My Tinnitus Is Evolving from a Whistle to a Hiss...

[Optigirl19]

Hi all,

The last two days have been the worst possible days for my tinnitus. Today it is still noticeable, but I am somehow feeling more optimistic. I've noticed a few changes:

- high pitched dog whistle is evolving into a hiss. Comes back intermittently but eventually settles to a hiss
-tinnitus is generally quieter
-lots of fluctuation going on. I sometimes get periods of near silence.
-woke up this morning in near silence, tinnitus gradually came on slowly.

I'm only a little over two weeks in. Would you say this is a good sign thay it is going away? I've heard that reduction in volume and intensity is a sign that is is regressing.

Thanks

 

[John Mahan]

I wish I could give you really good incontrovertible news. But none exists with this disorder. I am going on about 3 years of hiss myself. My tinnitus can rage or be much more acceptably less intrusive.

No roadmap for this. We all study the hell out of this. It is largely a mystery. As mysterious as any auto immune disease or arthritis flare up no scientist can figure out or predict either. Depends honestly on your brain anatomy and chemistry, your involvement with your environment, lifestyle and a myriad of factors. There is a linkage to hearing loss but not always either. For some reason the auditory cortex recruits aberrant neurons that generate noise that the brain can't apply an intelligible sound to. Hiss is pretty common, what I have for example.

Sleep by far is my biggest influence. I can wake up to raging tinnitus after a nap or night's sleep. No reason....or rather, there is a reason or reasons, but nobody can understand. Perhaps a handful of scientists on the planet know. No consensus here. Many have sleep related heightening of their tinnitus on this forum.

The best advice I believe anybody can give is acceptance. Fighting tinnitus makes it worse.
Kind of like what scripture says...Love thy neighbor...even if your neighbor is a despicable asshole. I am not religious you may be able to tell.

Further embrace the notion that therapies if not viable solutions to knocking down tinnitus are on the way. They may not arrive as fast as we all want here, but they are coming.

Stay positive and accept what each day gives you and live your life. Much easier said then done but with discipline and intrepid spirit, this goal can be accomplished. Many 'survivors' on this forum. The real heros.

 

[Rb86]

Just accept it is infuriating advice to me whenever I've received it. There's no point for someone in early stages to do so. After a few years maybe.

OP being that you've had near silence in 2 weeks I think you have a great shot at full on silence after 3-6 months. But truly, nobody knows. Still, it's better than the constant tone some can have.

 

[Optigirl19]

Just accept it is infuriating advice to me whenever I've received it. There's no point for someone in early stages to do so. After a few years maybe.

OP being that you've had near silence in 2 weeks I think you have a great shot at full on silence after 3-6 months. But truly, nobody knows. Still, it's better than the constant tone some can have.

Hi, thanks for your response.

I couldn't agree more. 2 weeks still feels like no time at all. I had my last episode with it for about a month before it subsided and vanished. In that time I felt hopeless, but a part of me believed it would vanish - and it did.

They say 3 months is the acute stage. And even then there's still a good chance up to 6 months. Even a year. I'm going to hang on for now. I'll start worrying when it gets to 3 months.

One thing I've noticed though, is a fullness in both ears and things sound different... Music sounds strange and I can't tell where sounds are coming from... Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I'm only a little over two weeks in. Would you say this is a good sign thay it is going away?

Yes, many people with your symptoms ended up experiencing even more improvement. Just make sure to not hurt your ears again, and chances are you will be ok.

 

[Optigirl19]

Yes, many people with your symptoms ended up experiencing even more improvement. Just make sure to not hurt your ears again, and chances are you will be ok.

Thanks Bill. However now I'm hearing sounds that don't sound like regular tinnitus. They sound totally external. What could this be??

 

[Bill Bauer]

Thanks Bill. However now I'm hearing sounds that don't sound like regular tinnitus. They sound totally external. What could this be??

What have you been hearing? Did anything trigger this, or did it just come out of the blue? Could it be pulsatile tinnitus?

 

[Blodorn]

Thanks Bill. However now I'm hearing sounds that don't sound like regular tinnitus. They sound totally external. What could this be??

Hi! You mean distortion? Like an external ringing above other sounds?

I hear external ringing above some frequencies as well. I do not worry about it. It comes and goes.

Mine especially happens when I experience a loud noise that brings back my very mild hyperacusis. It usually fades in a few weeks in my case.

Don't worry! It will go away.

 

[Optigirl19]

What have you been hearing? Did anything trigger this, or did it just come out of the blue? Could it be pulsatile tinnitus?

For the past few days I've been hearing what I can only describe as a low droning sound that sounds like it's coming outside. As if someone is running a generator outside my window. I've been hearing it everywhere. I don't think anything triggered it, just came out of nowhere. Happened the last time I had tinnitus too, and eventually went away. But now it's back and I'm very nervous. I don't think it's pulsatile tinnitus.

 

[Bill Bauer]

For the past few days I've been hearing what I can only describe as a low droning sound that sounds like it's coming outside. As if someone is running a generator outside my window.

A lot of the time these things go away after 1-3 months. So it is not time to panic, just yet...

 

[Optigirl19]

Hi! You mean distortion? Like an external ringing above other sounds?

I hear external ringing above some frequencies as well. I do not worry about it. It comes and goes.

Mine especially happens when I experience a loud noise that brings back my very mild hyperacusis. It usually fades in a few weeks in my case.

Don't worry! It will go away.

Hi, almost missed you!

I have that too, but it's not exactly what I have in mind when I think of this. To me this is far more disturbing.

Thank you though.

 

[Optigirl19]

A lot of the time these things go away after 1-3 months. So it is not time to panic, just yet...

Thank you, I sure hope so. I've been freaking out for the past few days...

 

[Jan124]

Hi my tinnitus went from hallowing ringing in the middle of my head to a hiss in my ear. This is been going on since May 2019. It started with all kind of noises ups and downs highs and lows and now it's balance off to just an ugly hiss. I had it before and it healed in the past and I'm hoping that it will heal this time. I have been running from Doctor to doctor trying to figure out the calls in the past I had TMJ and it was adjusted ringing went away. Went to Musical on Sunday evening and by Wednesday my ear was ringing not sure if that was the culprit because normally loud music concerts and loud recreation excetera causes the ringing right away not three days after has anyone had that issue