Tracking My Tinnitus

[tinnitusnz]

I started developing tinnitus on 20th of Feb 2018. Initially, I thought I was just having sinusitis and possibly because of my low blood pressure according to my GP. Prior to that I was under quite a lot of stress and have been listening to Alpha waves when working on my assignments for my masters for almost 5 weeks. Nevertheless, i was given a predisnone and anti-histamine by the GP. Few weeks later, I started realising I can hear a constant high pitched sound that I've never heard before and I also noticed I can hear a louder pitch if I move my jaw forward since I know bruxism and TMJ can cause T. That said, I've had few episodes prior to my T that I woke up with a pain specifically in my left temple, exactly where my muscle is moving when I clench my jaw. Subsequently, I'm also suffering with some sleeping problems due to my sleep apnea. To recap

1. I have a history of sleep apnea.
2. I was under stress with my Masters at the same time I'm a full time professional.
3. I listen to Alpha waves when working on my research paper using my headphones.
4. I was doing a lot of vaping during my research paper because I find it quite relaxing but its without nicotine.
5. Had to fly domestic around Feb 17-19 was already feeling a bit lethargic on the 18th.
6. After #5, I had to see a GP because I was feeling light headed then I was diagnosed with Sinusitis + Low blood I was paying more attention to my sinusitis than T. (Feb 20, 2018)
7. Got given Predisnone but this isn't my first time taking this.
8. Few weeks after #7, i started noticing a constant high pitched sound.
9. #8 doesn't really bother me much as long as I keep myself busy but I can definitely notice it.
10. Since I'm still studying, I just play alpha waves music to get me distracted and it helps most of the time.

Here's what I've been doing so far since my sleep apnea has been resolved by AveoTSD just recently (thank god).

1. Removed the vaping, I've read quite a bit that this may cause some pressure in your head.
2. Reduce coffee consumption.
3. Refrain from using headphones.
4. Get active again (I became less active with exercises because of my research papers)
5. Keep listening to alphawaves when I need to study without headphones.
6. From time to time I listen to my T, and embrace it. I've read and watched a video that this is can be caused by your brain is in a "survival mode"


I can't say it made any difference since its just been 3-4 days since I made incremental difference as stated above but I will keep posting.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum @tinnitusnz
Your post is quite informative. I find the part of taking care of sleep apnea with AveoTSD quite interesting as I have sleep apnea too and have used CPAP for 20+ years. So uncomfortable to strap up. Lol. Have you tested your sleep apnea in a sleep lab with wearing AveoTSD. It seems quite interesting and I may try to get one. At least it will help when I travel and don't want to bring the bulky CPAP machine.

Love to hear your update on your T. You have some good points listed there. Point # 4 Get active again is very important as this will help distract from paying attention to T. Point #6 is a form of mindfulness or exposure technique in CBT. It is something I often do myself as a way to soften our response to T and hopefully to be able to embrace it as part of our being. Once we can do that, then T is not that threatening anymore. Hope your T will improve. Take care. God bless.

I've read and watched a video that this is can be caused by your brain is in a "survival mode"

Do you mean this video?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[tinnitusnz]

Well it turns out that I have labyrinthitis but I think its more vestibular neuritis.

Recap:

Feb 20 - Seek GP for sinusitis, faint tinnitus, mild vertigo
Mar 14 - Seek GP for tinnitus, vertigo was occurring but I didn't know it was vertigo since Feb. 20.
Mar 16 - Full hearing tests with audiologist.
Mar 18 - Went to the movies and I could hear the constant tinnitus quite loudly.
Mar 19 - Went to ER for severe vertigo and very loud tinnitus (I actually didn't know that it was vertigo since Feb 20).
- Diagnosed in the ER that I have labyrinthitis. However, by checking the difference between neuritis and labyrinthitis. I don't have any hearing loss thus it appears to me that its neuritis.

Mar 20 onwards -
The vertigo has disappeared after a week off from work. Subsequently, I can only hear my tinnitus now when its quiet but when i distract myself I don't notice it. At least now when my electric fan is on. I could hear the electric fan more than my tinnitus or I'm just getting used to this 24/7 high pitch. At least now, I'm certain it is my right ear because previously I thought it was both.

1. Refrained from coffee until now.
2. Refrained from vaping until now.
3. Back to working out after my vertigo has disappeared.
4. Have not gone to ENT but I might see them too just to be sure.
5. No audio trauma, so it was either vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis.
6. Drinking herbal tea, making sure its low caffeine or none at all.
7. I've tried taking 20mg of Prednisnone for a few days since I had spare when I was prescribed last year and I think it does make a difference. However, it maybe a placebo effect since I can't really gauge the difference.
8. I'm going to a sleep clinic, to check my sleeping. Been having 4 hours sleep since Monday. It bothers me sometimes but I just take melatonin then I get back to sleep again.
9. Lastly, If it took me a month for the tinnitus to fully emerge, I assume that it would take me twice as long for the tinnitus to submerge or more.

I would say I'm just almost 2 weeks after my labyrinthitis since its full impact on March 19. Hopefully it does disappear. I'll just get on life and I'm also hoping that my next posts is silence.

 

[tinnitusnz]

Its been june. Turns out my dizziness-like vertigo experience was not caused by inner ear but my neck was out of whack.

I went to a "normal" chiropractor at the peak of my dizziness-like condition with a tinnitus and it dramatically improved. However, this first chiropractor diagnosed that my dizziness-like and tinnitus is possibly caused by my neck spine is a bit too straight. See below

Then almost three weeks later, I've got new symptoms whereby my left side of the neck was feeling a bit tight and really bizarre. He didn't listen to me so I went to research more about chiros. Turns out, there's different types so I went to see an "Upper Cervical Chiro" who happen to be an "Functional Neurology" as well.

I went to his practice and I've been noticing changes of my tinnitus. What my new chiro told me that I was born with this military-neck because I have other scans that negates the first diagnosis.

He first noticed that my "atlas" aka C1 was really stuck. So he adjusted that. The next day, I could barely hear the tinnitus that I thought it was gone. However, a day or two later, it came back again but the tone is definitely more manageable. Only very noticeable when its super quiet in my room or when I go to sleep. This doesn't bother me at all, in fact, i used the sound to get to sleep.

Now my tinnitus sounded like a small pin hole and now more noticeable on the right. Previously, it sounded like its both sides and it was on a lower hz. I've had episodes that I hear the tinnitus gets triggered on the right then everything disappears for a few seconds the emerges again.

I'm still in the process of stabilizing my neck because my traps muscles and the neck muscles are ridiculously tight that when he massages it. The pain level is 11 from 1 - 10. I'm not keeping my hopes up that my tinnitus will disappear but if it does then its a bonus. We're focusing a lot more on the dizziness-like sensation and the stability of my neck because I still have this sensation.

My thorough history can be found on this reddit posts that I made and look for Part 1 and Part 2

 

[tinnitusnz]

I forgot to mention too that I don't have a sleep apnoea. I assumed I have one but turns out that my left right nose is extremely narrow. It was discovered during my CT scan of nose and ears with my ENT. In hindsight, I've always have my right nose blocked since I was a child. Subsequently, my sleep study also confirms that I don't have an apnoea but I went to buy a Resmed Airsense 10 anyway so I could get a descent sleep.

During my first 2 weeks trial of a APAP machine. I was getting 5 - 6 hours descent sleep and the tinnitus has improved. Probably because I don't roll so much anymore that I sleep on very odd position that aggravates my upper spine. Now I wake up on the same spot, on my back or on my side. Previously, I wake up with my chest on the bed while my head is facing left which the problem of my neck instability is coming from.