Finally a Pattern for My Tinnitus

[gary]

Is been just over a year now since I have had T
I have kept a log of the level of loudness on a scale of 1 to 10
10 being the worst possible, where if it were any worse I would crack up.

Well going over my log my T runs in about 10 day cycles. ten days where it is 5 to 8 then ten days of 10+ I have been trying to figure out this ten day pattern to no avail.

I have not done, eaten or consumed anything thing different during these cycles, at least anything that I am aware of.

My T started almost three months to the day, after I had a four way open heart bypass surgery. For me the most traumatic part was in rehab before coming home, just getting two to three hours of sleep a night in rehab for two weeks was causing hallucinations and the same reoccurring nightmare every signal night.

When I got home the hallucinations & nightmares stopped immediately.

Any ideas... One more thing, I should have made the 1 to 10 scale a 5 to 10 scale, as the T has never been below a 5

 

[Sherri786]

Hmmm think I'll keep a log too.

 

[gary]

Can't hurt, you may find something in your life causing your T Also make a note each day if you are relaxed or not.....

 

[Golly]

@gary;

I also keep a daily log. While my tinnitus is binary in the sense that it is either there or absent, I do note some type of pattern. There appears to be a limit as to how many consecutive good days or bad days that I will experience. These "runs" are typically about two days on average, with an extreme event being about four in either case.

Tinnitus cycling appears to be very common.

For some reason, the magic number turns out to be three. That is, people who do experience cycling typically notice that they have a bad day, followed by a mild day, followed by a good day, and then it repeats.

Unfortunately, most people agree that the pattern can be irregular at times and it is often independent of control variables.

-Golly

 

[Sherri786]

Yes Gary beginning to understand which food or supplements causes spikes etc.

 

[Marlino]

The pattern is very remarkable in my case as well. Its stable for at least 8 weeks and goes always like this:

-5 days good and non intrusive
- 1 to 4 days bad and annoying.

The 5 days of low T are very stable. On the 6th good day after noon it turns to bad.

 

[Marlino]

And one other sad pattern:

After three days having it bad in a row I get a mental breakdown. I cannot endure it, even after 8 month.

In the evening I crie in the arms of my girlfriend.

Yesterday was a day like that. Today T is better again despite a poor sleep, and I feel irritated and traumatized.

 

[gary]

Hi Marlino, those bad days can be really hard after having a few days. I have experienced this myself. Fpor me now most days are bad as far as the level of noise, but my reaction now has changed to the noise. It still bothers me, but I do not let it get the best of me. No masking, TV, or other noise covers mine. Pretty much there from the time I get up until I fall asleep. I just hope I do not have T in my dreams

I can not tell you how to do this, it is something we all go through, some worse than others. I am happy that you have a pattern where you have somewhat balanced good & bad days. Enjoy the good days, and when you get those days remember that the good days are coming again soon.

 

[Mark Beehre]

I have 2 good days followed by a bad day, then an average day, then repeat. I reserve the lorazepam for the bad days, and I never seem to take more than 2mg a week.

 

[Marlino]

@gary
thank you for your update. Since I'm not there where your are in the habituation/acceptance process I cannot really imagine it. My mom keeps telling me the same as being T patient herself. She says like it's no problem anymore. But when she describes it in detail it still sounds like a big problem to me.

Right now the cycles make it more difficult to accept it. I keep searching for reasons for the bad days. I keep thinking if it's changing like this, why can't it change to the better.

I hope best for you.

@Mark Beehre
Just weird. What kind of cycles can be underlying? I have no clue. But the regularity makes me wonder.
About benzos I have had the same idea to use it only on bad days. Since should be save to use it only some days, right. I'm not experienced with benzos though and still hoping to find something else.

 

[gary]

Yes habituation is hard to imagine, I know it was for me, but it seems after awhile it just happens. The mind/body adapt on their own. I too thing if I can have a good day why can't they all be good, seems logical enough to think this way. Listen to you're mother, remember moms are always right!

I scoured the internet for answers in the beginning for a cure or at least what was really causing it to no avail. It was not a waste of time though, I did learn a lot. I did a lot of reading about different parts of the brain related to sound and how it react it sound.

Anyway your mother has been there and survived, sure she still has her bad days but now knows how to handle them, what better person to have to be an example than ones own mother.....

 

[Marlino]

@gary
Would you describe your T as unpleasant beside that its irritating?
I would describe my T as screeching. I think I would rather take a louder but more pleasant sound.

 

[gary]

@gary
Would you describe your T as unpleasant beside that its irritating?
I would describe my T as screeching. I think I would rather take a louder but more pleasant sound.

Yes, it is always unpleasant, but when it gets irritating that I have a hard time dealing with it. Some days I can handle it better than other days, those are the unpleasant days.

Mine is of the hissing tea kettle noise...

 

[Mark Beehre]

@Mark Beehre
Just weird. What kind of cycles can be underlying? I have no clue. But the regularity makes me wonder.
About benzos I have had the same idea to use it only on bad days. Since should be save to use it only some days, right. I'm not experienced with benzos though and still hoping to find something else.

I don't know what causes the cycles. I don't think about them anymore, too much effort. I just do what I do and handle the bad days with some masking. It's gotten to the point where cicada sounds are enough to overwhelm the tinnitus so I do that when it's bad.

I've built up a tolerance to lorazepam. But I use it infrequently and in low doses. I've gone a week without needing any a few times and never felt any negative effects.