First Time Sufferer

[Newloud]

Hi all
This board has been comforting me the last few days, so I guess I might as well sign up. M33, had mild T all my life, I guess, but now it's bothering me. Recently diagnosed with Asperger, they say it goes with the territory.

A couple of days before going back from Christmas, in bed at my parents' house I notice a noise in my left ear like a ventilation fan. Rather low level. I get up to find out where it's coming from, but after a while realize its origin - within my head. I start to worry, but get to sleep eventually. This goes on for a few days.

Back home, my old T increases in volume. Or, at least I think it does. Whereas my rather loud computer fans used to drown the noise out, the T is now slightly stronger. It's still not noticeable downtown, when I go for a run, or in many other everyday situations, but at nighttime it's driving me nuts.

I hope this is just a spike. A couple of days during the winter holiday, I was helping with laying a floor, with the noise that went with it (saws being the noisiest, but tapping the floor into place isn't exactly silent either). Far from constant noise, though, and I didn't really think it was that bad, so I wasn't too diligent about hearing protection. My doctor says it's unlikely this could have caused any hearing damage, but I'm still beating myself up about it. Also, the spike (let's just call it that) started several days after work was done, and I didn't experience any ringing (above normal) after these flooring sessions. So I hope it's not that.

The last year, my anxiety has been real bad. It started with a few panic attacks (thinking my heart was failing), and from then I've been mortally scared and worried about anything my mind could get hold of. Christmas was no exception, as I lost several nights sleep over a perceived water damage situation (no-one else worried about). I've also had to move house twice this fall, something I guess would get on anyone's nerves. These days, I'm very sensitive to noise, and I think it's been sneaking up on me. For example, I started considering exchanging my computer for a quieter one a while back, which was probably a sign of heightened sensitivity. This has happened to me before.

My hope is that this is mostly anxiety taking me for a ride, and that it's now focused on tinnitus. This kind of makes sense as right now, I don't worry about any of the other stuff that usually scares me (TBH, I prefer worrying about heart attacks). I hope the spike will go down as I calm down. But to calm down, I need sleep, and right now I'm not getting much. Stilnoct has helped me sleep before, but of course some people say it can cause tinnitus.. I don't know if I dare.

I'm going to see an ENT today. I've long suspected there's something going on with my sinuses, as I've felt stuffy and weird up there for a while. My ears are squeaking and popping when I extend my jaw, and at times it feels like water in my ears. No other symptoms, though. My grandfather was treated for a minor stroke some time ago, and the MR uncovered a chronic sinus infection. I'm physically very similar to him.

I don't know if sugar intake might be another possible culprit. I've had more or less no cake or candy for three or four years, but this Christmas I helped myself to a normal (and considerable) amount. Perhaps the system is a bit out of whack because of this.

I don't know. My T is nowhere near as loud as many people on here, but right now it's causing me considerable distress. Perhaps it would even be better if I could hear it all day, not just in silent environments. I guess if it doesn't back down, I'll learn to live with this, but for now I'm hoping it's a spike. Any comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[glynis]

@Newloud ,
Welcome to Tinnitus Talk.
Let us know how you go on at ENT....lots of love glynis

 

[Newloud]

Just came home from ENT. He removed some earwax and did a test with a gizmo connected to some earplugs that made cartoonish sci fi noises. Said both my ears were perfect, and I shouldn't worry about my noisy carpenting misadventure. So I'm not worrying about that anymore. My hearing is apparently perfect too, as evidenced by a test administered a month ago. It's a mystery to me, but I kinda agree. I hear perfectly.

This leaves stress and anxiety as the most probable cause. Since I'm also suffering from hyperacusis these days, everything is too loud, this makes sense.

ENT prescribed me with a whooshing cushion or whatever it's called. Should arrive tomorrow.

So, I feel quite a bit better already, but I still have this spike to deal with.
I think if I got something else to worry about, my T would fade back to where I want it. Problem is, I'm so damn healthy these days (courtesy of hypochondria) that I have no bodily issues that could scare me at the moment. Perhaps I should read up on Trump. Or install Tinder.

They say you shouldn't check on your T all the time, I find this difficult when I'm at home. But I'm trying to check on my feelings rather than the volume, as advised in a popular thread. Mindfulness, I guess.

Since my spike is probably an anxiety-hyperacusis thing, I'm not sure what to do about masking. Some people say I should rest my ears at this point. But I need sleep as well. Haven't had more than a couple of hours, if any, a night for a week+. I'm remarkably energetic despite this. Mostly OK out and about, it's the final hours of the day that are challenging. Dreading going to bed, the safest place on Earth, now scary.

 

[glynis]

Glad to hear your ENT visit went well and giving you a sound aid to use
..wooshing cushion/ not heard of that one so be good if you put a picture on here about it and how it works for other members.
Sorting out your sleep is the priority for you now .
Try melatonin or natural meds from health shop or chemists.
Sleeping tablets and low dose antidepressants can help also....
Maybe the wooshing cushion....lots of love glynis

 

[Newloud]

It's basically a pillow with built-in speakers, to put underneath your other pillows at night.
I don't have melatonin, but I do have magnesium tablets, which have helped me sleep before. ENT would rather not prescribe sleeping tablets, preferred I asked my GP about that.

 

[billie48]

But I'm trying to check on my feelings rather than the volume, as advised in a popular thread. Mindfulness, I guess

It is the 'Back to Silence' method by IWLM. It is the most read success story on TT.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172/

Ask for bed time masking, you can try a sound machine or sound pillow, or use computer speakers and listen to soothing sounds from these. Set the volume slightly lower than your T and not irritable enough for H. Sound enrichment is considered good for T & H.

TT's audio player: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/audioplayer/

or this online sound library, particularly the self-mix nature sounds: https://mynoise.net

or download free sound generator 'aire freshener': http://www.peterhirschberg.com/mysoftware.html

or search youtube with words like 'tinnitus masking sounds', 'white noise', 'rain sound' etc.

 

[Newloud]

Finally got some proper sleep tonight! Took me a couple of hours, probably fell asleep at 2:00, then awoke 4:30 with louder T, then fell back asleep until morning. So about six hours, not bad. I think mindfully checking my reactions and not the volume of T helped a lot. I was a bit skeptical about turning on my computer to write this post, as it has annoyed the crap out of me lately, but today I find the fan noise almost bearable.

Also, I've installed a meditation app, Stop, Breathe and Think, on my smartphone, and have been doing quite a lot of that for the last two days. I have to say I'm surprised how much it helps the mood. You tell the app how you're feeling, and it suggests some meditation themes for you. A soothing female voice guides you through the sessions.
The app is free, by a nonprofit, but you can pay for additional sessions if you want to support them. Highly recommended.

So last night, during a comprehensive body scan in this app, it suddenly occurred to me: I'm strong, god damn it, and I will beat this. I found that my TV had Netflix built in, so I didn't have to use the computer, watched for a couple of hours, and then proceeded to read a book in complete silence - something I rarely do even with less T - for more than an hour. T was very noticeable, but I sat there relaxing and not giving a fuck for a while, then went to bed.

Today I feel much better, but also more anxious and find my thinking to be less constructive than yesterday. Well, I guess all sort of effort takes its tall, not just physical. I've told my parents I'm coming home for the weekend, as I sorely needed some company, but now that I've mastered my own bed again I'm not sure if I should simply stay at home and relax.

So, turns out my last couple of days turned out pretty good despite everything. I've been to mindfulness classes before, but not really gotten the real point of it, now I do. I'm motivated to take better care of my mental health, something I've largely neglected. I'm sure I will overcome this, spike or not, and I'll be damned if it won't make me a better person along the way.

Oh, and I also went to my physical therapist today, who I'm already seeing for a bad shoulder. Told her about the T, and got a thorough neck massage. She said I wasn't relaxed enough. I said I wasn't sure if I really, deep down, knew the meaning of the word "relax". Time will tell if this helps, but it sure can't hurt?

I should get a sound pillow today or Monday, but I'm not sure I should use it if I can fall asleep with mindfulness. I mean, I'd rather have the T back down to previous levels than habituate to what it is now. Comments on this will be appreciated.

 

[Mike H]

I am Mike, live in Yorkshire UK. I've had tinnitus since 2007, I think it was caused by using an angle grinder! Over the past nine years the tinnitus has been as strong as ever; tho' I have, with the help of Mindfullness been able to cope (just).
When the tinnitus first appeared my doctor referred me to the audiology department at my local hospital, I was given a thorough examination including an MRI scan all was clear. I was advised to avoid stress and assured that I will get used to it.
In December 2016 I asked my doctor to refer me again to the hospital. I subsequently had a consultation with the hospital's tinnitus clinic ( I didn't know there was one up to this point) Within a couple of weeks I had another consult at the tinnitus clinic and was fitted with a pair of very small, unobtrusive hearing aids, these aids have the facility to switch to a setting which all but blocks out the tinnitus. Absolute Bliss !! I believe the aids are new and I was told I was only the second person at the clinic to have them. Thank heavens for the NHS.
The downside is having to remove them at night. I'm now looking for something to help this. Although Mindfullness does help.
These aids have made a tremendous difference to my life.

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Newloud,

Welcome to the site.

Glad you are starting to get things back under control!

 

[MikeGreen]

A lot of mikes with T. Anyhow welcome Mike