Tinnitus After Attending a Gig — MRI Found an Acoustic Neuroma

Hello all,

I've read this forum back to front 3 times before finally signing up today. Today is 1 month since I developed some pretty decent tinnitus - I'm not having much fun at the moment.

I think I have always had tinnitus to some degree - I've never been one of those people to experience 'silence' in a quiet room - however I never knew any better and was never worried.

My brother recently started a band, I went to see his first gig this time last month - I should have known better. In fact the most devastating thing is I even thought to myself prior I should take earplugs, but forgot of course! The show was only 30 minutes, but it was pretty loud and in a pretty small venue. Tinnitus followed straight after and hasn't really let off since.

There have been some small changes though:

Week 1 - 9/10 brutal panic attack inducing tinnitus, loud tone in right ear, left ear had a high pitch tone which changed in time with my heart beat - hard to describe!

Week 2 - The tone in my right ear backed off a little, left ear remained the same.

Up to present - Tinnitus now sounds like how many others report as a CRT TV in both ears, the fluctuation in my left ear has backed off a little but the overall sound is perhaps louder than before in this new CRT tone.

My tinnitus has a 'sensation' to it, almost like static in your head - making it pretty hard to ignore unfortunately

I myself played in bands for the best part of a decade with many gigs and rehearsals much longer and louder than my brothers so its probably not fair to blame the one incident - feels like it was probably the straw that broke the camels back at this stage

So far I have stopped coffee and alcohol, trying hard to stop carbs - taking Ginkgo Biloba/Magnesium and B12 - though I don't hold any great hope with these, probably more just myself trying to hold on to some sort of control.

After 1 month I'm not looking for the noise to stop immediately anymore, just some sort of improvement, no matter how small, would be nice.

 

I screwed up my ears with headphones (made my 0.5 tinnitus worsen to a 2-4 tinnitus a little over a month ago) and even then after about 4 months I've seen steady improvement. I haven't done anything too special besides give my ears ample quiet time, quitting headphones, wearing earplugs when needed, and keeping volumes down in general.

I definitely think you have a good chance, even with yours at that level, based on what I've read. Hang in there. <3

 

Thanks for the response! I think im just having a down day - the 1 month anniversary has made me think about it all the more - but it's just a number, right?!

At least I'm not at that 9/10 level anymore, that was just ridiculous - I'm thinking I'm around a 5-6 at the moment, outside is ok, I can hear it in the car pretty easily - the 'sensation' you can feel even when you caynt hear it if that makes sense. One of the hardest things I find to do at the moment is watch TV - it's particularly triggering!

I have everything crossed! Glad to hear you are getting better

 

You stand a very good chance of getting better. In the meantime your fluctuation in tone could be related to tight SCMs (neck muscles). I believe the onset of tinnitus brings on an array of muscular skeletal issues from being tense "24/7." Start looking up videos on Youtube regarding fixing forward head posture/stretching the neck/pectoral muscles. It's free! I can tell you without a doubt that one of my tinnitus tones and ETD issues are directly related to my SCMs. Stretching these bad-boys assists in getting the fullness to decrease. It's hard, but the best thing you can do right now is stay calm and monitor your muscle tension. This tinnitus S**T is a mystery with many variables. My tinnitus, hyperacusis and TTTS were all noise induced and made better with the aforementioned. Five years ago was my onset. Tinnitus as loud as a hairdryer and everything in between with it now still fluctuating constantly with days-a-whisper. As you were/are a musician, I'd bet at some point you spent a great deal of time with forward head posture... don't underestimate this.

 

Thanks for the reply @StubbyJ.

As a matter of fact I saw an Osteopath just this Saturday, I did look into Craniosacral as suggested by many others online, however where I am (Australia) there wasn't many options so I figured Osteopathy was the closest thing. It was kinda funny however as the guy was your typically Aussie battler - rough as/spent most of the time talking about all the AC/DC concerts he has been to - didn't really put me in a 'relaxed' state haha.The massage prior was nice however, my first ever - I'm pretty self conscious so haven't been up to getting a massage before.

The Osteopath did say I was really tight around the neck and that if I didn't have migraines I soon would... so hopefully there is something in it! I'm booked to go back in a fortnight.

Thanks for the positive message - certainly helps today.

 

Oh man I really did think I was getting better. 7 weeks 1 day in for me - acoustic trauma induced tinnitus.

First 2 weeks were very decent - 7/10 at least, I'm sure I was feeling a bit better on week 5, tinnitus was at 4-5/10 - I was away on a work trip, and there were days where I didn't feel the need to look at any success stories here or on YouTube.

I have been trying a number of things for relief - supplements such as B12, Magnesium and Ginkgo biloba - have just started Apple Cider Vinegar... honestly I'll try anything at the moment.

I have heard a lot about cranio sacral therapy, where I live there are not many options for this - so last week I tried going to an Osteopath. There was one exercise they did after massaging my neck where they unexpectedly cracked my neck so loudly - I wasn't too sore after, but my tinnitus certainly went up the week following up until this current day - I really hope I haven't done myself any further damage here...

Blah... I really just need some sign of improvement - however small to lift my spirits.

 

8 weeks 3 days/3 days short of 2 months.

Don't feel the need to respond after reading - I have been using this thread as more of a place to clear my head, hopefully at some point it will be helpful to look back on.

That being said - please give me any feedback or tips to try - some days are so hard with this!

I DID get my sign of improvement as per my last post - Saturday, Sunday and Monday just gone were so much better - tinnitus is worse in my left ear - this was the same static I have more or less experienced from the start, but it was much less intense. The tone I have in my right ear was so quiet I struggled to find it in a quiet room/car with the doors closed. I was so elated - you have no idea, don't get me wrong - if a normal person suddenly had what I was experiencing here they would probably freak out, but after the past almost 2 months it was bliss - I would rate these 3 days a 2-3/10.

Something interesting that happened on the Friday prior to the 3 days of bliss - both my ears (at separate times during the day) 'dropped out' - I'm talking next to no hearing for perhaps maybe 30 seconds each side with a much louder/higher tinnitus sound that went away when my hearing came back. You think this would be scary - but I was really excited, hoping this was my ears still recalibrating etc.

Fast forward to yesterday (Tuesday) - my job takes me into some Automotive Workshops at times, when talking to a mechanic about a certain problem with a car he was having - he used his impact wrench unexpectedly, maybe 2-4 seconds - but my gosh was it loud. Instantly I became worried - justifiably so because no I'm living back in the world of 7-8/10 tinnitus. It sucks - the tone is back and strong in both my ears, and the static is 'filling up' my head.

It's really hard to concentrate or give my family as much of me as they deserve when it is like this - I have everything crossed at the moment that the impact wrench hasn't further damaged my ears or added to my tinnitus and that the return to 7-8s/10 is more to do with me stressing about the fact. Time will tell I guess...

I also tried Acupuncture this past Saturday - why not, right?

I don't believe I got anything from it - and again like the Osteo, it wasn't a particularly 'relaxing' experience.

Maybe next time I will just try a normal massage.

 

This is scarily similar as what happened to me. So much so, that reading your post felt like going back in time, for me. I also read this forum back to front for a while before signing up.

 

Hope it didn't bring anything back! How are you now?

 

Well this is it Tinnitus Talk - today is the day I give up with this, I am just so done.

1 day short of 2 months for me - yes, I know this is nothing compared to some of the other members here - but it still feels like an eternity. Today I woke up with onset loudness tinnitus, 8/10 - yay. So much more depressing after the maybe 3/10 weekend I just had - where I actually thought that I may be one of the lucky ones to get through this.

At the time of writing this I have a strong tone in my left ear plus an 'oscillating' static noise which is in time with my heartbeat, I also have now a much stronger tone in my right 'good' ear - all mixed in with a general static noise, which could really be more described as a sensation that just fills my head. I notice not too many mention the 'sensation' side of tinnitus here rather only the noise, for me this is so much more debilitating - it builds when watching things like tv or while trying to concentrate at work - almost impossible to describe.. you know the feeling you get if you slide down an old fibreglass slide, itchy and static? its like that - but in my head.

A few things happened this week which probably haven't helped - the impact wrench incident as described above, plus yesterday - my neighbour emptied out their recycling/glass bottles which was super loud, also that same day some hero in an underground carpark decided to beep their horn maybe 2m away from me. But you know what - these are just day to day noises, how can you ever say that they wont happen?? If I were not experiencing what I am now then I wouldn't have given any a second thought, so if that is really all that is needed to make this worse then honestly have at it - I am DONE.

Also, what a ridiculous condition this is. Not only is the main advice is there is no cure - there really isn't anything offered up otherwise that isn't heavily contradicted.

This is me signing off for now - yes, I'm not going to concerts, movies etc for a long time if ever again, and yes I am going to keep up on the supplements and diet I have been trying for now - but as for fighting this, tinnitus you win.

 

I am so sorry you are struggling. I know how frustrating this feels like. Scary too. Not knowing how long it lasts, is this the "new normal" and the uncertainty is what makes this even worse. And it feels challenging to live in a modern society (loud sudden noises everywhere and the sound levels are way too loud) with these symptoms.

Basically I got recommendation to try neck massage from an ENT and just live my life and get used to sounds slowly. (And try TRT if those things don't help). Oh I tried to just live my life normally but my ears don't seem to handle normal everyday sounds and normal life. I am constantly experiencing spiking of the symptoms. There seem to always be some (usually sudden) sounds that spike the symptoms back up and have made me thought is it making the healing more difficult and cause worsening of how I feel. Now I am just confused and lost, what to do with the symptoms, how to deal with the symptoms.

When you say "Not only is the main advice is there is no cure - there really isn't anything offered up otherwise that isn't heavily contradicted." I can agree.

You are not alone though. It's been 7 weeks since my loud concert (it was a couple of minutes too near the stage and speakers at a festival without earplugs --- that was too much for my ears) and deal with a bit similar symptoms too, but in my case the hyperacusis has started to be an even bigger issue than tinnitus.

I know it sucks so badly when the symptoms start to bother everyday activities such as watching TV or concentrating. If only the solution was to stay busy and the symptoms would be easier when being busy and doing stuff but it seems to make the symptoms worse many times.

Hopefully you are going to make progress with your symptoms.

Take care,
Sointu

 

@Sointu, thanks for your reply - Yes, we are very similar here, I have responded on your thread

 

The ongoing chronicles of tinnitus - 10 weeks, 2 days.

So as per my previous post – I more or less spat the dummy with this whole thing, I wouldn’t say completely surrendering but definitely not fighting like I was.

I again had some ‘better’ days recently – 3/10 compared to what I have been generally suffering around 6/10. This was a great relief as it has come after the second trauma I had a couple of weeks ago (impact wrench – read above posts), meaning my tinnitus worsening following this was a result of my emotional reaction rather than actual damage.

Today as I write this, my tinnitus would be somewhere around a 5/10 – but it has been a stressful few days at work, and we are again on the verge of another lockdown here in Queensland, Australia – I now believe that stress is a factor in this whole thing. I need to try and calm down a bit – but that is easier said than done.

I have also ceased everything I was taking before: Apple Cider Vinegar, B12, Magnesium, Ginkgo biloba – I figured the very minute if any benefit these were giving me was not worth the fact that I was reminded that I have tinnitus everytime I took them – I want to forget about this afterall.

I have/am trying the ‘Back to Silence’ method at the moment – search Tinnitus Talk to find it. So far so good, not sure yet if it coincidence that the latest group of good days I had was right after starting this, we’ll have to see how things go over a longer period of time – but I’m hopeful at the moment.

Habituation is my goal, I think I am past the hope for this to just be over one morning – but to be honest, I think I was habituated to my mild tinnitus that I have always had before this.

 

Good morning fellow members – I’m feeling the need to vent about this most ridiculous situation so here goes, 11 weeks 1 day for me today.

I haven’t as yet had a return to the 3/10 levels I was lucky enough to experience last weekend – this week has been a solid 5-6/10, with today unfortunately pushing a 7. The tone and general experience of this has seemed to shift again ever so slightly this week, rather than the general static feeling being all encompassing – it has somewhat lessened to make way for a much clearer single tone. The tone is bang on 4 kHz and is in both ears/slightly stronger in my left.

I did start to try the ‘Back to Silence’ method early last week – I think it actually did help a little, if I am honest I probably didn’t give this as much as a go as I should have, it can be hard with a young family etc – I’m going to try again and give this much more of a go starting this week, fingers crossed.

Again however, I am not sure this addresses the ‘sensation’ I feel with tinnitus rather just the noise – for me there are times outside etc where I cannot hear the tone but I can ALWAYS feel the sensation of having tinnitus. It’s almost impossible for me to describe to anyone, but for me this is by far the worst part – if I was suffering a tone or noise only, I think I would habituate quite easily. Perhaps this sensation is a mild form of hyperacusis?

Here’s hoping for a better week, I really need a shift in the right direction – this is really starting to take a toll on my life across all fronts. My family and partner have been amazing but I can see even they are becoming fatigued with this, I would be lying if I said my effort work wasn’t be affected also – I try but it really is so hard when tinnitus is intrusive to remain positive and productive as I was before.

If you are reading this and can relate, or have been here and have gotten better to any degree – please let me know, some positivity would be great.

 

Hey @aul884, the fact that you are experiencing quieter periods is a good sign. The global trend in volume should be downwards, but it takes a long time and there will be fluctuations on the way.

I think a common theme with tinnitus is that the first few months are an absolute punish. People do have different experiences, but my more intrusive sounds fell away as I headed towards the six month mark. Expect to see gains in the next few months ahead.

As your tinnitus fades this will become easier. Take the time to look after yourself in the meantime - getting enough sleep, eating well, doing things you enjoy and trying to keep a routine. I understand that the pace of healing with ears is uncomfortably slow, but time and looking after yourself is your best bet.

 

I know exactly what you mean with the physical sensation of tinnitus. It feels like someone is drilling into my ear when it's at its worst. No pain, just uncomfortable.

Thankfully (knock on wood), that has lessened over time for me, though it is still there. I hope it will do the same for you.

 

You're very new with this, and chances are very good that the tinnitus will subside. The Back to Silence Method is a great way to train your brain to stay cool with tinnitus, and to drill the method and ideas in I would recommend watching some or all of it every day or few days. As far as other habits, NOT doing certain things is more important than anything you can do and I recommend not assigning degrees to your tinnitus such as 5/10, 3/10, 8/10, etc.

 

3 month update

So here it is, the date that Dr Google says that this condition becomes chronic – though obviously not the case reading the stories both good and bad here. I can say that yes, I do still suffer from tinnitus – however it is nowhere near the levels of the first 2 months. The difference between now and then is essentially the fact that I am now able to relax – whether that be reading or watching tv etc. That just wasn’t possible initially – the static would build in my head to such an uncomfortable level.

I did start the ‘Back to Silence’ method initially – but to be honest I think I am in a place beyond that now, I feel very lucky for it. I am not at the stage of writing a success story just as yet, but hopefully things continue in the same trend over the coming months and I will get there.

 

Great news. Glad it’s gotten quieter for you. I’d expect to see additional gains in another 3 months.

 

Another rough day with this – healing really isn’t linear is it?!

I have had a good go since the 8th of this month or so – tinnitus seemed to bother me much less, I am unsure on days like this whether the tinnitus is actually worse or it is just bothering me more for whatever reason.

The only thing that I can possibly think of that may trigger anything was a loud storm that came through on this Friday night just gone – I had to go out on our verandah (which is just tin roofing) and there was some hail which obviously was pretty loud.

Fingers crossed nothing physical here, just an off day.

 

Hi! You are the first person that talks about the sensation of static! I had this too. It has let off, however, it’s more of a noise now? It’s light and I notice it more when I sit down. It is weird.

How is yours now?

I also have tinnitus from a sudden loud noise exposure.

 

Hi @KBombRN.

Thanks for asking – I have been much better generally of late, I guess that's what makes yesterday (and today it looks like) all the more depressing. Even though this now feels like an eternity for me, in the greater scheme of things I am still fairly new to this (just over 3 months) – I am still unable to tell what is a spike, when an increase like what I am experiencing right now happens it is really easy to still freak out.

I think when I experience the inevitable louder sounds of general life my subconscious brings tinnitus to the forefront, regardless of whether there may have been actual damage or not.

Yes the sensation of tinnitus was indeed the worst part for me, thankfully this has backed off a little – at its peak I was unable to relax at all, which after the best of 3 months can be pretty fatiguing and I’m sure doesn’t help towards the general healing of this issue.

It’s great to hear you are having some progress – hopefully we are both on the right track!

 

Hey there, yeah it seems healing is definitely not linear. Keep it going.

 

Update – 15 weeks/2 days.

I am still in the middle of this ‘spike’ or increase unfortunately... As said previous, the fortnight between the 11th and 26th of October I was doing so much better with this – even though it was only such a short time ago, I would love to go back and see whether the tinnitus was actually quieter then or if it was just not bothering me as much for whatever reason.

It's hard to try and pinpoint the reason for this setback – I have 2 ideas:

1) The hail storm on the Friday night before the ‘spike’. I had to go out on our verandah to close a window during a hailstorm – it was pretty loud, however wouldn't have been enough to cause anyone with healthy hearing a second thought.

2) I recently interviewed for a new job – I wasn't looking to change my current job, but an opportunity came up through a friend. I didn't end up taking the role, but interviewing and thinking about all the changes required was stressful no doubt.

The noise I am dealing with at the moment is more of a white noise than a steady tone, although I can find the 4 kHz tone if I go ‘looking for it’ – it is stronger in my left ear for sure, but funnily enough is much worse at night if I try and sleep on my right ear...

Unsure of what to do now except wait this out – I am again hoping for some improvement. The longer this goes on the more stressful the whole situation becomes, I am starting to get to the same time frame in this now as many of the success stories and videos that originally gave me hope reported without any real maintained improvement.

 

Hi @aul884.

You are in the early stages of noise induced tinnitus and it often fluctuates a lot for up to 6 months. Take things slowly as it usually calms down in time. You may also have hyperacusis or some oversensitivity to sound which usually accompanies noise induced tinnitus. My advice is not to use any type of headphones, earbuds or headset even at low volume, as there's the risk of making the tinnitus worse.

Please go to my started threads and read the posts mentioned below. If you are able to print them I suggest that you do, as it's a lot to read and better to refer to them often. This will help reinforce positive thinking:

New to tinnitus what to do, Tinnitus, a Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, Hyperacusis, As I See It. Tinnitus and negative counselling, What Causes a Tinnitus Spike and Can It Be Cured?

Start using low level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night. More about this is explained in my posts.

All the best.
Michael

 

Hi @Michael Leigh,

Thank you for your reply – believe it or not I have read through all of your started posts, I have seen you have lent your experience to many on here – I really did mean it when I originally said I have read this forum completely at least 3 times haha.

I take on your advice regarding headphones – my only exception to this is regards to flying, my job requires me to travel via plane usually once every couple of months – for this I have been using noise cancelling headphones, typically just activated with no music etc playing.

One of the first things I did was purchase a decent bluetooth speaker - I use this at night to play a rain/storm sound effect through an app called ReSound. It’s quite a good app and lets you tune the levels of different effects etc - it also has a meter so you can see the usage - I can see that I have used the rain effect now for 450 hours which is somewhat depressing!

I do find this relaxing and have found that it does help me get to sleep - I think it would do this regardless if I had tinnitus or not so I will likely keep it up should I ever heal from this -for this reason I don't associate the speaker/sounds with tinnitus. The other things I tried earlier (supplements etc) I decided to stop - I figured each time I took them I was reminding myself that I was suffering with this, which I thought was far more detrimental than any slight benefit that they may have offered.

I am trying really hard with the positive thinking however sometimes – like now it’s difficult. As I write this I have a headache from dealing with what I hope is a spike all day. I can look back through my own posts here (one of the reasons why I have kept them somewhat regular) and see that I have had ups and downs already – bit more down this time as I thought I was genuinely getting better.. Oh well here’s hoping for some sustained improvement sometime soon.

 

Hello Tinnitus Talk - long time no see!

What a crazy ride reading back through all my old posts - it really was a rough time for me back then. This week I have answers.

While my tinnitus has never really gone away, this year I found myself (while always still hearing it) thinking about it less and less - I guess this is the very definition of 'habituation'.

After enduring a headache like never before earlier last week - I arranged an MRI just to double check on things. I had a good friend of mine pass from Glioblastoma years ago, and if I'm honest the fear of this affects me to this day. Luckily my Mum works in Radiology so getting the tests is easy to arrange.

Well guess what?! 'Incidental' Acoustic Neuroma. Left side - currently measuring 1.3 x 0.6cm.

Of course I have this... looking back through my posts/and my symptoms it totally fits.
I am in that sucky limbo land at the moment where I have the diagnosis from Imaging only, I have specialists appointments booked in for a couple of weeks time - the quickest I could get them.

Looks like Radiosurgery or Surgery - I will have to see what best suits my specific case.

Both are quote scary if you look into.

Gamma Knife (Radiosurgery), while quick and painless, initially will likely have a detrimental effect on my hearing (and increased tinnitus, like I need it...).

The surgery option is massive - people do it of course but wow, scary. 10 hours - likely total hearing loss and having to relearn balance... but glass half full, a slight chance of improving tinnitus.

I will ask the mods to change the title of my thread to reflect the new diagnosis for others that may share similar symptoms or experience.

Crazy.

 

Just read through your experience. Glad you are habituated. Yes - surgery is scary!

When I read stories like yours I am SO relieved that neither me nor my wife suffered from this wretched condition during our 20-year marriage. She had back pain sometimes - and I could always use massage on her which helped a lot. But tinnitus? How do you help a partner?

You mentioned the osteopath cracking your neck - frankly this is the reason I go nowhere near massage, osteopaths, chiropractors etc. I am glad in your case there was obviously no long term damage.

Well good luck and keep us up to date with surgery if you choose to have it. Personally - I have tinnitus levels 3-5/10 in my left ear and have habituated. I would probably live with that rather than risk surgery - but the choice is yours.