Terrified. Please help.

Maybe check with Dr. Fred Levy at Carolina ENT in Gastonia. I've had a few e-mail exchanges with him and actually gave a three-hour tinnitus seminar to his entire group earlier this year at his invitation. Dr. Levy seems like a very sharp fellow. Perhaps you might see what he recommends.

Stephen Nagler

 

When that happens to me, I put cotton in the bad ear day and night for weeks. After a while it's gone, til another unexpected blast.

 

I've been to the ENT 3 times the last 2 weeks. They've checked the pressure in my ears as well as looking inside them. Everything looks good.

The first couple of days after it happened they felt full somewhat, but it could've been because I was so tense. And the morse code is much too fast for my heart rate or anything else in my body. I could run a mile and the beeping would still be faster than my heart rate.

 

I definitely will schedule an appt with him. Just talking to somebody that knows about it helps. I can't just sit here and do nothing. Thank you for your help

 

check the mutebutton website, they have a video and the tinnitus they show is like morsecode, mine is almost identical to that one, maybe thats what your is?

 

Kevin

Kevin - my T was irritated like yours once fire cracker went off ..I was 5 feet away .i had mild t , but because of very loud firecracker it got really really loud for couple of months.
I am v confident it will get better in few days..I have been there and it was so annoying !!!.
Keep the faith ..I had similar thing happend to me and it got better . Protect your ears now and don't go to loud places .
Please do let every one knkw how you are doing .

 

I have had t ten years - the pretty standard high pitch EEEEE type in both ears. A few years ago I started to get a morse code like noise in the left ear....it comes and goes. Recently like the last week I have the morse code in the right also...god only knows why..no real noise exposure to speak of...it just happened I guess. So yeah, I know exactly what u mean about the "morse code" super fast beeping and I am in agreement it i annoying..far more annoying to me then my standard high pitch EEEEEE...for some reason a constant tone seems slightly more bearable.....I am refusing to freak out...it will either go away eventually or I will have to get used to it....but as it has come and gone in the past in the other ear...well I remain cautiously optimistic.

There is definitely a chance it will settle with time..now u just got to do the hard part and wait a few weeks...if it doesnt go, by that time, you will be a little more used to it....crazy at that sounds.

 

Dear Kevin,

I am so sorry to hear you are suffering so terribly right now, but I really encourage you to realize that even if this does not go away in the way you hope you can absolutely still feel good again.

Though no one can make you any promises (which I know is frustrating and scary) I tend to agree with Karen that tinnitus will calm somewhat over time provided you protect your hearing and take care of your body and mind in general. That said, I think part of that lessening of the sound is it actually being a little lessened, but mostly I think it is the person adjusting to the sound itself and their brain learning to "push it to the background."

I have no doubt that you tinnitus is as loud as you describe (hearing it over the shower etc.), but I might put forward that some of this is caused by you keeping tabs on it. Since you are in such a state of panic right now, your brain literally cannot ignore the sound. It's looking out for that sound in every situation because you panic is telling your brain that the sound is life-threatening. When I first got my own tinnitus, I could hear it absolutely everywhere, in places where I would now say I "can't" hear it - it's not that I can't, it's that I don't. Even in a silent room I often don't notice it because it's just turned into something no more important than the city traffic outside my window. I can hear it, but I don't.

In your first post here you wrote "Last Friday, after constantly checking my ears and trying to adapt." The thing is, you can't really do both of those at once. I know how you feel, because I was terrified, suicidal, panicked, couldn't see how I would ever live again and my sound was unbearable to me at the time my T started. It seemed like the end and I was constantly checking my tinnitus to see if it was going away or getting quieter, but checking it is only going to make you focus on it more and make your brain focus on it more. You checking it is actually doing you more harm than good - resist the urge! If it does get quieter, it will not be because you were watching it. Maybe instead of checking it, every time you get the urge take that as a cue to go do something else - play brain games (like lumosity)/video games...something that needs your full attention to complete. You might be amazed that the sound, even if just for a millisecond, can take second place to another activity.

Of course, I dearly hope your tinnitus goes back to something closer to what it used to be, but I feel like you should know that even if it doesn't, you can still have a good life again. I am so confident of that and you are in the right place for support while you navigate this difficult time.

One more thing you might want to think about - I see from reading above that you were on Klonopin for a while. I am definitely not qualified to offer any kind of medical advice, but from my own experience with panic and anxiety (when my T was new), talking to your doctor about ways to curb the anxiety might be one of the best things you can do for yourself right now. Get some good sleep and know that one way or another it can definitely get better.

We're here for you! Also, sorry for another tinnitus support essay from me - I just know you can be better and have felt terrified too, so I hope this gives you just a tiny bit of hope.

 

Hi kevin, i am really sorry your experiencing this. We all know how you feel at this moment, very terrified! But just know that life will go on and i cant promise you it will go away but im gonna say the morse code thing could lessen and lessen more until its gone or barely audible which could take some time. Just be hopeful, stay strong ! It seems to be common that tinnitus comes with more then one noise, and sometimes they can come and go and always one remains. Mine constantly changes to a faint ring, then sounds like a hiss one sec then next thing i know its tinkering at me (hard to explain the sound) which is like a pure tone that comes in a wave and noticed its more audible then the rest. I believe my T will one day settle to one tone, or let alone go away.. And theres no reason you cant think that either. And im sure the beeping is getting to you but in the
Meantime try your hardest to come to terms with it, get your anixety in check if that means getting on some meds for the meantime, and getting good sleep then do it. Its okay if you need meds to assist in your habuitation or i call it "getting use to it" just like we get use to other things in life... And sounds really hard to believe but eventually after having this your mind will do wonders and youl start noticing it less and less..hopes and prayers your beeping fades.. Or all together your T takes a hike!!!!

 

Hi Kevin

It sounds a bit like you are describing, like a morse code of a very high pitched sound, about 15khz in my case, but as you I have this hissing as well all the time. The morse code like T doesnt seem to trigger on and off as fast as yours, but its like half a sec on, then a sec off and so on..

And yes, its pretty annoying. But we have to remember that the body has a remarkable way of healing itself
I know people who have had this for a long time, for then to recover or at least gotten a lot better.

I hope you are doing ok, and are able to get some sleep while this stuff is going on.

 

What scares me is the videos on Youtube with people with tinnitus and that's all they hear and all they're gonna hear for the rest of their life. Scary stuff.

Along with the beeping, my high pitched ringing tinnitus has been bad today. This is the constant one, the one that makes me cringe because it's so loud in pitch. It's almost like when you have the radio on AM and it's all static, then you crank up the volume to it. Like that, but super high pitched ringing. Almost gives me a headache it's so loud.

Lastly, the morse code beeping messes with me when I watch tv or listen to the radio. Even washing my hands or flushing the toilet, the high pitched noises in those sound waves reflect in my ear and gives the morse code beeping a different tone. It's almost like feedback from a microphone is kind of going off when I hear those sounds. Does that make sense?

I'll be listening to the radio and it sounds like high pitched feedback is coming out of the speaker very quickly. So I'll turn the radio down and it's not as loud, then turn it back up and I hear it again. Like my brain or ears lost a part of the high pitched part in my hearing and my brain is trying to replace it when those sound waves hit my ears. I don't know. It's tough to describe, but music and other normal noises do sound "off" and it instantly grabs my attention

 

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It makes me cringe from time to time as well.. Especially when it's a bad day.

I also feel that this high pitched noise is competing with other sounds, like it is always on top.

Ive had bad headaches because of it as well.

But one thing is for sure, we need to give it time and we need to stay strong. Its very possible that it will settle down in time

 

Cartman,

How long ago were you exposed to the bomb blast? And what exactly happened whenever it went off? Whenever I shot that .38 special my ears were shocked and rang for a good 5 seconds. Then the rest of the day they felt tight and my hearing felt super off and I was terrified. It felt like that for over a week. Now here I am with this tinnitus crap in both ears...

And how much better has your tinnitus gotten? I'm just still so so worried about this beeping in my left ear. Today seemed like it was a tiny tiny tiny bit better, but all I've done is tried to listen for it in quiet places to see. Because like I posted before, my hearing just sounds off in my left ear when I listen to music or tv. Like I hear feedback or whistling from those sounds. Thanks for talking to me man

 

Hi kevin,

I know exactly what you mean by the morse code sound. I had it all the time when I first got tinnitus 8 or so years ago. Over time, I got completely used to it. In fact, I habituated to it so well that I found it amusing to listen to at times. I know if someone had said these things to me when I was where you are now, I would have thought you have no idea what I'm going through. It takes time. Eventually, the morse code sounds quieted and became background. I hope my experience with this sort of T encourages you.

 

What caused yours and what did it exactly sound like at the beginning compared to now?


If the morse code sound doesn't go away, and is permanent how quiet will it get over time to the point where I only notice it if I concentrate and listen for it? Right now I hear it over everything

 

Its about 5-6 months ago now, and when it happened I experienced a threshold shift and when the threshold returned my hearing was muffled and distorted for about 2-3 months or so.. I cant really remember all the details, but the distortion stuff is pretty much gone now. I had terrible pain in my head which I still have to this day, my ears still feels somewhat tight and my upper jaw feels tight. Everything has gotten better though since it all happened.

My T is improving bit by bit.. In the beginning it was so bad that I couldnt do anything else than laugh about it all... Even though I was pretty upset deep inside. From when I got T and until now I would say its about 40 - 50% better..

I have had setbacks along the way though.. But it gradually has gotten a lot better.
I dont think we will see much improvement on a day to day basis, but rather week to week or month to month.. At least that is my experience.

We just need to hang in there, stay optimistic and know for ourself that this will get better in time and it might even resolve completely

Friends of mine have had it for months to a couple of years and fully recovered, so thats also good to know.

 

Well today I went and got a massage done to see if that would help. It was called a Cranial Sacral Massage. If anything, it calmed me down and relaxed me, but I could still hear my tinnitus the whole time. But of course I was listening for it constantly to see if it was calming down. Some of it did seem to calm down a little, but the morse code beeping in my left ear just beeped and beeped and beeped.

That's the one that scares me the most. Today it almost sounds more like a buzzsaw cutting wood or the old internet trying to log on. Such an odd sound. The beeps seem to be getting longer too. Instead of the bb b b bbb b b b bb b bb it's more of a beeeeeeeeeeeeeee be be beeeeee beeeeeee be be beeeeeeeee.

I'm just going to pray it gets better over time. Some stuff I read on here scares me. This morse code stuff is no joke. The sound it makes when I hear music or tv is just too much. Sounds like constant feedback or whistling when I'm listening to either one of those. I know, I'm repetitive but this is all I've got.

I will be skyping with Julian Cowan Hill on Sunday to get his take on this and to see if there's anything else I can do. I'll post our convo on here after

 

Kevin, I haven't been around that much lately because I've been doing better with my T. Not that I still don't have my moments. It's hard to answer your questions because a lot of time has passed since I first heard the morse code sounds. I think you hear them so loudly now because you are very focused on them. The harder you listen, the louder and more intrusive it sounds. But, some of this is not under your control. I think it takes time for the brain to learn to ignore these sounds and you also have to learn not to fear them. Honestly, the morse code sounds that I heard so vividly in the first few months of tinnitus are barely noticeable to me today. I would guess that when I first developed this type of tinnitus, it took me at least 6 months to start to forget about it and maybe more like a year.

 

Kevin, i have morsecode just like you. Just what you described, like a computer page trying to load and
Its like be be b beeee beeeep. The one
Night i had some drinks and it got loud and i was like wtf? Mines more of a softer morse code but its there constantly ontop of the hissing/crickets and god knows other noises i have. And mine to sometimes goes from be be be to just a full beeeeeeeeep. I kinda think of it as something making noise in the backround and it helps.

 

Your use of the word "terrified" says it all. Anxiety amplifies tinnitus - certainly the perception and the emotional impact. Sound-retraining and similar behavioral techniques cannot work if you are anxious and not sleeping. Discuss this with your doctor and get effective treatment. Cognitive-behavior therapy would also help. This is all about feelings of loss of control so you have to re-establish control. It doesn't matter what type of tinnnitus you have or how loud you feel it is, the treatment startegies always work to reduce the impact of tinnitus if you committ yourself to treatment. Don't look for a 'cure' as there isn't one - but all of us who have taken this journey will tell you that sooner or later, the tinnitus just stops bothering you.

 

Hang in there kevin from carolina you are young which I think is a benefit. Keep the faith you could wake up tomorrow and it could be gone.

 

kevin89carolina - Hope you are doing better now. Did you Skype with Julian and how did it go? I have had telephone conversations and a Skype session with Julian myself and he always gives me hope that I can send T back into the silent subconscious, as he achieved this himself.

 

@Grace I have different tones as well as morse code and mine too goes from beep beep beep to full beeeeeeeeeep..it's weird and I wonder why it changes...The morse code was my first noise, then hissing which seems to appear more when my H is bad, and then other tones slowly developed..

 

I get that Morse code tapping in my left ear a lot. Initially it bothered me a great deal, now I accept it as part of the package, since I have, as I state in the documentary "The Devil's Symphony" on youtube, an assortment of sounds going on in my head/ears, and always have. I'm the bass player.

Reaction is the key to getting over what is taking place right now, or at any time. Learn not to react, but at the same time, learn to prevent. Be proactive. Carry a set of earplugs with you where there is expected to be loud noises. There days, I try to always have a pair in my pocket at all times.

In the past, there were times when I went to an event and failed to take my molded (or any) earplugs and thought to borrow a headset from the theater manager or ask around for a set of earplugs from anyone at the event itself. If the place is going to be noisy, there's bound to be someone who has the same concern as I do. So, I ask around, but not when the noise is going on -- only prior to it.

If I can find nothing, then I drive home for a pair or to a store to purchase a pair. If that isn't possible, if the event is too far from home, then I will pass up the event altogether and drive home, or at least drive somewhere I can wait for the others in my party to enjoy the event. If I know it is best to wear plugs, I will insist that others with me wear them as well, so I may not be the only one headed home.

 

Kevin you likely have cochlear hydrops, not menieres desease but cochlear hydrops. There is fluid in your ears that fluid is under pressure if the pressure isn't right the fluid presses on the hair cells causing you to hear literally insane sounds that you never thought were possible. This helps you understand that yes it is possible for you to hear beeping like someone mashing the buttons on your microwave. With cochlear hydrops you hear sounds like Morse code machines.

 

I hear the Morse code machine too, yes I hear hissing and ringing too. It's cochlear hydrops.

 

8 posts down you may have a drug that can help

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/anybody-else-have-morse-code-type-sound.8171/