Hello everyone,
It's day 14 for me. One afternoon, I noticed a low-frequency noise, around 92 Hz, without being able to pinpoint its origin. Strangely, the volume changed rapidly, about three to four times a second, without any particular rhythm. It was far from a static tone. I initially thought it was some machinery from outside. My wife was on a trip, and she couldn't hear it when she returned. While my hearing is a bit more sensitive than hers, I scheduled an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist after realizing I could hear the noise just as loudly in the basement.
The doctor performed a basic hearing test that showed no hearing damage. He did not explain any potential side causes, such as temporomandibular joint disorder, neck issues, or blood pressure problems, nor did he advise on how to treat it psychologically with distractions. He prescribed some Ginkgo biloba pills and told me to return in a week if the noise did not subside. I am fairly sure these are, at worst, a placebo, and at best, they take twelve weeks to have any effect. I took them anyway but also started taking Na-R-ALA, Acetylcysteine, and Vitamin B12, as I suspected but had not confirmed a deficiency. While I wasn't pleased with the first doctor, I couldn't get an appointment with another Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist until the end of July. I have a check-up and blood tests tomorrow with a general practitioner to see if there are any issues there.
In the meantime, the symptoms moved to my right ear only after six or seven days. I'm not sure if this is good or bad news. At least the volume seems to have stabilized more or less; it's almost static. Occasionally, I feel it tied to my pulse, but not always. I went back to the first doctor, and he suggested cortisone treatment. I expected it would go directly into the ear, but it went into my bloodstream via an intravenous drip. Anyway, I have had two out of three sessions (on consecutive days) and am not really sure if it has had any effect so far.
The symptoms are manageable during the day. Often, leaving a window open is enough to cover it, sometimes requiring a bit of music. Nights are often hard, even with a fan. I'm not sure if it's just the lack of outside noise that makes it worse in the evening or if it's an expected effect. I sleep in ambient mode with an in-ear monitor in my right ear to keep the fan noise and play rain sounds at a low volume. Full disclosure: I did this before the tinnitus, too, for years—it helps me sleep. That works fine, but the battery runs out at some point, and I wake up at 3 AM with very noticeable tinnitus. I'm still experimenting to see if the rain sounds or the in-ear monitor could actually be making it worse somehow.
I discovered that if I play a 92 Hz tone for 20-30 seconds, I get 100% relief for 1-5 minutes. However, I'm unsure if this is the right direction. It's a bit addicting and makes my brain fixate on it rather than ignore it. I'm experimenting with playing multiple frequencies simultaneously, seeing if it still provides relief while also not really "revealing" the problematic frequency. The doctor said this sounds like what maskers do, and he doesn't believe they work long-term.
I'm optimistic it will stabilize at a volume I can bear, but I can't lie—some nights are very stressful at the moment.
It's day 14 for me. One afternoon, I noticed a low-frequency noise, around 92 Hz, without being able to pinpoint its origin. Strangely, the volume changed rapidly, about three to four times a second, without any particular rhythm. It was far from a static tone. I initially thought it was some machinery from outside. My wife was on a trip, and she couldn't hear it when she returned. While my hearing is a bit more sensitive than hers, I scheduled an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist after realizing I could hear the noise just as loudly in the basement.
The doctor performed a basic hearing test that showed no hearing damage. He did not explain any potential side causes, such as temporomandibular joint disorder, neck issues, or blood pressure problems, nor did he advise on how to treat it psychologically with distractions. He prescribed some Ginkgo biloba pills and told me to return in a week if the noise did not subside. I am fairly sure these are, at worst, a placebo, and at best, they take twelve weeks to have any effect. I took them anyway but also started taking Na-R-ALA, Acetylcysteine, and Vitamin B12, as I suspected but had not confirmed a deficiency. While I wasn't pleased with the first doctor, I couldn't get an appointment with another Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist until the end of July. I have a check-up and blood tests tomorrow with a general practitioner to see if there are any issues there.
In the meantime, the symptoms moved to my right ear only after six or seven days. I'm not sure if this is good or bad news. At least the volume seems to have stabilized more or less; it's almost static. Occasionally, I feel it tied to my pulse, but not always. I went back to the first doctor, and he suggested cortisone treatment. I expected it would go directly into the ear, but it went into my bloodstream via an intravenous drip. Anyway, I have had two out of three sessions (on consecutive days) and am not really sure if it has had any effect so far.
The symptoms are manageable during the day. Often, leaving a window open is enough to cover it, sometimes requiring a bit of music. Nights are often hard, even with a fan. I'm not sure if it's just the lack of outside noise that makes it worse in the evening or if it's an expected effect. I sleep in ambient mode with an in-ear monitor in my right ear to keep the fan noise and play rain sounds at a low volume. Full disclosure: I did this before the tinnitus, too, for years—it helps me sleep. That works fine, but the battery runs out at some point, and I wake up at 3 AM with very noticeable tinnitus. I'm still experimenting to see if the rain sounds or the in-ear monitor could actually be making it worse somehow.
I discovered that if I play a 92 Hz tone for 20-30 seconds, I get 100% relief for 1-5 minutes. However, I'm unsure if this is the right direction. It's a bit addicting and makes my brain fixate on it rather than ignore it. I'm experimenting with playing multiple frequencies simultaneously, seeing if it still provides relief while also not really "revealing" the problematic frequency. The doctor said this sounds like what maskers do, and he doesn't believe they work long-term.
I'm optimistic it will stabilize at a volume I can bear, but I can't lie—some nights are very stressful at the moment.
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