Is This a Good Sign After 2.5 Months? I Now Have More Good Days, Fewer Spikes, More Energy

[sigridcornelia]

Hi there,

I will introduce myself. I'm a 26 year old woman and I'm new to tinnitus (2,5 months). English is not my first language, but i hope you guys understand.

I developed tinnitus after a flight. I had a fever, nasty cold and ear infection so the pressure on the flight probably triggered the tinnitus. I used nasal spray, but unfortunately it didn't work. I suddenly heard something like eeeeee and i freaked out cause i was already feeling horrible due to the fever i had. Once i got off the plane, i could still hear a weird sound in my head like static and a high pitched tone. I freaked out again and went into panic mode. This lasted for at least 2 months. I was devastated and became obsessed with the T. I could hear it everywhere and i tried to mask it. The sound gave me headaches and my head even felt like it was buzzing. I was so scared that I even started to have suicidal thoughts. My T was definitely a 10/10 back then.

My tinnitus fluctuates. Sometimes it's just static with hissing in the background, few hours later it can be a high tone that changes pitch, then it's just a hiss. It changes throughout the day. I also have something like fleeting tinnitus. A sudden mini spike occurs like eeeeee for 30 seconds or so.

I am now 2,5 months in and the tinnitus is still there. I'm still a mess but it is slowly getting better. Slowly i'm starting to have some faith that things will get better in time. I noticed that i'm having more good days, more energy and positivity, and that i'm having less spikes. Also the spikes seem to be less intrusive. However, i keep feeling horrible when i feel my tinnitus is going to flare up. Everytime it feels like i'm back to square one and that this is gonna be a never ending story that keeps messing with my happiness and quality of life. Deep down inside i know the spikes always calm down after a few hours or a couple of days. And deep down i know i'm better than 2 months ago. I'm just scared to have hope, because every spike destroys that hope.

I'm experiencing more silent days and the tinnitus seems to be slowly fading. By silent days i mean days that are worth 3 out of 10. Some moments i really have to search for it to make sure it is still there. I even experienced 7 hours of almost complete silence (1 or 2 out of 10). These moments seem to happen more often, and my T seems to spike less. The last four weeks i even had more 'good' days than bad days, although the spikes still occur.

I was wondering if this might be a good sign, since i've been suffering for only 2,5 months. My ENT told me i have a very good chance it will go away on its own, and if not, i will probably habituate in 2 years or so.

Is it normal when T is getting better, it fades with ups and downs? 2 months ago i considered a day with volume 7/10 a good day. Now i consider a day with volume 3/10 a good day. So either it's fading, or my reaction to T is getting less negative and I am slowly habituating? Are there any T sufferers who experienced something similar in such a short time?

Thanks for reading my post and if i said something weird since English is not my first language, let me know so i can correct it.

Sigrid

PS i uploaded a picture of a graph which shows how my T went down gradually over the past 10 weeks.

 

[robHing]

I'm experiencing more silent days and the tinnitus seems to be slowly fading.

Hi... Welcome...
It is very good sign that your tinnitus is fluctuating.
Please protect your ears well and do not expose them to loud environments.
Let your ears rest and get better.

 

[Michael B]

Like many, T starts to fade into the background. My guess is that you will continue to improve to a point where you'll have to remind yourself that you have it.
Since you asked, your English is great, perfect actually, although it's proper to use a capital I when referring to yourself.
Continued good luck.
Mike

 

[Wolfears]

Yes it is a good sign..especially after only 2.5 months.
With a little luck, it will fade to barely audible in another couple months and then hopefully goes away alltogether.
I have read somewhere that the cells regenerate every 3 months or so.

Remember there are still going to be some fluctuations, but as long as the overall trend is downwards with volume, you should be ok.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I also have something like fleeting tinnitus. A sudden mini spike occurs like eeeeee for 30 seconds or so.

Most people with T have this. It might be your body's attempt to recalibrate and to get rid of T.

I was wondering if this might be a good sign, since i've been suffering for only 2,5 months.

Yes. It might take another 6-12 months but you will most likely either hear silence again, or get to a point where your T is always at that 1-2 "can hear only in quiet rooms" stage. Just make sure not to hurt your ears again.

Is it normal when T is getting better, it fades with ups and downs?

Yes! It almost never goes away overnight.

So either it's fading, or my reaction to T is getting less negative and I am slowly habituating?

It must be fading. Habituation won't happen in two months.

i uploaded a picture of a graph which shows how my T went down gradually over the past 10 weeks.

What matters is the monthly trend and the global lows. It makes sense to ignore the daily fluctuations. You are most likely going to be ok.

I believe you might find some information at the link below to be helpful as far as avoiding that secondary trauma:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[JohnAdams]

Of course that's good. Great news! Hopefully it keeps going down.

 

[sigridcornelia]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply! I really appreciate it and really need it right now. It gives me hope! I'm experiencing a bad spike at the moment and have to calm myself down constantly. Last night it was so bad that I even took a benzo... I usually never do that cause they're very addictive. However, sometimes, at really bad bad moments, it seems to be the only thing that calms me down. My T was a screaming high pitch with hiss and I could hear it over the TV and my masking sounds. I think it has calmed down a bit already, but still present.

It might be stressrelated i guess. Everytime I have few good days (4-5 days with mild tinnitus) I'm getting suspicious... "Hmm, this is too good to be true... Is it REALLY fading?!". And then a few hours later or the next day the spike occurs and stays with me for a few hours or days. I still think and hope it'll be gone in a few months... During the first weeks I considered myself lucky with 1 mild day after 10 bad days, then followed again by 10 bad days. Lately I can have 5-9 mild days before the huge spike starts to occur so it's definitely an improvement.

Thanks again everyone for replying. It's really helpful. And if you have any tips for me to get through this, please let me know. This thing is torture. Everytime I'm able to relax and do the things I like, the joker comes back: "HA! Nottttt! We're not done playing and I'm here to make your life miserable! Yay!".

 

[sigridcornelia]

I believe you might find some information at the link below to be helpful as far as avoiding that secondary trauma:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

Thanks for this one! @Bill Bauer

 

[Mark5398]

Anxiety and panic are a normal evolutionary reaction to something that your brain perceives as a threat.
Once T is not considered a threat anymore then habituation will begin, in my experience.
It's ok to feel that way. If I can suggest: do not attempt to block a panic reaction. Accept it for what it is and aknowledge it. With time you will learn to manage your panic and anxiety ad eventually to teach your brain that T is not a threat. It can't hurt you.
Some relaxation and meditation techniques might help as, as you said, stress will make T worse.

Also, for what it is possible, I would not attempt to track your T as this might delay the above process.

What got me through my highs and lows at the beginning was the thought of how satisfying it felt once I got through the previous spike.

All the best!

 

[MartinH]

My T started in mid April and it's been all over the place in terms of tone and volume. I keep track of good days and bad days and I have a lot more good ones than bad, almost 10:1. Some of them are near silent. Usually, I hear it a few times throughout the day at a 1-2 level but my bose ear buds are always hanging around my neck and I'll just pop on a podcast or a book and it turns down to nothing or very near nothing. I'm fortunate that I can do that anytime I need to I guess. Strangely my hearing aids don't have the same benefit. I've found diet and stress really effect mine. I went to bed tonight at 9:30 and woke up 40 min later with a bit of a spike, probably because I was a little pissed off when I went to bed. But, it's been about 45 min and it's down to 2-3 now. Hope yours keeps getting better.

 

[ManuSony]

How you holding up? I think I have similar reason

 

[coffee_girl]

I think you'll be fine with time and no more ear damage, keep up the good work!

 

[sigridcornelia]

Hey there! (This will be a long post, sorry for that )

Well, I still have tinnitus. It fluctuates a lot. But I feel it still gets better with time. I still have spikes and bad days, but it's also still improving. I have more good than bad days and my anxiety and depression are starting to reduce. I feel a lot better actually and I feel more positive about the future.

This is how my T improved over the last 4,5 months:
First month: 8,5-10
Second month: 6-10
Thirth month: 4-10
Fourth month: 3,5-10 (sometimes spikes to 4-10)

The last two weeks my T is about a 3 out of 10. I also had moments that my T was a 2 out of 10 or even completely gone for a few minutes.

The first months I also had a little H. But since the last month that's gone completely. I couldn't handle the sounds of dishes and the sounds my bird made. And there where other sounds that felt very uncomfortable. I don't feel that anymore.
I also had a lot of pain and pressure in my ears. The pain is completely gone. I only feel a little pressure and have those clicking sounds when swallowing. But I used to have those before T so I think I'm just focusing on it now.
I had a lot of fleeting T during the first weeks. Like 15 times a day I had those short spikes. It scared me alot but I tried to stay as calm as possible. Now I only have fleeting T like 2-3 times a week. So that's also improving.

I'm starting to think that my T is actually stress induced. During workdays my T is louder. During the weekends it's almost gone and I only hear it when going to bed and when waking up, or in silent rooms. So for me that's a sign it has a lot to do with stress.

I think my cold and the flight triggered the shit of T. I feel like I experienced an explosion of negativity and stress during my flight, and I think that caused the onset. Here's why:
- My vacation wasn't what I expected it to be. There was a lot of frustration towards a friend of mine that came with us and couldn't stop talking about her shit and didn't respect the space of other people. So didn't feel I could rest during my vacation. I am a very introverted person so for me it's exhausting to deal with people that don't respect my personal space and me-time.
- I felt a lot of work stress and wasn't very happy about the fact that I had to go back to that horrible work place.
- Two months before T I started to have little anxiety attacks. I experienced those during my vacation as well. I started to have more fleeting T and experienced it a lot during my vacation. I remember that I thought... what is this? Why do I have this every day? Maybe I should go see my GP. I think this could have been a sign for me that my stress levels were very high.
- on the last day of my vacation i got sick. I had a fever and a cold and felt very bad. So I had to go on a plane feeling that bad. That made me anxious because I really don't like to go by plane (what if it crashes... what if something happens to me during the flight.... thoughts like that). Besides that I always have a lot of earpain when landing, and the whole flight I was stressing about that because I already had a cold.

This altogether made my flight a horrible experience. I hyperventilated and was very tensed and anxious. And when I sat there in my chair, looking at the clouds we were flying through, the T started. PINGGGGG!! And this time it wasn't the fleeting T I experienced a lot the weeks before onset. This time I knew it was probably here to stay. So it scared the shit out of me and that's when my life became living hell. But as I said, I'm doing A LOT better now and I am positive and happier.

I decided to work on myself and listen to my body. I try to go to bed early and eat healthy. I also try to meditate a lot, and go to the gym more often. Besides that I quit my job cause it gave me A LOT of stress and I can not use that while I'm trying to heal from/deal with T. I now have an easier job. A job that I can let go of when going home. I feel it helps a lot.
As I said, I'm a very introverted person and I need a lot of space and time for myself to reload. So I'm taking my time and space for myself and try to think less about other peoples needs. That may sound a little selfish but it's very important to me right now. I used to care about other peoples needs too much and didn't care about myself and my own needs. I feel a lot better doing this and I think my T is decreasing because of my new lifestyle.

So, T is still in my life and I think about it everyday. I sometimes struggle to believe it's actually getting better, but it is definitely getting better. Just very very slow. My family noticed that I'm happier, that I talk about it less, I stress about it less and that I gained a little weight again (I lost a lot of weight cause of the T stress). So I'm positive about the future and hoping that in another 5 months (now 4,5 months in) it's even better. I will definitely post an update or with a little luck a success story. I just don't post that often about my progress because I think progress is noticeable over the long term. Not short term.

You guys will hear from me . And if you have any questions, feel free to message me.

 

[robHing]

I am really glad that after 4 months, your T has been reduced.
(PS: I am the first one responded to you in August.)

 

[sigridcornelia]

I forgot to mention that I have a lot of tension in my neck, shoulders and jaw. I clench my jaws at night and got a guard that I can use while sleeping. I think it helps with the jaw tension and it lowers the T. Also, I asked my boyfriend to massage my neck and shoulders daily and it really helps. Stretching the muscles while doing yoga also does good things for me.

Before T, I suffered from mild chronic depression and ADD. My psychiatrist gave me Ritalin/Methylphenidate for it, but it had annoying side effects. Actually, it did help with the mild depression and it made me feel very good. So I went back to my psychiatrist cause my mild depression became severe depression due to T. I wanted to talk with her about my options for medication.
I'm really scared to use AD's. I used Lexapro once for 10 days, and it made me feel very very bad. The side effects were really scary. So my psychiatrist told me I might be sensitive to AD's since they are very heavy and I had an extreme reaction it (I didn't develop T because of this AD, I used it a looonggg time ago). She told me that if the Methylphenidate worked for my depression, it might work again this time. But if the side effects are that annoying, perhaps Dexamphetamine would do something for me. It has the same positive effects as Methylphenidate but less side effects. At first I got a bit nervous about this idea since Dexamphetamine is a stimulating medicine. I got scared it would worsen my T. But the thing is, I was already very very depressed and I really needed to treat that and work on it. So I decided to take the risk. Staying in my room and being depressed wasn't an option either and you have to try things to find out what works for you. After all, life is full of risks and my life was already at it's lowest point.

The Dexamphetamine did a lot for my mood. It gives me more energy, more positivity and joy in life. And, very important, it did NOT worsen my T. It actually lowers it! I know that because when it stops working my T comes back a little louder. Besides that, Dexamphetamine helps you focusing on one thing at a time. It helped me to focus on other things than T. And while focusing on those other things, I am less bothered by my T or even unaware of it.

I'm not saying you guys should all use Dexamphetamine from now on. This just worked for me. I asked my psychiatrist to help me and find something that fits ME. She helped me very well and based her choice for Dexamphetamine on who I am as a person and all my issues together (so, not only the T). I'm really thankful for that.

Maybe this helps someone. My advice is, if besides T you have other issues as well, mental issues or whatsoever, take a good look at yourself. If you can't change your T, what other things can you change to make your life a little better?

 

[sigridcornelia]

I am really glad that after 4 months, your T has been reduced.
(PS: I am the first one responded to you in August.)

Thanks!!

How are you doing?

 

[robHing]

My T was spiked yesterday.
I woke up midnight by noise.
I took a sleeping pill to finish my sleeping.
I feel better today.
This T is a daily challenge to all members here !

 

[sigridcornelia]

My T was spiked yesterday.
I woke up midnight by noise.
I took a sleeping pill to finish my sleeping.
I feel better today.
This T is a daily challenge to all members here !

That sucks. I'm glad you're doing better today. Do you experience spikes often? Is your sleeping pattern usually better than last night?

 

[john paul]

The way it fades is pretty much how you are describing.

 

[robHing]

This world is full of different kind of noise.
Sometimes, sudden loud noise will surprise us
(most T friends have this experience).
Occasional spiking is UNAVOIDABLE.
Especially, T with H will be easily spiked.
We swallow it and move on our T lives.