Advice Needed Please

[Gill Hayes]

Hi again Dr Nagler,

I'm sorry to bother you again with questions but I'm still waiting for my first audiologist appointment and need a couple of queries answering if possible.

My issue is that my 'sound' is a gentle hiss at the back of my head, it does increase to an angry hiss if I get anxious ( which I rarely do now ). I am 9 weeks in with my T. The thing is I seem to have become fixated that a second noise is going to develop and often wake up in the night convinced there is a second noise there. When I wake up again in the morning the noise isn't actually there. I'm convinced this is my mind driving myself crazy and that these thoughts are irrational but I can't seem to stop thinking this. So my question is, is it likely or unlikely that a second noise will develop and if there is more than one noise do you still habituate in the same way ? And is there anything you can recommend I do to stop having these thoughts ?

Also, on a completely different note ! I'm partial to a glass or two of red or white wine at the weekends - does wine / alcohol worsen tinnitus at all or is that a bit of an 'urban myth' ?
Thanks Dr Nagler.

 

[Dr. Nagler]

So my question is, is it likely or unlikely that a second noise will develop and if there is more than one noise do you still habituate in the same way ?

There is really no way to predict whether or not a second noise will develop - but in terms of habituation (assuming we're talking about the same thing), it is all about reaction rather than about the loudness, pitch, pattern, or multiplicity of the tinnitus sound. So it really shouldn't matter.

And is there anything you can recommend I do to stop having these thoughts ?

Perhaps consider a piece I wrote a while back concerning identifying and overcoming your barriers to habituation.

See:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/overcoming-obstacles-to-habituation.6886/

I'm partial to a glass or two of red or white wine at the weekends

So am I, but I confess it's a bit more than a glass or two!

does wine / alcohol worsen tinnitus at all or is that a bit of an 'urban myth' ?

Well, one thing is for certain ... and that is that wine does not cause auditory damage. As to whether or not wine can temporarily aggravate tinnitus, that is a highly individual issue. For some folks it may, I guess, but for them the question comes down to whether or not it's worth it. If wine made my tinnitus worse, I'd go right on drinking wine ... because my wife and I really enjoy drinking wine with dinner. On the other hand, if it was Brussels sprouts, I'd probably give 'em up - because I really don't care for Brussels sprouts all that much to begin with! Make sense?

Thanks Dr Nagler.

You are welcome. Hope it helps.

Dr. Stephen Nagler