Catastrophic Tinnitus Worsening After 7 Years — Caused by a Kiss on the Ear

[Stacken77]

I'm truly sorry to hear about this, @Theezy. I'm finding myself in a similar situation where increases are being stacked in my left ear. I don't think this is the normal reactive tinnitus (which I have in my right ear), but instead, maybe we are truly incurring more damage from these events?

I'd use as much hearing protection as possible all the time. You might develop a tiny bit of loudness hyperacusis but it's a good price to pay if it slows down the worsening of your tinnitus.

I agree that hearing protection should be implemented to a greater extent. The sound therapy should be discontinued entirely in my opinion. However, that "tiny bit of loudness hyperacusis" can grow incredibly severe if one decide to implement hearing protection 24/7 for many consecutive months, I am an example of that. If it is possible, I'd recommend using hearing protection completely in the daytime while sleeping without protection in a quiet room, that way there will be a few hours every day with at least some high frequency input from the ambience.

 

[Sammy0225]

I'm so sad guys. Although my symptoms continued to slowly worsen, I was beginning to feel more in control mentally. I started to have some hope, and I have been feeling healthier overall between eating healthy, working out, and keeping the mind in check with hobbies, family, friends, and faith.

However, my tinnitus has been skyrocketing and even adding new tones over the past day. I thought this morning was already as bad as it could get, but then 2 hours ago I accidentally shut a door too hard and that was all it took to send my already delicate ears haywire.

This is by far the worst my tinnitus has ever been and I feel completely strung out. I had to have a half glass of whiskey to even settle down enough to type this. I know I can habituate as I do it over and over. But guys, I don't think any human can take worsening after worsening like this. And each time is harder than this last especially in the acute first days since it gets harder to mask. I'd have to listen to sounds at a dangerous level to mask this current level. Excuse the word vomit, I feel so destroyed after starting to build hope and now at my lowest.

Now that the venting is over, here is a more objective summary of what I have done, in case anyone can help provide guidance. I moved from my noisy city apartment to my parents suburban home almost 3 months ago after the initial sharp increase in an attempt to give my auditory system a chance to rest. Early on I realized that everyday sounds such as dropping silverware on the granite counter caused an objective increase in my tinnitus.

Basically the pattern seems to be it spikes hard for a few days after the initial exposure, and then it tapers off to a level slightly higher than the previous baseline. These events have been happening about once a week, sometimes multiple times a week. They all stack so my tinnitus now is much worse than the beginning of this ordeal. These events led me to lean towards overprotection (and not visa versa) by spending nearly all my time indoors and mostly in my room (I work remotely). I do not wear earplugs or earmuffs at all regularly unless I need to do something with potential for hazardous noise such as unloading the dishwasher. While working I often play podcasts or audiobooks to have some background noise. White/pink noise always aggravates my tinnitus and is honestly uncomfortable at almost any audible level. I still try to do a little bit of pink noise, maybe only half an hour total listening each day. I plan to ramp up the pink noise time once I start to get some traction, but with these constant setbacks I cant bear it for long. I know one camp says I need to push the sound exposure, and another will say to isolate. I try to go somewhere in the middle but my sound tolerance has gotten so low. The tinnitus and hyperacusis have sharp spikes from the accidental noise exposures, and then everything is more sensitive and I can't handle the sound as much thus a vicious cycle.

Today it feels like I have hit an escape velocity where there is no return. I am hopeful it doesn't feel like this in a couple days let alone a week, but the trend is terrifying. And regardless, I am in so much agony right now. It will be hard enough to make it through tonight and the coming days like this. I feel broken tonight - I could use advice, recommendations, or simply some empathy. Thank you if you read all this, it's a lot

We are here for you man. Don't give up. I promise there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, just hang in there.

It sounds like your ears are very over sensitive like someone mentioned before me. Please hold off on sound therapy from any type of audio from speakers. If you want to gradually desensitize, I would recommend natural noise. This is going to sound strange but I used running water from the tap for sound therapy. My ears used to feel like someone scratching on a chalkboard from running water, but now they have adapted. Early on I used speakers and that was my mistake; even at low volume my ears weren't ready to handle it.

It will get better.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I'd use as much hearing protection as possible all the time. You might develop a tiny bit of loudness hyperacusis but it's a good price to pay if it slows down the worsening of your tinnitus.

I would have to disagree with this advice (but I respect your opinion). Just talking from personal experience. When you stop letting sound in, the auditory system will become so oversensitive that it can make things more difficult over time.

Unless you have some sort of extreme pain hyperacusis that gives you physical pain (stabbing pain in ears and such), I would never advise anyone to protect their hearing whenever and wherever.

Taking breaks from sound is one thing, but there is no danger at all to for instance having a low, just audible background sound. Your brain should have some sounds to process. In my experience the tinnitus will be even louder when protecting "too much", in addition to more sensitive ears.

But what I do think is right is to take one step back when needed. And find your own balance - whatever works for you.

When we are capable of breaking the cycle of worsening or the feeling that everything keeps getting worse and worse, that's when it could slowly start to get better. This is not an easy task though, and may also involve the need for counseling/therapy to get that "toolbox" needed.

 

[SmallRonnie]

I'm so sad guys. Although my symptoms continued to slowly worsen, I was beginning to feel more in control mentally. I started to have some hope, and I have been feeling healthier overall between eating healthy, working out, and keeping the mind in check with hobbies, family, friends, and faith.

However, my tinnitus has been skyrocketing and even adding new tones over the past day. I thought this morning was already as bad as it could get, but then 2 hours ago I accidentally shut a door too hard and that was all it took to send my already delicate ears haywire.

This is by far the worst my tinnitus has ever been and I feel completely strung out. I had to have a half glass of whiskey to even settle down enough to type this. I know I can habituate as I do it over and over. But guys, I don't think any human can take worsening after worsening like this. And each time is harder than this last especially in the acute first days since it gets harder to mask. I'd have to listen to sounds at a dangerous level to mask this current level. Excuse the word vomit, I feel so destroyed after starting to build hope and now at my lowest.

Now that the venting is over, here is a more objective summary of what I have done, in case anyone can help provide guidance. I moved from my noisy city apartment to my parents suburban home almost 3 months ago after the initial sharp increase in an attempt to give my auditory system a chance to rest. Early on I realized that everyday sounds such as dropping silverware on the granite counter caused an objective increase in my tinnitus.

Basically the pattern seems to be it spikes hard for a few days after the initial exposure, and then it tapers off to a level slightly higher than the previous baseline. These events have been happening about once a week, sometimes multiple times a week. They all stack so my tinnitus now is much worse than the beginning of this ordeal. These events led me to lean towards overprotection (and not visa versa) by spending nearly all my time indoors and mostly in my room (I work remotely). I do not wear earplugs or earmuffs at all regularly unless I need to do something with potential for hazardous noise such as unloading the dishwasher. While working I often play podcasts or audiobooks to have some background noise. White/pink noise always aggravates my tinnitus and is honestly uncomfortable at almost any audible level. I still try to do a little bit of pink noise, maybe only half an hour total listening each day. I plan to ramp up the pink noise time once I start to get some traction, but with these constant setbacks I cant bear it for long. I know one camp says I need to push the sound exposure, and another will say to isolate. I try to go somewhere in the middle but my sound tolerance has gotten so low. The tinnitus and hyperacusis have sharp spikes from the accidental noise exposures, and then everything is more sensitive and I can't handle the sound as much thus a vicious cycle.

Today it feels like I have hit an escape velocity where there is no return. I am hopeful it doesn't feel like this in a couple days let alone a week, but the trend is terrifying. And regardless, I am in so much agony right now. It will be hard enough to make it through tonight and the coming days like this. I feel broken tonight - I could use advice, recommendations, or simply some empathy. Thank you if you read all this, it's a lot

As others have said, if the pink noise is aggravating your ears, then you need to stop it. Try wearing earmuffs 24/7 for a couple of weeks and see how that works instead. Some people heal much better with silence as opposed to sound therapy.

Eventually, some sound therapy could be helpful but right now it only seems to be making you worse so drop it. Many people have only made their situations much worse by using sound therapy when they are finding it uncomfortable.

Some people like Michael Leigh have good intentions and tell people they need to do sound therapy to get better but for some people, this is terrible advice.

For me personally, if I have a bad setback, then I do less sound therapy and I recover quicker with more silence. At least try it out if you haven't already. People say you will get too sensitive to noise by doing this but that is not always the case and it depends on the time frame. A month of pure silence is what a lot of people need to recover and from then on sound therapy can be reintroduced.

 

[Tweaker]

I'm so sad guys. Although my symptoms continued to slowly worsen, I was beginning to feel more in control mentally. I started to have some hope, and I have been feeling healthier overall between eating healthy, working out, and keeping the mind in check with hobbies, family, friends, and faith.

However, my tinnitus has been skyrocketing and even adding new tones over the past day. I thought this morning was already as bad as it could get, but then 2 hours ago I accidentally shut a door too hard and that was all it took to send my already delicate ears haywire.

This is by far the worst my tinnitus has ever been and I feel completely strung out. I had to have a half glass of whiskey to even settle down enough to type this. I know I can habituate as I do it over and over. But guys, I don't think any human can take worsening after worsening like this. And each time is harder than this last especially in the acute first days since it gets harder to mask. I'd have to listen to sounds at a dangerous level to mask this current level. Excuse the word vomit, I feel so destroyed after starting to build hope and now at my lowest.

Now that the venting is over, here is a more objective summary of what I have done, in case anyone can help provide guidance. I moved from my noisy city apartment to my parents suburban home almost 3 months ago after the initial sharp increase in an attempt to give my auditory system a chance to rest. Early on I realized that everyday sounds such as dropping silverware on the granite counter caused an objective increase in my tinnitus.

Basically the pattern seems to be it spikes hard for a few days after the initial exposure, and then it tapers off to a level slightly higher than the previous baseline. These events have been happening about once a week, sometimes multiple times a week. They all stack so my tinnitus now is much worse than the beginning of this ordeal. These events led me to lean towards overprotection (and not visa versa) by spending nearly all my time indoors and mostly in my room (I work remotely). I do not wear earplugs or earmuffs at all regularly unless I need to do something with potential for hazardous noise such as unloading the dishwasher. While working I often play podcasts or audiobooks to have some background noise. White/pink noise always aggravates my tinnitus and is honestly uncomfortable at almost any audible level. I still try to do a little bit of pink noise, maybe only half an hour total listening each day. I plan to ramp up the pink noise time once I start to get some traction, but with these constant setbacks I cant bear it for long. I know one camp says I need to push the sound exposure, and another will say to isolate. I try to go somewhere in the middle but my sound tolerance has gotten so low. The tinnitus and hyperacusis have sharp spikes from the accidental noise exposures, and then everything is more sensitive and I can't handle the sound as much thus a vicious cycle.

Today it feels like I have hit an escape velocity where there is no return. I am hopeful it doesn't feel like this in a couple days let alone a week, but the trend is terrifying. And regardless, I am in so much agony right now. It will be hard enough to make it through tonight and the coming days like this. I feel broken tonight - I could use advice, recommendations, or simply some empathy. Thank you if you read all this, it's a lot

Theezy, hang in there. Avoid noises that aggravate your tinnitus and hyperacusis. That makes the most sense. Try to get out in nature listening to natural birdsong. For me, this always helps. Although recently even walking outdoors has made my tinnitus louder when I return home, I will refuse to remain indoors. I avoid road noise and try to walk in wooded areas. Not sure what your surroundings are like but just being in the woods with nature can be very calming and healing. The past 2 months have been torture for me but I keep hopeful for healing of mind. Hope you improve soon.

 

[Alue]

I hate to be a downer but I think I may now be one of the most severe tinnitus cases on here. As someone who had mild tinnitus for years I would have never thought tinnitus could get this bad.

There is no use comparing, but there are a number of people on here that have been dealing with catastrophic tinnitus and hyperacusis for years. My tinnitus keeps getting worse as well, and hyperacusis never fully went away.

I also feel nerve and facial pain around my ears. Every little noise exposure is a setback and leads to greater susceptibility for another noise exposure.

If you are having facial pain, have you looked into trying Carbamazepine? It is sometimes used for trigeminal neuralgia, but also seems to help with very specific types of tinnitus like typewriter tinnitus.

 

[Theezy]

Theezy, hang in there. Avoid noises that aggravate your tinnitus and hyperacusis. That makes the most sense. Try to get out in nature listening to natural birdsong. For me, this always helps. Although recently even walking outdoors has made my tinnitus louder when I return home, I will refuse to remain indoors. I avoid road noise and try to walk in wooded areas. Not sure what your surroundings are like but just being in the woods with nature can be very calming and healing. The past 2 months have been torture for me but I keep hopeful for healing of mind. Hope you improve soon.

Thanks for the message, I have not even been going on walks for a while now. My escapes are tying flies (for fly fishing), watching shows at very low volume, setting up a new aquarium, and now the occasional video game with low or no volume.

It doesn't make sense that sounds I have felt comfortable allowing myself get exposed to begin to worsen my symptoms. Today I opened a crinkly ziploc bag and that specific sound caused my right ear to flutter/spasm and then spike hard which has not calmed down at all over the past few hours - trust me it's as unbelievable to me as it is to those reading this. It's very difficult to see how progress is possible when an everyday incident like this can set me back so far. Here's the general pattern:

1) Tinnitus and hyperacusis worsen from sound exposure
2) Tinnitus and hyperacusis are now more sensitive
3) Tinnitus and hyperacusis worsen from an even lesser sound exposure

This is the definition of a vicious cycle, and it's at the point where things such as a ziploc bag can spike everything and wipe out days/weeks of careful progress I don't see how it's possible to get out.

 

[Theezy]

There is no use comparing, but there are a number of people on here that have been dealing with catastrophic tinnitus and hyperacusis for years. My tinnitus keeps getting worse as well, and hyperacusis never fully went away.

If you are having facial pain, have you looked into trying Carbamazepine? It is sometimes used for trigeminal neuralgia, but also seems to help with very specific types of tinnitus like typewriter tinnitus.

Thanks Alue! Yes agreed there are some plenty of real warriors on this site, and their stories are one of the things that help keep me going. However, in this current spiral it is worsening at such a quick rate and at such hair trigger sensitivity that it seems impossible to get off this ride. It gets worse everyday, and I already thought it was at catastrophic levels weeks/months ago. I'm terrified to be honest. At this point I don't even need the tinnitus and hyperacusis to get better, I just need them to not keep getting worse!

I have heard of Carbamazepine and it's intriguing, although my current chief complaint is the hair-trigger hyperacusis and addition of tinnitus tones/volume. The pain has not increased in sync with the hyperacusis or tinnitus strangely enough. I swear biocurcumin has helped with the burning in my case.

 

[Theezy]

As others have said, if the pink noise is aggravating your ears, then you need to stop it. Try wearing earmuffs 24/7 for a couple of weeks and see how that works instead. Some people heal much better with silence as opposed to sound therapy.

Eventually, some sound therapy could be helpful but right now it only seems to be making you worse so drop it. Many people have only made their situations much worse by using sound therapy when they are finding it uncomfortable.

Some people like Michael Leigh have good intentions and tell people they need to do sound therapy to get better but for some people, this is terrible advice.

For me personally, if I have a bad setback, then I do less sound therapy and I recover quicker with more silence. At least try it out if you haven't already. People say you will get too sensitive to noise by doing this but that is not always the case and it depends on the time frame. A month of pure silence is what a lot of people need to recover and from then on sound therapy can be reintroduced.

Thanks for the reply, I only really do sound therapy as much as I feel totally comfortable with, and I do not feel my current use of it (not much at all) has been the culprit for worsening things. My sharp increases almost always seem to be the result of accidental everyday noise exposures. These started with louder events such as dropping silverware on granite or a noisy dinner party. Over the past months it has taken less and less, so now noises such as letting a door handle click after shutting it, ice cubes dropping in a glass, and even a crinkly bag have worsened my tinnitus and hyperacusis. This trend has already brought me to the point of isolating from noise by hardly leaving my room let alone the house.

If I knew whether I needed more or less sound exposure it would be so nice, but it seems like either way causes damage. Too much sound certainly does serious harm, but I am afraid that wearing hearing protection constantly will worsen my sound tolerance even further. The proper middle ground has been impossible to find... I worry about going too far with constant noise protection. My sound tolerance is already so low.

 

[Alue]

Thanks Alue! Yes agreed there are some plenty of real warriors on this site, and their stories are one of the things that help keep me going. However, in this current spiral it is worsening at such a quick rate and at such hair trigger sensitivity that it seems impossible to get off this ride. It gets worse everyday, and I already thought it was at catastrophic levels weeks/months ago. I'm terrified to be honest. At this point I don't even need the tinnitus and hyperacusis to get better, I just need them to not keep getting worse!

I have heard of Carbamazepine and it's intriguing, although my current chief complaint is the hair-trigger hyperacusis and addition of tinnitus tones/volume. The pain has not increased in sync with the hyperacusis or tinnitus strangely enough. I swear biocurcumin has helped with the burning in my case.

I'm currently considering Carbamazepine, but the side effects scare me a bit. I've tried all sorts of other drugs over the years.

I agree with you about stopping it from getting worse. If my tinnitus never got worse and I didn't have persistent hyperacusis, I think I would have completely moved on by now. I keep adding on new tones too.

Have you had an extended high frequency hearing test?

 

[Jupiterman]

If I knew whether I needed more or less sound exposure it would be so nice, but it seems like either way causes damage. Too much sound certainly does serious harm, but I am afraid that wearing hearing protection constantly will worsen my sound tolerance even further. The proper middle ground has been impossible to find... I worry about going too far with constant noise protection. My sound tolerance is already so low.

It is possible you have no 'middle ground' just now, that the two (bandwidth) options of overprotecting and exposure are currently overlapping each other?

The safe thing to do, until things calm, is to overprotect. You can always deal with your drop in sound tolerance later.

 

[SmallRonnie]

The proper middle ground has been impossible to find

I've had this issue recently too. It's very frustrating. I wouldn't be worried about using too much hearing protection as long as it's not for too long. Again, very vague but everyone is different.

I'd try it out and see if you then can build up slowly from a stronger base. Maybe even just a week or two of wearing earmuffs 24/7 would be enough rest for your ears. Then slowly go back to sound.

I know it seems like things are never going to improve but you will have better days in the future no matter how bad you are now.

 

[Theezy]

My tinnitus has been the loudest it's ever been the past few days, and there's new shrill high pitched tones like shearing metal. To add another crazy cause to my list - I think it was partially from holding in a sneeze a couple days ago, and I heard some air squeal out my Eustachian tube. It could also be flaring up from having family around for the holidays, although they're pretty good about keeping the noise low. I hate how these conditions can make me feel drained and isolated from people I care about.

I was actually doing pretty well mentally for the previous week, but of course that seems to be when my symptoms pounce to remind me how bad they can get. I'm also feeling some of the nerve pain and noxacusis along with ear fullness. Really sucks to have felt a glimpse of long sought progress only to be thrown even further down. I really hope this settles, but history tells me I likely have an even more miserable baseline now. Taking NAC and ALA in case they can help at all.

Going to try to enjoy the rest of the holidays with family at home, but I needed to vent first/document another worsening. Merry Christmas everyone! Hope everyone's enjoying the holidays and hopefully getting some distraction from your symptoms!

 

[Jupiterman]

I think it was partially from holding in a sneeze a couple days ago, and I heard some air squeal out my Eustachian tube.

Some people sneeze very loudly and this can affect tinnitus.

If you feel an urge to sneeze, do these two things at the same time QUICKLY!

1. Plug your ears with your fingers.
2. Stop breathing.

Then wait up to 20 seconds. Your nose should then naturally stifle the sneeze urge.

Once you are satisfied you no longer have an urge to sneeze, put on a pair of earmuffs. You can then use a tissue/handkerchief to gently clear your nose (not sudden bursts of air but gradual increases then decreases of force). Once you have cleared the debris from your nose and the sneeze urge is completely gone, you can then remove earmuffs.

Step (a) is in case you don't manage to prevent the sneeze, at least your ears are protected, limiting potential damage.

To do this procedure correctly requires you to override the natural urge to grasp your nose in the event of sensing a potential sneeze coming.

It may be advisable to practise this procedure a few times.

 

[Tweaker]

My tinnitus has been the loudest it's ever been the past few days, and there's new shrill high pitched tones like shearing metal. To add another crazy cause to my list - I think it was partially from holding in a sneeze a couple days ago, and I heard some air squeal out my Eustachian tube. It could also be flaring up from having family around for the holidays, although they're pretty good about keeping the noise low. I hate how these conditions can make me feel drained and isolated from people I care about.

I was actually doing pretty well mentally for the previous week, but of course that seems to be when my symptoms pounce to remind me how bad they can get. I'm also feeling some of the nerve pain and noxacusis along with ear fullness. Really sucks to have felt a glimpse of long sought progress only to be thrown even further down. I really hope this settles, but history tells me I likely have an even more miserable baseline now. Taking NAC and ALA in case they can help at all.

Going to try to enjoy the rest of the holidays with family at home, but I needed to vent first/document another worsening. Merry Christmas everyone! Hope everyone's enjoying the holidays and hopefully getting some distraction from your symptoms!

My tinnitus has spiked badly. Christmas Day was too noisy for me with 14 people. I wasn't expecting such a bad increase in tinnitus loudness but it has been very reactive since COVID-19. Hoping it improves but my tinnitus is literally screaming after what would be a normal Christmas for normal people.

 

[Theezy]

My tinnitus has spiked badly. Christmas Day was too noisy for me with 14 people. I wasn't expecting such a bad increase in tinnitus loudness but it has been very reactive since COVID-19. Hoping it improves but my tinnitus is literally screaming after what would be a normal Christmas for normal people.

I'm sorry to hear that man. It's so frustrating when things we enjoy spike it. I hope you had an otherwise enjoyable time with your family and that the spike settles down quickly.

 

[Theezy]

Some people sneeze very loudly and this can affect tinnitus.

If you feel an urge to sneeze, do these two things at the same time QUICKLY!

1. Plug your ears with your fingers.
2. Stop breathing.

Then wait up to 20 seconds. Your nose should then naturally stifle the sneeze urge.

Once you are satisfied you no longer have an urge to sneeze, put on a pair of earmuffs. You can then use a tissue/handkerchief to gently clear your nose (not sudden bursts of air but gradual increases then decreases of force). Once you have cleared the debris from your nose and the sneeze urge is completely gone, you can then remove earmuffs.

Step (a) is in case you don't manage to prevent the sneeze, at least your ears are protected, limiting potential damage.

To do this procedure correctly requires you to override the natural urge to grasp your nose in the event of sensing a potential sneeze coming.

It may be advisable to practise this procedure a few times.

Thanks. Now I try to stop it by holding my breath, and if I have to, I'll sneeze into my elbow which seems to muffle it a lot. Not going to try to hold one in again since it seems that has the most potential for ear damage.

 

[Theezy]

My experience continues to be endlessly absurd and hopeless by design, so I will do what I can; I will write about it. This has basically become my personal tinnitus journal to connect with others going through tough similar situations or the off chance that some patient reader puts pieces together and has an insight I'm missing. Context is still I'm housebound with severe tinnitus and hyperacusis, weathering endless tinnitus worsenings. Here's my latest one:

Due to an incident last Thursday night, I'm experiencing my largest increase since this all began. As a result, my low pitched hum has grown to fill my whole head, and now it's somehow more intrusive than my high pitched tone(s), which of course also got much worse. I additionally got new mid tone noises that sound something like a dull buzzing fire alarm. I had a day of burning ear and facial pain.

What was the incident that caused all this? A nightclub with no hearing protection? Backyard firing practice with a .50 cal? Neither of those are correct…

I bit an almond. I was eating green beans coated with almond shavings, and as I bit into one it snapped. My back left molars clamped shut hard on my left side in such a way that felt quite harsh. It didn't feel great on the chompers, and my good pal hyperacusis didn't like the loud clacking sound too much either. But I didn't think too much of it and proceeded to watch a movie.

I find myself starting to get absorbed in the movie (Scream, 2022); TV at night has been a great solace for me during these past months. But suddenly my concentration is broken as I notice a loud rumbling in my left ear. For a split second I naively think it may be something outside, but then I quickly realize I'm hearing a loud, low pitched tinnitus, similar to one I've heard before but much more powerful. I tried to go back to watching Scream, but the spiking tinnitus was very distracting- even more so than a knife wielding killer. After the movie, I hoped to sleep off the spike. Unfortunately the next morning it was even stronger, and the day was mostly miserable with intense facial pain on the affected side. Since then, at least most of the pain has subsided, but the tinnitus has gradually ramped up even more to a new baseline over the following days.

The new tinnitus set in within 15-20 minutes of that almond bite, and it's on the same side of my face as the bite which is usually the less active tinnitus/hyperacusis side. I wonder if the clacking sound or the impact of the bite itself was damaging to my fragile ear/auditory system. If you have a theory I'd love to hear because it makes little sense to me. All I know is things went from beyond bad to beyond-beyond bad again.

Only the absurdity of this experience rivals it's agony; no one should have trauma involving an almond. Maybe if you're deathly allergic to nuts.

 

[Jupiterman]

Have you had issues with chomping or chewing before? If you have, then this could be a somatic issue with your jaw.

On the other hand, it could simply be the sound passing from mouth to inner ear.

Either way; eating softer foods may be a good idea.

 

[DeanD]

My experience continues to be endlessly absurd and hopeless by design, so I will do what I can; I will write about it. This has basically become my personal tinnitus journal to connect with others going through tough similar situations or the off chance that some patient reader puts pieces together and has an insight I'm missing. Context is still I'm housebound with severe tinnitus and hyperacusis, weathering endless tinnitus worsenings. Here's my latest one:

Due to an incident last Thursday night, I'm experiencing my largest increase since this all began. As a result, my low pitched hum has grown to fill my whole head, and now it's somehow more intrusive than my high pitched tone(s), which of course also got much worse. I additionally got new mid tone noises that sound something like a dull buzzing fire alarm. I had a day of burning ear and facial pain.

What was the incident that caused all this? A nightclub with no hearing protection? Backyard firing practice with a .50 cal? Neither of those are correct…

I bit an almond. I was eating green beans coated with almond shavings, and as I bit into one it snapped. My back left molars clamped shut hard on my left side in such a way that felt quite harsh. It didn't feel great on the chompers, and my good pal hyperacusis didn't like the loud clacking sound too much either. But I didn't think too much of it and proceeded to watch a movie.

I find myself starting to get absorbed in the movie (Scream, 2022); TV at night has been a great solace for me during these past months. But suddenly my concentration is broken as I notice a loud rumbling in my left ear. For a split second I naively think it may be something outside, but then I quickly realize I'm hearing a loud, low pitched tinnitus, similar to one I've heard before but much more powerful. I tried to go back to watching Scream, but the spiking tinnitus was very distracting- even more so than a knife wielding killer. After the movie, I hoped to sleep off the spike. Unfortunately the next morning it was even stronger, and the day was mostly miserable with intense facial pain on the affected side. Since then, at least most of the pain has subsided, but the tinnitus has gradually ramped up even more to a new baseline over the following days.

The new tinnitus set in within 15-20 minutes of that almond bite, and it's on the same side of my face as the bite which is usually the less active tinnitus/hyperacusis side. I wonder if the clacking sound or the impact of the bite itself was damaging to my fragile ear/auditory system. If you have a theory I'd love to hear because it makes little sense to me. All I know is things went from beyond bad to beyond-beyond bad again.

Only the absurdity of this experience rivals it's agony; no one should have trauma involving an almond. Maybe if you're deathly allergic to nuts.

Were you wearing hearing protection at the time?

I get this too when I eat crunchy foods.

 

[Lane]

things went from beyond bad to beyond-beyond bad again.

Hi @Theezy -- Sorry to hear how things have taken another turn for the worse. I just made a POST of a testimonial by a woman (on an ME/CFS website) who found some relief from intense hyperacusis with Amisulpride. I'm normally very hesitant to use any kind of drug, but do believe they have their place in extreme circumstances. I guess something for you to consider. -- Take care!

 

[Theezy]

Were you wearing hearing protection at the time?

I get this too when I eat crunchy foods.

I was not wearing any hearing protection, probably would have been much worse with the occlusion effect. It's crazy to me how much my tinnitus has spiked and the addition of this new blaring foghorn in my left ear. It's almost like the bite jostled my inner ear or something.

 

[Theezy]

Hi @Theezy -- Sorry to hear how things have taken another turn for the worse. I just made a POST of a testimonial by a woman (on an ME/CFS website) who found some relief from intense hyperacusis with Amisulpride. I'm normally very hesitant to use any kind of drug, but do believe they have their place in extreme circumstances. I guess something for you to consider. -- Take care!

Thank you. I will definitely look into that, and I'll report back if I end up trying that. I appreciate the suggestion!

 

[Theezy]

Have you had issues with chomping or chewing before? If you have, then this could be a somatic issue with your jaw.

On the other hand, it could simply be the sound passing from mouth to inner ear.

Either way; eating softer foods may be a good idea.

I haven't had any red flags for jaw issues specifically. I sometimes clench and grind my teeth in sleep, but I have not really had the classic signs of TMJ. I think it must have been the harsh vibration combined with the internal noise. It is unbelievable to me how bad it's been since this seemingly innocuous incident, sounds like my whole house is rumbling with this low tone. New record for worst spike/increase yet. Who would have thought.

 

[Theezy]

Let's be honest, most people with tinnitus can get better with TRT or time alone.

There's a subset who get worse from sound therapy. This is even mentioned in the TRT book (as category 4 patients) from Jastreboff himself, I read it. With the diversity of diseases that can create tinnitus as a symptom of course there's no one-size-fits-all answer. There must be a small subset of sufferers who are plagued with degenerative inner ear conditions for whom nothing can currently help. I will make it my mission to contribute to this research.

My once extremely rich life has lost all meaning slowly and then suddenly against my will as my condition deteriorated and modern medicine has zero solutions. I believe the only way forward is to dedicate my life to this. It's impossible to understand this level of chronic suffering unless you experience it. If your tinnitus isn't pounding your head so hard that your body physically shakes you have no clue how bad it can be. There is no limit to its progression if you have the right condition. Because the suffering is so great, we have the opportunity to advance knowledge and treatments in such a critically overlooked field. If I am suffering like this, how greatly are others suffering?

I work in clinical trials as a biostatistician; if you know any tinnitus or regenerative hearing companies that are hiring, let me know. That is the only work I can care about right now.

 

[momus]

Working remote from home may be part of the problem. For me, getting out and about outdoors and in nature works well. Sitting in front of a computer is an extremely unhealthy thing to do. I try to limit my time doing that, but the best thing (for me) is to have a full to-do list every day of the week. That and an attitude that at 71, or at any age actually, tomorrow could be my last day on earth. Live it and make it important, because it IS important. Our time on this earth is very limited for all of us, I can't just put things on the back burner.

Rain or shine, I get out and am active. Throwing my car away 30 years ago was one of the best things I ever did. I've rode bikes and taken public transit since then, w/ the occasional Uper or Lyft ride if transit isn't going to get me where I need to go. W/o a car, I HAVE to be active. Riding the bike is keeping me fit, and w/ the new eBikes, which are very inexpensive, I can get out much farther than on the pedal bikes. This also means I need to live in cities where there are no crazy cold winters, which is fine as I don't like cold.

You might want to limit your time here too. This website is a lifesaver, and I am very grateful to have found it, but anything that brings our attention to our tinnitus is just going to temporarily make it worse. The most important thing in my life is having a full, meaningful life. A walk in the rain w/ a friend is a very meaningful thing. Just being present in-the-moment is a gift, life isn't about possessions or accomplishments, although we do need goals. Years ago I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said "Life is so much better now that I gave up hope". Some people see this as negative, but it is joyfully positive. Hoping never accomplished one single thing. We have to actually do something to make our lives better. Life is about action, not hoping.

That car that had the bumper sticker was old and all beat up, but the driver was smiling. He wasn't hoping to be happy, he was happy.

 

[Diego LR]

Working remote from home may be part of the problem. For me, getting out and about outdoors and in nature works well. Sitting in front of a computer is an extremely unhealthy thing to do. I try to limit my time doing that, but the best thing (for me) is to have a full to-do list every day of the week. That and an attitude that at 71, or at any age actually, tomorrow could be my last day on earth. Live it and make it important, because it IS important. Our time on this earth is very limited for all of us, I can't just put things on the back burner.

Rain or shine, I get out and am active. Throwing my car away 30 years ago was one of the best things I ever did. I've rode bikes and taken public transit since then, w/ the occasional Uper or Lyft ride if transit isn't going to get me where I need to go. W/o a car, I HAVE to be active. Riding the bike is keeping me fit, and w/ the new eBikes, which are very inexpensive, I can get out much farther than on the pedal bikes. This also means I need to live in cities where there are no crazy cold winters, which is fine as I don't like cold.

You might want to limit your time here too. This website is a lifesaver, and I am very grateful to have found it, but anything that brings our attention to our tinnitus is just going to temporarily make it worse. The most important thing in my life is having a full, meaningful life. A walk in the rain w/ a friend is a very meaningful thing. Just being present in-the-moment is a gift, life isn't about possessions or accomplishments, although we do need goals. Years ago I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said "Life is so much better now that I gave up hope". Some people see this as negative, but it is joyfully positive. Hoping never accomplished one single thing. We have to actually do something to make our lives better. Life is about action, not hoping.

That car that had the bumper sticker was old and all beat up, but the driver was smiling. He wasn't hoping to be happy, he was happy.

I hope that you realise that your comments are unfair, it is like telling someone on a wheelchair that it is unhealthy not to go for a run.

 

[Lane]

I hope that you realise that your comments are unfair, it is like telling someone on a wheelchair that it is unhealthy not to go for a run.

Hi @Diego LR -- I actually very much liked her comments. "Perhaps" you'll think differently when you're 71.

 

[volterra]

Hi @Diego LR -- I actually very much liked her comments. "Perhaps" you'll think differently when you're 71.

Don't you think it's out of place in this thread? @Theezy can't go for walks.

 

[Lane]

Don't you think it's out of place in this thread? @Theezy can't go for walks.

For me, getting out and about outdoors and in nature works well. ... the best thing (for me) is to have a full to-do list every day of the week. That and an attitude that at 71, or at any age actually, tomorrow could be my last day on earth. Live it and make it important, because it IS important. Our time on this earth is very limited for all of us, I can't just put things on the back burner.

Hi @volterra -- If you look carefully at @momus's post, she twice emphasized "for me". I got no impression she was trying to force her attitudes or perspectives on anyone else. She talked about what worked "for her", and I appreciated her sharing her thoughts, which I could very much relate to.

There's a saying we should have compassion for all, because everybody carries their own burden. It seems carrying a burden is a universal human experience. It depends on each of us to meet our challenges the best way we can. I think one of the most important things we can do, even during times of loss, is cultivate an attitude of gratitude for what we still have, which has been especially helpful for me.

Everybody's combination of challenges are different, such as in @Theezy's case, being unable to go for a walk (amongst so many other things he's dealing with). But I'll bet he's been able to find at least one (or a few things) he can do that helps him surmount his current difficulties that others cannot do--if only on a temporary basis.

Perhaps he can read, whereas many on this forum find tinnitus too intrusive to read anymore. Perhaps he can listen to music at low volume, whereas many on this forum can no longer do that. Perhaps he can go to places in nature that can give him a bit of a respite from his enormous challenges.

I guess the point I'm trying to make (and perhaps @momus as well), is that no matter how difficult things may become, there's almost always things we can do that help make (or keep) life meaningful. @momus's post was filled with her sharing things that gives her life meaning, things she's grateful for, and a philosophy (spirituality) she's incorporated in her life to live by. I thought it was great.