I developed tinnitus back in late January 2018. It arose from an acute viral ear infection, and I had fairly severe hyperacusis accompany it. I was on the blood pressure medication Telmisartan when the T started, and quickly got of it since it was making things worse. My doctor switched me to a beta blocker (bisoprolol) because my blood pressure and heart rate were severely elevated. The beta blocker also made things worse - it made my insomnia even worse, and it made the T louder as well. I tapered off it after a month (finished about 1.5 weeks ago). The H was only bad in indoor situations - specifically voices in closed rooms, and certain other sounds in closed spaces. Outdoor city noise, no matter how loud (sirens, loud trucks, etc), didn't bother me in the slightest.
I "hear" the sound in my head rather from a specific ear. I started out as a fairly high-pitched tone, so loud that I could perceive it over any activity, even in my noisy shower, but has it been declining over time. I've had several breaks in the T over this time. The longest was ~24 hours a few weeks ago after a Valsalva maneuver (I'd been taking a nasal steroid to reduce the inflammation).
As bad as or even worse than the T itself are the direct effects that it is having on my health are even worse. I haven't slept properly for two months, my blood pressure spiked badly, my resting heart rate is always elevated, and during any sleep that I do get, I'm sweating heavily, having small tremors, and my chest muscles are tightening to the point of pain. Other thing I've noticed and have been wondering about is that I seem to have a lot of inflammation in my cervical spine area (spine at the base of the neck). It grinds terribly either turning or nodding my head. This was never there previously, it started with the infection.
I'm wondering if the viral infection had caused widespread inflammation, beyond my ears, and into the surrounding area (spine and brain)?
In recent weeks, the T had gotten so low during most days that I don't hear it at all over a normal work day unless I'm in a very quiet space. Also, it was shutting off completely in the evening, and only coming back mid-morning. My hyperacusis was also getting better. Ears are now clear and I've stopped the steroid (my sinuses started bleeding a lot from the steroid). My sleeping had been improving slightly (less sweating and other stress symptoms), but I was still having some issues. No problem falling asleep, but I couldn't stay out more than 4-5, and occasionally 6 hours. I'd then be up for a while, and if I was very lucky, I'd get back out for a few short snatches of sleep.
This past Saturday started out well - T was low throughout the day and completely stopped in early evening. Unfortunately, I ended up having a stressful argument with my significant other, and ended up staying up late and getting quite distressed. The T made a re-appearance around midnight, and it has been there since - louder than it has been in a long time. Needless to say, my sleep for the past two nights has been severely impacted and I feel terrible - drained to the point of total exhaustion and feeling kind of hopeless. Hopefully this is just a temporary spike - I had been getting my hopes up that I would eventually be T-free...
I "hear" the sound in my head rather from a specific ear. I started out as a fairly high-pitched tone, so loud that I could perceive it over any activity, even in my noisy shower, but has it been declining over time. I've had several breaks in the T over this time. The longest was ~24 hours a few weeks ago after a Valsalva maneuver (I'd been taking a nasal steroid to reduce the inflammation).
As bad as or even worse than the T itself are the direct effects that it is having on my health are even worse. I haven't slept properly for two months, my blood pressure spiked badly, my resting heart rate is always elevated, and during any sleep that I do get, I'm sweating heavily, having small tremors, and my chest muscles are tightening to the point of pain. Other thing I've noticed and have been wondering about is that I seem to have a lot of inflammation in my cervical spine area (spine at the base of the neck). It grinds terribly either turning or nodding my head. This was never there previously, it started with the infection.
I'm wondering if the viral infection had caused widespread inflammation, beyond my ears, and into the surrounding area (spine and brain)?
In recent weeks, the T had gotten so low during most days that I don't hear it at all over a normal work day unless I'm in a very quiet space. Also, it was shutting off completely in the evening, and only coming back mid-morning. My hyperacusis was also getting better. Ears are now clear and I've stopped the steroid (my sinuses started bleeding a lot from the steroid). My sleeping had been improving slightly (less sweating and other stress symptoms), but I was still having some issues. No problem falling asleep, but I couldn't stay out more than 4-5, and occasionally 6 hours. I'd then be up for a while, and if I was very lucky, I'd get back out for a few short snatches of sleep.
This past Saturday started out well - T was low throughout the day and completely stopped in early evening. Unfortunately, I ended up having a stressful argument with my significant other, and ended up staying up late and getting quite distressed. The T made a re-appearance around midnight, and it has been there since - louder than it has been in a long time. Needless to say, my sleep for the past two nights has been severely impacted and I feel terrible - drained to the point of total exhaustion and feeling kind of hopeless. Hopefully this is just a temporary spike - I had been getting my hopes up that I would eventually be T-free...
