Tinnitus from Out of the Blue: It's Now Lasted 4 Months — I'm from Denmark

Hi all of you.

I have been searching around this forum for a little while, and now I would like to present myself.
I have had tinnitus for 4 months now. There has been a little improvement in that time. From a pure tone to more like a higher pitch. Difficult to mask, but can be masked, fortunately.

It started basically out of the blue, and I don't know the cause of my tinnitus.
But I have my audiogram here, maybe some of you can say if it is noise induced?
I am not going to clubs or concerts, but I did occasionally in my younger days. Now I am 34.
I live in Denmark (Europe).

With regards to the future, I have very high hopes of a cure coming in the next years. I know it can be dangerous to be so optimistic, but it helps me, I think

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad you think your tinnitus is? Your audiogram is much better than mine at the 6 kHz and 8 kHz level.

My biggest issue not being able to sleep. How is your sleep at night time?

 

HI @L34

I don't pay much attention to audiograms as they are not a true indication of noise induced tinnitus, for many things can be responsible for the onset of tinnitus. However, The most common cause it is exposure to loud noise, brought on by regularly using headphones, earbuds, headset at too high a volume. Other forms of loud noise exposure can cause it too. Before the onset of the tinnitus, if you were a regular user of headphones, earbuds it's something to consider. If you are oversensitive to sound (hyperacusis) then this could be another indication that the tinnitus was noise induced. Please click on the links below and read my posts that you might find helpful.

All the best.
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

I would say my tinnitus is about 6 on a scale of 1 to 10... The fact that I almost always hear it, and not just hear it in a quiet room. But I am absolutely certain that others have worse tinnitus than me. So it is around 6/10...

My sleep is not my biggest problem. I fall asleep okay, and without masking. But I lay there feeling annoyed and sad off course.

I have noticed I almost never dream anymore, at least not that I can remember when I wake up. And that is different from before tinnitus...

 

Hi Michael

Thanks for your post

No, I never used headphones or anything similar, but I do have a lot of noise in my life (work in a laboratory, my 2 children, driving on the freeway etc.). But not something I would say could give you tinnitus.
Now I think I know better...

I do have hyperacusis, but I think it is just in my head and not a real hyperacusis with pain. My head just knows that noise is dangerous, and therefore I hate noise now

 

HI L34,

Not all hyperacusis is painful as it can vary in intensity like tinnitus. If your tinnitus is not noise induced, then the next things to consider are underlying medical conditions within your auditory system such as hearing loss? Your ENT doctor should be able to advise you on this and test for other conditions associated with the ear and auditory system responsible for the onset of tinnitus. If these tests show nothing untoward, then stress, medication or something like TMJ should be looked at.

Tinnitus can also appear out of the blue for no reason and go away in time. An ear infection can also cause it. Give it time and hopefully the tinnitus will subside. Read my posts and start using sound enrichment. Use it particularly at night at a low level, more information about this is in my posts.

Best of luck
Michael

 

Did you have an audiologist or ENT go over your Audiogram? It looks like maybe you have an air bone gap at the higher frequencies and lower but not sure. Tinnitus can also come on due to a virus as another possibility.

 

Thank you, nice to get advice from you.

All the tests at the ENT was good, they did a lot, also the test where the device is put below the ear, speech recognition and something unbelievably frightening where I got so loud noises in the ears, I think they were testing some vibrating or maybe pressure in the ears. And they didn't even warn me first...

I have spent a ton of money on osteopathy, acupuncture etc., but no improvement. I can not change the tone or loudness with neck/jaw movements.
Haven't taken any medicine and I was absolutely not stressed before I got tinnitus.
So it is a mystery to me why it started.

Now I will get a hearing aid with masking in it, that is just the standard procedure in Denmark. But I am not convinced at all it will help me

I will read all your links, thank you

 

Thank you for the additional information. Since you have had many tests and all show nothing untoward but will be given a hearing aid - then it means you have some hearing impairment to warrant the wearing of such a device? If you're saying it's standard procedure in your country, to issue a tinnitus patient with a hearing aid with masking (white noise) just because they have tinnitus, I do not think this is a good idea. Wearing a hearing aid and you don't have significant hearing impairment could make the tinnitus worse. Therefore, it is my belief your ENT Doctor/Audiologist believes that the onset of your tinnitus could be caused by hearing impairment.

As I indicated in my previous post: Noise induced tinnitus is the most common cause of the condition. Once it's determined exposure to loud noise is not the cause, then Hearing Loss is looked at next.

You should introduce the hearing aid and (masking) white noise gradually to your ears/ auditory system, so that it doesn't cause irritation, otherwise the tinnitus could be made worse. I have written posts on how to do this but first, I advise you to talk to your ENT doctor and ask for further information on your hearing loss. If it's only slight I do not think it's a good idea to wear hearing aids. Masking is an out-dated term replaced by White Noise. If you use the white noise only set at a level lower than the tinnitus that must NOT mask it, this can help. Again, white noise should be introduced to the ear/auditory system slowly to avoid irritation and making the tinnitus worse.

Michael

 

Hi Kendra,

Thanks for answering and looking at my audiogram I have been googling air bone gap (since they didn't mention anything at the hospital where I had the audiogram made).

You could be right, I will try and find someone to ask

 

Hi Michael,

Yes, it sounds weird, but hearing aid with masking is apparently how things are done here in Denmark. When I went to the hospital to have this audiogram made (I have had others at the private ENT) this is pretty much what happened:

I sat down and the audiologist ordered af hearing aid with masker on her computer. Then they made the audiogram tests... She said, that if a person has tinnitus, then you have a right to get a hearing aid with masking noises. So she ordered it without even knowing my results.

She even said that some are cured from their tinnitus just by wearing hearing aids, but I definitely don't see that can be the thing in my case, since my hearing is great already.

When I get the hearing aids, I will be very careful using them, I promise you.

 

I correspond with people that attend private ENT clinics that have been quick to prescribe hearing aids with or without white noise, simply because the person has tinnitus. It is my belief there could be an ulterior motive, to issue these expensive devices purely for monetary gain. For this reason I would not attend a private ENT clinic. Such practices do not happen on the NHS. If a person with tinnitus is prescribed a hearing aid there is a valid reason for it.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

It seems very odd to prescribe someone with hearing aids if they don't have any significant hearing impairment - potentially that could easily make tinnitus worse as noises will be unnecessarily amplified. Are you definitely getting hearing aids or just white noise generators, which look a lot like hearing aids but which simply produce white noise into the ear and don't amplify sound? I'd advise you ask some more questions of your ENT to find out the reasoning behind this course of treatment and to check that you won't be given treatment which could potentially worsen your tinnitus.

 

Hi David,
Thank you for answering

I am getting a little nervous when some of you say I can make my tinnitus worse with hearing aids. That would be very bad. But they are real hearing aids that they will give me, with masking built in. I know they are from Signia, but I don't know which model. I get them for free, the health care system pays for it, and therefore I said yes to try... But I will definitely ask more questions when I go to the next appointment.

Thank you once again

 

I personally find white noise spikes my tinnitus. You might also want to look into current research on white noise and how it’s not good for our brains.

 

Will do, thank you

 

HI @L34

It would have helped if you had been more clearer in your previous post, as you didn't mention that the hearing aids with built-in white noise generator were given to you free, similar to the way the NHS works. I now believe that you must have sufficient hearing impairment to be given hearing aids. The devices that you have are known as dual purpose because they also have white noise generators built in. The hearing aid can be disabled via computer, which is something that your Audiologist would do when you're to be fitted. However, since the hearing aid is not to be disabled means your ENT doctor believes your hearing needs to be improved.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts hearing impairment can cause tinnitus. A hearing aid will increase the level of sound from the outside environment to your brain. Over time your brain will turn down its internal gain and thus reduce the tinnitus. When the brain struggles to hear sound from the outside environment due to hearing loss, it will increase its internal gain, rather like a volume control. This can result in developing tinnitus or make tinnitus worse if it is already present.

I will assume you will be under the care of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist and advised how to use your hearing aids with white noise generators. There is a right way and a wrong to use them depending how sensitive your ears and auditory system are? My suggestions are what I advise people when they have an adverse reaction to dual purpose units that have a hearing aid with white noise generators. The same applies to using white noise generators when the hearing aids have been disabled. Please follow the advice of your Hearing Therapist or Audiologist on how to use your devices.

When people have an adverse reaction I advise them to switch off the white noise and just use the hearing aids for a time, until their ears get used to them. Then slowly introduce the white noise keeping the volume below the level of the tinnitus.

Take things slowly and best of luck.
Michael

 

I wonder if that also applies to a changing sound. In the MyNoise app you can animate the white noise and choose subtle or more significant modulation. It's a bit like listening to the sea swell.

 

You might want to be careful with masking your tinnitus fully. I did that for an extended period and found my tinnitus reacting to the masking after a bit with other high-pitched sounds that were extremely difficult to mask completely. It seemed to be adapting itself, if that makes sense.