Struggling to Come to Terms with Tinnitus After 5 Months

Hi Everyone.

I'm in the UK and I'm female, 49 years old. In the past I have been exposed to the usual loud noise of rock concerts, night clubs, worked in a noisey factory for 4 years etc. I have always been able to hear a very faint sound, like a TV left on standby when my ear was on the pillow at night, but did not know what this was and subsequently it had no affect on me. In July this year, however, I was sitting at my PC and my right ear appeared to deafen and ringing sensation appeared. This has happened to me before so I didn't worry too much initially. The sound lasted all day and I began to get worried. This sound stopped but then an EEE tone appeared in my left ear at about, I think, 3 kHz. In the night I would wake with very lound scary sounds in both ears. I got extremely worried about this, visited my GP and was given betahistine, which did nothing to help, so I stopped it. I remained very anxious and upset and was given propranolol for anxiety (which I stopped when I discovered it could be ototoxic) and I started to get a hissing noise up the back of my head. Some days I began to feel more positive and the tinnitus seemed to subside, even at night. However I am struggling to accept and focus off it and it is dominating my life. I have since had tinnitus of changing pitches and tones, some chiming sounds, some very high pitched sounds, some buzzing, some hissing that moves around my head and ears and today I have a constant chimey hissing sound moving around, but I am very focused on it today.

I am wondering if the fact that I have had a bad emotional reaction to my initial tinnitus in July, is the reason for my brain subsequently interpreting so many different sounds?

How do I curb my anxiety and my bad reactions so that I can habituate and push these sounds back into the subconscious where they belong? Will it be possible? How long will it take? I do tend to be a worrier and get fixated on any health worries I feel I have no control over.

I have had a TRT counselling session with Jacqueline Sheldrake over the telephone, but I am struggling to accept my tinnitus and to stop my reaction to it, which is what I have told I need to do to put it back where it was before I heard it.

Will things get better? Is my worrying making it worse and preventing habituation?

Thanks

 

I forgot to add that prior to my onset of T in July, I had a rocky time with a relationship split, losing a house, moving in with my elderly mother who a year later sadly passed away, I was just begging to feel better six months later when the T struck!

 

I have been given Mirtazapine by my doctor, I am very anxious, my T has been screaming high pitched over the weekend. Will Mirtazapine help?

 

Yes, I haven't taken it yet though, but I have been so upset the past two days as my T has been very high pitched and piercing and made me very anxious, I have slept properly for three nights, I felt as though my mind was racing. Will I get better, I'm so upset.

 

Sorry mean't to say 'haven't' slept properly.

 

I was given sertraline initially, but was worried as T is listed as a possible side effect, so I didn't take it. I once took Prozac in the past, long before I ever had T, and this made me anxious and restless, so I am concerned about taking any antidepressants as increased anxiety will make my T worse. I note that mirtazapine is also an anti-anxiolytic and wondered if this drug would be ok for me??

 

Isn't it strange how we all think exactly the same way. And I mean EXACTLY the same. Honestly, it's like you looked into my brain and wrote down what I am thinking. Mirtazipine is fine. Low doses (under 15mg) are used for their sedating properties. Take it. It won't harm you. I am just as helpless as you, but people have told me that it does get better. It's been 4 months for me. No change. If you stay anxious about it, you will see no improvement. I've been told that you should accept it, and then move on. Easy to say. Hard to do. Try distracting yourself. Go shopping. Eat out. Go for a walk. Anything, something, so that you arent focused on the tinnitus. Download a rain sounds app on your phone. Plug your phone into some speaker. Turn up the volume at night. Rain is very soothing. You should get some sleep with that. Good luck. You'll find some amazing support here

 

Thanks Neenie. I have a sound machine and sometimes I find it soothing and other times I hear T above it. I think emotional state and a poor night's sleep is a big factor with T. I hope we are both better and not hearing T soon. Hugs and best wishes to you and hope you manage to have a merry Christmas. xx