Is This Reactive Tinnitus?

[Tom Cnyc]

Hey all,

I recently noticed that when listening to certain music, in this case George Winston (solo piano), some notes leave a "feedback" ring in my left ear; it's as if someone verrrrrry quick put a mic near the speaker, almost an echo to the piano note (thankfully it stays in key). I haven't listened to much music, but have not noticed this effect at all with any other music in headphones, or any TV show, etc.

My CBT (who deals with many tinnitus patients) says this is a layover of the hyperacusis that I had in the first few weeks and expects this to fade.

Is this "reactive" tinnitus?

Have any of you dealt with it? It's kind of annoying. Today I have almost zero symptoms, yesterday and Sunday also - like a .03 out of 10, but this is there pissing me off.

 

[gotyoubynuts]

Reactive tinnitus is when certain frequencies causes your tinnitus to become louder. I don't know if "feedback" phenomenon is part of it....

 

[Marie79]

I have this too. Certain tones in a song sound like a super loud beep that I had never noticed before. I think it's misophonia maybe? Like we are so freaked out about the tone we hear in our ear that we are looking for it everywhere. My air conditioner and fridge all sound like a high pitch ring now. It's insane.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

I have this too. Certain tones in a song sound like a super loud beep that I had never noticed before. I think it's misophonia maybe? Like we are so freaked out about the tone we hear in our ear that we are looking for it everywhere. My air conditioner and fridge all sound like a high pitch ring now. It's insane.

This is a bit different. I hear a note a 2350 Hz feedback during silent moments in music if a similar note is hit. I realized today while doing ACRN this is the same note that I hear if I plug my ears or when I put my head against the pillow.

 

[quietatnight]

Tom Cymc

George Winston, you have excellent taste in music, I'm impressed. I love all of his material. I also like Jim Chappell.

Yeah. I have reactive tinnitus too, just with specific sounds, like if I'm watching a movie on TV, and there is a seen in a hospital where they have a person laying in bed with a heart monitor going beep beep, and the sudden it goes flat nine with that long Beeeeeeepppp. I will hear that beeeep tone until I wake up the next morning. I have no idea why ? I think that may be the tone where my ear damage is at. No matter how loud the TV is, that tone just really sets my tinnitus off. It is interesting.


Louie

Quietatnight

 

[Tom Cnyc]

Tom Cymc

George Winston, you have excellent taste in music, I'm impressed. I love all of his material. I also like Jim Chappell.

Yeah. I have reactive tinnitus too, just with specific sounds, like if I'm watching a movie on TV, and there is a seen in a hospital where they have a person laying in bed with a heart monitor going beep beep, and the sudden it goes flat nine with that long Beeeeeeepppp. I will hear that beeeep tone until I wake up the next morning. I have no idea why ? I think that may be the tone where my ear damage is at. No matter how loud the TV is, that tone just really sets my tinnitus off. It is interesting.


Louie

Quietatnight

I've got most of Winstons records. Been a fan my whole life. I'll check out Jim Chappell when I'm at work Mon. Thanks.

 

[SilverSpiral]

I have very similar, basically sounds produce ringing frequencies now, boiling water in an open pot, rain, cars driving by, all produce a ring at at the same frequency. I have it in both ears, but it is worse in the ear that i have fullness, and constant tinnitus in. That is one thing.

In addition to that I have where if there are people talking on the tv, and there is background music, the background music will be distorted and resonant.

In addition to that if I listen to music by itself, it creates the ring that all sounds do, but more rings at certain frequencies, one as low as 2 Hz.

FML

 

[valeri]

Does anyone get burning pain with reactive tinnitus?

 

[MariaH]

Hi @Tom Cnyc and @SilverSpiral I was just wondering how you are doing these days!

I seem to have something similar to what you guys have: some sounds produce a sort of feedback tone, a loud 'uuuuuuuuu' which usually stops when I shake my head, gently pop my ears or produce another sound. The sound is always at the same frequency and quite loud.

Lately I have also been hearing this particular sound when there is no other noise to set to set it off, for example in bed, especially when I lie on the ear which produces the sound. When I lie on my other ear it usually calms down.

To be honest I find it incredibly distressing and am scared that one day it will just get 'stuck' forever. Especially since it has gotten stuck for hours on end in the past.

I've had this reactive tinnitus off and on for almost 4 years now. My other tinnitus sounds (which started after taking anti-depressants) have quietened a lot since they appeared about 5 years ago, but this 'reactive' tinnitus seems to be sticking.

Any other experiences with this type of tinnitus?
Maria

 

[Starthrower]

One of the most difficult situations for me and reactive tinnitus is in a group setting with several people talking and usually one will have an annoying voice and one will talk loud. And then background music.

My tinnitus is the sounds of screeching metal and in that situation above the noise level increases dramatically.

I avoid such situations as much as possible.

 

[MariaH]

Hi @Starthrower, I feel your pain. I also find it difficult to enjoy social gatherings because of my tinnitus. I always wear ear plugs, even in restaurants, but that makes it harder to follow conversations and amplifies the tinnitus.

 

[Jason C]

Yea reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis. I can't listen too music at all as it just sounds broken.
This afternoon I though I would "try" and have a go at music lol

Loaded up Metallica - the unforgiven. FLAC - Low volume on a Sonus sound system but enough to hear it. Sounded like broken biscuits lol It sounds like there music s a constant rattle in the background of music like a broken speaker. I turned it off before I launched the remote threw the tv screen.

I would say my hyperacusis has pretty much faded now as traffic noise and plates being rattled together don't annoy me now. Most of my issues I believe come from cochlear damage and lost higher and lower frequencies therefore nothing sounds the same and music sounds like garbage.

 

[al3xisnic0le]

@Marie79 did reactive tinnitus ever go away for you? I'm experiencing this right now and losing my mind

 

[Marie79]

@Marie79 did reactive tinnitus ever go away for you? I'm experiencing this right now and losing my mind

Nope it is still ringing even right now with my air conditioning on. With it off it is much lower. But I can say it bothers me about 80% less than when I first got it.

 

[Michael Leigh]

For anyone that might be interested. Reactive tinnitus is a term that was made up and is now used a lot in tinnitus forums but it doesn't actually exist. The word is not used in the medical profession nor is it written in any tinnitus books. Reactive tinnitus is hyperacusis. Like tinnitus it comes in different levels of severity.
Michael

 

[Parfait]

I get this. i notice it coming on with certain sounds, e.g. I hear the kids thumping on the floor, padding about the house. It causes a low hum to reverberate in my ear for only 20 secs, unless I swallow which stops it.

Jason c I share your loss of music too. I can't hear the backing sounds crisply and it sounds like someone brushing the floor. I drive 1-2 hours a day and sometimes just switch off the music in frustration whereas before I listened to it a lot and lived that simple pleasure so much. I'm kinda forcing myself to listen to it which lowered hearing quality just to get used to the new reality.

Also I noticed that clapping on the tv sounds liked flock of birds.

 

[linearb]

For anyone that might be interested. Reactive tinnitus is a term that was made up and is now used a lot in tinnitus forums but it doesn't actually exist. The word is not used in the medical profession nor is it written in any tinnitus books. Reactive tinnitus is hyperacusis

I would dispute all of this. So would my ENT as well as my neurologist. So would this random audiologist I found on google:
http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/your-role-in-treating-tinnitus-12792

Reactive tinnitus is a smaller subset of the overall tinnitus population. It is a type of tinnitus that is worsened after exposure to mild to moderate levels of sound. Typical tinnitus, if there is such a thing, is made worse by loud music, loud yard tools, loud traffic, street noise, et cetera. However, a patient with reactive tinnitus will tell you that their tinnitus is worse after they get out of the car or the shower. Most tinnitus patients find a lot of refuge in the shower; they like that constant sound. These patients do not. This increase in sensitivity tends to last for more than one day. It is a subset of the overall tinnitus patient, but one of which you need to be aware and know how to identify.

The best test for identifying reactive tinnitus is the Residual Inhibition test that you will do as a part of your overall tinnitus evaluation...

It's silly to tell anyone who gets a short term exacerbation following specific audio inputs that they have "hyperacusis", and I think a significant disservice to people who actually do. There may be some significant overlap there, as there is between T and H in the first place, but there's a wide spectrum of audio processing disorders.

 

[Aaron123]

The word is not used in the medical profession nor is it written in any tinnitus books.

It is mentioned in the book Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives by Baguley and Fagelson.

It shows up at least as far back as 2011 in the tinnitus literature http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.ed...=A_multi-centre_study_on_the_long-term_be.pdf (though the International Tinnitus Journal is not exactly NEJM).

Actually as far back as 2008: https://www.californiaearinstitute....tinnitus-dynamic-acoustic-neural-stimulus.pdf

 

[Michael Leigh]

I would dispute all of this. So would my ENT as well as my neurologist. So would this random audiologist I found on google:
http://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/your-role-in-treating-tinnitus-12792

I would dispute your ENT, neurologist and your random audiologist too. Whilst they are probably good healthcare professionals and may know about the anatomy of the ear, they know nothing about tinnitus, other than what they've been told by their patients. Hence reactive tinnitus.

 

[Michael Leigh]

It is mentioned in the book Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives by Baguley and Fagelson.

I've heard about all about Baguley probably never experienced intrusive tinnitus in his life. No doubt a good healthcare professional but knows nothing about tinnitus same as the other people you mention.

 

[linearb]

I would dispute your ENT, neurologist and your random audiologist too. Whilst they are probably good healthcare professionals and may know about the anatomy of the ear, they know nothing about tinnitus, other than what they've been told by their patients. Hence reactive tinnitus.

Okay, cool. My neuro has a medical degree from a top tier school and did a residency at Mass General where they have a large ear clinic, and my audiologist (not the one quoted here) went to UnM and specialized in tinnitus and related issues, including working on fairly cutting-edge research regarding the mechanical and neurological underpinnings of tinnitus.

Since you're disputing such esteemed individuals, I assume you must be a highly credentialed person who has likewise spent years studying the ear at a major medical school, right? Can I ask what those credentials are? I mean, surely you're not just some guy from the internet with no medical training and a habit of being condescending and telling patients that you understand their real problems better than either themselves or their doctors.... right? That would be, to borrow a phrase, "absurd".

Namaste.