Even My Tinnitus Is Weird — Any Ideas What's Going On?

[Jiktten]

I'm extremely frustrated and confused, would be grateful for any insights.

Briefly, I woke up one morning in early January with ringing tinnitus. Went to the doctor, he said I had severe impacted wax in both ears from a decade of using earplugs to sleep. Started putting olive oil in to soften in, and over the course of about a month had two water treatments in each ear. Because of the blocking caused by the oil and the water, it was hard to tell whether the tinnitus itself was getting worse/better/staying the same. At this time, I had a 'base' which was always there, sounding like cicades, and then a lot of other tones which would come and go.

After the two water treatments, the right ear (originally the worst) was fully clear and the tinnitus much lower, but the left was being stubborn, so the doctor sent me to an ENT to have microsuction done. As soon as he cleared it, the tinnitus became almost imperceptible: I could hear it only when there was background noise to 'highlight' it. I was thrilled, especially since I had been told to expect no change.

The new low level lasted for 9 days with only very minor variants, until yesterday morning when I woke up and it was LOUD again, more in the left ear but also in the right. There is absolutely no reason I can point to for this, I'd slept well and the previous day had been quiet and relaxing. Obviously this was extremely depressing and I went to see a nurse at the surgery near work, she had a look and said my ear canal looked wrinkled, like your fingers after a bath, almost certainly as a result of the impacted wax.

The really interesting thing is that last night, I went to see Hamilton (first live show I've been to in 5 years). It was very loud, both the show and the audience, but after I got home, the tinnitus had returned to its post-microsuction levels! It stayed like that for several hoyrs, but when I woke up at about 5 this morning I noticed it had risen again in my right ear, and now that I'm awake again, it has risen back up in the left ear as well.

Anyone have any idea why this could be? I'm trying to accept it but I am so disappointed and frustrated.

I'm 31 if it helps, no hearing loss and my tinnitus doesn't seem to respond to loud noises one way or the other.

 

[glynis]

Tinnitus can change sound and strength in one ear or both and head.
If it changes get your ears checked like you have done.
Like me my ears are ok with sound but I still protect them around extra loud sound .
See how you go over the next few days .
Love glynis

 

[Jiktten]

Thanks glynis, I really appreciate the reply.

I'm starting to think that my ENT was right and that my tinnitus is largely, or perhaps even completely, a symptom of psychological stress. When I saw him a couple of weeks ago, we went through my history and I explained that it's not so much the sound that bothers me, but the fatigue, inability to focus and associated headaches it causes. He expressed surprise and pointed out that none of my problems are caused by the sound I'm hearing. He said that the reason those things are associated with tinnitus is because the sound distresses some people, and the fatigue, etc are symptoms of that distress. He also said that tinnitus itself can be a symptom of psychological distress, even when it is not the cause.

I didn't think about it that much at the time, but now I'm wondering. For the past two years, I've been working a VERY stressful job. In around November of last year, it got to the point where I had zero energy to spare, and all my free time (what little there was of it) was spent trying to shore myself up so I could dive back into the fray. All of my hobbies and activities that gave me pleasure were dropped or severely curtailed, my social life now consists entirely of colleagues at work (and only during work, no going out and cutting loose after), so for months now, my mental state has been a really frustrating mixture of exhaustion and boredom.

The reason I'm thinking of this now is that, when the tinnitus first faded on last Wednesday evening, I unexpectedly had Thursday-Sunday off, which was the first real break I'd had for months and was extremely restorative. It faded again after the show, which was the first time I'd been thoroughly engaged in something fun in ages. Today, after I posted this thread, I decided that I might as well go out and be productive, which resulted in me pottering around in the sunshine and getting several simple, practical nice things for myself. Just things like a new pillow to replace the one I've had for 15 years, new socks and underwear with fun prints and some meat and produce from the 'good' shops, but to me that kind of thing is the most satisfying. Now that I'm home, the tinnitus is still not as low as it was, but it is much less intrusive than it was this morning. So, maybe there is something to it? I'll be leaving this job in May and in theory will be able to have a much calmer lifestyle afterwards, here's hoping it'll have some positive effects!

One question: The ENT referred me to a specialist tinnitus therapist to help me manage it. As far as I could understand, she'd basically offer me tinnitus-specific CBT and possibly retraining therapy. If it continues to be a problem for me after I leave my job and my stress levels go down, I would definitely like to see her, but it seems a bit pointless to me to go now, when I know that there's this huge stressor in my life which I can't do much about just now. Thoughts?

 

[Michael Leigh]

she'd basically offer me tinnitus-specific CBT

HI @Jiktten

If you have just acquired tinnitus within the last month or two, I don't recommend CBT or TRT although, just some counselling with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist on tinnitus coping methods would suffice for now. Please click on the links below and read my article and posts on tinnitus. I advise you not to use headphones even at low volume and be careful of being around very loud sounds.

All the best
Michael


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

 

[Jiktten]

Thanks Michael, I appreciate the advice. It's good to know I likely won't be doing myself permanent damage by holding off on seeking therapy. I feel like the best thing for me to do if I possibly can is try to manage it while I wait out my job, then see what the tinnitus and the rest of my brain does once I'm free of that stress factor, and then, if it's still an issue for me, seek some kind of counselling or other professional support.

I used B&O closed can style headphones with the music on low when it started, it made no difference to the overall tinnitus but I stopped because the music only served to highlight the tinnitus. It's a loss on the commute, I must admit, but I am getting used to it and bringing a book instead.