Hello Everyone

[Laurence67]

Hi all. Gosh what would we do without forums, even writing this is starting to calm me down. I'll share a few random things in case anyone sees an association but I promise to review the forums in detail and educate myself. Apologies if I over-share, i'm a little OCD and suffer from anxiety.

I'm 50 years old, single, English guy living in San Francisco. I share that as I feel a little alone.

I'm a fairly serious cyclist, low body fat, low resting heart rate, low blood pressure. I share that as I experienced a fairly significant increase in my tinnitus after a big ride yesterday.

I fly a few times a month, watch movies on the plane with Bose noise cancelling headphones. I spend a lot of time on conference calls on a speakerphone. I wouldn't consider myself a big headphone user and I don't go to concerts or clubs very often.

My tinnitus began last Monday. I can't recall any trigger. First guess was wax so I used over the counter wax softening drops and one of those syringes that diffuses the water. Nothing came out of the left ear, a decent amount came out of the right ear (which seems to be the worse one). Didn't change the severity, which I'd consider mild (noticeable in quiet rooms but TV, conversation or background music will mask it). I had one minor panic attack but managed to control it and sleep had been ok. I made an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow (Monday).

Anyways, big ride yesterday, didn't notice any change, went to bed tired and awoke around 1am with moderate (?) tinnitus, much more intrusive than before. I can now hear it over TV etc. This resulted in multiple panic attacks (I know, drama king), no sleep for the rest of the night. I'm now sitting here worried, stressed, nauseous etc. all of the symptoms I usually see with anxiety.

And here I am. Sorry for the length of the post. As I said, I promise to review the forum in detail, even from a quick skim of posts I'm finding some useful information and supportive people, so thanks in advance for that.

 

[robHing]

Hi... welcome ...
Please calm down.
Most T people have been through the same like you.
I believe that there will be more response to your thread here.

 

[John CC]

Hello Lawrence I know rexactly what you mean. Going from 'everthing is going forward the way you want it to' to 'What the hell, and for how long?' is definitely not a lot of fun. Mine started a couple of weeks ago, my cell phone rang in my ear, and that seemed to send me down the rabbit hole. As a recent T member, I too felt the walls close in, the despair at losing silence (which I enjoyed tremendously), the feeling that this was a tidal wave of white noise from which there is no escape, and I was no match for a tidal wave.
However, I feel from reading these posts as you have, that this is a very natural reaction to Tinnitus. I also have surmised that it does get better, it may take months, or unforutnately longer. The antidote to this appears to be having hope, and realizing that you are not alone. Talking to a good friend or family member may also help as well. I am single and in my 50's too and so I understand the where do I go, it would be nice to have a special someone, but as we don't at this time, looking in the mirror and realize you are capable of more, learn about it, learn that you do have hope and possiblity and what helps me right now is the thought that, with the right precautions, it will diminish, if not dissappear.
It probably took you a long time to get to the point in your riding career, think of it that way. Oh, and don't apologize for writing about your story, and you. After all, you are a human and it most likely did your soul some good. Best of luck. Rememer, in the movie Shawshank Redemtion the line, "Hope is a good thing."

 

[Laurence67]

Thanks guys. Yes I'm sitting here watching the Tour de France reading the forum. Seeing very similar stories, many much worse, but lots of positivity which helps a lot. Plan is to distract myself a lot today, walking, Lego etc. get myself really tired and try out some masking sounds.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I can't recall any trigger.

Could sudden hearing loss be to blame?

Anyways, big ride yesterday, didn't notice any change, went to bed tired and awoke around 1am with moderate (?) tinnitus, much more intrusive than before.

Were you exposed to any moderate noises during that big ride?

Ears take forever to heal. T tends to fade for most people. There is a good chance that you will feel a lot better in the next 3-24 months.

As I said, I promise to review the forum in detail

In the thread below, I summarized everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum over the past 18 months.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[Laurence67]

Thanks Bill. Cycling mostly exposes me to wind noise, the odd car passing etc.

Thanks for the summary link.

 

[jamino]

Hi Laurence, my tinnitus started a few days before yours did, around 21st July.

Like you, I'm keen on exercise (running though, not cycling). I'm also low body fat with a low resting heart rate and low blood pressure etc. I'm 41 and I live in the UK.

Take a read of my intro thread if you want to compare notes. I've noticed some things that seem to alleviate the tinnitus slightly which may be of some help.

 

[Laurence67]

Gosh well that made me cry, probably because I haven't eaten or slept in 2 days. I have massive anxiety and panic here. Lots of similarities.

It's very hot here. I've been doing a few rides in the heat although funnily enough the big one on Saturday wasn't too bad.

I'm trying and failing to focus on something else, in fact I'm doing the complete opposite.

I tried white noise and masking such as rain or audiobooks but the ringing seems to increase in volume, probably because I'm focusing on it. I also have this weird sense that the sounds have been there a while I'm just laser focused on them now.

I'm seeing the doctor today. I'd really love something to help me sleep, reduce the anxiety and make the ringing go away.

I was supposed to be going to France on a cycling trip this Thursday. I think I may have to cancel that.

 

[jamino]

Get some prednisone asap I think. It should take the edge off, and since yours sounds like it's inflammation-induced, it could even permanently reduce the T from what I've been reading.

In terms of masking sounds, I've found the best to be Tibetan singing bowls. You should be able to find a few videos on youtube of that sort of thing. I've even read accounts (anecdotal, not clinical research) that singing bowls have permanently reduced T. If you've ever experienced them in the past - I mean the real thing not a recording - you might have some inkling as to how they could help. You can feel your whole body vibrate with the real thing. I'm actually thinking about buying some as they're pretty beautiful to listen to anyway.

If you live alone, you might consider getting a pet. To be able to think about the needs of another living thing other than yourself is a lovely distraction, and that of course applies whether or not you've got tinnitus Rabbits are very cute. They make great stress relievers too.

 

[Laurence67]

Thanks J. I'm actually going to hang out with a friend who has three dogs, you seem to read my mind.

I'll ask the doctor about prednisone. I guess if that reduces the T that helps the anxiety and sleeping too. Failing that have you considered anti-anxiety or sleeping aids?

Thanks again.

 

[jamino]

I haven't considered anti-anxiety meds or sleeping aids per se, but next on my list is Ginko Biloba, which also seems to help some people. Have fun with the dogs! They'll definitely help to take your mind off it for a while

 

[Laurence67]

The Tibetan bowls are lovely btw. I have a Sonos next to the bed. Tried rain, audiobooks all nights, now the bowls. Just laying here chilling (7.40am). Thanks.

 

[Laurence67]

Quick update from Dr appointment. No wax. No eardrum damage. Hearing ok according to rudimentary tests but they've booked me in for a hearing test on Weds. There was no loud noise event but I've had TMJ on and off for a while in the right jaw/area. They prescribed prednisone but advised me to stop if the test reveals no loss. They also gave me something for the anxiety/panic attacks. I spent an afternoon with my boss who happens to be an awesome guy going through some tough issues himself. He has three dogs and we spent an afternoon at the dog park making new friends.

I also installed the Headspace meditation app from iTunes. It's a daily program for beginners. Seems fun and can't do any harm.

Hope everyone is well.

 

[jamino]

There was no loud noise event but I've had TMJ on and off for a while in the right jaw/area.

Some TMJ issues here as well. I think if you can get the TMJ under control then the T should diminish substantially.

They prescribed prednisone but advised me to stop if the test reveals no loss.

I would question this. Whether or not you have hearing loss - and there's no particular reason you should - the prednisone will be useful for its anti-inflammatory properties. It sounds like your T is inflammation-induced (TMJ issue), so the prednisone should help.

In the absence of any loud noise exposure, I'll be interested to see what changes you notice in your T after you've taken the prednisone. I'm self-medicating with prednisone at the moment - took 30mg the first day, 40mg the second day, and since I've tolerated it well I'm going to take 50mg today. The T has reduced in severity - the benefit is especially noticeable at night. Noticed a slight improvement on the first night, and more obvious improvement last night. Still getting fluctuating spikes here and there though.

 

[Laurence67]

So far I don't think there's much reduction from the P but it's only been a day. The anti-anxiety meds are helping, basically I can hear the T but don't care. Hardly a sustainable situation but ok for the time being. It's becoming very obvious it's right ear only also. Hope you're good J.

 

[Lane]

watch movies on the plane with Bose noise cancelling headphones

Hi @Laurence67, I tried Bose headphones and it seemed to make my tinnitus worse. I googled it right away, and discovered others have had similar problems, so I quite them immediately. In my research, I read that some people with perfect ear health develop tinnitus within 2-3 weeks of starting to use them regularly.

From what I can gather, virtually all kinds of headphones can be extremely problematic for some people. It's possible that may be the case with you and the Bose. Just something to consider. -- Best!

 

[Laurence67]

Thanks Lane. Yes I've discontinued using them. I got some buds for the flight, low to no volume. Lesson learned.