Unable to Cope with a New Tinnitus Sound — Can't Hold It Together

Help please. It cuts through everything . Want my old tinnitus back.
I’m living in hell. My life is falling apart. One new tinnitus sound and then another.

It's been a week and it’s getting worse. So far new tinnitus sounds have always stayed. This one is a new daytime one. I can’t cope with it.

No one will help. I’m not working and can’t do anything anymore. Can’t hold it together.

How can I go on? Please share similar experiences.

 

Are you sure this is not a spike? Some spikes can last weeks. It is too early to tell if that new sound is permanent.

While I am a new sufferer, all I can advise you is to focus as less as possible on it (which isn't easy), keep distracting yourself, do non stressful enjoyable tasks, take a bath, meditate..., take care of your well being, keep yourself busy in one way or another to keep your mind off the noise.

It might also be beneficial to do your best to ignore the noise and go on with your daily routine/tasks and not let it influence you. I know I am not offering more than what's being advised by CBT, but there isn't much I have to offer, I lack advice to deal with T better myself, I wish effective treatments were available, sadly they aren't, so your best bet is to not let T get a hold on you, and beat it your own way.

 

Hi Candy
Mine is loud (see my video) and constant for five years.
My best coping method is meditation.
Out of bed and straight into a hot bath.
I ask my tummy to take over my breathing and I drift away into a lovely meditational doze in a couple of minutes.
I stay for a good twenty minutes or so.

Yes - I can still hear my tinnitus, but I do not listen to it.
It is just there.
(I can give more specific details if you wish.)

{{{Big Hug Candy}}}
love
Dave x
Jazzer

 

You are not alone, Candy. Mine keeps worsening and now I can't stand it anymore. I called the hospital today but there is not much they can do. I can't habituate as it gets worse and worse. I think it's due to a medication I'm tapering but I'm not 100% sure. Are you on any AD or anxyolitic medication? There is also the possibility it is a long spike, keep hoping it goes away as that should help neuroplasticity. I know it's easier said than done. Hugs

 

I have been on small dose SSRIs for 10 years but can’t come off them now. I’ve taken small doses of Valium but it’s been 6 weeks from hell with two new tones. One I hear in the daytime above my normal high pitch hiss.

I am in the UK and the whole support thing hasn’t been there.

 

Dear @Candy . So sorry to hear you are suffering so much. I know you've been through hell with this before and got to a better place. I'm thinking of you and hope you get back on track soon. Best wishes

 

Hello there,

Sorry to read that, but did something in your life just happened ?

Sometimes we can have a shock, but it can cool down in a while...

Take care !

Christophe

 

I agree, I am in the UK too but the support via NHS is limited and waiting times long. Let's hope Neuromod can help us. Also, uclh in London is running the Regain project. Let's hope that will help with tinnitus too.

 

Somebody said it on here once, "control the controllables", meaning take care of the influential factors you can. Drink a lot of water (preferably with electrolytes) to stay hydrated. Over estimate on that rather than under estimate. Feed yourself to give your body nutrients. Don't eat junk, but good protein, fat, fiber etc. Keep your environments calming. Light a candle, play soft music, watch interviews or something you can focus into. Protect your ears during noise you can't control. Praying helps me.

You're going to get through this spike.

 

@Candy

You may go here:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...uly-2019-holborn-london-united-kingdom.35473/

A ticket is only 5 pounds.

What's to lose?

I would go there if I could, but I live in Bucharest.

 

Watching TV helps me. So long as it is something that really grabs attention like a show you love. That while having a fan on. I hate this T too, but there are good things on the horizon. We have no choice but to cope, but if you feel like breaking down and crying, don't fight it. Get the feelings out of your system, then see if you can fare better from there.

 

Thank you for your words of encouragement x

 

Dear Candy. Im so sorry to hear you're struggling. I struggle myself a lot and from what you describe, my T is lower than yours. I've actually wanted to write you a personal message for some time, but I think maybe you've turned that option off.

I've been using meds myself for a while, and I recently went off them because I want to see what happens. So far the results are that I wake up earlier, I feel more on edge and emotions are generally "flowing freely". I was more zombielike when I was on the meds.

What I've recently begun doing to cope is that I just leave my home, go downtown and walk around the city centre, shopping malls, shops etc for as long as I manage every day. I try to stay around people and just surround myself with city noise. I hope you'll feel better soon and that Neuromod turns out to be the great saviour we hope it is

 

So sorry to hear about your increase. Millions of us suffer thru this, which helps me to tolerate it at times. The worst is laying down! But I've got to sleep! Mine was worse on Paxil and subsided when I switched to Lexapro. I try to avoid caffeine and alcohol. Hope yours lessens soon!

 

Thanks for posting this and what I figured. I thouht to call tomorrow to see if I can get admitted for a few days but I guess they won't do it. I wonder if extreme stress and fatigue is enough to get admitted? I don't have anyone to go out for food for me and I can't drive due to lack of sleep. I am very worried.

 

Candy,

You are not alone. I am going through the same thing right now. I would get these spikes a few times of the year but they would not last for more than a day so it is pretty esy to deal. But this one has gone on for a couple of weeks now and I am starting to get worried that this is the new norm. That of course causes anxiety which makes it worse.

Try to relax is the advice but that is a lot easier said than done.

 

If I could only sleep it would be OK but I can't

My favorite thing on a Saturday is to get up early have breakfast and then go on the couch for a bonus snooze. That has did not happen this weekend.

 

I went to the ER twice. They gave me zopiclone for sleep. They did not admit me to the hospital. You have to be careful though, if you are admitted in a psychiatric ward you could get poly drugged for a few days and then be sent home with the drugs. You could get stuck in drugs that are difficult to taper and whose impact on tinnitus is hard to predict. That's better than jumping off a building short term, but it's not clear what happens long term. I am in the uk and here unfortunately they don't know what to do really. In other countries they might inject you with lidocaine for temporary relief. I am sorry you are suffering like this.

 

What has brought this new sound on? Are you aware of anything that may have caused it? x

 

Candy,
So sorry you are struggling so.

Please send Glynis a PM and ask her for her advice. I believe she knows the most about struggling with tinnitus and what to do with new sounds and spikes.

We all want you feel better and hopefully help is on the way.

I will only give you my personal opinion without knowing all you have been through...but have read many of your posts and you seem to have keen insight into tinnitus. The worse thing a person can do with their tinnitus is focus upon it. You said you aren't working. If you have a lot of idle time and spend it focusing on your tinnitus, this will make it much worse. Fear and tinnitus are common and a bad recipe of course. You are fearful of your new sound and this magnifies it of course. You need to break this new cycle by not obssessing upon it.
Glynis would likely have the most helpful suggestions.

Hang in there.​

 

Same for me, hissing, sizzling, burning pain... on top of already problematic low drone... living hell.

Have you started Lenire? Could it be from that?

 

Glynis is going to contact you Candy x
Eve
@Candy

 

@Candy,

Sorry to hear you're struggling with tinnitus and wish I was their to give you a big hug as I totally know just how bad it can get.

You could ask your doctor to try you on Cinnarizine 15mg, 2 tablets up to 4 times a day.

It can lower tinnitus over 48 hours but only seen it indicated for Meniere's but it is well worth asking your doctor to try it for a week to see if it helps you.

Hearing aids could also be an option for when you need a break from your tinnitus.

I will PM you my number if you would like talk to me.

You are a lovely person and it was lovely to meet you last year.

Lots of love glynis xxx

 

Daytime causes of Spikes

Certain noise
Loud Sound exposure
Stress
Sleep Deprivation
Certain medications, supplements, and vitamins
*Dehydration
High sodium or High sugar not realized from a new food product
Allergies
Pollution
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)
*Pterygoid muscles - Lateral stretching from being nervous
**Force against (stretching) Retrodiskal Tissues and muscles of lower jaw from being nervous
*Myospasm - jaw - from being nervous
**Daytime posture - lumber spine, C spine, Trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid muscles not balance when sitting Changes in the weather
Changes in Barometric Pressure
Change in Blood Counts
Ear Wax

 

What are you basing the 'certain supplements, vitamins and medications' on, Greg?

I concur with sleep deprivation. I can't sleep and it is worsening my health.

The tinnitus noises or sounds seem even louder at night. But, I struggle during the day, also.

Some tones seemed to stop and maybe the volume decreased around 1am but this did not last long.

It's back to being really loud and high pitched. I replied because I can empathize with what Candy is going through. It might be a different sounding tinnitus but I also am frustrated with the mystery of why this tinnitus changed for the worse. It fluctuated many months ago and now it doesn't. I don't count the recent 'improvements' because they were so short-lived and the horrible tinnitus returned.

 

@PeteJ I guess like with most tinnitus issues or topics, vitamin and supplement use has all sorts of considerations. All considerations wouldn't be found in articles on vitamin use. I'll be reading a deep study on a physical condition and sometimes mention will be that a certain supplement may help or make things worse. I will say really, when it's mentioned with a specific condition that a certain vitamin can make things worse. So I will then try to cross reference to other deep studies. Sometimes other studies will say the same. A vitamin may help with one problem, but it can be harmful with another problem.

Some vitamins need to be taken with other vitamins. Too much use of some vitamins can make one jumpy such as B12. Magnesium helps many with tinnitus and physical muscle tinnitus. Too much magnesium can upset the stomach which is mentioned in most basic articles. In advanced condition study articles, it's not advised to use magnesium with a spinal CSF leak, cranial CSF leak and many other brainstem problems.

For TMJ/D, the best supplement may be a little Vitamin C.

Some press their teeth together causing issues. This can be caused from stress or having the mouth open too wide, too long with the lower jaw being extended outward. Whiplash, hitting head or a neck injury can cause one to press their teeth together or TMD. Many never realize that a neck injury ever happened as the neck feels fine.

There are two well known theories that describe the mechanism of injury resulting in TMD and where then other oral cavity problems can develop. The direct injury theory describes an extension-flexion of the neck accompanied by simultaneous jaw movement resulting in shear stress and compressive forces to the retrodiskal tissues. The pull of the lateral pterygoid muscle in combination causes stretching of the disk. This happens when the mouth is already opened and attachments are already stretched. With this TMD may not show for months or even years. Often with any neck involvement, one may not realize that the C1 is slightly unbalanced. TMJ/D dose not start with emotional stress alone.

Maybe 10%, maybe 25% or even 90% improvement is possible. I'm not sure what percentage for you. Use the tips mentioned in other thread tonight. Also try to control extreme forward head bending. Use a pillow or two where there's no air space under the neck. My top pillow curves down where it fits under my neck.

I would try this stuff and the other tips that I mentioned before having healthcare mess with you. Maybe a manual cleaning of teeth or a cavity filled if ready needed. It may be a good idea to ask a dentist before any appointment for a 5 minute free discussion. Tell the dentist that you have tinnitus. Any drilling 5 or 10 seconds on and the same amount of time then off. Have your neck well rested to the head rest. Ask the dentist for breaks to rest your jaw and to partly close your mouth.

I know that what we are going thru is a pain and a big pain. Sorry if I appear to be a know-it-all. I'm not even close to knowing about many things. I only post about things where I had done hundreds of hours of research.