Tinnitus Is Worse Today. Was It the Beer? Stress? I Don't Know But I Need a Hug :(

Hey everyone,

My tinnitus has been okay-ish for a while now. Today, however, it isn't. It's louder than normal in my left ear and I'm freaking out. I don't know what is going on.

My g/f just broke up with me on Monday but it didn't spike my T. I had known we had problems and I was filled with anxiety since we had a fight on Friday but my T was the same. Now, it isn't. Is it related?

Could it be because I had 2 beers last night? It was the first time I drank since last April or so when my tinnitus went bonkers and way worse. I took it slow barely was even buzzed and I felt fine all night even into this morning. How could this be related?

I have a dental appointment tomorrow for another filling and it's right next to the ear that I am having trouble with. I don't know if I should cancel it as it could get worse from that if only because of stress. I don't know what to do because I couldn't stand it if this is permanent or if being under so much stress and then going to the dentist would just increase it regardless if that makes sense?

I'm barely holding myself together over this break up. Should I not go to dentist? I don't know what to do but the increased T is making it so hard for me to keep my sanity right now with everything going on.

Ugh. Sorry for my rant. I just am at a loss.

 

I hope its not the beer as i do like a beer now and then! But seriously beer only has a good effect on my t, in that i hear it a lot less, actually it can seem like i have no t at all. The next day i have a hangover and t, but the same level. Hope its just one of these annoying spikes and soon goes down. If you get fixated on the idea that this caused it or that caused it, it may drive you nuts. You may track the culprit down but that would involve drinking more beer to see if it has more of an effect..... actually if i had your problem its exactly the type of thing id do, rightly or wrongly

 

In my case, my tinnitus has always been worse during times where I have been severely stressed and somehow reminded about it. That is when my internal dialogue would start saying: ''I am already so stressed and dealing with so much, and on top of everything else I have this constant ringing in my head - how am I going to cope!?''

I would then start obsessing over my T and would perceive it to be louder.

Calm. This is a mental game. Don't let it win. Your T can't hurt you - it's just... there.

Forget about T. Deal with the real, and your T will fade in much the same manner as your heart troubles will.

p.s. I drink beer all the time. Sometimes it makes my ears ring, sometimes it doesn't. At this point I don't care. I like beer, so I drink beer. I like playing music, so I play music (with earplugs). You should do the same.

 

Perhaps the break up has a delay action on your T. The stress of the breakup can cause T go to up but it may not be immediate. Stress is a known factor for spiking T. But honestly, a new T is quite unpredictable and setbacks are quite common. Most of the time spikes will go back to baseline.

 

Thank's for the support everyone. Appreciate it.

Maybe it is a delayed response.. I just hope it will go away. It's odd as I don't feel any more stressed than the last few days it's all been going on.

With the beer it's odd too. I have had tinnitus at a low level for 15 years. When I would go on a huge bender back then my ears would ring more the next day but I figured it could've been from bar music or dehydration.

But 2 beers last night? Didn't affect me while drinking... why would it show up next day? Maybe it was from a movie I watched. There was a lot of loud gunfire at the end. Like movie theater now or slightly worse. I thought of shielding my ears but it was like 2 or 3 minutes worth of it... am i just overthinkign it now? It would have been instantaneous if that hurt my ears from noise yeah?

Right now with everything going on I'm wondering if it would be wise to put off the dentist? I mean that causes anxiety by itself... adding stress on top of stress? Or should that be okay. Just ugh... if I mess up and make the ear worse on top of losing the love of my life... just would be too much for my psyche to bear.

 

yes.

I don't think you should obsessing about making things worse unless you are doing something that could OBVIOUSLY damage your hearing, like using a jack hammer or going to a motorhead concert without protection.

I strongly doubt that the dentist could do something to exacerbate your tinnitus.

Also, you should make an effort to stay away from statements like ''would be too much for my psyche to bear.''. You'd be surprised at what your psyche can bear. If you want proof, I invite you to read ''Man's search for meaning'' by Viktor Frankl. He was a jewish man in a concentration camp who developed a whole school a psychotherapy based on his observations regarding the adaptability of human beings. If he can survive on a piece of bread per day and watch people get killed and tortured, lose his family, forced to work insane hours barefoot in the snow, and endure months of mental and physical torture, I'm pretty sure you can handle a breakup and a little tinnitus. PMA always!

 

X2. I remember during the darkest time a few years back and when every day was like a torture, I was telling myself the if people can survive the tortures at Stalin's Gulag prison, perhaps I shouldn't think my T is not livable.

 

Hi @russiancarl I sympathise because my T has got worse slightly since early December, 4 days after dental work, I was due to have another filling but I've put it off because I don't know if it was responsible or not? Its just too much of a gamble for me right now, I'm trying to get used to this new increase first, tinnitus is so unpredictable at times, its difficult trying to find reasons behind it worsening, be it noise, dental work, diet, supplements, stress/anxiety or just random fluctuations, it gets frustrating sometimes! But we've got no other option then to try and keep positive and distracted the best we can!

 

Your girlfriend broke up with you Monday and three days later you wake up with really loud tinnitus.... BINGO!

You're barely holding yourself together after the break up monday..... BINGO

you answered your own question, why is your tinnitus so loud suddenly? (you're going thru a rough patch this week, its all, it'll probably go down when you get over this)

 

Yeah, just seems weird that it would hit days later. I also had a filling done on the Thursday before. We had a fight on Friday, then breakup on Monday. Ringing started to be worse on Wednesday. Maybe I had a delayed reaction like Mick?

I guess I'm worried most about dentist now. I have the appointment in 2 hours and I suppose it's too late to cancel? If my ear is ringing from stress, and I know there is stress that can make it go permanently wonky, is it a good idea to put more stress on that location? Then I say... it went fine the other day but it was by my good ear and this filling is on the top left closest to my ear :/ It's scary.

I'm going to take 1,800 mg of NAC and I guess man up? Just don't know if I"m ever making the right choice :/

 

don't take medicine, all it does is mask ur symptoms and make u a zombie, breath, look at the many breathing relaxation techniques in youtube

you're obviously VERY TENSE, is logical your tinnitus went up in volume!

 

I'd say it's the break-up with g/f (sorry dude). I have years of experience as a guy and I know we tend to process emotions later than sooner (or oft times not at all); but it hits us all the same. High emotions and stress = limbic system running at 100% = T goes up (ugh). I've proven (and lived) this theory many times since the onset of my T. If you have a history of drinking a couple of beers now then, it would make no sense that drinking a couple now would make a difference. It's the break-up; hopefully it was a good move and turns out ok (it does no good to force a relationship, but that doesn't make break-ups any less painful).

Prayers!!

Mark

 

Yeah maybe it is the g/f.

I don't know if it's the beer. It was the first one I've had in 8~ months since my tinnitus went up to it's new level. I was having a hard time as it was just handling it that I didn't want to make it worse... even temporarily.

It's still kinda up there but I went to the dentist at 10am. It's 8 hours later and no worse the wear. So that's a good thing. I assume if it was going to hurt it that it'd be instant or after the lidocaine wore off.

Time to get this girl off my mind and the ringing outta my ear THanks for all the support guys... really helps when you're down in the dumps.