Major New Problem for a 15 Year Sufferer

[Steelbanks]

In a nutshell, I've had T for 15 years and hyperaccusis for about 5. I've lived with both and still function well as a teacher and father of 4. Until the last week.
Unbelievably, 3 days before I was finally about to get myself some hearing aides to help mask my T, I wake up with a major problem. My normal T is between 8-10,000 H and at 60-65 decibels - pretty bad. Then last Monday I wake up with a massive loud low noise in one year. It's far and away louder than anything I've ever experienced. It's between 125-250 H and I have no idea how loud but so loud I haven't slept properly for a week (and this is from someone who is well used to T).

My GP said "your tinnitus is getting worse - sorry." My ear specialist said u have a virus and has hit me with a 10 day course of steriods (Prednisone) a few months of Betahistine and an MRI scan in case it's a tumour.It's been 3 days on the roids and it was at its worst today. I'm basically deaf in my left year the hum is so loud. If my other ear started up like this I couldn't function. In fact I'd rather be deaf, and I'm not joking. My quality of life has plummeted.
I'm very worried because I'm not actually convinced it is a virus. I have no balance problems whatsoever, have no other flu symptoms...if it is just a new cruel T progression....I shudder to think...

Has anyone experienced anything like this?

 

[Markku]

There are many here (and have been, but some have moved on and stopped frequenting forums after they've habituated) who have had tinnitus for years and then something suddenly made it several times worse.

I hope these people can come forward and offer you any advice and first-hand experience they have.

Tinnitus in some cases can spontaneously become worse, without any clear causal connection. Sudden sensorineuronal hearing loss can come about, as the name suggests, suddenly. We don't always know the reasons behind why something like this happens.

I think it's good your ear doctor took it seriously and started the treatments (steroids & betahistine are often offered for tinnitus), plus ordered the MRI to rule out any more serious causes.

Try to hang in there and give your doctor a call or book an appointment if your condition doesn't start improving.

Too bad there's just nothing I can do or offer to make you feel better at the moment. I can imagine it being a very tough and scary situation; not knowing how it turns out.

But don't yet (been only 3 days on the steroids!) speculate whether it's a virus or not. Give it some time.

If a week from now you don't feel better, did the doctor suggest you book a new appointment or give them a call?


Markku

 

[Steelbanks]

Mate, I have appts coming out my ears! The hearing aide guy (who also suspects a virus) is seeing me on july 2 in anticipation that this new issue will be gone and we can go ahead with the masking aides. My ENT guy is gonna see me 4 days after that. Dunno when the MRI is yet but I feel good knowing that they're all on board. I think the fact that I've had 15 years of T and this issue is frightening me made them take notice.
You're right, it's only been 3 days. I am jumping the gun a bit - was just wanting to see if any longterm sufferers have suddenly had this issue.
Tomorrow will be my first ever day off work because of hearing problems. It's the lack of sleep really. I get to sleep, but if a mouse farts I wake up and it's like a low hum onboard an aircraft but at a very high volume. Fingers crossed it really is a virus.

And thanks for replying - I have only been here for about 5 days and you do a tonne of work on here - a real positive presence...

 

[Robert Fahey]

Sounds like this is hitting you the way the original T hit you, true?

 

[Robert Fahey]

Steel, my money is on you. The enemy is back, but you spanked it last time, and you're a decorated veteran at this point.

 

[mock turtle]

steelbanks

i think ive been where you are standing

i got the dreaded T 22 years ago and it nearly destroyed me for quite a while

but in time... after several years...i got better and better to a point where i was doin really good and i didnt pay any attenion to it ! ! !

then...ah yes..... then...2 years ago, or a little more, within one day my T began SCREAMING

now i wont bore you with all the details, but, i was under huge stress, from famiy issues and personal health (had been told by docs i might have cancer...three times over a 12 month period(turns out two benign tumors and one medical practice snafu) but you get the picture , i was stressed to the max

about the same time i had been taking medications (antibiotics), and then got a flu shot, and the next day....well it was like have a 3 year old child with a temper tantrum screaming in my ear

so heres is my suggestion...take a close look at anything you may have been exposed to that could cause stress..

or anything you could have been exposed to that cuased exposure to vibration or noise to the ear (dentists drill for example)

and finally what, if any foods, or new medications ? ? might you have taken that would insult your ear

keep in mind food additives, like fake sugars and colorings and flavor enhancers (msg)...some of these are really bad, bad, bad,..... but most will let your ears stop ringing once you stop ingesting these substances

medications are very,very suspect, ...for example there are many common antibiotics and many common pain relievers ( acetaminophen related, non aspirin and especial opiate - codeine- similar pain relievers) that are notoriously poinsonous (ototoxic) to the ear

btw aspirin will make your ears ring like crazy if you take a lot, but the T will go away after you stop taking the aspirin for several days

dont forget that as we age arteries clog and the blood supply to the ear goes thru some of the smallest tubes" in the body...i suspect atherosclerosis can aggravate tinnitus...so diet and exercise is key

so my best suggestion is to look closely at these things and try to find what has changed

meanwhile, if you are desperate...i mean really desperate, there is evidence that clonazepam can , for a while, quiet the ringing in your ears...not perfect , but better

im sorry you are in great pain...you are not alone and believe it or not no matter how loud the T gets your brain will get used to it and put the T back in its place, but it will take time, hang in there, i truly feel your pain

mock turtle

 

[Steelbanks]

Thank you for those messages guys -
Robert Fahey - I have spanked this before and as we all know, so much of this is in the mind. Every new level though is a challenge. Still gonna believe in these roids doing the trick - I have to. Then will face this one head on on the off chance they don't.

Mock turtle - Respect from you - thanks for putting your thoughts down - I really appreciate it. Looking back over the past week I can't fathom what I have done differently. I woke with the noise a week back on Monday while my wife and I were on a weekend away in another city. I'd eaten no food that was different, I'd had some bad sleeps cos of some noisy hotel guests. But I've had 4 kids and am well used to bad sleep. I did have a flu jab for the first time ever about a month ago cos I found if I got a cold or flu, my T was making it harder to get over. I had no side effects whatsoever with the jab...

I'm on no mediation at all....
As for stress - I love my job, have a great boss, I'm happily married. I just didn't have any but a bit of T that was getting worse and was gonna get the hearing aides in to help. I was really looking forward to it and then BOOM - this...

That's why I really hope it was just a virus floating around near a hotel pillow.
Chin up though
And thanks once again....

 

[Steelbanks]

Well tonight was the worst night of my life. It's been 5 days on the steriods and there has been no improvement whatsoever. The more tired I am the worse my T is. Last night I got one hours sleep before I woke. When I awoke my ear was just flooded with this low noise I can't shake. I tried everything I could to get back to sleep. Finally I went back to bed and then I just cried. I think I damn near had a panic attack. The volume is absolutely frightening.

I went back downstairs where the hum of my PC and the heat pump gave me some respite. My cat curled up, her purring helped and I think I got about another 2 hrs at most.

I am now awake at 7 am and shitting myself. In just 9 days my enjoyment of life is in ruins... I know this is depressing but I have to get this out...even if no one replies...in tears again now reading this....

 

[Karen]

Hi, Steelbanks,

I am so sorry you're having a rough time. Many of us remember all too well what those first days of tinnitus are like, and it is not much fun! Please don't panic; that will make it seem even worse. Try to be calm, and rest as much as you can, when you can.

Like you, I had tinnitus for many years (about 25) with no real problems. It was mild, and I didn't pay much attention to it. Then, in 2010, my doctor put me on blood pressure medication. Overnight, my tinnitus changed from mild to screaming. And then, on top of that, within about two weeks, my pulsating tinnitus started too.

My guess is that those of us who already have mild tinnitus are more vulnerable to any sort of change that might occur in our bodies. And, for some reason, that change is felt in our inner ear, causing the tinnitus to worsen.

For you, it could have been a virus that triggered it. Mock Turtle is right; look for things that might have occurred right around the time your tinnitus got worse. Can you think of anything that might have changed around that time? Whatever it was, you have to go forward from where you're at right now. Don't dwell on how things were before; move forward with your life. You might want to go ahead and get those hearing aids now; they might really be a godsend to you.

When my tinnitus first worsened, my doctor did the same thing yours did --- I was put on Prednisone and a course of antibiotics. Then, my doctor had me using a saline solution to rinse out my sinuses, etc. None of it worked.

Today, three years later, I am much better. Mine has settled back down over time, and I am now sleeping again!
I've tried all sorts of doctors, therapies, etc. Right now, I am taking several natural supplements, and I use a natural sleep aid that contains valerian, melatonin, chamomile, vitamin B6, and GABA. I also take magnesium chloride tablets about an hour before bedtime. It helps me to relax and fall asleep naturally.

My advice, in a nutshell: (1) Remain calm, if at all possible! (2) Use sound therapy (it can be ocean sounds or water sounds) at night to help you fall asleep. (3) Go see about the hearing aids. (4) Look for supplements that help you relax, or if that doesn't work, try a prescription anti-anxiety drug (there are several mentioned on this forum).
(5) Come here to vent when you are feeling at your wits' end!

I hope you have a better night tonight. It's going to be all right; we understand what you're going through right now, and we care!!

 

[Paint girl]

I'm sorry for what you're going through. I have had T for 19 years, it was mild, then I got a molar filled in April and I went from mild to a loud vibrating hum and high pitch much louder then I had ever experienced. It has settled but not near where it was before. I to was having panic attacks and sleeplessness, it was horrible, I slept with music head phones and used melatonin at night which I still use. I hope it settles for you, it's hard to ignore, but try, I find being outside and if its windy it really gives relief. Try to explore what was different that could have made it worse. All the best

 

[Jason123]

Hi there Steelbanks: I mainly wanted to echo the supportive sentiments of others here. I recently had a taste of the kind of raw, fearful panic you've been experiencing, when the first night of a holiday was disrupted by hearing loss and really loud T in one ear.

I found myself walking around a villa in the dead of night, panicking, getting upset and thinking "Is this what it's going to be like forever now?". Hearing from others online helped me calm down a lot, which calmed the noise and I really hope this forum is giving you some kind of help too. As someone else said, please do keep posting here, even if there's no positive upswing yet (and I'm really sure there will be.)

 

[stelar]

I have tinnitus as loud as a smoke detector and habituated to it after 34 years of mental hospitalizations, severe depression, drug overdoses and attempted suicides. Its finally a non-issue - It will get better.

 

[Jason123]

I have tinnitus as loud as a smoke detector and habituated to it after 34 years of mental hospitalizations, severe depression, drug overdoses and attempted suicides. Its finally a non-issue - It will get better.

Wow. Congratulations on emerging from the other side of that in one piece! Inspiring.

Was there one moment of 'turn around' that you could pinpoint?

 

[Sven]

Well tonight was the worst night of my life. It's been 5 days on the steriods and there has been no improvement whatsoever. The more tired I am the worse my T is. Last night I got one hours sleep before I woke. When I awoke my ear was just flooded with this low noise I can't shake. I tried everything I could to get back to sleep. Finally I went back to bed and then I just cried. I think I damn near had a panic attack. The volume is absolutely frightening.

I went back downstairs where the hum of my PC and the heat pump gave me some respite. My cat curled up, her purring helped and I think I got about another 2 hrs at most.

I am now awake at 7 am and shitting myself. In just 9 days my enjoyment of life is in ruins... I know this is depressing but I have to get this out...even if no one replies...in tears again now reading this....

Hello, Steelbanks,

It's been another 10 days. Has there been any improvement for you? I sure hope so.

 

[jes]

halo all i got alow t for 17 years in the start it was rough but then it lovered and i nearly forgot it. then an influenza in dec 11 and it got worse and worse right now i try to rest a Little with the dingeling from this portal.i am a nerve typy
i feel i sit in a big hole. my nerves are to 10 i try an inplant accupunkture on thursday my 3 children just started on summerholiday. what a life after all these good years i am 61.