My Tinnitus, Looking for Help/Insight

[jhl]

Before I start, I just wanted to say thank you to anyone taking the time to read this.

I have had Tinnitus for 4 months now, and am still very bothered by it. I am probably bothered more now than I was in the beginning. I have anxiety and depression and take Prozac for these conditions. I have absolutely no clue how my Tinnitus started, and thats kind of why I'm here to see if anyone can relate to me. Have been to audiologists and ENT's with no answers.

My tinnitus ranges from mild to moderate, and feels like its in the left side of my brain. It varies in volume and pitch. Sometimes I can't even hear it if I'm trying, other times I'm locked in on it and it sounds loud. If I clench my jaw it gets louder, if i move by lower jaw back it gets louder, and if move by lower jaw forwards it sounds like its deflating a little. And if I make blood rush to my head, it also gets louder. My T is also sensitive to sound. I know people on here aren't doctors, but all of you have been through tinnitus, and wondering if mine is similar and the cause of yours. I also get times maybe once a week where i get a loud beep in my ear for 10 seconds or so.

I am trying to habituate and therefore have tried to stay off the internet and negative posts, but there are constantly questions on my mind that I need to get out, and doctors haven't done much for me.

I just feel like I'm always going to be obsessed with tinnitus and its ruining my life. Is this normal?

Im just constantly getting frustrated with it and feel like i can't escape. Im only 23, how will I live like this.

I feel like I go in and out of being okay with it and then thinking its the worse thing that ever happened to me.

Just another thing, everyone I know who has tinnitus or has had tinnitus say it doesn't bother them at all and they don't think about it. Others said it has gone away after months. why is this? Does anyone know the statistic on how many people have T and how many people it actually affects.

Ive read about habituation and it seems wonderful. Some people claim they can only hear it if they think about it, others claim they hear it but have no emotional reaction. At this point either one is fine for me. Im just worried since I'm an anxious person and panic in general that I won't be able to habituate.

As you can see, I have a lot on my mind. I see a therapist but she had only had one client that has had tinnitus before, and it did not bother her patient, so its hard for her to help me. Thank you.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Does anyone know the statistic on how many people have T and how many people it actually affects.

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441/

Also check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

 

[Michael B]

Four months is not a great deal of time to habituate to tinnitus but the fact that yours is mild to moderate, it should start happening at any time. Keep in mind that any amount of time you're not thinking about it is to a degree habituation. But if you want to speed things up a bit, one of the best ways to habituate is to keep busy & distracted from it. Good luck.

 

[jhl]

i just want to bump this and see if anyone has T like mine. I am trying g to find a cause...

My tinnitus ranges from mild to moderate, and feels like its in the left side of my brain. It varies in volume and pitch. Sometimes I can't even hear it if I'm trying, other times I'm locked in on it and it sounds loud. If I clench my jaw it gets louder, if i move by lower jaw back it gets louder, and if move by lower jaw forwards it sounds like its deflating a little. And if I make blood rush to my head, it also gets louder. My T is also sensitive to sound. I know people on here aren't doctors, but all of you have been through tinnitus, and wondering if mine is similar and the cause of yours. I also get times maybe once a week where i get a loud beep in my ear for 10 seconds or so.

 

[billie48]

I agree that your T seems to be mild type as you have times you can't hear it even if you try. That is a good sign. So bank on the good and positive things as much as possible. Living with T, it is important to keep our anxiety and stress level low as these will aggravate T. As for the cause of T from your description, you may have somatic type as moving the jaw can affect its volume. Have you checked from the doctors if you have TMJ?

There are many causes, single or combined, which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including but not limited to drug side-effects from ototoxic drugs, ear wax build-up, ear-wax removal suction, inner ear infection, Eustachian tube disorder or ETD, ear drum injury, fluid build-up in ears feeling pressured or fullness, sinus infection & congestion especially with a bad cold, TMJ, TTTS, autoimmune disorders such as Lyme Disease & Fibromyalgia, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, anemia, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma/shock, head injury or TBI, neck injury or muscle problems, hearing loss from aging or other causes, Meniere's Decease, barotrauma from rapid pressure changes in flights or diving, especially with congested nose or sinus causing failure to balance the pressure changes, slapping of the ears, deep grief, untreated sleep apnea, extreme/extended stress, anxiety & panic disorder, depression, sleep deprivation, etc.

Hopefully your T will improve over time as your T is relatively new. Keep positive. Here is my success story which may help you. I also include the most read success story on this forum, 'Back to Silence', as it contains a simple but effective method to help you deal with your T. Good luck. Take care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172/

 

[jhl]

Basically just looking for support from someone about my tinnitus cause it is super confusing to me and that bothers me just as much as the noise. Been to 3 ENT and 2 audiologist, no cause found.

I woke up about 4 months ago with a tone in my head/ ear, it hasn't gone away since. I haven't listened to music loud in probably 2 years, maybe 5 times in the past 2 years. Im 23, used to listen to music a little in college but not more than any other college student. Have been going through an incredibly hard time in life in the past year, I am on prozac.

ENT said nothing was wrong and Audiologist said I have amazing hearing, but a slight blip in hair cell function at 2000 HZ. She said this was not the cause of my T. Normal hearing.

MY TINNITUS...
-electrical tone on the left side of head, high pitch
-Constantly changing frequency and volume daily, sometimes every hour or so
-It used to be more mild but now I'm afraid its getting more moderate

MY QUESTIONS...
I do not know what is going on, but overtime there is a loud noise near my ear, my ear kind of makes a rumbling whoosh sound for a second and the tinnitus gets louder for a split second. It doesn't hurt or anything. Has anyone ever had this happen ?

Has anyones tinnitus just randomly appeared waking up in the middle of the night?

My Tinnitus basically changes with any facial movement. Jaw back increases it, jaw forward causes a deflating sound. If I clench my jaw, it gets really loud and if i release it it deflates for a second. It rings when I eat chewy food. If blood rushes to my head, it also increases. does this mean anything?

Can I habituate to this reactive tinnitus?

I think some of the negativity I have found on the internet has messed with my mind more, So I've decided I'm going to take a break after this post. I really want to live a good life and not have this affect me, I am trying to have a positive mindset. I guess what bothers me is that it is always there non stop.