8 Months In — I Can Reliably Manipulate My Tinnitus Tones / Sounds with External Noise: WTF?

[GBB]

Almost 8 months has passed since I originally joined this forum. I'm more stable now though days are still challenging - I'm not sure my tinnitus has really improved as much as I've worked around it - my computer is outside of my bedroom, and I haven't left the house for more than an hour since October due to reactivity.

One thing that has become evident over time is not only the very obvious truth that my tinnitus is reactive, but that it reacts to different sounds in different ways, which makes me feel a bit brain sick as I don't hear many people describe this. For example:

1) I can make my tinnitus high pitched and tss tss tss noise by listening to low humming like a washing machine, fan, shower, or road noise. The louder the noise the louder the reaction.

2) When it's high pitched I can make it lower pitched by listening to high pitched neuro modulation. I can take it from a high, shrill tone to a very loud but totally mutually exclusive wawawawawa noise.

It's so freaking weird and I've never heard any mechanism of action postulated for this, though I'm not sure how it could be in the ear. The unfortunate thing is no external noise seems to make it quieter.

Has anyone else had this reliable reactivity? I fear COVID-19 ending and having to sit in an office with ambient airflow noise, making my head turn into a high pitched symphony.

 

[Matchbox]

I feel similarly.

It's either hear the screaming in silence and wavering sound, or listen to white noise and hear distortion, thumping, twinkles everything.

The low hums and thumps are... loud... and... suicide inducing by far. I can live with a ring.

 

[DLMSC]

Hi GBB,

It caught my eye that your tinnitus reacts to car rides, computer fans and water, which is exactly what's been happening to me. Mine started 6-7 months ago. I actually started getting some relief when turning my dome noise machine (wind based) OFF, because it was triggering my tinnitus. Regarding your hearing/Audiogram question, I think I have the answer: a hissing tinnitus sound is around 14 kHz-16 kHz, which is beyond the hearing range of most adults. Anyone over 30-40 should have almost complete hearing loss in that range. It's not really of any importance for hearing speech or even music, because it's such a ridiculously high frequency range, but I suspect that that loss is what can trigger non tonal high tinnitus like hissing and buzzing.

 

[CDNThailand]

It caught my eye that your tinnitus reacts to car rides, computer fans and water, which is exactly what's been happening to me. Mine started 6-7 months ago. I actually started getting some relief when turning my dome noise machine (wind based) OFF, because it was triggering my tinnitus. Regarding your hearing/Audiogram question, I think I have the answer: a hissing tinnitus sound is around 14 kHz-16 kHz, which is beyond the hearing range of most adults. Anyone over 30-40 should have almost complete hearing loss in that range. It's not really of any importance for hearing speech or even music, because it's such a ridiculously high frequency range, but I suspect that that loss is what can trigger non tonal high tinnitus like hissing and buzzing.

I have the same problem, give it time, you'll get used to it. Now I can drive a motorcycle!

 

[Jon R.]

This is DRIVING ME insane and right to the edge. I got tinnitus post vaccine (unsure if the cause, but began day after) and it has just got worse and worse, now I can't hear anything without the tissss tisss tisss sound which is on TOP of a more steady static hiss. If I ride in a car, tsssssssssssss is all I hear LOUD in my left ear. If I put the kettle on, flush the toilet, put a fan on, listen to TV or radio or music, and tiss tiss tiss tiss tiss tsssssss tiss tissssss as loud as can be happens, so high and shrill it sounds like scratching glass next to my ear.

It became reactive 5 weeks ago but has got worse week after week, so I am now starting to panic how bad it will eventually get. I would love to know why in the first 4 weeks it wasn't reactive and was just a standard loud steady hiss.

What changed? Is it my brain? My ears? Inflammation? Why do I have hissing in both ears but only my left ear reacts with the higher pitched tissing? If this is the vaccine causing it WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED?

I can't cope right now, no idea what to do.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

This is DRIVING ME insane and right to the edge. I got tinnitus post vaccine (unsure if the cause, but began day after) and it has just got worse and worse, now I can't hear anything without the tissss tisss tisss sound which is on TOP of a more steady static hiss. If I ride in a car, tsssssssssssss is all I hear LOUD in my left ear. If I put the kettle on, flush the toilet, put a fan on, listen to TV or radio or music, and tiss tiss tiss tiss tiss tsssssss tiss tissssss as loud as can be happens, so high and shrill it sounds like scratching glass next to my ear.

It became reactive 5 weeks ago but has got worse week after week, so I am now starting to panic how bad it will eventually get. I would love to know why in the first 4 weeks it wasn't reactive and was just a standard loud steady hiss.

What changed? Is it my brain? My ears? Inflammation? Why do I have hissing in both ears but only my left ear reacts with the higher pitched tissing? If this is the vaccine causing it WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED?

I can't cope right now, no idea what to do.

Sorry man, this vaccine has been killer

 

[Exit]

This is DRIVING ME insane and right to the edge. I got tinnitus post vaccine (unsure if the cause, but began day after) and it has just got worse and worse, now I can't hear anything without the tissss tisss tisss sound which is on TOP of a more steady static hiss. If I ride in a car, tsssssssssssss is all I hear LOUD in my left ear. If I put the kettle on, flush the toilet, put a fan on, listen to TV or radio or music, and tiss tiss tiss tiss tiss tsssssss tiss tissssss as loud as can be happens, so high and shrill it sounds like scratching glass next to my ear.

It became reactive 5 weeks ago but has got worse week after week, so I am now starting to panic how bad it will eventually get. I would love to know why in the first 4 weeks it wasn't reactive and was just a standard loud steady hiss.

What changed? Is it my brain? My ears? Inflammation? Why do I have hissing in both ears but only my left ear reacts with the higher pitched tissing? If this is the vaccine causing it WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED?

I can't cope right now, no idea what to do.

My best bet after reading here a long time is that something loud happened after the first 2-4 weeks...?

Your experience now is some of the worst tinnitus, period... and since you're a newbie it's twice as hard.

All I can tell you is for some it will go away... and don't be afraid of triggering the reactive shit with everyday noise, but I would be careful with walking along roads, driving with windows down etc.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

My best bet after reading here a long time is that something loud happened after the first 2-4 weeks...?

Your experience now is some of the worst tinnitus, period... and since you're a newbie it's twice as hard.

All I can tell you is for some it will go away... and don't be afraid of triggering the reactive shit with everyday noise, but I would be careful with walking along roads, driving with windows down etc.

What do you mean by reactive shit with everyday noise?

 

[Exit]

What do you mean by reactive shit with everyday noise?

Sorry, I wrote awfully. I used to worry about triggering my reactive tinnitus. I had hoped that by not triggering it, it could go away.
Since my tinnitus was reacting to foot steps, talking, water and everything else, I used to sit in silence the days I didn't go out.
It only made my hyperacusis worse.

So if I were to do it all over again, I would try to live normally and only avoid noises over 70-80 decibels.

Outside it's tricky though, to not have loud incidents.

 

[Jon R.]

My best bet after reading here a long time is that something loud happened after the first 2-4 weeks...?

Possible, the problem is I don't know exactly when things began before they changed, as I stupidly didn't keep a diary. However there is no doubt my new tinnitus tones began the day after the vaccine (13th May). I do also know though that the reaction effect started only when I had my portable aircon on, this has since changed to virtually everything. I remember the portable aircon would make a very uncomfortable noise when it was getting colder, very screeching noise.

As for other sounds, for instance, around 3 or 4 weeks ago my neighbour used either a wood shredder or loud stone cutter drill about 15ft away (I am guessing) from my wooden lodge that I was in for about 20 minutes, which has fairly thin walls and windows, although it is insulated (windows are a weak spot though). I couldn't tell what sort of device it was as I didn't want to get too close to the window to see. It was so loud though and sounded like it was either shredding wood or cutting through stone, so I put on a pair of headphones (just the standard Beats style) to try and help lower the noise, I didn't put any music on, just thought placing them on my ears would be enough to protect from sound vibrations. I realise that is no where near as good as proper ear defenders but it was all I had to hand as I was in bed. I was stuck. Near the end I walked out of the lodge to get away from the noise, but that of course then meant I was briefly outside when it was on, but I had the headphones on still. But I don't remember my tinnitus becoming reactive that day, so whether it had a knock on effect days later, I don't know, I always assumed spikes happen the same day as the noise. Also my neighbour has used that machine before without it damaging my ears, so unless it was because my ears were already under attack and weakened post vaccine that it may have caused it perhaps.

Only other changes were I bought a video otoscope around that time and looked in both my ears a lot multiple times a day. I also had my ear manually cleaned by an audiologist and also I turned on a fan that was very loud but I turned it off without 5 minutes. These all happened around the same time too (all incidents around 4 weeks post vaccine when my hissing became reactive on all noises).