When Do Spikes Occur?

[Larry OT]

When do your spikes occur?
Soon after an event, right after eating or taking a medication?
Except for stress, I don't have spikes. My T does the same thing in a cycle.
If it's quiet, nothing usually affects it, but the next day is a different story.
My T builds throughout the day till evening when it's out of control loud.
The day after it slowly clans down to reasonable and the cycle repeats, for the most part.
How do you know when something made your T spike?
I'm trying to identify what may cause this roller coaster in have. But if spikes generally occur in the same day then it's a different story.
Thanks

 

[quietatnight]

I have always wondered why spikes take time to happen after exposure to a loud sound ? It's usually later that night, or a day or so after ? Why not right away at the time of the event ? This has never made any sense to be. And I totally understand the cycle thing. I can never really tell if it was from a loud sound or just my day in my cycle ? But for me after about 2 days my tinnitus settles back down to my baseline until the next spike. Go figure .
Louie

 

[Larry OT]

@quietatnight
That's in part what I question. But I'm wondering from the rest of the forum when does a spike happen, right after a circumstance or the next day, then maybe there is a known relationship and a possible way to adjust.
If it's chocolate or sugar that caused a spike or salt, when do some of us experience the spike? Right after eating it, you would know what caused it.
If it's meds, when is it obvious the meds caused the spike?

Everyone says that one thing or another caused a spike, but no one says when it occurred. I'm just trying to get some input from the group.
Thanks

 

[Telis]

My T is the same every day...loud. If I get a spike it seems to stick. I get spikes from noise and it's usually when my H is really bad.

 

[Larry OT]

So sorry Telis. It's a hellish condition. While I do get breaks, the bad days are pure hell.

I was at an audiolidgist today for another hearing test. I explained to her how bad it gets for some of us and what it caused in me with anxiety, stress and depression. She didn't have a clue so I played her 10k at the relative volume I hear it at by her ear. She flinched and said "it's that loud?"

I said "imagine whats thats like for hours or days or years"
She looked at me with a frightened look. They have no idea what this reality is.

 

[Sven]

I have always wondered why spikes take time to happen after exposure to a loud sound ? It's usually later that night, or a day or so after ? Why not right away at the time of the event ? This has never made any sense to be. And I totally understand the cycle thing. I can never really tell if it was from a loud sound or just my day in my cycle ? But for me after about 2 days my tinnitus settles back down to my baseline until the next spike. Go figure .
Louie

I've been thinking the same. I was exposed (apparently, I didn't think so at the moment) to loud noise almost three weeks ago and was handling it OK the first day or two, not even considering it that first night. Right now it's terrible, even though there hasn't been any exposure since. Is it possible to have "spikes" of several weeks or is this just a case of my T getting worse again?

 

[Larry OT]

@Sven
Form what i have read here at TT, a spike can last different amounts of time, but I do know that stressing out about it always makes it worse. As tough as it is, accept it and keep moving. Show Mr T who's boss. Thats what I am in process of doing. My acceptance of tinnitus affirmation goes like this: You can come in but you cant control my life.
Ever so slowly I am managing better. My T goes from 0 to 100 in 24 hours for no reason I can tell!
You may just be worrying too much, either way keep on staying strong and calm.
peace, Larry

 

[Sven]

@Larry
Thanks. I'm fighting it as much as I can. Long periods of time I don't think about it, but then all of a sudden it's just there. Especially when I'm in a quiet environment. For a while I think that "this isn't worse, or at least not much worse" than three weeks ago, then all of a sudden I think it's incredibly disturbing and loud.

I'll manage, I think, it's just so frustrating. A feeling most people here will recognise, I think.

 

[Asian]

Besides those unpredictable spikes, my T is usually louder when I get up in the middle of night . its definitely a brain thing . something happens during the sleep that makes it softer or louder. I use sleep as a reset button when its louder . sleep either mitigates it or aggivates it there is no way to predict which way it will go. One theory i read was the adreline rush in body that makes it louder when we get up in the middle of night . I don't remember the details of it sorry

 

[Larry OT]

Id just like to know why mine escalates louder though the day when I have it. Is it building anxiety?
I don't feel anxious.

On days that I don't have T, it stays off till I wake on some days. Then it builds as day goes on.
I wonder if night time meds of gabapentin and miratzapine effect my brain chemistry in such a way that only interacts with my sleep.

Am I the only one who's T escalates through the day?

It seems everyone's sleep has an effect on T.

 

[Steve]

Hi Larry,

I often find that mine does the same, it's quieter in the mornings as a rule and does build during the day. All depends on if I get a good nights sleep, what I do during the day etc. I am my own worst enemy of course; at some point in the morning, on a good day, I'll stop and think "hey, I haven't noticed my T today". And the natural follow on from that is that I notice it and the volume ramps up (or my perception of it).

I can point to links for my own T rising, all based around stress, even small amounts. I'm into gaming, when I play online my T goes up as I get involved and stress kicks in (shouting at the TV that I've been cheated and the like). Mine is very somatic, so if I push workouts / weights too much or get pent up, it rises.

 

[Sven]

@Steve

It's in posts like yours I try to find faith as I try to convince myself that it's my own worry that's causing how I'm feeling at the moment. By thinking of it, it increases.

As I've said in another thread, I was subjected to loud music (which I didn't consider too loud, but might have been wrong) for several hours three weeks ago. Even though my worry did start already one or two days afterwards, my T today is a whole lot worse than TWO weeks ago. Surely that can't be for real? I haven't been subjected to any particular loudness since that night THREE weeks ago.

 

[Steve]

@Steve

It's in posts like yours I try to find faith as I try to convince myself that it's my own worry that's causing how I'm feeling at the moment. By thinking of it, it increases.

As I've said in another thread, I was subjected to loud music (which I didn't consider too loud, but might have been wrong) for several hours three weeks ago. Even though my worry did start already one or two days afterwards, my T today is a whole lot worse than TWO weeks ago. Surely that can't be for real? I haven't been subjected to any particular loudness since that night THREE weeks ago.

The thing is, you listen and make a problem for yourself. I had a big point around 7 years ago when I stopped in the street and I noticed that the ambient noise wasn't masking my tinnitus - in my mind I said this is it, I'm going to hear this over most ambient noise. And guess what - I did.

I know that I did that to myself, just as I do it to myself when I think about not noticing it. On the whole I cope, spikes get me down but they diminish over time. If I allow it to have attention I will get worse, I know this yet I do struggle at times to control the reaction, but I've never done anything to address that (CBT or similar).

If you can learn how you react and what your triggers are you can move on and learn to manage it. I think that if I was doing it again from day one I would teach myself that denying it attention and refusing to listen for it in all situations was the way forward. There were no resources when i got it, just an idiot of an ENT who knew nothing and sent me away with "just learn to live with it". I used to plug my ears to see if it was still there (was quiet to begin), focusing my attention and building the reactive response in my brain.

 

[Larry OT]

@Steve
I would love if the ambient noise was enough to cover my T. As it is nothing masks it when it goes into the late afternoon and evening on most days lately.
The thing I try and get a handle on is the volume it gets to. Am I imagining it, or focusing on it making it louder? That loud?!

When its a quiet day, I can close my ears and hunt for it. But it's not there.
It went away for that day.
Maybe it's afraid of me for a change. But it has the last say and comes home with a fucking attitude after a day or two. I'm tired of the anxiety it causes me the night before when it has fooled me into thinking "gone for good, here's your old life back"...sucker!

When I talk in depth to someone I don't notice it mostly. But that's a focused direction for my brain and an audible resonance. That was 5 minutes ago.
Now I am typing to you and the T is very loud. it's very frustrating but I don't feel frustrated. I just know what I can and can't change. Yet it's very loud.

I'm tired of the tinnitus roller coaster ride, the lame ENT's, the doctors and shrinks and their meds. I'm tired of being a test mouse for my shrink who just adds more meds before I know what the old meds at a higher dose will do for my newly profound depression and sleep issues and anxiety that hides in me.

I'm tired of the therapists I interview where one says I need psyc medication and another says get off of them, but ridding of yeast in my body will cure me.
I'm tied of trying every supplement known, only to be disappointed.

I'm tired of the people who's T is masked by a Televison or a quite sound when mine roars above it. Sorry, I sympathize. We all react different to whatever level it is. I know. But what I would give for a milder version...

I'm tired of the escalation of T from a semi quiet wake to a disturbing loud evening.
I'm tired of not being in control and not being able to concentrate or remember so well. I'm tired of the sticky notes I have to now leave myself because I'm easily confused. I'm tired of thinking that I'm going crazy...at times.

I'm tired of T... And me.

But...
I am NEVER tired of my friends here who understand the anger, pain and frustration and suffering of this condition and the common support we share.

Thank you for understanding.

Peace,
Larry

 

[I who love music]

Loud sounds.

 

[Sean]

loud noise exposure..I can stress this enough. Some times we think sound is not that but atleast for T..it goes up even though sound was not too loud.