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With my fingertips while in the shower. No Q-tips, no other kinds of foreign objects are allowed inside. Haven't had any infections / other issues with my ears my entire life. A little bit of wax is actually good to have inside your ears -- if I remember right it has anti-bacterial properties...

@Lex -- If you do a search on this forum you'll see that for the majority of posters H goes away, even if T stays. It may simply take more time than you expect, so patience is key. During that time you'll have to be mindful to not inflict further damage to your hearing system (loud sound...

I'd think it depends on the kind of phobia we're talking about, and how entrenched it is in the person's brain. Handling a large spider may help extinguish the assumptions that led to arachnophobia in the first place (for a person who's never been bitten by a spider, for example), while for...

Yeah, some low-level residual inflammation may have stuck around until you started taking prednisone. If that's the case, then, hopefully, your hearing system is catching a breath and starting to heal. As far as measuring your perceived level of tinnitus, I mentioned it since that seems like...

It's odd that you're seeing the benefit of the drug at this late stage. Its main effect is supposed to be on reducing inflammatory processes inside your body, but, at 8 months post tinnitus onset, those should have run their course already. I'm rather interested to see how this therapy...

Depends on the associativity you apply. I'm seeing 19.5 instead.

You can't predict when you will get exposed to excessive sound levels, and none of the places you listed is normally a location where I'd expect such exposure to occur ("any loud place with people" is pretty much guaranteed if there is more than a single person present, save for monasteries...

@CDNThailand Unfortunately, there is often not much to further understand about one's own particular case of tinnitus/hyperacusis; it's out of your control. The only thing you can possibly exert any control over is your reaction to it -- panic, anxiety, obsessive sound level measurements -- all...

@Mario martz, until you get a definitive diagnosis your mind can be your worst enemy -- catastrophizing over the latest disease you read about on the net, and jacking up your anxiety to unbearable levels. I doubt anyone, whether here on the forums or your docs, will be able to give you a clear...

Mike, you might want to talk to a doc about a course of prednisone/prednisolone to heal the damage on your hearing system, and fast (of course, take into account your heart ailments and other meds you may already be taking). It's most effective when taken within the first 48 hours. Good luck.

One thing to add re: prednisone -- it seems quite a few people (myself included) started on a somewhat higher daily dose, e.g. 50mg (I was on 60). The duration of this therapy appears to vary depending upon the doc who prescribes the regimen; I was on 7 days at the 60mg dosage (though, I was...

Holy smokes! That's high. How can you bear it? Even my computer only goes up to 3000 MHz.

That's true. If it feels like the devil is screaming his lungs out inside your head it'd be nigh impossible to make the experience your friend.

Who said Stockholm syndrome is a bad thing? If you can't beat it, embrace it!

@glynis -- Here's to your getting some much-needed Zzzzs back! :beeranimation:

@Tinnitus in NJ -- I do not know of any studies that show using a computer has either a causative or an exacerbating effect on tinnitus. Using headphones or speakers at a high volume yes, but nothing else about how a computer works should affect tinnitus. If I may interpose my opinion, I'd say...

@SleeplessSoul You carry a great burden, but you've managed to find a routine and enough energy to get through this far. Undoubtedly, the mutual support you and your daughter provide each other is immensely helpful to you both. As a fellow TT member I can but wish you find happier times in...

Hey Phil! We're all sorry to hear you have to endure Meniere's. You appear to have managed to cope so far. There is a wealth of information on this forum. I'm confident you will find one or more tips to help you minimize the effects the condition has on your life, and maybe even learn how to...

@SleeplessSoul -- I'm absolutely delighted to hear my words have brightened your skies. Like you, I find the sleepless nights a great drag on staying in a positive frame of mind. Instead, they leave me all too prone to steer my attention towards worry that quickly turns into a vicious...

@Ecip -- The mind can be a wicked creature. Glad to hear the new tone was just a fluke. @SleeplessSoul -- Wow, I wasn't expecting my day's recollections to have such an effect. I'm only happy to know it may have brightened your mood, even if for a little bit. You have someone in your life that...

Glynis, thank you for your kind words! I've come across a fair number of your posts, and even after all the difficult times you've been through you always emerge with a positive attitude in the end. Kudos! I aspire to make such a disposition a part of me one day, too. Life is constantly...

Had a spike last evening. Like a kettle boiling in my head sort of spike. No chance to keep my mind in a coherent state. Dark thoughts seeping in; thoughts of never-ending misery to the last of my days. Sleep near impossible; only through a miraculous meditation in the dark do I get myself into...

Thanks for the kindly advice, billie! The ringing has subsided a great deal since it started (and I'm now on corticosteroids to try to halt/reverse the physiological damage as much as possible). In the meantime, I went through several days full of anguish, which were worsened by increased...

Joella, I had exactly the same thing happen to me at the beginning of this week. Yesterday, after wearing earplugs, I realized I must have had a little bit of T going on before my teeth cleaning procedure (though, I cannot tell for how long). The ultrasonic scaler jacked that up a thousand...

Thank you all for responding. I am still taking the antibiotics for the supposed Eustachian tube inflammation / infection, but I also started a course of Prednisolone, a corticosteroid, which is supposed to help with the the neuronal / cochlear inflammation caused by the initial trauma. My...

A belated "welcome" (even though I'm a younger forum member than you), and I hope your todays are becoming better than your yesterdays.

I hope what I have to say doesn't come out as patronizing or even critical. It's merely my reflection on the situation you have found yourself in. Like you, I have background in science, and in my day job I predominantly work with facts and logical constructs. What I discovered some time ago is...

jd, Risking covering something that has been mentioned already, I'll ask anyway -- have you consulted an audiologist about trying out a hearing aid that also has a masking function? If the audiologist has experience in dealing with tinnitus even better. Or are you averse to using a hearing aid?

Where did you get that sense of humor? I'm envious. I mean, you can keep the T, but I'll take the humor.

Hey Kevin, What was your prescribed Prednosone regimen (mg per dosage, number of dosages per day, and total number of days in treatment)? Thanks!

Valerian root -- the best placebo money can buy. Nah, kidding. I think it really does have an ingredient that can be called active. In my limited experience (and possibly just in my imagination; see above), it has helped me calm down as my mind usually stays rather active into the wee hours...

Hey vegasjon, I read your post on getting the Phonak Q90. Are you still satisfied with them? Are they any good for masking in the 10+ KHz range? Have you tried other models? Thanks!

Happy to report that I caught some sleep last night (not quite the 7+ hours I'd have liked, but it's something). The herbal sleeping meds might have helped. My anxiety and worry levels were significantly reduced. I notice it's not so much the ringing in my ears that troubles me, and I've pretty...

Got it. Makes sense. And thanks for your helpful input. I do think at this initial stage I need to collect as much information as possible (and the encouragement I have received has been of great help, too), before I start the letting-go phase.

@Tyler -- Thanks for the detailed response. I am apprehensive about using alcohol as a sleep aid (I worry that if it helps me I may make a habit out of it), but I did get some herbal pills that are supposed to do the job, and I'll try them out this evening. After 2 essentially sleepless nights...

I just came back from my ENT appointment, and the doc diagnosed an inflamed Eustachian tube as the cause for my high-pitch single-tone tinnitus (which started after I had ultrasonic dental cleaning done that shot up pretty strong impulses through my jawbone and into my ears). She prescribed...

Yeah, worrying family members (spouses not included) is probably not the good idea until you've got a reasonable grip on the situation, or unless you're sure your family will be understanding and not try to interfere to your detriment. While I did have a positive mood trend going last evening...

@Tyler -- Yikes. Those were some troubling months you had to go through, especially when it comes to the bottle. Though I'm a near teetotaller, and can't claim first-hand knowledge, I realize how a mixture of exasperation and drinking can potentially lead a person down a one-way dark path (I...

@mike & @Michael -- Thanks for the pointers. Yes, the mental anguish (assuming the ringing doesn't stop) is my main concern going forward. Still, I'm finding plenty of support on this forum, and have a hopeful outlook for getting this thing dealt with.

P.S. Don't know if this is meaningful or not, but since reading some of the positive vibes/ideas in this thread, and in others on this forum, and trying to get on with life's and my work's needs I'm feeling a good deal better now. Obsessive self-monitoring, followed by self-pity that combined go...

Yes, at the moment it does feel like a grain of sand in my eye that I can't blink away. Thanks for the exhaustive advice. One of the first things I read on the topic of dealing with T was very close to how you approached it -- a guy on his blog wrote that you basically have to treat the T just...

Also, how did you handle the first few months before finally learning to stop paying too much attention?

Thanks for the strategy tip! Is that how you managed to put a lid on the T in your case?

Thanks for the encouraging words! I did run a few experiments earlier today using my headphones, and I was able to mask it using various methods (e.g. using a low-level 11KHz tone, the sound of rain, etc.). I didn't want to potentially damage my hearing even more, so I've put the headphones down...

@Tyler -- The shower actually calms it down, even without the water hitting my head.

On a related note, would the perceived amplitude of the ringing determine the course of treatment / therapy, assuming the cause of the T is neuronal / cochlear damage?

@GregCA -- Thank you for the thorough answer. My own, uninformed, take is also that the perceived amplitude should correlate with distress levels. I'm still on day 2 of the T experience, so it has yet to settle down to something I could call an average. Here's what I've noticed during this...

@Owen -- Thanks for the info! In your case, wearing earplugs will not help with the sound that is conducted via the jawbone (which is how I got the ear-splitting jolt that I think got my ears ringing), and may even be detrimental, since the pressure waves may not have a clear escape path...

How do you determine whether you have the loud kind of tinnitus or the mild, or even quiet case, in an objective manner? I'm only a day-old sufferer, and at this stage, I perceive the whine I hear as though it's coming from a steaming teapot that is give-or-take 20 feet away. The pitch, as best...

Hey Bbqbliss, I think I also got T from ultrasonic dental cleaning. How did yours progress through the years? Did you learn tune it out? Did you manage to keep your concentration at work and in everyday life? Cheers, jj

Thanks for the reply and the words of encouragement, glynis! I just set up an appointment with an ENT doc for tomorrow. Crossing fingers it ends up being something treatable...

Hi everyone, While I'm as-yet undiagnosed, I believe I got a case of tinnitus over the last day. I had my regular teeth cleaning procedure done yesterday, and while the dentist was operating with the ultrasonic descaler I felt on several occasions the vibrations transmit right into my ears...