I've Got Tinnitus from One of the Happiest Events I've Had in My Life

[Vincent777]

Well I've regained my emotional well being in a matter of half an hour reading through this forum and playing some nice audio tinnitus maskers. I really deeply appreciate this forum. I'm really interested in trying Back To Silence method.

Realized that my tinnitus is louder today because I've slept only six hours last night, happened to me before, my T worsened when I was tired because I had to stay awake whole night and day so no reason to panic I guess.

 

[Bobby B]

Yes Tinnitus may not go away entirely perhaps BUT it will get softer and much easier to forget and you only had it for 2 months its can still improve a lot over the next months - mine has changed in pitch and sounds better now but I also do LLLT which I think it helps.

The back to silence method really works too - I have done it for the last two days and the time I forget about my T has dramatically increased during the day so I am not that worried anymore

 

[Vincent777]

Thank you for the reply @Bobby B ! Well if it gets softer then that is still a recovery. I'm afraid to play live though maybe with custom earplugs combined with active or passive earmuffs while playing on normal audio levels I can maximize protection. And staying away from the direct sound exposure if that's possible. How did LLLT help? Minimizing T?

P.S. I'm taking Biofluvanoids 1000 mg twice a day.

 

[Bobby B]

My main objective with LLLT was to improve sound quality overall - so far so good.
T is more complicated, it may take more time there is also a brain factor so we will see - the pitch has changed to a higher and more piercing, clear sound that is a fact while the mid/lows sounds have improved a lot which is in line with others experience wiht LLLT - the less damaged low frequency part recovers first but this is a year long or more treatment so I am giving it time...too early for conclusions but happy so far. No side effects either.
Sometime T is very loud but its also less reactive now, this is another improvement I can start listening to speakers music without the T reacting to it.

I really want something to be happening inside my ears even if it is very slow so I don't see what other choices beside LLLT we have.
I also take the usual supplements and anti- oxidants and they may help too.

 

[Vincent777]

What about those tinnitus maskers/white noise therapy gadgets that look like hearing aid? Supposedly you wear this up to 6 hours a day to re-train the brain not to hear the ringing.

 

[Vincent777]

Saw somebody got it on the Fb Tinnitus support group

 

[Sidnancee]

I have no idea if this is the correct way to send a message to you. I've tried to figure out how to post or email just you, but I've given up. I've joined this forum just to communicate to you.

I'm in the midst of a major freak out regarding the possibility of having tinnitus. I've had a ringing in my ears for the past 6 weeks, non-stop. I've been to my PCP twice and he's sending me to an ENT (who comes highly recommended but can't see me for 3.5 weeks). I'm a HUGE music lover. I put myself through college as a union stagehand. All of my friends were musicians in college also, so I spent a lot of time at their gigs. During that entire time I always used earplugs or at least cotton in order to avoid this very thing. I have no idea why all of sudden this would manifest. I haven't been around anything loud since September (Riotfest in Chicago - Billy Idol was a headliner by the way - Steve Stevens is amazing). As usual, I wore earplugs and experienced no issues. And now out of the clear blue ringing has begun in my ears with unflagging consistency.

The only change I've introduced over the last 3 months is that I bought a Pono music player and new shure IEMs. The quality of sound is revelatory. Its almost like I'm 16 years old again and discovering artists and albums for the first time. I'm very, very, careful to keep the volume low TO AVOID EXACTLY what I'm going through. I NEVER turn it up loud. For the past two days my ears have been feeling full and now I'm freaking out and I'm an emotional wreck. The thought of not being able to listen to music, or hear it in the same way is beyond depressing. I've done nothing but troll the Internet about this topic and now I'm even more freaked out and have information overload. I've purposely avoided doing that for this very reason. However, after reading your posts, they've really hit a "chord" with me. Bad pun. I haven't even been able to read all of your posts, just some. I haven't started a discussion because I'm just not ready to deal with this yet. I just don't know how much of this I can take. The ringing is constant and doesn't really fluctuate. The psychological trauma of this impacting my music appreciation is what is truly killing me. Insomnia is secondary.

I'm going to call the ENT practice tomorrow AM to see if there's another specialist within the practice that I can see because I don't think I can wait another 3 weeks. There are some hoops to jump through as part of my insurance plan. The right-wing idiocracy in this country have tried to block any kind of healthcare reform at every chance they get (the racist, anti-intellectual f**ks that they are). Sorry, I digress. I'm just very, very edgy.

I realize that there's really nothing for you to do or say, it's just the very act of typing out something that has provided a bit of relief. Even though I could barely hear the low music I have playing from my computer speakers, ultimately sustaining my depression.

Cheers.

 

[Vincent777]

Hey Sidnancee!

Sorry to hear about your problem. I am flattered that you've registered just to communicate with me. Does your tinnitus fluctuate or it's constant?

First of all DO NOT worry, I know when you read that tinnitus is permanent and that there's no cure it's an instant panic attack trigger. That happened to me so I know how it feels to have the sensation that you'll be trapped inside your own head with your senses malfunctioning and not able to perceive external world. You could consider using the lowest dose of benzodiazepines to help you relax. And don't worry about the sensation of your ears being full or corked, it's probably just wax build up in your ears, a ENT can get it out for you without any problems.

But the KEY to tinnitus is not to pay attention to it. It can affect your emotions pretty fast and in turn emotions affect your tinnitus even stronger and you go into downward spiral.

My tinnitus went almost away yesterday and today it's a bit louder but I don't care. Know why? Because there's nothing I can do about it. Same as with me losing my hair haha. It's obviously beyond my control so I have to learn to emotionally disengage. I am doing all I can to protect my ears and taking loads of vitamins and supplements daily for my ear cells. The whole point is not to get obsessed and beat ourselves down about the things that are outside our area or circle influence. The more we focus on those things the more helpess we will feel, trust me I'm a veteran on this subject haha. The more we focus on our area of influence, on the things we can operate with, the more powerful we start to feel and funny enough area of influence starts to expand. How's excessive worry going to help you? It will just make you edgy and stressed out which can only worsen your tinnitus, luckily not permanently but just for the time being.

How did the appointment with ENT go today?

 

[Vincent777]

I'm not here everyday so in case of an emergency you can add me on skype if you want: sebastian_melmotte or on fb: https://www.facebook.com/sebastianmelmotte

Also try using tinnitus maskers, they helped me the most with not hearing my damn tinnitus.













There are many more on the web, just google tinnitus maskers/white noise tinnitus/rain noise for tinnitus etc.

 

[Vincent777]

Hey all, a small update from me. I've learned not to notice my T, to stop responding emotionally to it and use tinnitus maskers when it's too silent to ignore it or when I go to sleep. I just got tired of being worried all the time. I almost stopped hearing it two weeks ago but then I went to a went to a club for the first time last week after December with earplugs to see what will happen and I didn't hear any worsening of my T after I came back home. BUT sure enough tomorrow, whether it was from me focusing to hear my T or from the exposure I've started hearing it again.

My band is having a gig on a music festival next month and we are supposed to start practicing soon and since music is my passion I'm going to try to do a rehearsal with both custom earplugs I've made from the impression of my ear canals and active earmuffs ( Tactical XP). IS it possible that my T will worsen even with this double protection? Also my doctor advised me to take N - Acetyl Cysteine and Vitamin C 1000 mg an hour before and hour after the loud event.

Do you guys have any other advice that you could give me how to protect my ears? I'm reading now on the forum that some people worsened their T when playing even with earmuffs and earplugs which makes me very worried. :\

The real bummer is I've ordered two beautiful custom electric guitars made for me and they are being finished this month.

 

[Vincent777]

I've just had my noise generators fitted today for a 10 days trial. But she said I can't sleep in them and they do not notch out my T frequencies in the white noise. I thought TRT was all about that? It costs 1500 eur which is crazy!

And had a rehearsal with a band today, with earplugs and Tactical XP Peltor earmuffs and it went well! Had my T more present after the rehearsal but I've put the noise generators and I couldn't hear it.

 

[Zorro!]

I've just had my noise generators fitted today for a 10 days trial. But she said I can't sleep in them and they do not notch out my T frequencies in the white noise. I thought TRT was all about that? It costs 1500 eur which is crazy!

And had a rehearsal with a band today, with earplugs and Tactical XP Peltor earmuffs and it went well! Had my T more present after the rehearsal but I've put the noise generators and I couldn't hear it.

Let us know how the next 10 days go. I'm interested in knowing how well it works.

 

[Vincent777]

Let us know how the next 10 days go. I'm interested in knowing how well it works.

Will do. The white noise for me is tiring to listen to all the time, I've just pulled it out. I had it in my ears for almost five hours. Tinnitus wasn't lower either, actually was a tad more present than normal but that could've been from rehearsal. You have a remote to control the levels of the white noise but I don't see me wearing this for a year and a half, I can get the masking effect from speakers without the uncomfortable feeling of having something in my ear.

 

[Vincent777]

My gf just woke me up by calling me on the phone in the middle of the night and my T is very loud, I can't sleep how loud it is since I press my ears to the pillow when I sleep. Hopefully it's because of noise generators and not the band rehearsal, I've been told by my audiologist it can worsen from the noise generators the first few days.

 

[Vincent777]

My guitar is coming along nicely.

 

[Sebastians]

Wanna trade?

 

[Vincent777]

Wanna trade?

Haha, very nice pattern there mate! What Emgs are those?

 

[Vincent777]

I think it got worse from the rehearsal I had today although the volume was 80 Db at max and I had both earplugs and active earmuffs so I assume there was no way for me to get acoustic trauma except for maybe irritate my T a little. I think my anxiety about it is enhancing it, quite ironic eh? But it's hard not to be anxious when you're back to a place where you got it from in the first place. ;P Quite a catch 22.

 

[Vincent777]

Hey any musicians here that still play know with what noise levels are they comfortable with?

 

[Bobby B]

80 Db isn't that much - with plugs alone that should be fine

 

[Zorro!]

I think it got worse from the rehearsal I had today although the volume was 80 Db at max and I had both earplugs and active earmuffs so I assume there was no way for me to get acoustic trauma except for maybe irritate my T a little. I think my anxiety about it is enhancing it, quite ironic eh? But it's hard not to be anxious when you're back to a place where you got it from in the first place. ;P Quite a catch 22.

Your emotions might be causing your tinnitus to spike. Clearly you love music as you are a musician so just being in that environment is no doubt stimulating your brain, making it fire excitedly in response to be doing what you love.

I'm not a musician but I've experienced this very thing when watching a DVD of my favorite band, RUSH. I haven't been listening to music for ages now but I watched the DVD of the last concert I saw RUSH play. I only had the TV speaker on, not the stereo and I didn't play it loud at all, just at normal TV volume. But afterwards my tinnitus had spiked and I could only attribute it to the emotional reaction I had to seeing my favorite band again. There was absolutely no way the spike was caused by the loudness of the TV. It had to be caused by an emotional reaction, i.e. by parts of my brain getting excited and firing up.

I know that sounds a bit weird but having tinnitus is weird in general so I'm sticking to my theory.

 

[chase.j]

I hit 2 years with tinnitus from acoustic trauma on january 25th 2017. The ringing is still as loud as it was after it subsided a little after the first 3 weeks. Unfortunately, you have joined a club of allot of painly desperate individuals seeking the sound of silence once more. You're in my prayers my friend. I have literally tried everything that has been mentioned on the forum in the past two years, from all the steroidal, and anti seizure anti depressant meds to actual trial like the AM 101. Nothing has helped. I am now seeking relief from some of the real high end devices. I'll make sure to post if I have any luck with them at all. God bless my friend, my heart really goes out to you. Your in good hands here though, everyone is so so nice on this forum. It is ironic how relatable pain and suffering can bring individuals together. If anything I can say, that this is truly a compassionate forum with some amazing and caring individuals.

 

[crd3]

Hey I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to connect because it feels very relevant to me as a musician (drummer). How have you been lately? Seen any improvement in your T?

You're lucky that you sought help right away. I first noticed mine somewhere around mid 2016 (probably started during a 5 week US tour that my band embarked on), but wasn't too bothered by it and didn't seek help or make any major lifestyle changes until 2 months ago when I noticed that it had gotten worse and that I also had H (which I didn't know was a thing until I googled sound sensitivity after an unpleasant experience on Thanksgiving). Officially diagnosed with acoustic trauma yesterday. Hearing is normal but I have a mild collapse in Loudness Discomfort Levels (LDLs).

My T is a really annoying low pitch (500 Hz) and a less annoying, very high pitch. It's easy to mask but it gets exponentially louder the quieter the environment is. Even though I've had it to some extent for a long time, I'm hoping that if I really start taking care of myself, I can either see a gradual reduction in volume or at least habituate to the new level.

I'm surprised how relatively few musicians seem to be on these forums, considering we're possibly the single most at-risk demographic.

Actually, the reason this thread first caught my attention was the mentioning of Brian Chippendale, one of my favorite drummers (very underrecognized). Lightning Bolt is actually on the short list of bands that I blame for my T increase.

Anyway, it really sucks to have it this young and I'm still not done kicking myself and stressing. But this is a real occupational hazard for our passion of choice. The guys in Lightning Bolt almost certainly have it worse than I do, and they're still going strong.

Hope you're feeling better lately! Good luck on your journey!

 

[TheDanishGirl]

I have some ear muffs that look like that... except the only time I wear them is if I am outside doing yard work with a mower, trimmer, or blower and it's very loud. Certainly if you are going to be in an extremely loud environment for an extended period of time it makes sense to protect your ears. But I agree with others, protecting them too much against everyday sounds can make it worse.

I remember when I first got T, I had some sound sensitivity too. Dishes clinking, ice cubes dropping into a cup, and pretty much most sounds that can be heard in a kitchen just hurt my ears. All of that went away with time, and I strongly believe it is because I did not change my typical routine and did not overprotect myself. I forced myself to get up, go to work and do all the things I normally would do. Over time, things slowly improved, and I'm sure it will for you as well. Good luck!

-Mike

For how long did you have sound sensitivity/Hyperacusis?

I have had it for nearly 8 months now. It disappeared almost completely when I had a cold, but it came back a couple of weeks after my cold had subsided.

 

[threefirefour]

For how long did you have sound sensitivity/Hyperacusis?

I have had it for nearly 8 months now. It disappeared almost completely when I had a cold, but it came back a couple of weeks after my cold had subsided.

Fascinating. You probably have ETD issues helping cause your tinnitus. It's an avenue worth getting checked out.

 

[dpdx]

@TheDanishGirl how are you? are things better?