Sudden Spike

Hi guys im new to the forum. Gathered a lot of useful info and its great to hear people so upbeat.

I have had T for 4 years. a whistling noise that doesn't change pitch or volume.

However a few months ago i woke up one morning and the noise had increased and a secondary noise appeared. I went to the doctors and they looked inside and couldn't give an explanation as they said all seemed as it should.

This spike lasted for a week and as quick as it appeared it vanished just as quick? All very strange.

Fast forward 3 months and i have had another spike, no secondary noise but the whistling noise has got a lot louder and is driving me mad.

Can anyone relate to this?

I'm in good health (no colds etc). I have been thinking about getting a hearing aid fit as been told this can help mask the noise. Any replies/help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.

Max

 

Hi Max and welcome to tinnitus talk.
Maybe the cold weather could spike your tinnitus and wind but it could be a number of reasons even stress /anxiety.
If you have hearing loss then a hearing aid will help you but for a slight loss or no loss then white noise generators will be better.
You can get duel purpose hearing aids that can do both amplification and white noise.....lots of love glynis

 

Maybe most of us. My T spikes sometimes daily and then subsides. I haven't read a single reason for it on this forum so I attribute it to astrology. For me, the biggest trigger for a spike is sleep. When I wake up, my T can be raging a bit and then once awake and moving around, it generally subsides. Many site stress but this doesn't seem to affect mine...or at least discernibly. Also I can sleep well and wake up to mild tinnitus.
Btw, if you want a common thread as to what causes a spike, you won't find one but you may find a trigger for you. Tinnitus reminds me of an autoimmune disorder. Doctors don't know what causes arthritis flare ups either and why other diseases come and go.

 

2 replys so quick, thanks! I have learned to live with my original T. When the spike happened the first time i didnt even know what a 'spike' was till i googled it. I honestly thought it would be like this forever. i now feel that this spike is going to last forever and am fearing the worse. Ive booked in at specsavers (for my ears lol) on Saturday morning. i will enquire about the dual purpose hearing aids. I seem to be reading that peoples spikes always happen after being exposed to a loud noise (concert/pub/ work/banging etc). I just woke up last Sunday morning and it was louder after a quiet night in watching tv on the Saturday night. which seems strange? Most threads that i have read seem to suggest that it will pass so im just keeping everything crossed. Great forum by the way, i've gained a lot of knowledge and as i've said earlier admire everyones optimism and notice the same people commenting on threads giving advice and picking peoples spirits up. I tip my hat..... Thanks....

Max

 

@max1882 Hi Max. Tinnitus spikes lasting longer than usual could indicate exposure to loud sounds. Do you listen to audio through headphones?

 

No, never. Work can be noisy sometimes but i wear earplugs at all times. I honestly cant think of a reason. Im a 37 year old male, don't smoke, don't drink coffee/caffeine. I do have a drink most weekends, sometimes a lot sometimes not lol (i had 2 cans of cider the night before it started). Has anyone had, what they thought was a spike and it ended up permanent? I seem to be reading mostly that people who all of a sudden get a louder noise only have it for few days/ week etc.

 

That very fact that you are wearing earplugs indicates that you are in loud places.......did you consider changing job or profession?

 

I'm a maintenance electrician in a factory. Sometimes its loud sometimes not. Its a large place with different buildings (some quiet, some can be loud sometimes). I'm not permanently exposed to loud noises however earplugs are worn at all times as a company rule. So just cause i wear them during the day doesn't always mean im being exposed to loud noises.

 

Hi @max1882 When tinnitus spikes longer than usual the cause is often "loud noise" but not in every case. I tend to agree with @Hopeful1 The fact that you are wearing earplugs often indicates that you are around loud sounds. Furthermore, wearing earplugs for long periods can actually make your auditory system hypersensitive causing hyperacusis which will often cause tinnitus to spike. It may not be easy to change your job. However, if you are also wearing earplugs outside of your working environment this isn't a good idea. You say that you wear earplugs all the time. Approximately how many hours per day?
Michael

 

Sorry i haven't explained myself properly. I am at work for 8 hours a day i could be in an area the requires earplugs between 0-5 hours a day but sometimes not go into one of those areas for days/weeks at a time. I don't wear them out of work

 

Also just to add, when it spiked the first time a few months ago i was on my holidays and hadn't been to work for a couple of weeks

 

It might be best to get checked out at ENT Max, and I suggest you start using sound enrichment at night, if you aren't already instead of sleeping in a quiet room as the tinnitus will seem louder.

 

What's the best (or is it each to their own) sound enrichment? TV, radio or i have downloaded an app that plays noises (nature, weather etc) although the person who recomended it said white noise was the best? sorry for going on i just want to gather as much info as possible from different people. If anyone's reading this please comment with any advice/hints/tips as you wouldnt believe how helpful im finding it all and im sure other posters would love to read it too. Once again thanks, you've made a down in the dumps man feel a lot better tonight.

Max

 

@max1882 A sound machine playining nature sounds is considered one of the best sources for sound enrichment particularly at night. Sound Oasis make the best sound machines and made specifically for people with tinnitus.
I recently wrote an article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, which you might find helpful. It covers most aspects of tinnitus when caused by "exposure to loud noise" There is a piece on using sound enrichment in it that you might like. Please click on the link below. Please feel free to ask questions as someone will usually try to help.
All the best
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

Great article Michael. I have been to the doctors today. After a look inside my ear and after telling the doctor how my last spike a few months ago lasted a week he basically said just see how it gets on. As i mentioned earlier i am booked in at specsavers on Sat morning about getting a hearing aid ( and getting a dual one as Glynis mentioned earlier in the thread). However after reading your article about going private or staying on the NHS i'm having second thoughts? Should i go back to my doctor and tell them i want to see ENT and/or hearing therapist and see what they recomend rather than someone in specsavers trying to sell me a hearing aid? Also, dont know if you've any experience with this but a friend has suggested trying CBD oil a hemp product, have you any experience of this?

 

Thanks for your kind comments Max. You will get the best help and long term aftercare under the NHS. Specsavers cannot compete with the professionalism and expertise that the NHS will provide. I have been under the NHS for 20 years with my tinnitus and have no complaints. It is true, the service has it's problems ( but everything does) and in some parts of the country might not be as well served all of the time. I advise you to go to your GP and ask for a referral to ENT.
Best of luck
Michael
PS: I don't advise you try anything other than putting eardrops in your ears to ease wax build up

 

The CBD hemp oil isn't for putting in your ears. I presume you put drops on your tongue. It's to help with relaxation and sleep
-www.royalqueenseeds.com/217-cbd-oil-10ml.html

Read the reviews, seems good stuff.

 

@max1882 if you do a search is n the Alternative Treatments forum for CBD Oil, there is a thread there where this was discussed.
Good luck, hope you tinnitus settles down for you.
Sam.

 

Keep an eye on the barometric pressure when your T spikes. I noticed a long time ago mines spikes on days with dirty weather. This also affect people with arthritis.

 

May still be worth going to specsavers, if there is something wrong with your hearing they will give a print out to take to your gp.

 

Once again, thanks for the advice. When I mentioned earlier that I had a spike a few months ago that lasted a week while I was on holiday. I put it down to diving off some rocks into the sea and maybe went 3 metres deep and the pressure affected it. What's caused it this time, who knows? Btw I listened to the nature app last night and it seemed to work

 

@max1882 continue using the sound enrichment and get a referal to ENT. If you need a hearing aid they will supply you.
Michael

 

Ordered my hearing aid today, ready to pick up next Saturday. It's got a white noise masked built in. I've paid for it and it's got a 90 day return so no harm in trying it. Also I was still classed as an out patient at a private hospital that I went to when my first spike happened a few months ago so I'm booked back in with them to see a consultant next Friday. I'll keep people posted because I'm sure there will be people reading this that can relate to it.

Max

 

Whats your hearing loss? Mild,moderate?

 

Mild, i can't remember exactly what she said but the graph (I'm sure they are all the same) started off good then nose dived. She said it was equivalent of if someone says cat/hat etc I'd only hear 'at'

 

Right then, so following on from my spike 3 weeks ago. The spike lasted 8 days ish. A few days after it finished I went to see a consultant who has referred me to ENT. (I'm waiting now to hear from them). I picked my hearing aid up from spec savers the day after(consultant said take it back as can get anything I need on NHS, but I have a 90 day money back guarantee so might as well give it a try).

Hearing aid worked a treat although my spike had settled I'd say my T is a 4/10. I had mild hearing loss so it compensates that and it also has the white noise masker. I notice mostly what a good job it does when I'm sat relaxing watching tv.

Before the hearing aid the T was in the foreground, after the HA the T was very much in the background, in fact it was as near to perfect as I think I'm ever going to get. So everything was going so well then 2 days ago I had another spike! I had a few pints in the pub (no music just general pub noise) and then went on a football match ( I know this might sound bad but I didn't feel like it was that noisy). When I got the underground back to the hotel I noticed then the T had got louder.

So after 4 years of having T at the same level I've now had 3 spikes (one 3 months ago, one 3 week ago and one 2 days ago) which all seems very odd?

I have got my HA in and it helps ever so slightly, I'm back to using the nature noise app on my phone at bed time but I'm waking up after 3 or 4 hours and can't get back to sleep. The anxiety that I feel that comes along with the spike is just as bad if not worse than the actual spike. My head is all over the show. Just want it to get back to normal and stop these spikes!

Anyone reading this who was thinking of a HA, def try one it works a treat for me (as long as your not in the middle of a spike!). As before if anyone can offer any advice especially how to stop spikes please feel free to comment or if anyone has any questions about HA fire away I'll help where I can.

Max

 

Did it go down? My answer to you is simple...stop going to loud places.…and change jobs!

Football game, subway, pub? All can reach peaks of 100db or more...

I hope you are OK, but seems you constantly expose yourself to noise?

 

How about testing yourself for other ilnesses ? That can be about everything..liver, kidneys, thyroid, high sugar level, hypertension..Are you sure you're in perfect health ?

 

maybe the noise at these events are louder than you think,since you have hearing loss, it just dont sound as loud as it really is? kinda like grandpa watching tv loud because he has hearing loss, and someone (with good hearing) walks in and says why tv on so loud?