Temporary or Permanent Increase due to Hearing Test / Could a Hearing Test Have Damaged My Ears?

I had mild/moderate Tinnitus for about 6 months, compared to what it is now i was still living my normal life, and it was just annoying, not unbearable. i only really heard it at night, and even then i could drown it out with my phone playing somethingto sleep, but there some nights i wish i didn't have it, but it in no way controlled my life.

On a routine trip to my GP he asked if i still had Tinnitus and i said yes, so he referred me to an ENT becuase he thought i had it "long enough it needs to be dealt with".

At the ENT i had to have a hearing test before hand.

it was a 2 step test, firstly a tympanometry, this is what as caused my insane spike in Tinnitus. I dont know the specifics of a Tympanometry apart from it being used to measure the health of the inner ear, but from my experience it was incredibly loud, enough i could feel it damaging my ears.

And then a hearing response test, both sets of results came back normal. And when i finally got to see the ENT he said what pretty much every ENT says ... "just have to live with it" to which i thought was fine since i was still hearing my normal T.

It wasnt until after i got home and into my room i began to hear my new T, if i had to rate my old T, id put it at a 4/10, this new T is a 8-9/10.

Strangely enough the 2nd day, it was almost gone, T in general, i even called up my ENT to thank him.

The 3rd day it came back in full force.

Its very high pitched that fluctuates around, like someone is playing tennis inside my head, the absolute worst part is that i can hear it over anything im doing, there is nothing i can drown it out with, and the level of volume it would take to match it would probably damage my ears.

I didnt know much about Tinnitus because it never bothered me enough to research it, but holy F*&K i wish i had'nt

Im freaking out at the moment because all the research im finding online is that

- Tinnitus is permanent, you just have to live with it, it can take years to get a tiny bit better/ or worse.

- People commit suicide because of it, ( il'll be honest, i have never ever ever thought about it until now)

- There is no cure and there never will be because its too complex, and any sign of progress is decades away, i can barely wait another week let alone decades, and even if by some miricale they find one what if it doesn't work on me.

- Drugs / Clinical tests can make it worse.

- Every News story i find "New hope for Tinnitus suffers" *Date 2011* etc...

- This only gets worse as you age.

- The only treatment is mental therapy, hearing aids and other devices u plug into your ears ( i cant wear a hearing aid at age 23 god dammit).

I've never really had any sort of aliment in my life and all im thinking is Why me... every day i watch how my Roommates do whatever they want, and it makes me insanely frustrated that they can lie down at the end of the day and fall asleep or relax or just think.

Its really starting to have a negative impact on my life, it takes me forever to get to sleep now, and if i wake up early its impossible to get back to sleep.

If i somehow manage to find the will to get out of bed il set at my Pc open some work and just think about my Tinnitus... and my job ( Film Student) requires heavy amounts of thought.

I barely eat, i've lost all interest in my regular life, i just stay confined to my room hoping manicly it will just....go...or atleast calm down.

I sometimes have moments where it is masked, but then i just think about how as soon as i go inside or to a quiet place its going to be there making me depressed.

Its waking me up is well, it took me 11 hours to get out of bed today, just because all i wanted to do was lie down and pray it would stop.


I've had it for 12 days now, and i dont feel it letting up, its getting harder and harder each day, because i don't think i can face this being permanent.

The worst thing is that i start my Final Year of University in a few months and if it stays like this i cant see anyway of me getting a good grade, let alone passing. Im supposed to be working in preparation to 3rd year, but if what ive read about it taking months-years to calm down i am screwed.

My parents are supportive in general but i dont think they will take my Tinnitus seriously, and i cant afford to put my studies aside for something like this. I already dropped out of University once due to Depression and Anxiety. If i did it again my parents would probably give up on me period.

And after University i'm supposed to be leaving the house and starting my own life.

I feel like my life is falling apart all because of this stupid hearing test i never should of had in the first place, ,i dont really have the kind of personalty to just accept something like this, it needs to be gone, or atleast go back down to a level that i can mask it.

Funny, id do anything and i mean anything to have my old Tinnitus back...

Anyway, do you think this new T is temporary or now permanent?

Is there anything i should be doing apart from waiting.

 

Hey Tim, im really sorry you are going through this, for how long it has been louder?
my t is mostly like yours (mild), but then it spiked and it was loud for around 2-3 days.
and then it came back to normal and stayed super low for 3 weeks, right now it spiked and its loud as hell,
but im pretty sure it will return to baseline, i have heard of spikes that last more than 2 weeks.

im hoping yours returns to its baseline soon.
stay around and seek for support, we are here to help each other

and i know it seems very dark and doomish around here and the whole tinnitus subject,
but there are more studies and advances in the medican field this year than in the last 10years, so lets remain positive and cope.

 

@Tim Hogan

Tim, the most important thing I want you to focus on is that this can go down again! It can.

You are in the midst of a negative cycling of thoughts which is typical of everyone in the beginning. And the irony is that those very thoughts can actually amplify the symptoms AND your perception of the symptoms, which makes them appear and feel worse!

Add to this that the negative thinking is interrupting your normal routines (which, if you can return to them even WITH the tinnitus going on, will surely help your mind/body/nervous system settle down more in a beneficial way.).

And the negative responses also become a secondary problem on top of the tinnitus, by increasing the stress levels in your body. It really is like adding fuel to an already existing fire.

Soooooo ... I know it's easier said than done. But your task, for now, like the task faced by everyone who gets tinnitus and the accompanying negative/stress reactions, is to help yourself DEFUSE the reactions. Because they are not helping you, not one single bit. And just turning down the negative responses is akin to stopping the struggling if you're caught in a net, so that the net doesn't further tighten around you.

Only then can your system start to settle down a bit. And then, you may just find that the tinnitus backs off somewhat.

I've had flare-ups too, and over time, I've learned if I don't fight them so hard, they go much more quickly.

I just saw this quote this morning, and saved it to my computer to come and post it on this forum later today. Now I am thinking that maybe it was meant for me to post it for YOU.

Sending you hugs and the knowledge that you are bright and strong, and you know personally what makes you tick, so you, yourself, can now design your own recovery program to get yourself back on your feet. And of course, there is lots and lots and LOTS of helpful stuff on this forum (look for the POSITIVE coping skills and stories people post!! For now, please ignore all those "incurable" quotes, because the truth is that many people DO move toward better and improved levels and ways of dealing with this and their HAPPINESS RETURNS <<--YES! It DOES!).

You can do it! One foot in front of the other, and one day after the next. Build on it, friend, and you will get there.

 

@Tim Hogan . Hi. Tinnitus is certainty very hard to take when you first get it. All you seem to have is negative thoughts. Also it's hard not to look up about the condition there are a lot of negative views on this forum but also there are positive views as well. You're still young so there is a good chance that it will go only time will tell. If it doesn't go then yes im afraid that you will have to learn to live with it. But there is a lot you can do to help yourself with this condition. Just look up of some of the possitive threads and ways to better handle tinnitus . If you are depressed this needs to be dealt with first as a good mindset is key to better handling your tinnitus. There are some wonderful people on this forum who will give you some good insight for you. Wish you well god bless.

 

And Tim, there chances for it to go away,
since you are still young, you have more chances
lets just hope this is temporary.

 

Hi, thanks for the reply, its always somewhat reassuring to know im not alone, It happened after my vist to the ENT which was on the 29th of June, so a little under 2 weeks, i know this is nothing compared to what some other people had to wait, but when time is a huge factor in my life in terms of my studies im really panicking atm :/

I came home today and noticed then when my dogs barked it was disgustingly loud, it hurt my ears so i'm pretty sure i have hyperacusis as well, i dont know if thats a good or bad sign.

 

Thanks dude, i am trying.

 

Cheers dude, fingers crossed it gets better.

 

Hey Tim, you are not alone, there are many people dealing with the same problem right now, myself for exa

Hey Tim,
there is still time for it to calm down.
i know its very hard to deal with this and also having to work and study and do things on time.
but this is the moment when you need to do the best you can.
there are a few people in here with the same problem and also doing good at school.
you can do it too.

in some cases hyperacusis comes and goes. i have had my moments where high pitches sounds bothers me a lot, and others days where it doesnt have any effect on me. so this might be also a temporary thing.

 

Its been over a month now since i was given an almighty spike from having a Tympanometry (ear pressure test) from an audiologist.

My ENT assured me that in his 20 years he has never heard of a patent having issues since they are usually about 95db max and only for less than 10 seconds.

Yet here i am still listening to my almighty T spike that is really loud and high pitched it cant be masked by anything. compared to my old T which was mild, only heard at night/quiet place.

Its been a month now and there has still be little to signs no improvement in loudness or in pitch.

My ENT didnt say anything apart from signing me up to TRT and an MRI, im kinda scared because he hasn't even suggested that this is temporary.

I called the head ENT from thetinnitusclinic and he said a give it another 2 months.

I don't know what to think anymore

What are the chances this is permanent from what i understand Spikes usually heal in a few weeks....

 

I am not one to talk but you have to stop measuring it and focusing so much on it. You are making it louder by telling your brain that it is important. Try to get yourself involved in something as long as you can to get your mind off of it. I have no idea if it's permanent or not. No one could possibly know that.

 

My dog yelled directly in my ear and gave me a 2month spike. It went away.