'lucky' stroke who knows; doctor definitely doesnt lol. In here there's lots of knowledge, great tips and tricks in here so its good you joined
The ear swapping happens to many, sometimes the other ear even joins in, sometimes it doesnt. But as you noticed, just as quick as it appeared, it left another ear.
As you put it your behavior changed dramatically over the course just one week, many including myself have given up going out, at this early stage atleast. As a newcomer I personally got super anxious by being warned about worst case scenarios, so keep cool and stick to pieces of advice.
Bear in mind everyone responds so individually, anyhow you should get some earplugs for going out, and stick to non-clubs just in order to check your treshold, without aggrevating things completely One could get hearing loss and tinnitus aggrevation from doing so with earplugs or without, rest assured many avoid going out because of their anxiety, which imo is worse than not seizing to live normally. Remember many musicians live with tinnitus, chances are it'll go away, if it doesn't, odds favor you to live happily ever after = ) So just take the right precautions, get proper earplugs

 

Hey @Tenna - I bought ear plugs the day after a gig where my friend recommended that I should get some. The irony is that I got T from that very gig. Haha! You have to look at the funny side sometimes. Been using the plugs during band practices and they work brilliantly. My T never kicks off. Thanking my lucky stars on that one. Thanks for the advice on the swapping - just have to learn to play music left handed from time to time.

@driven insane - Cheers dude. So we've all got dodgy brains! Sorry to hear yours is menacing. How did you get yours and what preventions do you take now?

@DebInAustralia - Thanks! The daytimes are often better as I'm always out and about riding the tube and generally in busy environments. Some days the T is so low that I can jump back on my acoustic guitar and lose myself in the zone. I'm worried I won't be able to jump into creative modes whenever it pleases but life is about changing habits and adjusting. Letting go has to be the first step in this. The mind is such a powerful tool (look at all those placebos) so there must be a way to tune our brains back one day!

@Garden Ring - Pink and White noise definitely helps the sleep. 4am is back reserved for the future lost weekends. Although, sometimes these mask make the T louder so worried it's causing it more harm.

Today was kind of a good day. Woke up to silence so spent the morning just listening to the moment for about 15 mins... until my girlfriend turned on the hairdryer and it set the T off. Haha. At least that confirms its noise related and maybe its healing. It steadily got louder during the day from all the stress at work. Has anyone had to take work off for T-related spikes?