Tinnitus Was Quiet for a Week — Now Back in Hell

I've had tinnitus for about 4 months & it's been really hard. A week ago though it stopped & I had peace. I was in quiet places & it was fine, I read 2 books & listened to an audio book. I'd been sleeping better & my anxiety was better.A friend of mine who's helped me immensely collapsed & had a fit, I spent 6 hours in hospital with her & was anxious about her yesterday but my ear was quiet despite the stress.

Then this morning it was back & in the last hour has got really bad again. I'm in despair, was in tears on the tinnitus helpline. I was beginning to think it had gone & now it's back. I have very few friends & the lady who had a fit was coming to see me most days but now she can't drive. I can't drive myself, don't work due to long term health conditions & spend a lot of time on my own.

I've gone from almost bliss & hope to despair & suicidal thoughts in a matter of hours. I want to cry but my friend is going to call soon & I have to be strong for her as not being able to drive is hard for her & the stress she's under is massive.

I've read plenty & watched plenty of YouTube videos so I have a fair idea how to cope it's just that right now I wish I almost wish I were dead. A line from a song "minutes seem like hours & hours seem like days" is in my head.

 

go try a supplement called curcumin. take it with dinner. it helps me tremendously. take a big handful of the pills.

 

...and magnesium and NAC.

 

and omega-3.

 

What matters is the monthly trend and the global lows. What happens on a daily basis, is irrelevant. In your case, you have had the ultimate low of silence. This is encouraging. Hopefully those pauses will keep getting longer and longer.

Had you been wearing headphones?

 

My thoughts too and believe the tinnitus has increased due to headphone use. Namely listening to audio book. Not a good idea @Barry O'Connell keep away from headphones and try not to immerse yourself in silence especially at night. Click on the links below and read my posts, as they maybe of some help.

Hope you start to feel better soon.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

I was wearing headphones sometimes but at a low volume & have been using them to listen to quiet music sometimes & sometimes white noise or waves on a beach. I've seen plenty of posts where that is actually recommended.

 

Here again the whole misery of the tinnitus discussion shows up.

A thread maker writes that he has tinnitus, - and immediately therapies are proposed.
We know nothing except that the cause of his tinnitus should be unknown.
We don't know whether it's one-sided, double-sided, or in the middle of the head. Not whether a hearing loss is present. Not what diagnostic measures have already been taken.
Whether it can be influenced somatically or not. Whether pulsatile or not.
Not how the tinnitus sounds. Frequency, sinus tone, or hissing.
Whether it can be masked. etc. etc.

So we don't know anything - and give advice immediately.

 

See your GP
See an ENT
See an allergist.

Once you have some information, then you can decide what to do.

The fact that it went away and then came back suggests that whatever it is, it need not be permanent.

 

@Barry O'Connell

Although it reads on your Avatar cause of tinnitus unknown something usually causes it. The most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noise. If you were a regular user of headphones or attended clubs, concerts where loud music is played, or worked in a noisy environment, used a headset regularly? Any of these things would have caused the onset of your tinnitus. If it isn't noise induced then it's something medical within your auditory system or elsewhere in your body. You should have tests at ENT to find out.

It is true some people with "Noise induced" tinnitus are not troubled by headphone use. However, many are even when the volume is low. If your tinnitus was "noise induced" which is more than likely, and you continue using them and believe the posts that recommend headphone use at low volume. Be prepared for your tinnitus to get worse as you are playing with fire. The people that are saying headphones use causes no harm will not be there to help you if your tinnitus increases and will not calm down.

All the best
Michael

 

You may like to think the cause of tinnitus is unknown but in most cases (not all) its onset is caused by exposure to loud noise.

1. Typically it is: Headphone use, listening at too high a volume levels without realizing it.
2. Attending places such as: clubs, concerts where loud music is played.
3. Working in a noisy environment.
4 Using a headset regularly. Either playing computer games or using them for long periods such as working in a call centre.
5. When tinnitus isn't noise induced, the cause is something medical within the auditory system, or elsewhere in the body.
6. Some medications can cause tinnitus.
7. Stress.

Michael

 

You forgot to mention the mental illness responsible for blaming headphones for tinnitus...lol.

 

There haven't been any studies done that found that treatment X helps when one's tinnitus is one sided and harms when it is in the middle of the head. As a result, this info is completely irrelevant.

All we know is that a not insignificant fraction of people report getting relief as a result of say taking certain supplements (and nobody or few report getting a spike as a result of taking those supplements). If OP is considering taking the supplements that were suggested in this thread, OP can easily search this forum, see all of the testimonials, and decide what to do (and OP Ought to do that). What's the problem?!

Yes, everyone who doesn't agree with you is mentally ill. You know - good for you!

 

Tinnitus from what I read is often caused from the list (7) things that Michael mentions. It seems that Bill and others made some good points as well. I think vitamins and supplements may help when there's a depletion and overuse may cause a depletion of others. I will use some magnesium before going to a place where there may be noise. I use a little vitamin C for infection control, but restarting Magnesium or NAC after a use break will temporary for a few hours - for a few weeks helps to take a little of the severe edge off my T.

Physical tinnitus and PT can be complicated. Forward extension of neck is often one problem. This can cause so many conditions where one problem can lead to another such as ear pain, clogged ear, sinus, jaw, ETD and facial issues.

Another cause, but often in association is extension flexion of the neck (hyperextension) accompanied by jaw movement causing shear stress of the retrodiskal tissues. TMJ from direct pressure to the articular disk during cervical hyperextension. In other words, the pull of the lateral pterygoid muscle with force of trauma causing a stretching of the posterior attachment of the disk often from when the mouth is open, unnatural jaw movement and jaw pressure.

Physical tinnitus - it often starts with the neck - posture - hyperextension of neck - that can lead to other problems and conditions.

 

@Greg Sacramento

You raise some important and valid points in your point Greg and I agree with them.

I have mentioned many times in this forum that my tinnitus is variable and changed to this in 2008 due to a 2nd noise trauma. I didn't know it would take 4 years to habituate for the second time which included two years TRT.

A number of treatments have helped that I have mentioned in my post: My experience with tinnitus, in the link below. Although the tinnitus improved over the 4 years it took to habituate the fluctuation in tinnitus has remained from: complete silence, mild, moderate, severe and very severe. When severe I found it necessary to take clonazepam as this was the only thing that would calm it down to a level I could cope with or sometimes it would be reduced to complete silence. When severe it wasn't always necessary to take clonazepam as the tinnitus would reduce to mild or silence by itself over 12 to 24hrs. Things have remained the same and still have clonazepam on prescription which up to 3 months ago was taking it about twice a month for 1 or 2 days. I have never had a problem with this drug and was advised by my ENT consultant to only take it when the tinnitus is severe and for a short duration.

When I first got tinnitus 23 years ago it was very severe and I also had acute hyperacusis. On the advice of a herbalist, I began taking Gingko Biloba and magnesium tablets. The herbalist I saw knew a lot about tinnitus caused by noise trauma, in my case headphones and will always be thankful to her. She said, the auditory system comprises of mainly nerves and the magnesium will help repair them as they had been traumatised. I am not referring to the hair-cells attached to the cochlea. I knew the Ginkgo Biloba had helped my hearing and still take it to this day. When I was seen at ENT 6 months later, my doctor asked me if I had been taking anything as my hearing was very good. He said he often recommended his tinnitus patients take Gingko Biloba and magnesium tablets.

I took the magnesium for about 2 years then stopped, after my treatment with TRT, because the tinnitus reduced to a very low level and the hyperacusis completely cured to this day. As mentioned I still take Gingko Biloba but haven't taken magnesium tablets for years, and relied on getting this mineral naturally from vegetables etc.

However, something sparked my interest and decided taking magnesium again, just following the instructions on the bottle. One 300mg tablet a day. For the last 2 months I have definitely noticed a reduction in the tinnitus but was waiting for the real test, when it would ramp up to a severe level and probably lasting more than one or two days, requiring me to take clonazepam to calm it down.

The tinnitus did increase as expected and started yesterday in fact upon waking up. What has surprised me it's taken quite a long time for this to occur. Another surprising thing ( and hope I'm not talking too soon) the intensity or its intrusiveness, is much reduced and as yet I haven't had to take the clonazepam. As I type the tinnitus is gradually reducing, by itself to a moderate and easy comfortable level which will enable me to read my book.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-experience-with-tinnitus.12076/

 

That's correct. We typically agree so you are OK and you get a pass. Others unfortunately aren't so lucky. That is my professional diagnosis.

Headphones are as dangerous as vaping...or guns...with or without NIT. The devil I tell you.