Hopeless and Alone

[Tinker Bell]

Hey @Tinker Bell Last night it seemed like another sound was introduced into the mix of the already there sound. Like a high-pitched screech similar to the ambient sound that running electronics would make or the noise from a dead silent room. If that makes sense? I'd gotten used to the already-there sound but the new one seemed to come from nowhere. Or maybe not? Do you think that it is possible that it was just anxiety? I seem to only hear it when I am thinking about it, which I have been doing because...anxiety. I know you aren't a doctor (or maybe you are? lol) but I just thought, since you seem to be knowledgeable on the subject, that you would have some insight. Thank you!
P.S. Does caffeine make it worse?
Also, I couldn't figure out how to PM you. lol

Hi Sarah! It could be anxiety. I can always hear my tinnitus, but if I truly focus on only it than it seems even louder and adds in more sounds. Perhaps the additional sounds have quietly always been there, but intently focusing makes them more noticeable.

Maybe it's like having an uncomfortable sock or a scratchy shirt tag. If you hyper focus on it, it will bother you more and more. There's actually a term for this but I can't recall it. I'd probably know if I was a doctor!

I'm unsure if caffeine will impact tinnitus. Really, it likely depends on if it ever bothered you, for example if caffeine causes you to have headaches or stomach pain. I cut out caffeinated drinks about 10 years ago, but I did have a soda a few days ago and it did not do anything to my tinnitus.

Sorry I was slow replying, I started to reply and forgot to finish posting today. If you'd like to PM me, click on my name than select "start a conversation". Hope you are doing okay today!

 

[Sarah904]

Thank you for your response! I'm not sure if the caffeine has been affecting my tinnitus of if is affecting my anxiety and, in turn, my tinnitus. lol. I'd hate to cut out my morning coffee. So far this morning, I can't hear the high-pitched piercing screech. I'm hoping it stays this way but trying not to bet on it.
Hope you have a great day!

 

[Tweaker]

Thank you for your response! I'm not sure if the caffeine has been affecting my tinnitus of if is affecting my anxiety and, in turn, my tinnitus. lol. I'd hate to cut out my morning coffee. So far this morning, I can't hear the high-pitched piercing screech. I'm hoping it stays this way but trying not to bet on it.
Hope you have a great day!

Focussing on the tinnitus and listening for it is the worst thing we can do because that feeds the tinnitus. You are telling yourself that it is an important sound and your brain will tune into it. The one piece of avdice I would have given myself 8 years ago at the start would be to stop obssessing over it. My tinnitus is extemely loud with many tones and my obssessing about it over the years has probably contributed to my brain giving it so much attention and strengthening the signal. Reducing coffee may help as caffeine will fire up nerves.

 

[Sarah904]

anndd it's back. Great.

 

[fishbone]

Update: Before I tucked myself into bed last night and after I had a mental breakdown to my husband (during which he told my he has had tinnitus for YEARS and never told me) I plugged in a small fan to drown out that dreaded noise. It worked. I was able to drift off to sleep. This morning I woke up and didn't even notice the ringing but my anxiety talked me into listening for it. I can only hear it if I plug my ear in silence. I decided to cancel my appt mostly because of the cost but also because I don't think that it's that serious considering I have no other symptoms. If it starts to hurt or become worse, I'll reschedule. Anyway, I'm going to try to stay positive and hope that this resolves on it's own. I seriously hate it that some people have to deal with this constantly.
P.S. I couldn't even hear it at all until I decided to drink the coffee I made this morning that was strong enough to get up and walk to me.

Some people never fully share, what is going on with them. It might be possible that his tinnitus, might not be bothering him all that much. Coffee is not something i'd drink. It can cause anxiety, jitters and possibly ramp up your tinnitus. Stay strong, your tinnitus is very new and you are in a challenging spot.

This is normal and all of us faced the very same issues that you are facing. You are blessed to have found a site with members that understand your issue

 

[Sarah904]

Thank you, @fishbone

 

[Sarah904]

Update: I am still experiencing tinnitus though, it isn't constant. It comes and goes but is mostly during the evening when I begin to hear the loud electrical-signal sounding noises. Sometimes they are loud, sometimes they are easily masked. My face is still tingly, too. Which leads me to believe that the tinnitus is being generated due to some malfunction with my ear considering the CT scan I had at the hospital came back clear. Still no pain. I've been listening to a tinnitus playlist on Spotify to help me sleep with a sleep timer app on. It helps, especially coupled with a small fan. I intend to reschedule my appointment with the ENT as soon as I have the money and hopefully get some answers. It is hard because I am a stay at home Mom and, aside from housework, I don't have a whole lot of distraction from the tinnitus while my kids are at school and I am home alone. I've been taking tiny doses of Ativan for nerves when I am desperate but sometimes the noise is so unbearable that I just want to cut my ears off.
I hope everyone is doing well. I will continue to update any changes.

 

[fishbone]

Update: I am still experiencing tinnitus though, it isn't constant. It comes and goes but is mostly during the evening when I begin to hear the loud electrical-signal sounding noises. Sometimes they are loud, sometimes they are easily masked. My face is still tingly, too. Which leads me to believe that the tinnitus is being generated due to some malfunction with my ear considering the CT scan I had at the hospital came back clear. Still no pain. I've been listening to a tinnitus playlist on Spotify to help me sleep with a sleep timer app on. It helps, especially coupled with a small fan. I intend to reschedule my appointment with the ENT as soon as I have the money and hopefully get some answers. It is hard because I am a stay at home Mom and, aside from housework, I don't have a whole lot of distraction from the tinnitus while my kids are at school and I am home alone. I've been taking tiny doses of Ativan for nerves when I am desperate but sometimes the noise is so unbearable that I just want to cut my ears off.
I hope everyone is doing well. I will continue to update any changes.

The tingly feeling that you may feel on your face, can be caused by anxiety or certain meds. Ativan can be quite helpful, but try not to build an addiction towards it. You are doing great, just try to remain calm, keep listening to the playlist and just try to let your mind shift from the noise.

It's not an overnight thing, it takes quite a while to get a grip on this issue. You can live a productive life, even with tinnitus. My tinnitus is beyond garbage and its super loud. I am actually back in the dating scene and I am a dedicated athlete. So, this basically means that we can live a good life, even with tinnitus. Sure, I take precautions but I still live my life and enjoy it

 

[Sarah904]

The tingly feeling that you may feel on your face, can be caused by anxiety or certain meds. Ativan can be quite helpful, but try not to build an addiction towards it. You are doing great, just try to remain calm, keep listening to the playlist and just try to let your mind shift from the noise.

It's not an overnight thing, it takes quite a while to get a grip on this issue. You can live a productive life, even with tinnitus. My tinnitus is beyond garbage and its super loud. I am actually back in the dating scene and I am a dedicated athlete. So, this basically means that we can live a good life, even with tinnitus. Sure, I take precautions but I still live my life and enjoy it

This makes me feel a bit hopeful. I have been very cautious with the Ativan. I only take a quarter of one at a time because I know how addicting it can be. I also only take it when I'm desperate for some relaxation, i.e. at bedtime. But not daily. The only other meds I have taken are flonase (year-round allergies ftw) and tylenol but I don't take them consistently. I went to a concert 2 weeks ago and it was in a fairly small theater. I wonder if the tinnitus is related but it didn't show itself until a week later so I don't know. I WAS using headphone pretty much daily but at a low volume. I haven't touched them since this crap started. Which sucks because I like to run while listening to music or podcasts. Ugh.
Thank you again for your reassurance. It really makes me feel like I haven't gone off the deep end.

 

[Sarah904]

Another Update: Yesterday the tinnitus hardly bothered me.Not to say it wasn't there but it didn't seem to interfere with my day(I also didn't listen for it) I managed to keep my mind occupied with day-to-day stuff and I noticed that yoga really helped to calm my nerves. Even though I could barely hear the tinnitus at night, I listened to a spotify playlist anyway, just to keep myself from trying to listen for it. I also noticed that the tinnitus seems to be the loudest in the evening. I have heard it on and off this morning but it hasn't been loud or anything. The left side of my face is still tingling a bit but only when I touch it. I have an appointment with my therapist tomorrow so I will discuss it with her then. Fingers crossed that all of this will pass on it's own.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Another Update: Yesterday the tinnitus hardly bothered me.Not to say it wasn't there but it didn't seem to interfere with my day(I also didn't listen for it) I managed to keep my mind occupied with day-to-day stuff and I noticed that yoga really helped to calm my nerves. Even though I could barely hear the tinnitus at night, I listened to a spotify playlist anyway, just to keep myself from trying to listen for it. I also noticed that the tinnitus seems to be the loudest in the evening. I have heard it on and off this morning but it hasn't been loud or anything. The left side of my face is still tingling a bit but only when I touch it. I have an appointment with my therapist tomorrow so I will discuss it with her then. Fingers crossed that all of this will pass on it's own.

Glad you updated! Keep trying to take it one day at a time and keep your mind occupied as best you can.

 

[Sarah904]

Glad you updated! Keep trying to take it one day at a time and keep your mind occupied as best you can.

I'm definitely going to try. I don't have much to do today so I'm not sure if it will be as easy as yesterday. I'm going to try and keep some music playing in the house and find something to clean. lol

 

[Tinker Bell]

I'm definitely going to try. I don't have much to do today so I'm not sure if it will be as easy as yesterday. I'm going to try and keep some music playing in the house and find something to clean. lol

I did the same thing last week! I had a couple slow days, so I put on some music and super cleaned my house. Our linen closet has never looked better.

 

[Sarah904]

I did the same thing last week! I had a couple slow days, so I put on some music and super cleaned my house. Our linen closet has never looked better.

Hahaha! That's actually a good place to start. my linen closet looks like a Bed, Bath and Beyond tornado went through it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Fingers crossed that all of this will pass on it's own.

All of the signs appear to be very good!

 

[Sarah904]

My tinnitus seems to be back again but I haven't been as busy today as usual. It still seems to come and go in waves. Sometimes it is louder than other times and sometimes I can't hear it all. I ended up rescheduling my therapist appointment for next week because of the cost. I'm trying to stay positive. I think I have proven to myself that, even if I have to live with this forever, it's pretty manageable. Sometimes it is harder to keep in that mindset, though. I've been doing yoga to try and ease my anxiety, which works most of the time and I drink sleepy time tea to relax at night and fall asleep. I've also been trying to use flonase to help with my allergies and rhinitis.
Hope all is well!!

 

[Bill Bauer]

sometimes I can't hear it all

You are only about one month in, and your made so much progress! I have been listening to T for a year (mine turned on on February 2), and it had never not been there. So hopefully in 11 months you will be in a much better place, as far as your T is concerned.

 

[Sarah904]

Hey, guys. I thought I'd give a little update on my tinnitus. It's still there but over the past week I completely forgot about it. I hadn't even noticed it until last night and that was the first time since last week I used a nature sound playlist to help me fall asleep. One of my children were sick for a few days and I think that played a part in keeping my mind off of it. ALso, I started using an atrovent nasal spray to help with post nasal drip but I don't know if that has done anything for the tinnitus. I still haven't been able to make it to see an ENT but I am working on the insurance thing and I'll know by today if it is active. The tinging of my face is still there as well but I only feel it when I touch my face? I don't know how it explain it. It's like the nerve is damaged or has pressure on it but not completely destroyed because I can still fell it. Again, weird, but since going to the ER a couple of weeks ago, I'm not really concerned about it being anything serious.
I'll update again soon!