Anyone Else Have Ultra-High Frequency Tinnitus?

[dst east coast]

Hi I'm new here. I was waiting for the tinnitus to go away, but after over 2 years I've finally accepted it. Not a day goes by that I don't hear it, but it doesn't freak me out like it used to.

If you are over 25, you probably already have hearing loss. Check out "mosquito ring tones." Can you hear them? The first thing to go is the highest pitches. So even if your hearing is very good, as mine is, you probably still have some hearing loss.

Two years ago, stress after a traumatic event woke me up in the middle of the night in a quiet room, and the tinnitus was crazy loud. I didn't know what it was, but it was horrible and scary. I've seen all kinds of specialists and had hearing, neurological tests and an MRI, and they all said I'm healthy, my hearing is "very good" and it's stress-related. Maybe it is, or maybe the stress just made me notice it and it was there all along. The hissing sound of my tinnitus is a super high pitch that I can't even test for, because I "hear" it all the time.

A Lectrofan on the highest pitched setting isn't perfect, but it helps me at night. I found one 8-hour beach video on Youtube with ocean waves that is the right pitch for masking as well. In the mean time, until there is a cure or treatment, I try to remember that there ARE worse things to have, it won't kill me, and when I am immersed in something else I actually have times when I don't notice it.

Question: Has anyone here managed to go a whole day, even fall asleep at night, without being aware of the tinnitus? How long did it take to get to that point?

Sorry for the long post. It's my first time.

 

[Lilah]

My T has become extremely ultra high pitch in the past week, and can't be masked. I don't know if it is due to acupuncture. It is not pulsatile but has a "flow" wave sound, going up and down. I also have pressure in my ears. Anyone know why I may have a sudden change?

 

[Fally]

My T has become extremely ultra high pitch in the past week, and can't be masked. I don't know if it is due to acupuncture. It is not pulsatile but has a "flow" wave sound, going up and down. I also have pressure in my ears. Anyone know why I may have a sudden change?

Mines been doing the same the last few days really high pitched and pressure in ears. Not sure what is going on if im honest. I'm seeing the doctor this afternoon regarding it, doubt anything helpful will come from it.

 

[Smartone202]

Two years ago, stress after a traumatic event woke me up in the middle of the night in a quiet room, and the tinnitus was crazy loud. I didn't know what it was, but it was horrible and scary. I've seen all kinds of specialists and had hearing, neurological tests and an MRI, and they all said I'm healthy, my hearing is "very good" and it's stress-related.

So these specialists told you that you T is stress-related/induced? If that were the case don't you think it would have gone down or even away after your stress went away? How are you feeling today stress wise?

I'm fairly new to T (7 weeks) and I have 3 noises (it started as one, then 5-6, now 3ish, keeps changing).

The one I am really having trouble with is the ultra-high frequency electric noises running through my head and ears. I can almost feel them if that makes sense. I can't mask it with phone apps because of the frequency, even though my hearing is good. My T must be stress-induced.

I was just wondering if anyone else has this type of T, and what you do/did to try to get used to it or even mask it if at all possible?

first things first how did this happen to you?
I too have this type of T. High pitched static/brain buzz along with regular T in my left ear that often pulsates as well. Finally had a (f'n noisy) MRI/MRA yesterday after nearly 6 months of this, though it did actually go away significantly for almost 2 months late last year.

other than that its an endless cycle of hell inside my skull. The only thing that I've realized for sure that help it are getting a good night sleep, cutting out sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Even salt is suspect.

 

[Poseidon65]

I have several tones, one which is very high frequency. This is the tone which causes me by far the most trouble.

As an illustration, the volume of my T is low enough that a running faucet, even the slowest possible drip, masks it completely. However, the highest tone is so high frequency that it just punches through normal everyday sounds, basically refusing to be masked.

I haven't figured out any specific strategies for dealing with it unfortunately. I'll mention that I am 6 months out from my acoustic trauma, and so I'm hoping for some improvement from current levels.

 

[tbuzz89]

However, the highest tone is so high frequency that it just punches through normal everyday sounds, basically refusing to be masked.

I've got the same thing going on, super high pitched and piercing. Can't just hear it, can also feel it! A running faucet or shower is the only thing that provides relief, otherwise the sound just competes with everything else. A drip unfortunately doesn't mask mine, but I'll take what I can get.

I'm four months in and while there hasn't yet been a day where I can't hear it over ambient sounds, I am having days that are softer/quieter than months ago. Have you experienced any sort of fading over the past six months? Holding on to the faith that others have had theirs go away after 12-24 months, and as far as tinnitus goes, we're still in the early stages it seems.

 

[Poseidon65]

I have definitely experienced some fading since initial onset.

For example, I had one tone which was originally the loudest one. That tone has faded to the point that I only hear it when plugging the ear.

The volume of the highest frequency tone has been harder to track, because as you say, it's more like I feel it than hear it. As a result, it's hard for me to tell if this tone is fading over time.

 

[CAgirl]

@Poseidon65 @tbuzz89

Looks like Poseidon is 6 months out and tbuzz89 is 4 months out. I am 1 month out with tinnitus the exact same way you described (ultra sharp, high-pitched and nothing masks it.) Mine was from an acoustic trauma like Poseidon. I would say 3 acoustic traumas since there were 3 blasts.

No improvements in last month. I had two days in a row where it was quieter in the morning and I was hopeful my baseline was decreasing. Then a day later (2 days ago) I woke at 3 am with the volume turned up and this spike hasn't lessened yet.

I know it could always be louder (although it's pretty loud), but the fact that there is no escape from it all day which is what drives me nuts. The pitch is just too high and piercing. I did give it the shower test last night and passed.

 

[tbuzz89]

As a result, it's hard for me to tell if this tone is fading over time.

Understand and relate to that totally. I think it's really good news if your original loudest tone has faded to the quiet room stage and the rest should follow in time. Do you still get a lot of fluctuations?

 

[tbuzz89]

No improvements in last month.

I don't think I had much, if any improvements in the first month. You're still in the very, very early days and have a chance to notice some fading in the coming months. I've noticed that my fading has been very slight, and then the bad days feel like it's back to square one. But after each bad period, the lows seems to get a little lower each time.

 

[Poseidon65]

Understand and relate to that totally. I think it's really good news if your original loudest tone has faded to the quiet room stage and the rest should follow in time. Do you still get a lot of fluctuations?

I have some good days, some bad days and some spikes. To be honest, after 6 months of this, I'm much less hopeful about my overall recovery than I was at the beginning. That said, I am still doing everything I can to facilitate a good recovery, e.g. avoiding loud places, wearing ear plugs around my 2-year-old son, etc.

 

[CAgirl]

I don't think I had much, if any improvements in the first month. You're still in the very, very early days and have a chance to notice some fading in the coming months. I've noticed that my fading has been very slight, and then the bad days feel like it's back to square one. But after each bad period, the lows seems to get a little lower each time.

@tbuzz89 Thanks for the encouragement. I sure hope I see some fading soon. Glad you've had some fading but, yes the bad days are tough. When you say lies I'm assuming you mean emotions and not volume. Don't despair! This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Have you followed up with anyone else on this thread (since it's pretty old) to see what came of their tinnitus?

 

[CAgirl]

I have some good days, some bad days and some spikes. To be honest, after 6 months of this, I'm much less hopeful about my overall recovery than I was at the beginning. That said, I am still doing everything I can to facilitate a good recovery, e.g. avoiding loud places, wearing ear plugs around my 2-year-old son, etc.

@Poseidon65 Sorry you're losing hope after 6 months. I know there are people who see improvements around the 12-18 month mark so don't despair just yet. I started putting together a list of success stories from the forum and length of time until they felt healed for anyone with acoustic traumas or with tinnitus similar to mine. I wonder if anyone else on this thread has seen improvements since it's an older thread. I just started wearing ear plugs in the car. I have a pretty vocal 4 year old myself. Wish I started wearing them at the onset of this. Even so, it's the things you don't anticipate that are annoying. For example, a hard plastic cup fell onto the tiles right in front of me. My tinnitus responded with a loud "hiss". I immediately was concerned. Ugh. It's unbelievable how I have think about things like cups falling on the kitchen floor now.

 

[volsung37]

My tinnitus had quietened to almost inaudible after several years. I honestly didn't think of it for months on end. However I am right back to square one now after vacuuming with a loud machine. Its amazing how delicate the ears can be. Tinnitus can calm considerably with time. But never take recovery for granted and if you do recover keep away from loud noise.

 

[tbuzz89]

I started putting together a list of success stories from the forum and length of time until they felt healed for anyone with acoustic traumas or with tinnitus similar to mine.

When you complete putting that together, I'm sure many people would love it if you shared that data!

Have you followed up with anyone else on this thread (since it's pretty old) to see what came of their tinnitus?

I personally have not but know there are people here who have. It would be great if there was an effective way to communicate with all of the past and present members in order to establish recovery data, but I don't think it's really possible and in many ways, may violate some moral ethics reaching out to people who have moved on and would rather not be reminded of such a bad period in their life.

 

[akirakurosawa]

Put me down as part of the high frequency head tinnitus crew. Probably running about 14.5 kHz as best I can tell. Seems to stem from NIHL in my right ear. I can not hear the high frequencies in my right ear as well as I used to be able to. I'm about 13 weeks in.

I've started rating my days on a scale of 1-5. I seem to sit at about a 3 for 3-4 days, and then I get a 1 or 2 for a couple days, then jump back up to a 3-4. I'm hopeful as time goes on that the lower days will be more and more frequent. Only time will tell. In the meantime, I have been keeping a log as suggested in the back to silence video on this site. Has helped with accepting the tinnitus.

@CAgirl Let me know if you find any head tinnitus success stories, they seem to be hard to find. Most are ear based recoveries from what I can tell.

@volungs37 That does sound amazing that you did eventually recover. Seems like it might be something that you can recover from again. Good luck!

 

[CAgirl]

@volsung37

Oh my goodness! I'm so glad that your tinnitus quieted down. But I'm so sorry that it came back after vacuuming. I hope it settles down soon! What was the original cause of your tinnitus? Was it acoustic trauma?

 

[Mattly]

I've got high frequency as well. I think it is stress related similarly as I wasn't exposed to loud noise, just woke up one day and I had it and it hasn't left since. I'm about 3.5 weeks in.

First few weeks were non stop, I then tried fasting for a few days, got lots of sleep etc. and on the 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th 12th when I started waking up I could only hear it 1 out of 10. During the day it gets a lot louder, particularly if I get worked up to maybe a 6/10. I get the feeling it is related to neuroinflammation of some sort. I have normal hearing until you get up to around 12khz+ then a little loss as expected with age (I am 47).

Last night I made the mistake of listening on headphones to a high frequency sweep from 24khz to 8khz to test my hearing and while the whole day it was very manageable 2-3/10 max after I listened to the sweep the tinnitus went to pretty much zero for the first time since I got it but I think it must have actually really agitated or deafened or increased the inflammation. Last night was pretty unbearable and had to take some stillnox to sleep. Probably a 8/10. Today has been about a 6-7/10.

Today I saw the GP and he gave me Amitriptyline to take instead of the stillnox starting at 10mg. I was pretty apprehensive given reports of it being ototoxic and causing tinnitus but I think I will try it tonight given that I think this is caused by stress.

Twice I tried a neckbrace in the last week for 1 hour and it reduce the tinnitus to the lowest it has been yet (even down to 0.5/10). Tonight however it hasn't done much. Getting a MRI to check for mechanical issues in my neck tomorrow morning. Chiro said I had 4 knots in my jaw which he massaged out which I guess is from stress.

 

[Mattly]

Last night I took the 10mg of Amitriptyline.

Had the deepest sleep I've had in a long time, extremely relaxed. No idea how anyone can take more than 10mg of this.

Woke up to a lower tone about 3/10 in my right ear which I've been noticing when I wake, it goes complete a few minutes after waking up. The 13kHz hiss however was just about unnoticeable today <1/10. It is now about 145pm and it's been great all day, about a 1/10 or less.

I'm convinced this high pitched tinnitus is linked to stress somehow. Had a MRI this morning of the brain and doing the next on Monday morning to check for mechanical issues.

Took some more prednisone at lunch. Will stop taking it in a couple of days as I don't think the steroid is doing much by itself.

I think there's some sort of neuroinflammation going on which is exacerbated by stress and possibly mechanical issue with the neck.

 

[DebInAustralia]

@Candy

Can you tell me where you got your masker please?

 

[Mattly]

Again took 10mg of Amitriptyline but didn't get any good sleep last night. Didn't want to take any more, woke up to a very quiet hiss but during the day this has gone up to an annoying 2-3/10.

 

[Poseidon65]

FWIW, here is some more information about my high-frequency tinnitus.

Trying to match the frequency put it around 14,000 Hz or 15,000 Hz. In fact, the frequency is so high than my good ear can't even hear it; only the bad ear (the one with the high-frequency tinnitus) actually hears up this high.

To be honest the volume of this high-frequency tone is pretty mild. For example, even the slowest running faucet will completely mask the sound. However, because everyday sounds are much lower frequency than a faucet, the tinnitus tends to not be masked at all. For example, I can easily hear the tinnitus while riding in a car at highway speed, or walking down a NYC street, because the frequency is so far above all other noises. As a result, it's incredibly annoying and intrusive, especially given that the tone doesn't seem very loud at all.

Even though I have 3 tones of tinnitus, 95% of my problems are from this high-frequency one.

 

[Alue]

Just saw this old thread get bumped. I have multi tone ultra high pitched tinnitus. It took me a LONG time to get used to it, but I don't notice it for most of the day now unless I'm in the middle of a spike. It took me a good 2-3 years to get to that point.

 

[Poseidon65]

Just saw this old thread get bumped. I have multi tone ultra high pitched tinnitus. It took me a LONG time to get used to it, but I don't notice it for most of the day now unless I'm in the middle of a spike. It took me a good 2-3 years to get to that point.

That is certainly encouraging!

 

[akirakurosawa]

@Alue Thanks for coming back and giving an update!

 

[Bill Arsenault]

The frequencies of My tinnitus is:
HZ14,000in right ear and
HZ13,000 Left ear.

I cannot hear any normal sounds above HZ10,000.

When I first realized I had tinnitus I could still hear a bit up to HZ14,ooo.

As my tinnitus gets progressively worse I am also slowly losing the high frequencies.

I don't struggle to hear normal sound -
and moderately loud noise environments don't seem to bother me or spike my tinnitus.

My tinnitus is severe.
I would rate it a 7 out of 10.

I can almost always notice it outdoors
unless I'm on a busy city street, Ect....

Bummed out summer is over.
Gonna miss the noise of crickets and all the other critters that help divert my attention
while sitting on the porch at night.

Outdoors in winter is very tough for me.
Not only is it so quiet- especially when it snows.
But I struggle very much with hats and hoods and anything that covers my ears in any way.

Ear Protection Is really difficult and I dont use headphones for music.
Only for masking when I'm wearing a hat or hood.

I cannot put either ear against a pillow ever,
It's really that bad.


During the 1st year I definitely did get a few months of mild HyperAcusis-
But like everyone says- it went away fortunately.

My tinnitus is definitely mostly from Ototoxicity-
But I think I was vulnerable to it because of life long cumulative dangerous noise exposure.

I had tinnitus for over a year before learning about Ototoxicity on this forum.

ENT never asked me if I was on any Meds and never mentioned Ototoxicity.

After learning about Ototoxicity-
I then still had to systematically withdraw from all of the various meds I was on.

And then after that I had to try figure out what I can take and what I can't.

A fellow forum member named Linearb,
(We are very lucky to have this guy and others like him. )
was extremely helpful during this time and even put up with my nonsense to some extent when I was absolutely convinced that all Benzos made my tinnitus worse.
Turns out that it was just Xanax that I need to avoid-
and Clonopin is perfectly fine for me to take for those times when I am struggling badly but absolutely need to be able to function.

That is a priceless option for me to have available.


I also heard something recently which made
A lot of sense to me but probably won't be what the new people really want to hear.

Habituation does not necessarily mean that you don't hear your tinnitus-
It's more about your emotional response not being so drastic during those times when you cannot escape hearing it and need to keep your head together.

Best wishes to all.

 

[Capstan]

Just saw this old thread get bumped. I have multi tone ultra high pitched tinnitus. It took me a LONG time to get used to it, but I don't notice it for most of the day now unless I'm in the middle of a spike. It took me a good 2-3 years to get to that point.

Thank you for the post. I'm in this boat with occasional ear pain. Hopefully I'll get to this point, but this is helpful. The high pitched tinnitus is still very hard to deal with for me.

 

[Poseidon65]

Has anyone had any luck in habituating to such a high-frequency tone (e.g. 14,000 Hz or higher)? If so, any tips? Really could use all the help I can get here...

 

[Ed209]

Has anyone had any luck in habituating to such a high-frequency tone (e.g. 14,000 Hz or higher)? If so, any tips? Really could use all the help I can get here...

The most prominent part of my tinnitus is in that upper range. It cuts through pretty much everything because of how high it is.

The best tip I can give you is to live your life and pretend it doesn't exist. Don't ignore it because that requires effort and attention. Do nothing. It will drive you mad but you just have to not react to it. Let it be there and go about your day.

To help this along, try to keep your mind occupied and don't allow yourself to have opportunities to sit monitoring it. This could be by starting a new hobby that requires deep concentration, or by being active and hands-on with something.

I started playing more chess, and the more challenging the games got, the more my mind would wander and get lost in the tactics. I used to do this when I had problems with my chest as well - long story.

With that said, it mainly takes time and usually lots of it if it's pretty severe like mine. You cannot simply will it to happen, and I suppose if you constantly try to make it happen, it probably won't. It's a complicated condition.

Whatever you do, do not make it the centre of your life.

 

[Poseidon65]

I started playing more chess, and the more challenging the games got, the more my mind would wander and get lost in the tactics.

Thanks for this. I also find that chess helps me for the same reason; the deep concentration distracts me from the tinnitus.