My Tinnitus Is Getting Worse — I Can't Function — How Do You Cope? Will the Anxiety Ever Fade?

[Bill Bauer]

Last night and this morning was definitely the quietest it's been since I've had it.

You've had it for a month, and you are already getting quiet periods. This is a very encouraging sign.

 

[Kelvin]

@Bill Bauer @Pabl692 @Michael Leigh el

You have some great advice there form some guys who know the deal with this monster.

I have had T and H for Three years-ish now.

Mine is also high pitched Hisssss about 7500hz.

All I can say is : -

1. Keep BUSY - this is vital - sometimes when your busy you mind will stop concentrating on and focusing on it.
2. Enjoy the QUIET(er) moments and remind yourself that they have happened and will again.
3. Stay CALM - it one of the most annoying things I know but it wont kill you.
4. Get out and about - get stay involved with life.
5. Only mask - if its a noise that your ears find loud or annoying - you need to keep listening to sounds but ones you can tolerate.
6. DONT use headphones or earbuds to play music straight at your eardrum - it probably wont like it.
7. Get good SLEEP - get some medication if you are having trouble - try Melatonin or L-Trypotophan before you get into heavier prescription meds - which have their place but can be addictive.
8. Eat well - probably avoid sugary and slaty foods as they can aggravate - I think by altering blood pressure.


Stay calm buddy and come here to vent whenever you need to.
Wishing you some peace soon X

 

[Pabl692]

You've had it for a month, and you are already getting quiet periods. This is a very encouraging sign.

It's only been 2 weeks. My last gig was 2 weeks today. I did two gigs that weekend.

@Bill Bauer @Pabl692 @Michael Leigh el

You have some great advice there form some guys who know the deal with this monster.

I have had T and H for Three years-ish now.

Mine is also high pitched Hisssss about 7500hz.

All I can say is : -

1. Keep BUSY - this is vital - sometimes when your busy you mind will stop concentrating on and focusing on it.
2. Enjoy the QUIET(er) moments and remind yourself that they have happened and will again.
3. Stay CALM - it one of the most annoying things I know but it wont kill you.
4. Get out and about - get stay involved with life.
5. Only mask - if its a noise that your ears find loud or annoying - you need to keep listening to sounds but ones you can tolerate.
6. DONT use headphones or earbuds to play music straight at your eardrum - it probably wont like it.
7. Get good SLEEP - get some medication if you are having trouble - try Melatonin or L-Trypotophan before you get into heavier prescription meds - which have their place but can be addictive.
8. Eat well - probably avoid sugary and slaty foods as they can aggravate - I think by altering blood pressure.


Stay calm buddy and come here to vent whenever you need to.
Wishing you some peace soon X

Thank you for your post. I think mine is much higher than 7500 Hz. Again, it's so bloody hard to describe.

I'm currently at a shopping center and it's relatively loud. The app on my phone tells me it's about 55 dB. And at that level I can't hear it. If I go in a quieter cafe, maybe about 40-45 dB, I can hear it.

Would mine be described as mild or moderate?

I do find that I'm finding some sounds irritating. Anything high frequency, like screeching. They seem really piercing, and I can't say I've ever felt like this before. Weird.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I didn't think your ears could heal. I don't know how they heal or anything so it's difficult to believe that one day this might just go away.

The ears are quite resilient and yours will heal but it will take time.
Michael

 

[-serotonin-]

Even if it doesn't get better, you can't freak out forever. Eventually your body will tire itself out and it will think about other things than tinnitus and the possibility of it getting worse. I didn't sleep for a couple weeks and freaked out about it nearly every day for a while worrying if it would get worse and how I did this to myself and I don't even listen to loud stuff and I'm not old, but eventually I guess my brain just got bored with freaking out about it and I've found other things to worry about. The fear will not last forever.

 

[Pabl692]

Even if it doesn't get better, you can't freak out forever. Eventually your body will tire itself out and it will think about other things than tinnitus and the possibility of it getting worse. I didn't sleep for a couple weeks and freaked out about it nearly every day for a while worrying if it would get worse and how I did this to myself and I don't even listen to loud stuff and I'm not old, but eventually I guess my brain just got bored with freaking out about it and I've found other things to worry about. The fear will not last forever.

I hope so. How do you find your t now? I know people with it, maybe not as loud as mine, and it never affects them. It just consumes every moment of my day.

Even moderate levels of noise set off the other tone. Fortunately, I can't hear that until I put my fingers in my ears or until I'm a silent room.

I've struggled with depression and my ocd for years. This just makes everything so damn hard.

 

[-serotonin-]

I find mine basically nonexistent. Sometimes I hear an outside tone and worry that it's my T changing, and that makes me think about it and then it gets louder, but eventually I stop thinking about it again. Maybe try therapy or other techniques to manage your mental health and the T will follow.

 

[Pabl692]

I find mine basically nonexistent. Sometimes I hear an outside tone and worry that it's my T changing, and that makes me think about it and then it gets louder, but eventually I stop thinking about it again. Maybe try therapy or other techniques to manage your mental health and the T will follow.

Well I'm glad that you're a better place now. That gives hope to people.

I'm still trying to figure out what on earth is happening.

It's just so strange. The 'pure tones' if you like come on from basically any sort of sound. So I just had the radio on lowish in the house and turned it off. I could hear a slight tone. Nothing major. I give it a few minutes and it goes. When I get into bed at night, these tones go away. Every so often, mainly my left ear will have this tone, which will last for maybe 20 seconds and then go. I find these tones easy enough to mask, I don't hear them when I'm out or watching TV, which suggests they are mild anyway. Just worried that these noises are brought on by even low level noise.

Does this suggest bad hearing damage?

Like I said the one that bothers me is the really high frequency 'airy' noise. Like there's TV switched on in my head. It seems to react quickly to noises. It sounds like it's shifting.
I can change its pitch by moving my head and neck, and also by widening my eyes and by pressing on my jaw.
Is anyone familiar with this?

I just wish I knew how bad my hearing damage was and whether there is any chance of it getting better.

I was round at friends' last night just watching TV and chatting. One of. My friends was on phone chatting quite loudly and it got really loud.

If anyone has ever had experience with recording music or anything, it's like the gain on the microphone has been turned up in my head.

Still struggling but I guess it's only been 2 weeks.

 

[-serotonin-]

Have you had your hearing tested?

 

[Pabl692]

Have you had your hearing tested?

No, not yet. When I went to the docs he wasn't interested in my tinnitus. I need to go again and see a different doctor. But I'm not sure what they can do anyway..

 

[BuzzyBee]

No, not yet. When I went to the docs he wasn't interested in my tinnitus. I need to go again and see a different doctor. But I'm not sure what they can do anyway..

See an audiologist.

 

[dpdx]

No, not yet. When I went to the docs he wasn't interested in my tinnitus. I need to go again and see a different doctor. But I'm not sure what they can do anyway..

You need to do a hearing test.

 

[Pabl692]

See an audiologist.

You need to do a hearing test.

I'm in the UK, so would you recommend I get one done by the NHS? Or does anyone know a better place to go?

I think what is frustrating me is how much my T is fluctuating at the moment. If I sit in a silent room for a while, it all pretty much disappears. Apart from the high pitched hiss that sounds like electricity. But even that dies down some. But then if I get up and wash my dishes or anything, it comes back and it can be quite loud in a quiet room. And I just walked down the road from my work to my car, and I got in the car and I could hear the tone.

I don't know how it works, but will this even settle, or have others found theirs like this? Is it a good sign that it disappears or doesn't it really matter?

And I don't even know how far I should be protecting my hearing... should I be wearing ear plugs for everything at the moment?

I know it's only been just over 2 weeks, but it is exhausting!

Sorry - I feel like I am taking over the forum at the moment, just trying to catch up and get as much knowledge as I can.

 

[BuzzyBee]

I'm not sure how to get a hearing test in the UK, but someone hear can probably advise.

If it's any consolation, it gets better over time for most people. My tinnitus is exactly like yours and I've had it for a while, but it's easier to manage. And having been on this board for a while, it seems like a lot of the people who had fluctuating tinnitus eventually get better and move on. You might be able to get rid of the tinnitus sooner by correcting any hearing loss that may exist. Keep us posted on your progress! You are not alone.

 

[Pabl692]

I'm not sure how to get a hearing test in the UK, but someone hear can probably advise.

If it's any consolation, it gets better over time for most people. My tinnitus is exactly like yours and I've had it for a while, but it's easier to manage. And having been on this board for a while, it seems like a lot of the people who had fluctuating tinnitus eventually get better and move on. You might be able to get rid of the tinnitus sooner by correcting any hearing loss that may exist. Keep us posted on your progress! You are not alone.

Thnk you for your post. Many people have told me it gets easier. It's just that difficult at the moment, I am that fixated, that that is difficult to see. Sometimes, I wonder whether I have had this for much longer and jsut never realised? But I know I'm a bit of an idiot, but surely I can't be that stupid...

 

[-serotonin-]

There's not much they can do for it if there is damage to the inner ear or something, but they can tell you if it is caused by something fixable like impacted earwax or something. Testing your hearing is important because you need to know if your actual hearing is affected by the tinnitus. Hearing loss and tinnitus sometimes occur together, so they need to check and make sure.

 

[Pabl692]

There's not much they can do for it if there is damage to the inner ear or something, but they can tell you if it is caused by something fixable like impacted earwax or something. Testing your hearing is important because you need to know if your actual hearing is affected by the tinnitus. Hearing loss and tinnitus sometimes occur together, so they need to check and make sure.

A doctor had a look in my ear and said that from the outside, it looks fine. They'd see impacted ear wax straight away wouldn't they?

My ears have been so strange today. At times the electrical noise seems to go down to a 1 out of 10. Then quite loud again when in louder situations.

But most scarily, a couple of times today, my left ear has occasionally gone REALLY loud. Like piercing. This has never happened in my life before. It only lasted for maybe 5/6 seconds, but if that stayed around, I couldn't live with that!

The tinnitus just seems to be so up and down at the moment. Does anyone have any idea what is going on? Is this normal after just over 2 weeks since a loud event?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Is this normal after just over 2 weeks since a loud event?

Yes, that's normal.