Was It the Cold/Flu or Where Did the Spike Come From?

Hello all,

This is kinda a long post, please forgive me for that.

So here is another new member of the board. Although I always said to myself, that I shouldn't use such a board (because of the habit of focusing more on the problem) I am now in a position, where I really could use some support and backup.

Background:
I have been having T for 10 years. Initially it came from a hard slap on the ear which broke my ear drum. At first I wasn't aware, that the ear drum had ruptured, and it was probably not a large rupture, but when I the following day had to blow my nose, I blew out a piece of the ear drum. After that I got the T. I developed 2 sounds. One constant humming that was almost only noticable when I covered my ear. The other sound was a variable semi-high pitched whistling sound, which was the one that bugged me the most. However, I did habituate extremely well to this. In fact, I habituated so well that I could go for months and months not even thinking about the word Tinnitus. Considering the fact I suffer from pretty severe anxiety I've always been quite impressed by this. This habituation and succes went on for 10 years - until 3 weeks ago.

Before the situation:
I had a cold with a congestion 2 weeks before the situation. During the cold the T got louder and at some point during the cold I was so congested that no air could get through the tubes. However, it did subside and I felt ok again.

The situation:
The 19th of january 2017 I had a pretty stressed day. In the morning I was at the dentist where I am about to get the final touch to some dental implants. Afterwards I had to make several errands that made me more stressed and I remember sitting in my car and suddenly listening to my T and thinking to myself, whats this now? And why is it noticable? I got on with the errands and came home and didn't think more of it until bed-time. Lying in my bed half asleep, I wake up and feel totally consumed by the T. It seems so loud. I start to panick and I take my blanket and pillow and go into the living-room and sit on the couch. I start to panick even more. I suddenly can't seem to do anything else than tuning into the T. I get anxiety attacks and desperately try to find some sound sources. At last I felt asleep.

The following days was a nightmare.

Then at the 31st of january I wake up with fever. Only 3 weeks from my last cold. This time I have the flu and feel extremely ill and fatigue. With this also comes a cold and a congestion. The first days I had to blow my nose many, many times. But after 2 days with blowing my nose I suddenly experience immediate increase in the T for each blow thus I stopped blowing it. You know when you blow your nose and the ears pop and the T shortly is very loud until the ears pop back in again? This is how it sounds constantly now even though it popped back in. Now i'm almost done with the flu. The fever stopped yesterday. The congestion finally subsided today. The increased T is however still there.

While I have experienced tiny, tiny stress-related spikes this is by far the most serious spike and the new volume is extremely high. Nothing can mask it.

Problem:
This spike has left me in deep depression and anxiety and even very dark suicidal thoughts. I have never tried this before. Will it ever be better? Why did it happen? Is it the cold? How much time should I give it and are there anything I can do you make it better?

How to get going from here?

Please give me something to hang on to for a hope...


Ps. I visited the ENT and he said I passed all tests. Audiogram, drum pressure, no fluid in ears etc. He asked if I had been stressed and to that I could just say a definite yes. He also told me that I should not worry about having a hearing loss from the random noise from new years eve (me and my girlfriend stepped outside for 5 minutes at midnight to watch the fireworks and then went inside again) because then I would have experienced the hearing loss and/or increased T immediately plus my hearing was all normal (though it still bugs me they only test up to 8khz).


Thank you so much for reading my post. Sorry for the long story!

 

First, sorry about your despair over your spike which so many encounter on this forum..
A couple of things to consider:
- Stress is a BIG contributor to tinnitus...not only contracting it due to elevation in stress hormone in your body but also after contracting tinnitus influences ability to cope.
- Infection can influence the status of your tinnitus without question.

So, you have a perfect storm and btw, that's what it generally takes to get tinnitus initially or worsen it or more would have more acute tinnitus.

Response:
- whether your tinnitus will abate or not is unknowable.
- but whether that can be predicted or not, there is one immutable fact. You will not be able to habituate to your new level of tinnitus when in a heightened state of anxiety. If there is a chorus of agreement on this forum when cries for help are the loudest, it is when their mental health precludes adaptation to their tinnitus. This for example is the clear case with dear Nathalie who needs to seek a therapist who can administer medication to allow her to regain her life. I only wish we would hear an acknowledgement of this from her.

What to do:
- Many, but far from all can adjust with time to not only contracting tinnitus...but having it like you do and adjusting to a new increased level. This is because their brain chemistry allows it.

- Many however can not. If stress is a precursor to contracting tinnitus in the first place which I believe it is in the vast no. of cases, then adjusting to tinnitus and 'accepting' is can be dam near impossible.

- By taking medication you can normalize your brain chemistry which will do two things:
a. it will allow you to be more rational about tinnitus and remove suicidal ideation.
b. by changing frame of mind, you will put this increased noise in your head into better perspective, accept it on some level and habituate to it. This btw generally reduces the volume for most but not all.

So, if you don't believe you can adapt naturally to the increase in sound level of your tinnitus which happens to many here and perhaps the majority that post seeking help, I strongly encourage you to take medication to change your brain chemistry to allow acceptance as you question if you can cope. I hope this helps explain the 'synergy' between tinnitus and anxiety. Anxiety is the fuel on the fire of tinnitus. Of course those caught in this web aren't crazy. They are actually responding to tinnitus as a proper threat which is based upon 200,000 years of evolution. If you can't naturally adapt, then you need to recruit medicine which revise neurotransmitter chemicals within the brain to promote acceptance that tinnitus is no longer a threat. Basically we are walking chemistry sets. Some come by chemical balance more naturally than others and some can use some external tuning...latter especially when life altering events occur.

If you are looking for anti depressant meds that won't increase your tinnitus, I strongly suggest you perform a forum search. There has been much discussion about meds that are compatible with tinnitus that won't elevate it.

Don't suffer. Seek a doctor and at least try medication which will change your life and get you back on track.

Good luck.

 

Hi bellafjelle,
Im sorry to hear your going through a tough time with your ears as I know what mental torture it can be and also for depression to latch on that feels like a deep black hole and to hard to climb out and don't know what to do.

You might benifit from a antidepresant for a while and some talking therapy.
I would recommend a AD that helps sleep and anxiety and depression and helps tinnitus.

I had great relief from taking Nortryptaline and Amitryptaline can help also.
Some dont help sleep and cause insomnia also so have a chat to your doctor on what he thinks is best for you.

You mention dental treatment that is quite a big procedure having your jaw open for it for a time.
That may have inflamed your jaw joint and right by your middle ear so could spike your tinnitus for a while till it settles down.

Stress is like food to Tinnitus as tinnitus will ramp up to a high level the more stressed you are and finding the best way for you to handle it works great with talking therapy offloading it and learning a skill to put in place when stress becomes a problem through life.

Also you have had a nasty cold virus that makes you feel low ontop of raging ears and feeling like all energy has been zapped away.

Be kind to yourself with lots of nice treats to lift your mood,relaxation and lovely relaxing bath times.

You will get through all this I promise and getting help for depression will put you in a better mind frame in coping and tackling tinnitus and stress...
Keep posting for support as we are here around the clock to help you....
You have done really well coping with tinnitus for so long and you will get through this.
I once was a sad withdrawn person looking back at myself in a mirror who lost her smile and laughter...but I got through the storm and back in the sunshine and making the first step was all it took to get on the first step of a ladder to climb out of that black hole with help...lots of love glynis x

 

I'm gonna keep my reply very short.

I had sinuses and Eustachian tubes all clogged up the other day. And my tinnitus spiked. It's almost a fact for most users that colds and anything that gives congestion can cause spikes.

It sucks. My spike lasted about 2 days. Then started to go down.

I also have anxiety and depression, so I know how it feels, you begin to worry if this will be your new sound and if you'll have to habituate again.

 

Thank you for all your contributions. I really appreciate that! I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Yesterday I had many hours where the spike was lower. That really gave me hope. Today it is back at the spike again though.

I actually already am in treatment. For many years I have been taking medicine. I take Seroquel, Sertraline and Lyrica. I am currently on a taper course with Lyrica.

I sincerely hope you are right, glynis... that I will get through this!

I have a follow-up question:

I've always lived with my T without masking. How important is it? Is it allowed to try to sleep at night without the masking or should one always mask at night?

 

it's actually better if you can sleep without masking, it gives your ears a rest!

People usually mask to sleep if T is keeping them up and it is too loud to filter out.
I have always slept with a fan. Which works well with my T anyway.

If you are sleeping fine without masking, don't bother.