Hello all,
I thought I'd post my story here, maybe get a bit of clarity and much needed sanity as to what has been going on.
So I've had tinnitus for a long time now, 1998 in fact. I'm a musician, been in bands and spent my youth in raves, gigs, band practices. Need I say more.
In short, for much of that time I only noticed it at night or in a quiet environment. At first it drove me mad, then I got used to it and forgot about it. Much easier, when you don't hear it during that day. I took care of my ears, wearing earplugs when necessary. Still playing music, but not that loud.
Up to 2016, I had three spikes where I heard the noise during the day. Lasted maybe 1-3 weeks each time. The first spike and second spike were awful but subsided. The last spike was in 2012, and I wasn't affected by it at all. I recognized its tone, the way it felt and knew it would go.
Then in 2016 things started to change a little. The funny thing is I was just telling a friend that year, how my tinnitus was practically unnoticeable and had been for a while. Then I came off of a short flight, and noticed that the ringing in my right ear had increased. OK, I thought, not the first time my tinnitus has played up after a flight. But the increase became permanent. Mainly at night still.
The following year, I was introduced to the world of pulsatile tinnitus. Again only at night, but that wasn't fun. That actually went away after a couple of years, and I'm pretty sure it was related to neck/shoulder tension.
Two months ago, I've had the most severe spike I've ever had. It coincided with a stressful occurrence, and chronic neck stiffness. Now the last three spikes had the same tone, in fact the first 19 years of my tinnitus have had the same tone, but this one sounds completely different. Also, I can hear it no matter how loud my surroundings.
I though it would just clear up after a few weeks again, but at the eight week mark I'm starting to fear that this is my new normal.
I've read up on tinnitus spikes, seems that they can indeed last months. But it is a bit of a concern. Tried one session of acupuncture, that actually eased it out for a day, but then it came back. The fact that it eased for a while gives me hope, maybe a few more sessions will improve it further.
Though in my late 40's I'm a healthy athlete, don't smoke nor drink. Still a keen guitarist but I keep the volume low and use earplugs when necessary. My actual hearing seems great.
So just really hoping this goes back to 'baseline,' really. The tinnitus at nights hasn't been an issue for years, it's just become the sound of sleep now. But playing music with tinnitus as an accompaniment is a new level of horror really...
If anyone has had such a spikes, I'd love to hear about it, how you coped and if it subsided.
Thank you.
I thought I'd post my story here, maybe get a bit of clarity and much needed sanity as to what has been going on.
So I've had tinnitus for a long time now, 1998 in fact. I'm a musician, been in bands and spent my youth in raves, gigs, band practices. Need I say more.
In short, for much of that time I only noticed it at night or in a quiet environment. At first it drove me mad, then I got used to it and forgot about it. Much easier, when you don't hear it during that day. I took care of my ears, wearing earplugs when necessary. Still playing music, but not that loud.
Up to 2016, I had three spikes where I heard the noise during the day. Lasted maybe 1-3 weeks each time. The first spike and second spike were awful but subsided. The last spike was in 2012, and I wasn't affected by it at all. I recognized its tone, the way it felt and knew it would go.
Then in 2016 things started to change a little. The funny thing is I was just telling a friend that year, how my tinnitus was practically unnoticeable and had been for a while. Then I came off of a short flight, and noticed that the ringing in my right ear had increased. OK, I thought, not the first time my tinnitus has played up after a flight. But the increase became permanent. Mainly at night still.
The following year, I was introduced to the world of pulsatile tinnitus. Again only at night, but that wasn't fun. That actually went away after a couple of years, and I'm pretty sure it was related to neck/shoulder tension.
Two months ago, I've had the most severe spike I've ever had. It coincided with a stressful occurrence, and chronic neck stiffness. Now the last three spikes had the same tone, in fact the first 19 years of my tinnitus have had the same tone, but this one sounds completely different. Also, I can hear it no matter how loud my surroundings.
I though it would just clear up after a few weeks again, but at the eight week mark I'm starting to fear that this is my new normal.
I've read up on tinnitus spikes, seems that they can indeed last months. But it is a bit of a concern. Tried one session of acupuncture, that actually eased it out for a day, but then it came back. The fact that it eased for a while gives me hope, maybe a few more sessions will improve it further.
Though in my late 40's I'm a healthy athlete, don't smoke nor drink. Still a keen guitarist but I keep the volume low and use earplugs when necessary. My actual hearing seems great.
So just really hoping this goes back to 'baseline,' really. The tinnitus at nights hasn't been an issue for years, it's just become the sound of sleep now. But playing music with tinnitus as an accompaniment is a new level of horror really...
If anyone has had such a spikes, I'd love to hear about it, how you coped and if it subsided.
Thank you.
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