The Umpteenth Thread About Spikes: Please Forgive Me

Dear all, I'm Lazarus from Italy. I do apologize about my english, which is clearly very poor, but I need support at the moment.

I have T since 2005: after few months of anxiety and depression I managed it very well. It was not a problem anymore. Sometimes I did use earplugs to sleep, but I didn't feel it anymore if not when paying attention or when I was particulary stressed.

15 days ago I woke up with a very bad spike: a very disturbing high pitched continuous ring. Hoped it would have gone away, but no. This time I have also a mild H (I say 'mild' not having something to compare: let's say a nuisance to some sounds) which wasn't there at all ten years ago. Now I can manage T+H when I am outdoor (though it is stressful to 'feel' it always there, patiently waiting for his victim...), but very bad indoor and when I go to sleep. I downloaded white purple pink noises (pure, and enriched with airplane train ship sounds oh my!) and to sleep I need to mask T with them. I still use earplugs because a speaker seems to me inadequate to mask. I went to ENT and she, after audiogram etc, suggested me to try TRT.

My questions:

the classic one: will this spike be permanent of not? Is the new H a bad sign (it will be permanent) or this has no special meaning?

Do you think that TRT could be useful in this case? Do TRT devices apport relief or the T perception remains so vivid and disturbing during the therapy?

There is a paradox here. To habituate you need not to think about T, but you need also support and advices. Do you suggest to stay away from web resources and forums, forcing not to look at them and trying to forget, or is it better to keep understanding what is happening and looking for healing opportunities?

Thank you all in advance from the deep of my heart

 

Hi Lazarus, first of all, welcome to this forum. I do hope you will find some answers here! Remember that some things might work for one and not for another.. You hav to find your own way in what works for you I think.
The spike may be permanent, it may not. Time will tell. Have you seen an ENT already to look into your problem?
The H, I have it as well. It was explained to me as a hypersensitive brain due to the T which causes your nerve system to be always alert, your brain is always in a "ON" mode.
TRT might help you but I've chosen not to do it since masking does not help me a bit. I'm into CBT where I hope to learn to deal with the T in another way as I am now.
Seeking answers on a forum might help you understand better what is going on. Tips and trics from other T sufferers etc. Reading and talking with others might help you handle it a bit easier I hope..

Take care! You're not alone..

 

Hey Lazarus,

Have you protected your hearing at best throughout 10 years of you having T ?
Based on my analysis i see that most of the spikes occur for two basic reasons:

1)T sufferer habbituated to his T and forgot about it with time. Since T was not that big of the deal for him, forgot that now his ears need "extra care" and continiued to visit festivals, cinema, shows (basically any loud venue or activity) without hearing protection, which led to accumilated damage and over time raised level of T and worsen loss of some hearing (again, this very well not might be detected on audiogram due to current standard testing methods).
2)Diet related spike. Some people are more sensetive to certain type of vitamins/minerals or toxic(alcohol, drugs) which could cause temporary spike in T. however in this case spike is most likely to be temporare and should fade away within fiew days (well, some people report 2 months somtimes!).

So, what i wanted to say is: protect your ears, dont use earbuds anywhere higher that probably %15 percent of mac volume. Better to have decent surround system installed in your bedroom and play pink/white while you sleep (this will give you reall surround sound experience and ears wont have to be beaten up by whole night use of earplugs).

 

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk Lazarus .
Your spike should calm down and the relaxed you are the better you will cope along with sleeping well.
TRT is the gold treatment for people having a hard time with tinnitus and can take a year or so for it get you in a better place not noticing and coping with tinnitus .
You wear white noise generators along side great one to one counselling and with their guidance over time and talking therapy how you are coping will help you.
Cognative Behaviour Therapy CBT is another form of treatment and works hard dealing with depression and anxiety and positivity to help you see a better outlook on life living and adjusting to Tinnitus in a positive way and help change any negative feelings towards your sound and help your confidence etc....lots of love glynis

 

ACRN is somthing to look into as well...unfortuantely the treatment is only available in the UK i believe. Someone was able to replicate the treatment and it has helped me greatly. I suggest giving it a try.

http://www.generalfuzz.net/acrn/

 

I had a spike like yours about 2 years ago. It went away after around 2 months. I think yours will go away too.

 

Thank you all very much for your replies. It helps to know that you are around.

Did someone try the TRT and succeeded? Are TRT devices also a relief when you are wearing them, or your perception of T remains the same? Is TRT always linked with a psycho- (CB) therapy or not?

Thank you again, have a nice day, Lazarus

 

Lazarus, spikes will always happen. But when they do, just take it easy volume wise for a while if you can and they will go away. They can also be caused by anxiety so if you're in a stressful situation, if possible, take yourself away from that. Or try yoga. Seriously. It works.

 

Dear all. Just to share some thoughts. The spike is always present: now it's a month since the beginning. But...

As I said, this spike came together with H. Now H is day by day becoming the main source of discomfort. So I could still mask the T, but often I don't want to, because the constant white noise annoys me a bit. And after masking T seems worse than before. Reactive T? And all those sounds at the edge of distortion...

It's like the auditory ear-brain system - as a whole - somehow went haywire. It doesn't know anymore how to deal with sounds. So: T, H, distortion and so on. Pity that there are no "earlids". Could have been useful in this case. Obviously anxiety and discomfort trigger this condition.

I clearly feel the necessity to reset all the auditory system. We all know it is not possible. Electroconvulsive Therapy?
But what I can (and maybe must) do is removing the triggers. I think I can do with benzos and SSRI. Then I could wait for a 'natural' resetting of the system, and of course that needs time and patience.

Do you think dit makes sense or not?

Lazarus

 

Dear All, an update about my spike. Two months from the beginning, T loudness is basically the same (i.e severe), I think; moderate H and distortions are still there. But.

I started TRT here in Milan. It's a month now. They gave me two sound generators. First they wanted to lock the volume level, but as I insisted, they let me be in full control of it. I know what it needs to be done, mantaining T audible (without masking it) and so on. They told me to wear the devices 24/7. The program includes a monthly technical counseling.

There are also CBT therapy session to follow. To be honest, I don't find that useful. The therapist is kind and welcoming, but well, I don't think that at least this way to do it really works.

All of that is very expensive (around 3000 USD) and they were very clear with me about the fact that the outcomes are very uncertain. According to their opinion TRT is not one of the best treatment for T+H: it's the only one, and even TRT could give no results at all.

Using the sound generators have been at first a bit annoying, but now it's ok. Though they shouldn't be used as maskers, they reduce the 'delta' between silence and T, so they are actually a real relief. When I take them off, T is still there, and by the way it seems more 'fixed' on a specific pitch and loudness. Sleeping: I wear the generators all night long PLUS I use some muzak in the background PLUS I take a lot of Xanax. Evening hours are always the worst ones.

Googling around, I found many resources about Fibromyalgia. Many symptoms seem to fit with how I feel, including T (obviously)

I will keep you posted. But I am more and more convinced that T is a kind of whistle blowing ). What I do need is to change my life: not just with diet or some exercise or few minutes of mindfulness. I need a revolution. Wish I could have the resources to start it.

Thank you for your support, guys. And sorry again for my basic english.

Greetings from Milan, Lazarus

 

@Lazarus I hope the TRT helps you it is considered one of the best treatments for tinnitus. However, I am concerned about you wearing the white noise generators 24/7. This does not follow the Jasterboff Protocol. White noise generators should not be worn while you sleep. The ears need a rest. They should be worn for upto 10hrs a day. At night, take them off and use a sound machine by your bedside for sound enrichment. When you put the white noise generators on in the morning, set the volume slightly below the tinnitus. Please click on the link below you might find the information helpful
All the best
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

@Michael Leigh Thank you so much fir your reply. Actually I did read your very complete and accurate post - a 'must' for every T sufferer - and, when the audioprothesist told me to wear the devices 24/7 I was very puzzled. The ENT of this team confirmed his opinion. Could you so kindly tell me 'where' Jastreboff writes about this issue in a scientific article or other reliable publication?

Thank you in advance, Lazarus

 

Certainly @Lazarus I have the Pawel Jasterboff TRT (Tinnitus Retraining Therapy) book right next to me. It is the Tinnitus therapy book that most ENT health professionals refer to. You can buy the book from Amazon. It is expensive but covers everything one wants to know about tinnitus and hyperacusis, when it's caused by loud noise exposure. It dicusses at lenght tinnitus retraining therapy and how to use White noise generators. They shouldn't be worn to bed at night.
If you want, send me an email address and I will scan the page and send it to you. It says: White noise genertors should be worn upto 8hr to 10hrs a day and a sound machine used by the bedside for sound enrichment at night.
Michael