Hellooooooo

[Jenlee73]

Hi everyone, my name is Jenni, I am 42yrs old and have tinnitus in the right side of my head which has appeared out of nowhere. It is a high frequency continuous noise that sounds like "Christmas (cicada) beetles". I can't remember when it started but it became noticeable sometime in the beginning of this year.

For some reason, my tinnitus has been turned way up lately and I'm not sure if that's just due to my own perception or if there's an underlying cause. At the moment, my tinnitus is causing me some distress and I have problems sleeping and concentrating at work. I have sought help from a few doctors in the last couple of weeks, out of sheer desperation. Been to my family GP, an Audiologist and an ENT. They all tell me there is no cure and that I just have to live with it. Not exactly what one wants to hear.....

Anyway, I would like to know if someone can point me in the right direction in terms of information and/or advice. I understand that there's a wealth of useful info on the net and on this forum but I suffer from information overload and get overwhelmed by it all. So, it would be great if other members could point me in the right direction and tell me what to read/try.

I would appreciate any help from anyone!

Thanks all!

 

[LukeYoung]

For some reason, my tinnitus has been turned way up lately and I'm not sure if that's just due to my own perception or if there's an underlying cause. At the moment, my tinnitus is causing me some distress and I have problems sleeping and concentrating at work. I have sought help from a few doctors in the last couple of weeks, out of sheer desperation. Been to my family GP, an Audiologist and an ENT. They all tell me there is no cure and that I just have to live with it. Not exactly what one wants to hear.....

Hi Jenlee,
Sorry to hear that your T has spiked.

Some users say diet can be an issue.

While stress and anxiety is also known to make tinnitus worse.

I also like to believe bad posture and blood pressure also play a role.

Have you eaten anything in high amounts?
Have you been stressed or more anxious lately?

Distraction is a big key, and acceptance.

A few users have said melatonin works for them, calming them before bedtime.
Also some of the guys drink chamomile tea.

 

[billie48]

Anyway, I would like to know if someone can point me in the right direction in terms of information and/or advice

Welcome to the forum. You are at the right place as TT has much info & resource to help a new T sufferer. T can flare up for no reasons, but sometimes you can see possible triggers. There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including drug reaction or side-effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma, neck muscle problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for the loss of love ones, untreated sleep apnea, elevated stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc.

When tinnitus is new or at a new irritating level, and the ringing is causing much anxiety and panic, it is advisable to get masking going so you won't be so anxious and fearful. Stress and anxiety are toxic to T. So try masking if you haven't done so. A few years back when T struck, I used to mask all day just to prevent panic attacks from hearing my ultra high pitch loud dog whistle T. Try these if you haven't yet:

1) Mask at bed time so you can sleep better. Find whatever sounds/music that are soothing to you. You can use a sound machine or sound pillow for this, or a computer with speakers.

2) If you need masking on the go, try load an ipod with nature sounds or music using itune. If you have a smart phone, you can download free APPs for soothing or T-masking sounds.

3) If you have computer and speakers, you can try these excellent masking sounds too:
TT's audio player: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/audioplayer/
or this online sound library, particularly the self-mix nature sounds: http://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.

And if you need DIY notched Acoustic Coordinated Reset Neuromodulation (ACRN):
(please be careful and research the pro and con on ACRN before proceeding with caution)
http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/acoustic-cr-neuromodulation
http://www.generalfuzz.net/acrn/

Try to stay positive and calm down. Read as many success stories as you can to give you hope. This can hopefully lower your stress and anxiety which are bad for T. Medically you can get some benzo drugs from the doctor. But these can be addictive. So if you do need to take something to calm or sleep, consider some natural alternatives, such as Lemon Balm, Valerian, Hops, Catnips, Passion Flower, Chamomile, Lavender, Kava, Melatonin etc. You can search with google or Amazon.com on each of them to know their use and the review on the products, and see if you can take them as a supplement. Check out this site on using natural herbs for helping to sleep or to calm the nerves. Take good care and keep up the hope. God bless your recovery.

http://www.christopherhobbs.com/lib...ealth/herbs-and-natural-remedies-for-insomnia/

 

[Jenlee73]

Hi Luke & Billie,

Thank you both for your responses, your info has given me hope that I will be able to find some sort of relief.

I can't really say if anything has changed in my life and if I had to guess, I would say no, not that I'm aware of. Diet is the same, work and stress levels the same, home life stable, no recent tragedy or deaths, no illnesses, no injuries, no loud concerts or parties, no medication except for Dopaquel every now and then to get some sleep. All pretty much the same.

One thing that I have noticed, is that my Ridgeback has been acting strange and avoiding me, even turning around and running away from me or refusing to come inside the house. As a dog lover of note, this makes me so heartsore. Is it possible that she can "hear" my "T"? Or is it just that I am different? Whatever it is, she is picking up a vibe of some sorts and I would like to try and figure out what it is.

I am def going to try the masking option and have already downloaded some nature sounds and white noise apps. Unfortunately, my T rings non-stop so I may have to have headphones on most of the day and night.

I will try my best to stay as calm as possible but it's not easy! I did try TM (Transcendental Meditation) to help me with acceptance and relaxation but my annoying T makes it difficult and the whole process ends up being counter-productive. Do either of you know if any T sufferers have attempted TM and if it worked? I will also do a search for a thread on this topic to see if I can gather any info from others.

Thank goodness that I discovered this forum as I am sure it will teach me a lot about this condition.

Looking forward to hearing from you again....

 

[LukeYoung]

Hi Luke & Billie,

Thank you both for your responses, your info has given me hope that I will be able to find some sort of relief.

I can't really say if anything has changed in my life and if I had to guess, I would say no, not that I'm aware of. Diet is the same, work and stress levels the same, home life stable, no recent tragedy or deaths, no illnesses, no injuries, no loud concerts or parties, no medication except for Dopaquel every now and then to get some sleep. All pretty much the same.

One thing that I have noticed, is that my Ridgeback has been acting strange and avoiding me, even turning around and running away from me or refusing to come inside the house. As a dog lover of note, this makes me so heartsore. Is it possible that she can "hear" my "T"? Or is it just that I am different? Whatever it is, she is picking up a vibe of some sorts and I would like to try and figure out what it is.

I am def going to try the masking option and have already downloaded some nature sounds and white noise apps. Unfortunately, my T rings non-stop so I may have to have headphones on most of the day and night.

I will try my best to stay as calm as possible but it's not easy! I did try TM (Transcendental Meditation) to help me with acceptance and relaxation but my annoying T makes it difficult and the whole process ends up being counter-productive. Do either of you know if any T sufferers have attempted TM and if it worked? I will also do a search for a thread on this topic to see if I can gather any info from others.

Thank goodness that I discovered this forum as I am sure it will teach me a lot about this condition.

Looking forward to hearing from you again....

Becareful wearing headphones all day. As this could cause issues.

It's better to have speaks or something unless you are away from home.

Maybe your dog is sending distress in you.
I'm sure it will come around. The dog may even be having issues?

 

[billie48]

I don't know if TM is the same as Mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness is used by even Dr. Hubbard to help himself soften the impact of T and even bring T sensation to awareness. He said it was hard too, especially at the start. But it gets easier with time. Perhaps you can read though his success story here:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/how-cbt-helped-me-live-again-dr-hubbards-story.4608/

I can understand it is not easy to stay calm and positive in the thick of T suffering at the new stage. So it is best to be patient that TIME is also a very important ingredient of success. Your brain simply has to take time to absorb in or get used to this new and alien T sensation. Keeping that in mind, you won't be too frustrated that positivity doesn't work. It will. Keep pounding the positive affirmations daily and the brain will slowly believe it and fall in line when the time is ripe. It is said by the Lord, "The body is willing, but the flesh is weak'. So the flesh will take the time to catch up with your determined effort to stay positive. Keep up the faith and God bless you.