Anyone Else Able to Control the Pitch of Their Tinnitus Manually?

[tymcg]

I've searched these forums for hours, and I can't find any posts mentioning the ability to control the tone/pitch/frequency of their tinnitus. I've also met with audiologists and ENT (I'm currently scheduled for an MRI) and none of them have heard of this.

It is the "eeeeee" type of sound, and I can cycle through 3 or 4 different pitch levels: high, medium, low and "off".

It is sounds that allows me to cycle through them, like clicking my teeth together, snapping my fingers, or clicking a computer mouse or keyboard. Swallowing (when it makes an internal noise) and sometimes certain other external noises will also change the tone.

It started a few months ago, but I didn't realize at first that it was controlled by sounds. I originally thought that the swallowing was causing fluid or wax or something in my ear to shift, causing the change in tone.

I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I can cycle the tinnitus "off" (essentially just a frequency that is barely distinguishable and doesn't bother me). However, since typing and other sounds also cycle it, it's a constant effort to control, and it exhausting on bad days (some days are worse than others).

After my research here, I think that Somatic T is the closest. However, the usual triggers for somatic tinnitus like clenching, turning, etc. do NOT change my tone. ONLY the sounds like I've described above change the tone.

Some posts I've come across seem very close, but the poster doesn't mention the ability to cycle through tones or manually change the tone using external sound. I'm wondering of there's a chance that these folks simply haven't realized that they can affect the tone? (Long shot, I'm sure, as I'd imagine these sufferers have tried everything...)

Is there anyone out there in the same boat?

 

[tymcg]

Just as an update, in case anyone else with the same issue ever happens upon this post...

I had my MRI a few weeks ago and have just met with the ENT again to go over the results. They did not find anything (no mass, tumor, spots, nothing). Everything looked perfect.

So, that rules that out.

Since my post above, I've discovered that some white noise, a loud fan in particular, triggers this change of tone non-stop.

I'm going a bit crazy, and I'm still checking this site often in the hopes that someone may be able to shed some light on this for me.

 

[tymcg]

Just an update, a year later, in the hope that this thread might help someone someday.

Still having the same issue, comes and goes. Sometimes I can go weeks/months without really noticing (or being bothered by it).

Today is a particularly bad day. Having to constantly click my teeth, which is the easiest way to control it. Still only in one ear.

More often than not over the last year, there aren't multiple frequencies. Really just "on" and "off". When I have flare ups, they tend to last only a few hours.

One thing I've noticed is that it seems to be worse when I have sinus pressure (even mild sinus pressure, like today).

Another interesting thing... it used to be the worst at nights, when going to sleep. A few months after my last post I was setup with a CPAP machine (unrelated). Since then, I've had virtually NO issues at night. This is likely due to the white noise provided by the air, and/or perhaps the positive air pressure. I did have a white noise machine before this, but that sometimes made it worse, cycling the "eeee" noise. The CPAP machine doesn't trigger it.

As I type this, I realize that, overall, my tinnitus has been better since I got the CPAP machine. Could just be a coincidence, though.

At any rate, I'll try to update this post from time to time, in case there's ever anyone else searching through these forums looking for someone with these highly unusual symptoms.

 

[Joe Cuber]

Hey @tymcg - I read through your story hear and I must say that's quite a unique tinnitus attribute that you have. It's the first I've heard of it. I'm curious, how often in a day does it switch on/off? And do you perceive it to be loud/intrusive when it's on? And does it consistently switch every time you click your teeth?

I don't know a whole lot about ear anatomy, but it sounds like it has something to do with your ear bones or eardrum.

Based on your description, it sounds like there's really something happening with your using the CPAP machine. That's seems to much of a coincidence, especially since you notice a correlation with your tinnitus and your sinuses. Perhaps the positive airflow is affecting your Eustachian tubes or something like that.

I hope it continues to improve for you. I wanted to mention that I also use a CPAP machine. I got it after my tinnitus onset. I feel like it's helped me sleep more, which I feel is helping me have better days. My tinnitus is weird in that it's either on or off for an entire day--it switches in my sleep. It's unilateral too but mine is highly somatic.