3 Weeks of Tinnitus: No Clue What's Causing It — Hard Time Coping

[AngelaA]

Hi everyone,

I've had tinnitus since Christmas day. It's a roaring sound, I've had days where it isn't to bad and others like yesterday and today where my brain hurts! I have a ten month old little girl who I'm desperately trying to act happy in front of when all I want to do is rip my head off.

I've had blood tests and I have an MRI booked for Monday to see if there is anything causing it.

Please tell me this doesn't stay this bad forever as I really feel like I won't be able to live with this as it is for the rest of my life!

I've not slept in 10 months as my little girl is a poor sleeper and now my head is roaring all day... I can't ask anyone to look after because of lockdown and I really am having a hard time coping.

I need to know, will this get easier to live with?

Angela xx

 

[Nick M]

Welcome to the club, unfortunately. I've had it for years now and no I'm still not used to it or figured out a way to deal with it 100% of the time. I have bouts of good periods and bouts of absolute anxiety, depression, sleep problems etc etc. It seems like certain times of the year are worse than others. What gets me through bad days is the prospect of a good day. You have to learn to control it with diet, exercise, sleep and just lifestyle choices that improve it. The use of maskers also help with the anxiety.

Download the TinnitusPlay app from the Apple Store, see what tone works best for you and listen to it on low volume throughout the day.

Some people will swear that any headphones or ear buds cause more damage. I'm not in that camp at all as long as it's not at a volume that will cause damage.

You can basically listen to anything under 60 dB 24/7 for the rest of your life and not cause any damage to hair cells. And plus, what do you think hearing aids are?

Good luck and post back if you find something that works for you.

 

[Michael Leigh]

HI @AngelaA

Sorry to hear that you are going through such a difficult time at the moment. Many of us know how you must be feeling. Tinnitus usually gets better with time. Many things can cause tinnitus but the most common is exposure to loud noise. Typically it is headphone, earbud or headset use. If you have been a regular user of any of these devices it's likely the cause of the tinnitus or listening to overly loud music.

If your tinnitus is noise induced then I advise that you don't use any type of headphones or earbuds including a headset even at low volumes. Please click on the two links below and read my posts that you might find helpful. Try to avoid being in quiet rooms during the day and particularly at night by using low level sound enrichment. More about this is explained in the posts below.

Take care and hope you start to feel better soon.

Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Michael Leigh]

Some people will swear that any headphones or ear buds cause more damage. I'm not in that camp at all as long as it's not at a volume that will cause damage.

Your tinnitus was not noise induced, this is probably the reason headphones and earbuds do not affect you. People that have noise induced tinnitus and use headphones, earbuds or headset including NC headphones, risk making the condition worse, that I assure you. It is true some people with noise induced tinnitus can still use headphones and aren't affected but the risk is always there. Noise induced tinnitus is different from tinnitus that is caused by an underlying medical condition including an ear infection. People that have noise induced tinnitus often experience oversensitivity to sound, also called hyperacusis, which is not so apparent in people with other types of tinnitus.

Michael