About Two Weeks Into Tinnitus, Already Hopeless

[ASilverLight]

Hello all,

I don't want to sound too dramatic, but it's been about two weeks for me and I'm already completely hopeless and at a loss. I'm not entirely sure what caused my tinnitus or how permanent it may be, but I'm fearing the worst (and expecting it).

On Jan 1 of this year I had a rubber earbud piece get slightly stuck in my ear. It wasn't in deep and it came out easily with some careful movements. After that my ear was plugged and my hearing slightly decreased for 3 days with lots of pressure in the ear. This opened eventually and everything seemed perfectly fine. Two days later however I had a high pitched screech in my ear.

This has since changed to a white noise, kind of like an old TV static noise. It seems to be more in the head than the ear. My other ear has an occasional ringing too, but this isn't very loud and seems to be getting less loud every day.

I should note that according to my GP I have a buildup of earwax and I've been INCREDIBLY stressed and anxious over the hearing loss. I have another appointment with my GP in about a week and a half.

I'm a big music lover and I've been to several concerts, I use earbuds and headphones but always wore protection and never listened to music at loud volumes or for many hours on end.

So I'm honestly not sure what has caused my tinnitus but I'm so gutted. I miss the silence so bad. No clue how you all do this for years, but you have my respect.

I just needed to share my story somewhere. Hope any of you may have some useful input for me.

 

[Shaz1]

If it's been a few weeks and is already trending downwards I'd expect it to get better, especially if it was related to something physical like wax buildup

Hopefully it does! Maybe just take some extra precautions for a bit and try to not worry about it too much, but I feel good about it (based on what little I know)

 

[Peter61]

"No clue how you all do this for years"
Just keep breathing, and days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years. Get on with your life, with or without T, give it a place, let go and make the best of it. Sometimes it's loud, sometimes it's almost absent. Any which way, it is what it is. It's useless thinking about it. All we can do is hope that scientists will provide us with a cure. It really hurts me to realize that there is a lack of funds to carry out research and development of a cure, while at the same time the EU intends to spend a THOUSAND BILLION euros on the so called climate transition. It's absurd and insane. If they only spent a fraction of that money on finding a cure for T, it would be there within 12 months. There is money in abundance, but priorities on how to spend it are dead wrong.

 

[Allan Mcmillan]

"No clue how you all do this for years"
Just keep breathing, and days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years. Get on with your life, with or without T, give it a place, let go and make the best of it. Sometimes it's loud, sometimes it's almost absent. Any which way, it is what it is. It's useless thinking about it. All we can do is hope that scientists will provide us with a cure. It really hurts me to realize that there is a lack of funds to carry out research and development of a cure, while at the same time the EU intends to spend a THOUSAND BILLION euros on the so called climate transition. It's absurd and insane. If they only spent a fraction of that money on finding a cure for T, it would be there within 12 months. There is money in abundance, but priorities on how to spend it are dead wrong.

Yeah. I completely agree with that. They should be spending that money on research and cures for diseases not limited to just tinnitus. I wonder how many soldiers end up with tinnitus from fighting government proxy wars yet they still don't do anything about hearing loss. Even the ATA and BTA who are supposed to research for a cure are habituation goonfests.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Two days later however I had a high pitched screech in my ear.

This has since changed to a white noise, kind of like an old TV static noise.

Many people have to wait for 3-12 months to experience a switch from a high pitch noise to a hiss/static noise. You are making a rapid recovery. You need to give it time. Ears take forever (e.g., years) to heal. You are experiencing improvements, and there is no reason for this to change. It ought to begin to gradually fade, and a year from now (or even earlier) you ought to feel much better.

Normally the first 6 months are the worse, but that is for the people whose healing is a lot more gradual than your healing.

If I were you, I wouldn't go to any concerts (even with protection) during this vulnerable time of healing. You might also consider staying away from headphones for a while.

Hope any of you may have some useful input for me.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[ASilverLight]

Many thanks for the replies. I'm feeling a bit better today. Yesterday was rough as I was pretty tired and not in the best mental state. I'm glad to hear fast improvement is a good sign. I've had moments where I had to wonder whether it was T or an actual outside source (and twice it was actual mechanic buzzing NOT in my ears).

It's kind of funny to me, really. I'm accident prone and have a hypermobility syndrome, so whenever I have aches and issues there I'm completely chill. However even as a child I've never had a single ear related issue aside from some pressure when flying (only happened on two flights ever) that cleared up within a day or so. I'm 23 so any and all ear issues are just new for me so I've had major panic attacks over this (suffering from anxiety and depression for 10 years now, the joy).

I should also add that, while I know it's not an actual thing, I do suffer from ''chronic colds'' aka I get mild colds pretty all the time and they take a long time to fade, so I'm always sniffy and dealing with some mucus. I've been tested on this for allergies etc in the past but all came back negative so who knows what's up there.

Anyway, thanks again. I'll try to take it easy and protect myself from too much noise which I have been doing so far. I wear earplugs at work where it's not necessarily LOUD but we do have music playing for the full shift and all kinds of noises you can expect from a logistic warehouse. I take these out on my breaks when it's a more ambient noise you can expect while having dinner with say, your family. Have been listened to some music through speakers, but not loud which I hardly did before all this anyway.

 

[Peter61]

Yeah. I completely agree with that. They should be spending that money on research and cures for diseases not limited to just tinnitus. I wonder how many soldiers end up with tinnitus from fighting government proxy wars yet they still don't do anything about hearing loss. Even the ATA and BTA who are supposed to research for a cure are habituation goonfests.

Absolutely. Governments have a moral obligation to spend serious money on R&D of a tinnitus cure. These military men return home from the battlefield with severe tinnitus caused by all the gunshots, bomb explosions, screaming jet engines etc., and what are they told ? Try TRT, or just learn to live with it... It's a DISGRACE. But hey, 1.000.000.000.000 euro (yeah that's right, a 1 with 12 x 0), spent on climate hysteria, no problem.

 

[Shaz1]

Many people have to wait for 3-12 months to experience a switch from a high pitch noise to a hiss/static noise. You are making a rapid recovery. You need to give it time. Ears take forever (e.g., years) to heal. You are experiencing improvements, and there is no reason for this to change. It ought to begin to gradually fade, and a year from now (or even earlier) you ought to feel much better.

Normally the first 6 months are the worse, but that is for the people whose healing is a lot more gradual than your healing.

If I were you, I wouldn't go to any concerts (even with protection) during this vulnerable time of healing. You might also consider staying away from headphones for a while.


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

For sure. It seems a good place to be, and good you got this advice early. I wish I had too in my first month of getting it, instead I kept going to events for months - maybe it would've gotten somewhat better - and it wasn't till I had a bad incident that made it worse that I sought out advice (sigh). You're in a good place with it already diminishing, and the knowledge / caution you need. I bet it will turn out okay for you.

 

[jjflyman]

Absolutely. Governments have a moral obligation to spend serious money on R&D of a tinnitus cure. These military men return home from the battlefield with severe tinnitus caused by all the gunshots, bomb explosions, screaming jet engines etc., and what are they told ? Try TRT, or just learn to live with it... It's a DISGRACE. But hey, 1.000.000.000.000 euro (yeah that's right, a 1 with 12 x 0), spent on climate hysteria, no problem.

I never thought of it like that. Good point. If all these climate change warriors suddenly got tinnitus (or cancer or any number of conditions), their priority on how to spend that money would change in a big hurry.

 

[Lane]

If all these climate change warriors suddenly got tinnitus (or cancer or any number of conditions), their priority on how to spend that money would change in a big hurry.

It's not an either/or. You can address climate change AND fund serious tinnitus research at the same time. Both are priorities, are not mutually exclusive, and should be funded accordingly. Obviously, I happen to think addressing climate change should be a high priority. I've also come to believe it could be done effectively for far less money than some people have come to believe.

 

[Hidde]

Hello all,

I don't want to sound too dramatic, but it's been about two weeks for me and I'm already completely hopeless and at a loss. I'm not entirely sure what caused my tinnitus or how permanent it may be, but I'm fearing the worst (and expecting it).

On Jan 1 of this year I had a rubber earbud piece get slightly stuck in my ear. It wasn't in deep and it came out easily with some careful movements. After that my ear was plugged and my hearing slightly decreased for 3 days with lots of pressure in the ear. This opened eventually and everything seemed perfectly fine. Two days later however I had a high pitched screech in my ear.

This has since changed to a white noise, kind of like an old TV static noise. It seems to be more in the head than the ear. My other ear has an occasional ringing too, but this isn't very loud and seems to be getting less loud every day.

I should note that according to my GP I have a buildup of earwax and I've been INCREDIBLY stressed and anxious over the hearing loss. I have another appointment with my GP in about a week and a half.

I'm a big music lover and I've been to several concerts, I use earbuds and headphones but always wore protection and never listened to music at loud volumes or for many hours on end.

So I'm honestly not sure what has caused my tinnitus but I'm so gutted. I miss the silence so bad. No clue how you all do this for years, but you have my respect.

I just needed to share my story somewhere. Hope any of you may have some useful input for me.

Hey man make sure to get that earwax out of your ear. That could make a significant difference. I highly recommend letting it be done manually (no water or sucking it out with air) by an ENT. Hope this helps, wish you the best.

 

[jjflyman]

It's not an either/or. You can address climate change AND fund serious tinnitus research at the same time. Both are priorities, are not mutually exclusive, and should be funded accordingly. Obviously, I happen to think addressing climate change should be a high priority. I've also come to believe it could be done effectively for far less money than some people have come to believe.

That is assuming climate change is real and is man made.

 

[Lane]

That is assuming climate change is real and is man made.

What would make you think it isn't? Is you look closely at carbon dioxide levels and planet temperatures for the past 800 million years (which can be accurately measured), there's a striking direct correlation between the two. The graph I've seen is almost eerily predictive of this correlation.

Humans have been emitting enormous amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere for the past century or so, and scientists have been warning since the 1950's it would eventually lead to temperature increases. I don't know why that's so hard to understand. It seems it only becomes contentious when it enters the political realm where science doesn't really seem to matter to some.

But I'm open to a counter perspective. If you feel there's no proof that climate change is real, and that CO2 levels don't matter, then I'd be happy to hear your argument. It seems to me however, that would be akin to saying there's no correlation between ozone depletion of the atmosphere and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), another environmental disaster caused by humans.

Thankfully, two conservatives, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher stepped up to the plate, and led the world-wide effort to address the ozone crisis. The same could happen to if political leaders of any stripe decided it was time to put the welfare of the planet over narrow political interests. -- I'm concerned about derailing this thread, which I don't think the author expected would turn into a discussion on climate change. So this will likely be my last post on the subject.

 

[ASilverLight]

I'm concerned about derailing this thread, which I don't think the author expected would turn into a discussion on climate change. So this will likely be my last post on the subject.

Thank you, I was going to comment on this fact. Think there's plenty of other spaces to have this sort of discussion

 

[ASilverLight]

Little update: left ear feels clogged and having hearing issues again. Happened right after a shower and got water in my ear. I'm seeing a doctor on Friday. Likely cause still earwax so I'll see about having that professionally removed asap. Ringing hadn't gone down much since my last update, just became easier to live with as they were the kind of noise you can blame on external sources (may be weird, but this helped me stay calm and not focus on it).

Hopefully I'll know more on Friday

 

[Lane]

Likely cause still earwax so I'll see about having that professionally removed asap.

@ASilverLight -- Just to mention, a common method for professional earwax removal is microsuction. Several people on this forum have reported catastrophic experiences from this technique. -- Best...

 

[ASilverLight]

So I'm back with another update. Tinnitus isn't gone yet unfortunately, but it's... changing. Some moments worse than others, but it's definitely getting softer. Yesterday I had my ears syringed as I'd been using drops to try and get rid of the blockage myself, all went well and didn't make anything worse. Just improved my hearing a bit, so I'd say that's a good thing.

Still hearing a sort of white static noise, sounds like an old charger, and there's still a sort of prickly/crackly noise that I can only describe as soda in a glass. It's annoying, but as long as long as I'm doing something it's easy enough to tune out even in silence. Still hear it, but it's like any background noise.

I'm seeing my regular GP on Tuesday since it's not gone yet and hope to get a referral to an ENT. I still have a cold though, regular nose sprays aren't helping me one bit (never did) and my ears pop/crackle as I swallow or yawn. Dunno, it's a weird ride, hopefully it'll continue to soften overtime. I could live with no silence again as long as it's just a very faint noise, so fingers crossed!

 

[Tybs]

So I'm back with another update. Tinnitus isn't gone yet unfortunately, but it's... changing. Some moments worse than others, but it's definitely getting softer. Yesterday I had my ears syringed as I'd been using drops to try and get rid of the blockage myself, all went well and didn't make anything worse. Just improved my hearing a bit, so I'd say that's a good thing.

Still hearing a sort of white static noise, sounds like an old charger, and there's still a sort of prickly/crackly noise that I can only describe as soda in a glass. It's annoying, but as long as long as I'm doing something it's easy enough to tune out even in silence. Still hear it, but it's like any background noise.

I'm seeing my regular GP on Tuesday since it's not gone yet and hope to get a referral to an ENT. I still have a cold though, regular nose sprays aren't helping me one bit (never did) and my ears pop/crackle as I swallow or yawn. Dunno, it's a weird ride, hopefully it'll continue to soften overtime. I could live with no silence again as long as it's just a very faint noise, so fingers crossed!

Like others, I would like to emphasize this: do NOT let the ENT use power tools like microsuction to clear it up, no matter how much he would insist. Some people on these forums got permanent damage from those things.

 

[ASilverLight]

So, I've been suffering from tinnitus since the start of this year. Not a real clue as to how it started. I thought wax was the culprit but it's not. My next best bet is tmj or etd (possibly caused by allergies). I don't seem to be reactive to any food or noise - though I have been protecting my ears even better than before.

I doubt mine is noise induced. Yes, I've used headphones and I've gone to concerts, but I've never had my volume up more than half way and I would only listen for an hour or so at the time before taking a break. Also, to gigs I'd always wear protection and I wouldn't stand close to speakers. I've been afraid of damaging my hearing for a long time. I haven't had any tests done but I don't struggle to hear at all, and I know I can hear pretty high frequencies (18.5 kHz to 19 kHz at almost 24 years old).

I hear a few tones, some different in both ears. Right ear is a high pitched hiss, but at times this seems to come from the head instead. Left ear sounds more like a radiator being turned on (that kind of hollow water-y noise, not sure how to explain it). Occasionally I'll hear a crackle too.

What I've noticed is that
- if I plug my ears and release, I feel a LOT of pressure. It almost feels like it resists letting me unplug my ears. Also happens if I press to close my ears
- if I push my jaw forward, I get another tone/one tone gets louder
- keeping my ears plugged for a bit then unplugging seems to lessen the noise for a bit
- I can pop my left ear manually
- both ears crackle/pop when I swallow/yawn etc
- generally, the less clogged up my nose is, the softer the noise seems to be
- sometimes a quick neck movement gives me a loud high pitched noise that disappears within a second or two

I'm just not sure what to make of this. I do have fairly poor posture and I've been suffering from anxiety, depression and insomnia for over half my life. Never taken any medication for this. In fact, I've only occasionally taken some painkillers - never gone over the recommended dosage at all. All of this just started so sudden that I don't know the probable cause. I had not been near anything loud in MONTHS. I've also never had that ringing after a gig. Just complete silence is all I knew until the start of January of this year.

I've tried to search the forums and have found some posts with similar symptoms, but few with more conclusive answers. Most seemed to disappear and never posted an update etc. Just want to know if anyone is familiar with my issues.

Also, does having multiple tones mean it'll be permanent? Anyone know someone or a story of someone who recovered having had multiple sounds?

Sucks to be here after being fairly diligent with my ears all my life. I've never even had a single ear infection.

Thanks and sorry for the lengthy post.

edit: forgot to mention that three weeks ago, GP noticed fluid behind my eardrum. Said he saw ''multiple bubbles''. Been using Dymista since, haven't noticed much of a change yet, but I know it might take a bit.

 

[ASilverLight]

Anyone? Some noises seem completely absent (even when plugged) unless I'm laying down. Also, my jaw pops and cracks a lot. Pressing one of the pressure points is bothersome on my right side (radiator/hollow air/weird crackles/hiss) but severely painful on the left (chirping/radiator/hiss).

Still wondering if it's possible that multiple sounds can go away completely.

 

[hans799]

Still wondering if it's possible that multiple sounds can go away completely.

I don't think there's any correlation between number of sounds and whether it can go away or not. It's not typical for tinnitus to be multiple sounds right away, but it's not rare, either. And we also know that tinnitus often goes away completely. So why couldn't multiple sounds also fade away? Hang in there, protect your ears, you're on the right track.

 

[Tybs]

Also, does having multiple tones mean it'll be permanent? Anyone know someone or a story of someone who recovered having had multiple sounds?

I know of at least one: myself.

My T onset was in April last year. Began with one tone, but other sounds emerged quickly and were getting louder as well. On its peak around September, I was stuck with at least twelve of them, I stopped counting at some point.

Once I found out my T was neck-induced, I started following physiotherapy. It took a few weeks, but then I started getting slightly better days, where some sounds occasionally became lower. November was the month with the best decrease, and in December I had only six sounds left, with managable volume. The other sounds diminished completely at this point. An added bonus was that I learned how posture affected the remaining sounds: I could at least choose what kind of orchestra to go to sleep with.

Then I had a big setback when I got caught by a minor cold, which increased my T two- to threefold. Even though the cold itself vanished within a week, it took me a month to get back to where I was earlier.

Since a few weeks, I feel pretty much T-free during the day: I'm typing this in silence in my (quiet) living room. A few high-frequency sounds remain at night, which has caused quite some lack of sleep since onset, but this week I finally had two 8+ hour nights again. My average night rest is nearing 7 hours now, slowly but steadily improving every week.

Btw, my remaining sounds are also posture-dependant. I'm confident that they will slowly fade if I keep training my body: eventually I will hit the last tensed up muscles.

So yes, multiple sounds cán all go away, at least when the T is neck-related. It takes a lot of effort and discipline though.

 

[ASilverLight]

@hans799
@Tybs

Thanks for the responses! Last night and today my tinnitus seems worse, but I've also been really anxious, upset and tired from poor sleep. First time it seemed/is worse since onset, if I don't count more noises appearing as worse. Loudness was going down regardless, so eh. I do wonder if my posture at least plays part. The fact it showed up without any clear reason confuses me. Don't struggle to hear, there's some fluid but I haven't been really sick lately (mildly congested for months though).

I'm struggling to cope a lot, even if I guess my tinnitus classifies as mild-moderate. I can fairly easily mask it throughout the day, but it's pretty loud at night. Sleeping with white noise of any kind is impossible.

I also (thankfully, I suppose) can't find anything that actually triggers my tinnitus besides being upset and tired.

 

[hans799]

Well, the good news is that this story will end well one way or the other. Either the noise will fade out completely, which is great, or you'll learn to live with it - there have been studies done on what types of tinnitus can people best get used to, and the number one predictor of being able to live with the noise was maskability.

If you can easily mask it during the day, it won't disrupt your concentration or ability to study/work, so your only problem is sleep. And you'll learn to sleep with the noise sooner or later. I have seen that countless times on the forum.

Focus your energies on maintaining a stable sleep schedule, eating well, exercising, and doing your normal duties. Basically, go on living as a normal person, don't make special allowances because you have tinnitus (besides protecting your ears, of course!). Sooner or later, the noise will stop being some kind of horrible illness and start being an annoying but normal part of your life experience.

(Note that this applies only to mild/moderate tinnitus. I haven't experienced severe tinnitus but everyone says it is a completely different beast. So guard those ears with your life.)

 

[hans799]

Just keep breathing, and days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and months turn into years.

I've reread this thread and this sentence has just punched me in the guts. The "new" noise I have started in December 2016... that was over 3 years ago. Lord. Time does fly, even for us tinnitus sufferers.

 

[ASilverLight]

Update, mostly for myself...

I still don't know what's going on at all. Sounds are all over the place, but generally mornings are fairly quiet, especially when I sleep in particular positions. Ears still crackle when I swallow or open my mouth, and I'm still congested. Ear still won't pop.

Most sounds are easily masked except at night/when lying down, but I get this sort of head static that cannot be masked whatsoever as it's more of a presence than a real sound. Weird to explain. Even weirder experience.

Also, I get random stabs in my ears. Pain that lasts a couple of seconds, then absolutely nothing.

Still don't know my cause - I'm guessing it's a combination of things eg neck/ETD/stress/noise exposure, but I don't believe noise is the one and only cause. I just don't get how I've gone from completely fine, not a single ear issue or any tinnitus just about ever, to all of this.

Still no typical high pitched noise.

 

[Orions Pain]

Update, mostly for myself...

I still don't know what's going on at all. Sounds are all over the place, but generally mornings are fairly quiet, especially when I sleep in particular positions. Ears still crackle when I swallow or open my mouth, and I'm still congested. Ear still won't pop.

Most sounds are easily masked except at night/when lying down, but I get this sort of head static that cannot be masked whatsoever as it's more of a presence than a real sound. Weird to explain. Even weirder experience.

Also, I get random stabs in my ears. Pain that lasts a couple of seconds, then absolutely nothing.

Still don't know my cause - I'm guessing it's a combination of things eg neck/ETD/stress/noise exposure, but I don't believe noise is the one and only cause. I just don't get how I've gone from completely fine, not a single ear issue or any tinnitus just about ever, to all of this.

Still no typical high pitched noise.

Hi @ASilverLight, I literally have the same exact symptoms as you. I'm 3 months in and my ringing is only audible in quiet places and a fan and TV usually drowns it out but the weird head static isn't maskable by anything. It's like a sand water fall at all times in the day and sometimes it will change pitch slightly but stays consistent for the most part (in both ears).

I also have that feeling of congestion, clogged ears and weird pains in my ears that come and go. I would describe the pain like when you're landing on a plane and you're congested and your ears just hurt really bad (hard to describe unless it's been experienced).

I also went from 0 Tinnitus EVER to loud ringing and hissing which hasn't gone away.

 

[ASilverLight]

@Orions Pain

My nose is actually congested most of the time, no matter what season, but they haven't found any allergies so I don't know where that's coming from. Of course I've had the occasional annoyances with my ears with a very bad cold or after flying, but nothing that didn't resolve within a day or two and definitely no tinnitus, ever. I don't think I've ever felt what you're describing, but for me it pretty much feels like a stabbing pain (imagine a stabbing pain in the stomach for example) that subsides in a few seconds.

Interestingly, your description of the head static makes sense. It's a quiet sort of noise, right? This is probably a me thing, but I'd also describe it as the sound of snow - it's not necessarily a real sound but it has that sensation of something falling/sliding. I don't seem to hear it at all when I speak though, and I'm not just talking about it getting masked as I speak.

I have another GP appointment soon, I do suggest you see one too - if not for the tinnitus, then the other symptoms. BTW, feel free to PM me to talk about this more. Might be easier than in a thread

 

[Lane]

My nose is actually congested most of the time, no matter what season, but they haven't found any allergies so I don't know where that's coming from.

@ASilverLight -- As part of your detective work, you may want to check out the 6-minute video below (has good visuals). -- I would also suggest you look into a technique called "Nasal Specific" (do a YouTube search) which has done wonders for many people with nasal and sinus congestion (including me). I think if you can find some answers on your chronic congestion, you have a good chance of making some important discoveries about your tinnitus as well. -- Good luck figuring this out!

Chronic Epipharyngitis

 

[Tybs]

@ASilverLight @Orions Pain

I hate that you guys have to share this condition, but at the same time I love you both for having nearly the same symptoms as mine. Feels like only one of us stumbling upon a complete "fix" would be enough