Waiting for ENT — Clueless About Symptoms: Tinnitus, Pulsatile Tinnitus, Ear Pain, Crackling & More

Your parents kicked you out? How are you surviving now? My parents are becoming more understanding, I think they started to grasp the seriousness of it when I told them I was suicidal because of it.

 

Your ENT has the right idea by advising you to use the TV for sound enrichment, to help with desensitising your oversensitivity to sound (hyperacusis). However, each person is different so this needs to be handled delicately.

Ask your parents to read the articles that I have written below. This will help to give them more understanding of what you are going through.

New To Tinnitus, What to Do?
Tinnitus, A Personal View
Hyperacusis, As I See It

 

Thanks, since I am too sensitive at this point to have the TV on all the time I’ll have it on and off at half an hour intervals to try not to aggravate my ears too much. I desperately need them to understand what they’re going to put me through by making me sit in a car again.

 

Try not to worry. I think once your parents read the threads, they'll be more knowledgeable about tinnitus.

Use a sound machine by your bedside at night. Keep the volume low.

More information about this is in the threads.

Take care,
Michael.

 

Of course, so now they're gonna take the doctor's word as law. Ridiculous. I'm sorry. I disagree with this method even for sound enrichment.

I don't know if this would even be relevant to you but here's an article on how reduce dynamic range on TV. Might help.

What I don't understand is they take the ENT's word over the expense of your pain. Was there a promise it would get better from it? That the tinnitus would just go away by blasting yourself with more noise? Do they just dismiss you when you say you're in pain and are gaining more tones?

While I don't want to disagree with Michael here I do think that showing your parents a forum will just deter them more. You know, the typical 'don't believe what you read online' hysteria that is rampant these days. I would try to link to some scientific websites or articles about the dangers of noise exposure. I don't have many tinnitus resources since my hyperacusis is more severe but I would try to show them the hyperacusis research website to give them a better idea about what you're going through and how research is being challenged.

To be clear I did leave on my own accord to move in with a friend to a quieter area. The situation fell through though and I had to move back. When I told my parents this, they basically said don't come back, it was hard enough dealing with your hyperacusis then, it's going to be worse now. So I've just been couch surfing at friend's places. Already overstayed my welcome at my current spot. Trying to apply for housing and disability but that'll take years. So the future is uncertain.

 

Fuck, I’m so sorry this condition truly makes everything a living hell. I honestly would not be alive if it wasn’t for my family’s support. I still have to share a room with my little brother, but at least I have food and shelter.

 

I don't know what I would have done without the love and support of my late mother and father. I was 36 when the nightmare started. Even though I had my own place my parents insisted I return home so they could help me - so I did while I got myself together. Many nights they stayed up with me, as I battled through the unrelenting ordeal of tinnitus and hyperacusis.

They are no longer here but they are in my thoughts everyday.

 

That's fine. You are expressing your opinion.

That is your certainly your choice and many people feel the same. However, sound enrichment is one of the best ways to treat noise trauma especially when oversensitivity to sound or hyperacusis (with or without) pain is present, this is the reason @H225's ENT has recommended it.

Sound enrichment must be administered correctly for it to be beneficial to the patient, otherwise it could make matters worse. Similarly, protecting oneself from sounds using earmuffs, earplugs and deliberately avoiding normal everyday sounds is not the answer either as this too can cause problems, by lowering the loudness threshold of the auditory system which will make the ears more sensitive to sound. The way forward is to desensitise the auditory system and this is done using sound enrichment, which is covered in my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It.

Michael

 

Absolutely, they keep saying it’ll have its ups and downs and the new tones might be “a good sign”.

They’re making me go out to a physiotherapy appointment next Monday. I was already sensitive to being in a car before the setback so I have no idea how bad I’ll be now. I can’t go to this but they’re so insistent on me going. They keep trying to and succeeding in dragging me outside with loud places and noises. I can’t subject myself to these early on. If I have this for the rest of my life I’d resent and blame my parents. When it began it used to be quiet enough to not be able to hear without my ear defenders on. Now sometimes I can hear it over the TV. They are making it worse and I just have no clue how to stop them. If it were up to me I’d stay inside until Christmas and longer until I make a full recovery.

 

They are taking the ENT's horrible advice as an absolute truth. Just a fair warning, if you continue to bombard yourself with noise you will undoubtedly get worse and worse in your current state. No, new tones are not a good sign and I am baffled that your parents think that. Please, please, please don't allow yourself to be gaslit and manipulated instead of staying in relative silence and comfortable levels of noise for you, you will get worse.

Do not give in to manipulation and gaslighting. Going out is the last thing you need right now. You need to put your foot down. The exact same thing happened to me. And sound therapy is not a treatment. There are some anecdotal accounts of it maybe helping moderate loudness hyperacusis, and that's it. In your current state you absolutely need to be careful and stay away from noise. Your parents are not helping you and they need to realize this sooner if they want you to get better.

 

I am putting my foot down but unfortunately I’ve always been kind of a soft person. Judging by what I’ve read I think I’m in the middle of healing. I’ve read that ringing turns from high pitched to buzzing and then to hissing and then it fades. Or it lowers in pitch from an EEE to an OOO and then eventually fades. Or it has dips in it - like it’s still constantly there but it fluctuates in intensity and volume every second.

I currently have so many noises that sound like that. I still have some regular ringing but I can mostly hear loud buzzing. I can also hear a tiny OOO. Some ringing feels like it’s partway through a transition into buzzing now - like the ringing has a slight electrical feel to it. Like the ringing sounds slightly buzzy instead of sharp and stabbing. The ringing I do have isn’t as high or loud as the ringing I used to have. Hopefully this is a good sign. I just really hope I can convince them to not let me go so I can recover. This is not something I want to spend my life with.

I spend my time mostly in the quiet anyway, drawing and reading, and my headphones were probably the loudest thing I heard all day, which is probably why it took a decade of using them for it to impact me. I loved sleep and I just want to get some proper quiet.

 

Oh FFS door slammed, then two showers in one evening. It’s so piercing right now. I can’t live in this house. All the ringing is back no buzzing.

Edit: I can hear some old noises again. The first noise I had was in the middle of my head. It was like roaring wind with a pulsating hum. I can hear it again. I can hear some old mid tier ringing. It’s almost like it’s back to the way it was originally. The morse code from the first setback it still there. There’s ringing but something sounds off like it’s slightly a different pitch. There’s a loud ringing that’s slight buzzy sounding. I’m not going to recover.

 

Try to avoid being in quiet rooms @H225 because you are not helping yourself. Use a sound machine for low level sound enrichment. Sound Oasis make some very good models that are specifically for people with tinnitus. The S-650 is popular. Keep the volume low so that it's not drawing attention to itself.

 

I can hear all my noises over many things now. I can hear noises over the refrigerator humming. Hopefully it’s a spike. That was the one space in my house where it would always be covered up. Some noises sound buzzy so hopefully that means healing - maybe it’s new noises I don’t know. I’m depressed again and I’m having another crying fit even with the antidepressants. That’s twice now. I was getting better right before the barbecue and I was getting buzzing with almost every noisejust a couple of hours ago. Everything just keeps going wrong at every turn. The universe has something against me. Something always has to happen. I can’t do this. The only thing keeping me going is the thought of only hearing it when I’m about to go to sleep and I don’t see that happening now.

My hope of this receding is now zero. I’ve noticed my ears don’t crackle loudly - swallowing sounds normal again. So there’s that though I guess. This is it. It can only get worse.

 

They’ve discharged me from the ENT service without even examining the cause of my pulsatile tinnitus. They even wrote that my pulsatile tinnitus had settled which it hasn’t. I’ve still got the crackling in my ears and a weird “thunk” or “click” in my throat when swallowing. Jaw pain and cracking from all the tensing and clenching during the first 2 months.

 

This is yet another reason why I hate doctors. They will write down things that aren't true. One of my ENT visits has it written down that I "felt reassured when my doctor told me my ears looked normal and that nothing was wrong with me", along with a bunch of other nonsense. I'm not sure if it's worth trying to complain or correct their error but making up lies on the spot and refusing to treat you is unacceptable.

 

You make a valid point Shizune. Unfortunately some doctors are less than truthful at times. This happened to me when I first got tinnitus 26 years ago.

For the moment @H225, put your pulsatile tinnitus aside and just focus on the noise-induced tinnitus. The reason your ENT has discharged you is because the best treatment in the early stages of this type of tinnitus is to leave the ears alone and let them recover naturally. I have mentioned this in my posts that I have advised you to read.

Carrying out tests that are properly unnecessary at this time or starting treatment too soon can easily make your tinnitus worse! Talk to your GP if you are feeling stressed and you maybe prescribed medication to help manage it. I have also covered this in my posts. Please read them.

Michael

 

I feel like it’s louder. I can still get it covered up by the refrigerator and going outside so I think it’s just me imagining how loud it is by getting stressed and paying attention to it too much. It’s so difficult to tell if I’m actually getting worse. I’m still not over my pain hyperacusis and I have yet to go outside proper since my ears still hurt on occasion from cutlery and flowing taps or the occasional louder noises in everyday households. I think I’m developing a fear of sound now which doesn’t help.

 

All the things you have mentioned are not unusual in the early onset of noise induced tinnitus. This may continue for some time but eventually things will get easier. I know it's not easy to distract yourself from the tinnitus and this is the reason using low level sound enrichment is recommended. It takes time to get used to sound enrichment so be patient. Try not to cover up the tinnitus so it can't be heard, as it can make it more difficult for you to habituate to it.

Your oversensitivity to sound will improve with time. Noise reducing earplugs can help but try not to become dependent on them as you risk lowering the loudness threshold of your auditory system, which can make your ears more sensitive to sound. Low level sound enrichment or relaxing music played at a low level during the day can help treat oversensitivity to sound.

Michael

 

Hi @Michael Leigh, I’m managing better now. I’ve started to go out of the house again for walks, one of my friends came over to visit on Monday and I felt so distracted and calm for the rest of the day going forward. My tinnitus was also less noticeable despite eating a bunch of doughnuts with them as well! In order to help me cope and recover faster, they are going to meet me every Monday from now on. As a plus, I can also watch TV almost at regular volumes again!

Thank you all for the kind words and encouragement, and I hope one day there will be a true cure that’ll work for all of us. Goodbye for now!

 

This is good news H225. I am pleased that you are starting to feel better and engaging in the things you like to do and seeing your friends. This is the way forward so take your time as you are not out of the woods yet by a long chalk. I say this because I have experience in this field and don't want you getting your hopes up too much, thinking you have turned a corner and now it's all plain sailing because it's not.

Your tinnitus and oversensitivity to sound will probably fluctuate for some time. Try not to be alarmed if this should happen, just reinforce positive thinking by reading my articles and take things slow. Continue using low level sound enrichment especially at night, don't sleep in a quiet room as you won't be helping yourself.

If you have anymore questions, please ask.

Take care,
Michael.

 

@H225, very encouraging! I'm happy for you. Everyday I pray for better treatments or cure.

 

Holy moly! I don’t know what’s happened but a loud ffffsssshhhhh just came in my right ear and disappeared while I was on my PC. I was trying to spend some time on it to get more used to the noise. The noises in my left ear are still the same. But there’s now a soft staticky type noise in my right ear. No clue what this means.

 

You are still in the early stages of noise induced tinnitus @H225. Your tinnitus will be variable and expect to hear noises that will come and go, so try not to be too alarmed as it's part of the healing process. Carry on as you have been doing.

All the best,
Michael

 

Hi again Michael! I am noticing improvements by taking your advice and carrying on as normal. I haven’t really noticed it getting quieter, but I’ve been noticing it less during my hobbies and when I go outside. I feel less bothered by at as I really stopped caring and listening out for it. This change has got me noticing it again but hopefully this is a sign of improvement! After all, I’ve heard soft, TV staticky noises are a good sign,p. And now my right side is distinctly different from my left side now - It feels like the extremely high pitched stuff is gone or very quiet now and now only relatively low ringing remains loudest. I’m kind of excited to finally have a noticeable change in the tinnitus, even if it is in one ear, and I am kind of happy about it. I just hope the change means healing, especially since the changes happened around 50 dB PC fans I’d been around for about 2 hours. I’ve been using my PC for about 2 hours every day for a week now and not noticed any pain until today. Right ear was getting a little tingly pain before it happened - this is why I’m a little worried it’s not an improvement.


I thought it was going to stay this bad forever, but after having a sudden change, at least I know I’m still healing... maybe? I’ll give my ears some rest for a while again. I have a lot of drawing which I can distract myself with. I can only hope for the best outcome!

 

Hi H225,

If you can hear the sound of your PC internal fan rotating as it spins and the sound of the internal hard drive, the noise they emit can irritate people that have noise induce and make it worse. The solution is to use a computer tower unit that has a very quite internal fan, and change the internal mechanical hard drive for Solid State Drive. This way it won't emit noise.

I and others with noise induced tinnitus have had to do this. My previous laptop didn't use an internal fan and was fitted with a Solid State Drive which doesn't spin. Before upgrading to these devices I had to place my previous computer tower unit, fitted with a conventional fan and spinning hard drive, into another room, as my tinnitus would spike. I used a wireless keyboard, mouse and external monitor in another room. This way I was not in close proximity to the computer so my tinnitus was unaffected.

Michael

 

Figures. Basically everything has to make it worse somehow. I really don’t have the money to do this so I guess I should quit trying to use my PC until I notice an actual improvement in my tinnitus.

I’d like you’re advice on what ear defenders to use inside a car or in crowded public areas? I’m asking because I’ve recently been accepted into college and the course starts in September. This of course is going to cause problems with my recovery - social situations on campus and walking there, which takes around 30 minutes, means going through populated areas and a town centre. Driving there would be equally as noisy. I know it’s unlikely to be gone by September and I’d rather not experience any more traumas, slowing or reversing the healing.

I’m fine with a lot of noise now, but there’s no way I’m not wearing ear defenders when walking to or on campus. I’m not going to wait until someone immature screams or a car horn sounds and then me having to regret not protecting my ears. So I’d like to know any ear defenders that have worked for you, or others reading this, in these sorts of situations. Thank you!

My right ear sounds have sort of returned to noises I’m more familiar with.

 

If possible, place your computer base unit into another room as I once had to do. I used long cables that passed through a wall and connected to a TV and used that as a monitor. At first I used a wired keyboard and mouse connected to a repeater cable that boosted the signal because the cables were over 6ft long. As time passed I upgraded to using wireless keyboard and mouse but still used a repeater cable to increase the signal over the long distance.

I used this set-up for over 3 years and it helped to prevent my tinnitus from getting worse. Each time I used my laptop that had a mechanic spinning hard drive and fan, my tinnitus would increase within minutes of using it. Eventually I had to stop using it. I bought a laptop with Solid State internal hard-drive and has no internal fan. I can use the laptop for many hours without my tinnitus being affected.

Unfortunately, once a person with noise induced tinnitus is affected by the internal noise of PC fan and spinning hard drive, it doesn't usually change. Once you return to using the PC your tinnitus is likely to increase the more you use it. The only safe option is to place the PC in another room so you are completely isolated from high pitch internal noise that it emits, and using a wireless keyboard and mouse. Even if you are in the same room and the computer is 10ft away from you, this usually makes no difference. You have to be completely isolated from the high pitch noise or use a computer with a very quiet fan and uses a solid state internal hard-drive.

Best of luck,
Michael

 

If you have read my post: Hyperacusis, As I See It, I mention not to overuse earmuffs and ear defenders. Used in the proper environment these pieces of equipment are helpful but I stress, they should not be overused and certainly not used when in a car. This will instil negative thinking and will probably make your tinnitus and hyperacusis worse physically and also have an adverse impact on your mental and emotional wellbeing.

You can use noise reducing earplugs when in the car. These are not foam earplugs but noise reducing earplugs that have in-built filters to lower the external sound. Again, they should not be overused as you risk lowing the loudness threshold of your auditory system which will make your oversensitivity to sound worse.

All this is explained in Hyperacusis, As I See It, and my other threads that I have sent you.

Michael