Tinnitus Renewed, I Am Really Scared

Dear friends,

First, I have actually good news for newcomers. I got tinnitus first when I was around 16. It was because of a disco, stupidly so. It was probably my first disco in my life and I regretted so much afterwards. And I have to admit, my tinnitus lasted for couple years, so it was quite a long healing process. But it eventually got really better, almost to the state that I could hear it only if I plugged in my ears.. However, since that time, I have always been wearing ear plug to noisy places, I wasn't attending any concerts... I am 28 now.

But during last three years I am dealing with different health problems which are very difficult to get treated and healed and they are influencing my daily life. And maybe also due to this I felt that I need some time off. I went to music festival, 4 days long, but I was wearing ear protection all the time of course.

However, my tinnitus came back. And I am really scared. It has been a week now, I will see a specialist after weekend..

Although I was already suffering and I should know the best, I need to ask: Is it a week later usually to early to judge? Does it normally go away after concert in span of weeks?

Normally, I would feel strong to fight with it. But I was already in not perfect mental state due to my current illness..

Thanks a lot for any help or support.
WD.

 

It's a good sign that your ears healed the first time. Just keep safe from loud noise. Stress can agravate the tinnitus, too. Stay away from stimulants and eat healthy. A week is a short time.

 

Welcome @w-drak . I'm sorry to hear your tinnitus has returned.

Wow, I wish you had asked me before you went, having lived through Disco the first time in the 1970's I could have told you that no good would ever come from going to a Disco .

Seriously though, it went away before, it may go away again. I cannot say with any certainty, as everyone's experience with tinnitus is different, but there are many success stories here where people have either beaten this affliction, or have learned to manage it. If you have not yet, I would search the forum for information on "Habituation". This is a coping mechanism that has helped many of our fellow sufferers.

Don't worry about that. This forum is filled with caring, compassionate, sympathetic people who have an abundance of strength and are willing to share it with those who are unable to muster their own.

We've got you.

Fight on secure in the knowledge that you are not fighting this alone.

Keep us posted on your progress; we will be here to pick you back up if you are to fall, support you if you falter, and to celebrate with you when you finally win, and you will win. You may not be able to totally eliminate the ringing, but with effort, you will be able to manage and cope and resume a normal existence.

Do not give up.

 

You don't know how much I appreciate your comment.

First, I am really hoping that 10 days of tinnitus is still a short time to make any judgement. Is it, right?

 

And we appreciate you sharing your experience with your tinnitus with us. We all help each other and support each other here. Your posting of your experience will, undoubtedly, help someone else.

For the 10 days question, I would speak with a doctor. Because every case is different, it is hard to determine if 10 days is quick. Many of us here have had tinnitus for a considerable amount of time, while others have had theirs clean up after a short period of time.

Talk to your doctor, s/he, particularly after examining you, is probably the best person to answer that type of question.

 

So update today after seeing a doctor. Pressure and hearing is fine, only T is there. I got prescribed Betaserc and Ginko. Is there something more I can do about it? I will you updated.

The major problem as for a lot of people that I am totally scared.

I am trying to convince myself, that being mentally healthy is very important in first couple weeks. However, is not that easy.

 

I'm glad that the pressure and hearing are normal. That is great news!

I would suggest, if you have not already, look at @Michael Leigh 's posts. He has a large amount of information that should he helpful.

You are correct. Tinnitus is frightening. For me it was the not knowing if mine would ever be cured. Thinking that I would never experience silence. You are also correct in that being "mentally healthy" is important, not only in the first couple weeks, but through out your time with tinnitus. As one who has suffered from this for a long time, I can say that it is not easy (as you stated earlier). But, knowing that you have others here who truly understand what you are going through will help you through this.

Tinnitus can lead people into deep depression, and drive them to take extreme actions to rid themselves of their suffering. Don't let tinnitus do that to you. Keep reaching out, we will keep to extending our hands to help pull you through the difficult times. Tinnitus can be a difficult struggle. But you will not have to go through it alone. You will make it thorough this. You will make it through either through the symptoms dissipating, or your learning to habituate. Ether way, you will be able to resume a normal life and not have your time and your mind controlled the constant ringing. Hang in there WD. You will get through this.

 

Dear friends.

I am out of my mind today. It seems for me I cannot move on. I don't know what to do and where to seek for the help.
I somehow stopped to see a chance for improvement even after 2 weeks.
I know I know, it is not severe health condition. But somehow, I am totally devastated. (((

 

For what it is worth - there is a good chance that after 2-3-6 months it will get quieter or the pitch will change so that it will be easier to ignore... Ears take forever to heal.

 

Have you considered HBOT treatments? You could also look into rTMS treatment...

 

I know how you feel. 12 years ago I got noise exposure T that was screeching loud 10/10. It took over 18 months to heal, but it faded to ZERO.
10 months ago I got exposed at am outdoor concert and have T again. I'd say it started out as 8/10 with multiple high pitches and low hums. I too, was devastated. Depressed, crying and worried that I could not be "lucky" this time.
Well, 10 months in my T has faded 75%, and I am hopeful for a complete recovery. So even a second exposure can fade.
If you had ear protection in, IMO that kept most of the really loud stuff out. 2 weeks is not near enough time to see any improvement, in fact sometimes they are still getting worse in the first couple weeks. You probably will start to see improvement in a couple of months, and significant improvement in 12 months or so. It will be along journey, but my guess is you will see a complete recovery, but it will take up to 2 years.I can only speak from my experience with T, and studies I've read about T improving over time.

 

Thanks Bill and jjflyman, I appreciate all the comments so much. I am under light AD, because I was not able to work whole day.

@Bill Bauer: I am definitely considering it, but I actually do not know how to get there. I will consult it with another specialist (ENT as you called in English speaking countries), hopefully there is an option for it. Problem is that there is not enough of HBOT in my region nor country, so let's see. How much should I push it?

@jjflyman: This is very importand reply for me!!!!! Thanks a lot. We have very similar history (mine was for a first time actually also about 12 years ago). How did you start your treatment in the beginning after second exposure? What medication? Would you go to some concert again? I will certainly not, I am pretty sure about it. .D

As I said, for a first time it happened to me, it was devastating, but I was quite strong mentally back then. I would say it took me about 3-4 years to heal. I do not know if it really faded to zero, but I couldn't hear it also in a quiet environment.

I would keep you updated, also because it helps my mental state. And additionally I have also feeling, that sometimes people introduce themselves (very scared) and then leave when it gets better (or could be other way round, hopefully not).

If I get healed, both mentally and physically, I promise, that I will raise awareness as much as possible in my country and all around Europe with some initiative. I think it is really really important.

Sorry for a long message. I am really scared about upcoming night though. Last two were completely awful.​

 

Only thing I did was completely avoid loud places for about 3 months. After that I started going out to stores and restaurants with ear plugs in for about 3 months. I still avoid loud places (always will now) and wear plugs (for now) if it's getting too loud for me. No medication. No supplements. Just time.
I will probably never go to another concert or sporting event. Apparently my ears can't handle the noise. But thats a small price to pay to avoid getting T
I look forward to reading your story in the success story area when you are healed.

 

Welcome to the forum. It seems like your T is quite new and may be due to loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma. Members here often recommend asking your doctor to give you a course of prednisone. Give it a try. Perhaps it will help you.

Yes, it is not easy right now when T is new, but if you have the right approach, such as trying being calm and positive and willing to give enough time for your body to heal and to harden to T, then time is on your side. You are very scared right now because T is both an alien sensation and alien ailment to your body. Your limbic nervous system is active now overriding the normal parasympathetic nervous system. The fight or flight center or the Amygdala is in control now making every sensation quite acute and intense and you easily succumb to fears as that is how the body tries to protect you. It tends to tell you to be aware of the threatening object which in this case is the new T. By being calm and positive, and be more accepting of the new normal, and by doing some relaxing or interesting activities, your brain will have a better chance to restore the normal parasympathetic nervous system, and the pre-frontal cortex will take over processing the T ringing stimulus from the scare-crow center the Amygdala. One of the functions of pre-frontal cortex is to suppress the fear reaction and that will let you handle these reactions/emotions more normally. But this process takes time and takes learning some good strategies. I mention some helpful strategies in my success story battling both severe T & H. Perhaps you can benefit by checking it out. Take good care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

Sadly, it seems like in my country, no specialist prescribe Prednison for tinnnitus. I have already seen to two doctors, they did not even consider it. I don't know now what to do.. Do not know if to push it or not.

@billie48
Your story is very very important for me and it really helps. I am very luck to have my family around me during weekends, which also helps to my anxiety. But my working life is in another country and I am there quite alone, so it seems like I will be reading your post several times.

 

So I keep updating as promised:
I was seeing a second ENT specialist. I got prescribed Milgamma injections consisting of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride).
This second ENT specialist also sent me to neurologist.

However, yesterday I got little less anxious about the state and started to work again. During the working process I cared less about my T and it helped. Now the interesting part: after couple hours of working, I started to think about this stupid sound again, but I was not sure if it is my T or some electronic device. After all, I was like: ehm, it is my T, dammit. Then I looked up to see if the light is not making noice and my T was suddenly on 10%! And I am able to find a position with my head when my T is really lower (with my head tilted back).

So somehow, it this current state of mine, I actually think my T is combination of back problems and the acoustic trauma (hyperacousis) . So let' see now.

I was also able to relax the last night so I was not able to hear T that much, however when I woke up in the night the noice was crazy.

Did someone has some similar experince with neck/back response?
Is hyperacousis usually temporary or is it permanent?

 

Hello all. No doctor prescribed me Prednison, but my mum has at home Medrol. What is the usual dosage after acoustic trauma? Should I try it?

 

Mine gradually went away. It took about 2-3 months for it to go away.

 

Today I went to see a doctor in "my second country", because I work in two EU states. This was really different approach in hospital. I got prescribed 3 day cortisone infusions, started today.
I must admit, I am struggling. I have had quite a bad health problems for three years, however they were getting better last couple weeks. I was very motivated to overcome them and be a better person. And now this major T setback. I was actually getting super super excited and wanted to propose my girlfriend and we started to think about a baby... Now I am the crying baby, making her live more difficult, I am totally ashamed of mysel... dammit. :'(

 

Hi @w-drak. First, thank you for keeping us updated. We tent to worry about each other here and are always glad to get updates on our fellow members.

I (and probably everyone on this forum) understand your struggle. Tinnitus does not had not be a setback. It is aggravating, infuriating, frustrating, and many more words that end with "ing". Also, having tinnitus does not make you a bad person, or prevent you from being a better person. In my opinion, having it can actually make you a better person. Through your own struggle you can become stronger, through your pain you can learn compassion as you will need it and when the opportunity presents itself, you will be better able to give it because you will understand just how much it can mean to the person you are helping.

You should propose. You obviously love her, or you would not be thinking about proposing and having a baby. And, everyone cries. We are people, we have emotions, and out emotions can get the better of us. I am going to take a guess here but I would bet that your girlfriend (and I hope soon to be fiancé) has seen you cry before, and was sympathetic and comforted you. Being vulnerable with the one you love usually makes your relationship stronger and brings you closer together. You have nothing to be ashamed about. It takes a much stronger person to admin and confront their feelings.

Hang in there. It will get better, and it sounds like you have a loving girlfriend who will be with you through this. I am not familiar with wedding vows in Europe (I'm American, we tend not to know much about the rest of the world ) but it is common for U.S. wedding vows to contain the phrase "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer". You have someone. You have someone you love and who loves you. You have everything you need to get through this.

 

So, three day update after Prednisone... It is much much worse. I am considering going to seek for psychological help. Please please, I can't cope with this. I was so happy one month ago...

 

Have you been protecting your ears from mild noise (e.g., vacuum cleaner, blender, lawn mower)?

 

Do you do sound enrichment throughout sleep every night?

 

I used sound enrichment during the first 3-4 months. Sometimes when T is unusually loud in the evening, I still use sound enrichment during the night. But these days I can (and often do) sleep without sound enrichment.

 

It is entirely your choice not to sleep with sound enrichment @Bill Bauer but in most instances, that's not a good idea for anyone with tinnitus and especially if they have hyperacusis.

 

Little bit of update. I am struggling mightily, my mood changes a lot every day, every hour. Prednisone in the hospital didn't help with the anxiety at all. Yesterday I went to seek a psychological help in the hospital. However, first response was to calm down, that this is a normal T reaction. Well, I don't think so...
My T is very somatic. I can move my head or make pushups and the noice is changing significantly. I just don't know if my T is actually not based on muscle/neck problems I was not able to notice before. I still hope that my T will fade, since this spike is completely unbearable for me... My family is strong, but I am like small crying baby with a small problem,but somehow can't calm myself to function normally.

 

Hello. This is a question for all the tinnitus sufferers. I have tried to find my tinnitus frequency (one of two), which is actually super high pitched 16 kHz. As I said, I am able to alter T by moving my head into different position. However, I am also to cancel the sound from speakers (headphones) in this frequency by moving my head into this head position. Has anyone experienced something similar? I would be interested in your comments. Thanks.

 

I would forget trying find the frequency so your not logging into new sounds and forget head moves !
It is what it is and now it's finding what helps you cope with it and help sleep and help keep your mood from dropping ..them 3 are so important.
Love glynis

 

I just noticed this in your thread. Mine was just like that too, I could press on the top of my head and significantly increase the T volume, same with my jaw, and turning my head. It all eventually decreased. I still have a ways to go, but I feel it has decreased 80% or so in 12 months, and I did read someplace that somebody's ENT said 1-2 years is the recovery for noise induced Tinnitus.

 

This is some crazy ride. First month after my acoustic trauma I experienced very somatic T. After the prednisone infusions during week 3 after the onset, my T changed from mild/moderate to moderate/loud. It stayed like this for 4 days. Two weeks after the prednisone, somatic T became to fade. Nowadays, this part of T is almost gone, sometimes returning for couple hours, but mostly staying quiet. However,during the second day of prednisone, my right ear started to produce cricket-creaking noises and stayed like this till now (I will mark 3 months after the onset next week). I would rate my T rather mild, because I can hear it only in quieter rooms. However, I still have mild H and the reactive T.

I have to admit that some days I feel actually quite OK, but most of the days, there is the annoying T in my right ear. I have major problems to stay focused in my job. I am still not able to sleep without masking.

This week I have experienced major fullness and so I made an appointment with doctor on Thursday. Could it be sign of healing?

Last week I have started with mild AD (Trittico/Trazodone) to keep my anxiety about the T manageable. I still cannot really judge effects of this AD, let's see in one week.

I must admit that I am still looking for (almost) complete recovery, this changing T in my right ear is really problematic for me. I used the word "almost" because I genuinely think that almost everybody has a minor T. ¨

Since there is an anechoic chamber in our laboratory, I have made a small sample test with my colleagues (young researchers age < 35). Test sample was 10 people, 2 of them knew about their T, 8 persons stated that they are T free. Each of this 10 colleagues stayed in chamber for 2 minutes. After the test, just one person out of 10 stated that he can hear complete silence in the chamber. Most of them experienced different sort of sounds as we do (especially the tonal T). This could be maybe interesting for someone with a mild T seeking for complete silence. Of course, I would need much bigger sample, but it seems, that there aren't many people who can actually "hear" complete silence.

Personally, I need to get rid of that changing noise in my right ear. It has major effect on my job and relationships. I already had some hopes (I felt like I cannot hear it for couple hours), but today T is the same as 2 months ago.. DAMN!

I find very important to stay active on this page - it helps me a lot. Thanks.

I am hoping in some improvement of my right ear. I promised myself, that once I start to see (hear) some improvements, I will post my 1st success story hear (from the 1st onset). And then, hopefully it will be soon, I will post the final big success story and I will never think about T anymore.