My Tinnitus Story

[Björn Andersson]

My name is Björn, 33 years old, living in Sweden. I developed Tinnitus in the middle of June this year. As I remember this high frequency noise I am now hearing 24/7 came to me slowly over a 1-3 weeks period (not really sure exactly when it started). The reason I am not sure of, no high noise exposure in a long time or other "physical" factors. Only reason I can come up with is that this time was a quite stressful time involving some anxiety.

I know from hearing exams made in the past that I have a slightly reduced hearing on my left ear since many years and I sometimes have experienced it could be difficult to participate in a conversation in a noisy room, but I am quite convinced this is not the cause to the noise I am now hearing.

I hear the noise mostly in my left ear and sometimes, but not always, in my right. In general you could say the noise is lower in the mornings and louder in the evening (as if the ears get tired over the cause of the day).
I am mostly bothered in the evenings after coming home from work, when I want to settle down and have a quiet moment. Since I have a 2 year old daughter sleeping right under our living room I have to watch TV at a very low volume, and this more often than not leads to that I focus more on the T-sound than the TV-sound.

I am a quite noise sensitive person (have always been picky to choose most quiet household equipment, computers etc) so even if my T-sound could be considered moderate at most (I am not sure) I am greatly bothered by it.

What is positive for me is that I do not really suffer from hyperacusis (slightly in the beginning when I probably avoided sounds too much) and I have no issues falling asleep at night (It is more like it feels like a small relief of the noise when I lay down in the bed)

Up until today I have tried seeing a naprapath a few times, and also tried some supplements like Ginkgo Biloba and magnesium, both without real improvement. I am since over 4 months waiting for an appointment with an ear doctor (yes waiting times for the general medical care where I live is ridiculously long). In the beginning I was very frustrated and angry about the waiting time, but now I have come to realize they probably will not be of any major help anyway, but I have decided this will be my next step before trying other channels.

I have been in contact with a clinic in Sweden that from what I have heard have helped a lot of tinnitus sufferers to ease their symptoms. They are quite convinced that my condition is due to tensions in my neck and jaws caused by stress. But I am a bit reluctant to proceed and go through their program as it is mostly internet/phone based, involving a stress profile and creating an action plan based on this profile.

If anyone else has similar symptoms I would gladly like to hear your story.

 

[Lester]

Hi Bjorn, I've just posted my story directly above you as a newbie to this Forum.

Like you, I don't know exactly when this started but I know over which period I started to get some symptoms which resulted in loud T starting 3 weeks back, and was also on the back of a period of stress. Interesting that you mention you had reduced hearing in your left ear (like me), as apparently when you have reduced hearing the brain realises this and then starts to compensate itself for the lack of sound input by creating the T. I've managed to have scans/test done quickly, but as you state, if they don't show anything then they aren't of any real help and its down to whatever solutions are readily available out there. At least you have no issues falling asleep, which for me is causing big problems and makes then whole thing much more stressful (which you don't need when you've already been suffering from stress.......).

It might be worth, if you haven't already done so, in getting a proper up to date hearing test done, and see if you are suffering from any further hearing loss? (and to what extent). At least you can be armed with the knowledge that the cause might be as result of that? I've been advised to get a hearing aid to counter the T (so will do asap), as the aid should increase the amount of 'environmental' noise i guess to mask the T, as well as to be able to provide white noise.....

Its all new to me, so Im just trying to find out as much as I can. All the best.

 

[Samir]

Hi Björn!

Thanks for sharing your story and welcome to the forum!

As I remember this high frequency noise I am now hearing 24/7 came to me slowly over a 1-3 weeks period (not really sure exactly when it started).

This is not uncommon. This is how it was for me as well. It kind of developed gradually over some time. This makes some of us question whether or not people can have this condition without them knowing about it.

The reason I am not sure of, no high noise exposure in a long time or other "physical" factors.

But you did have some high noise exposure in the past? I am pretty sure that my tinnitus was caused by noise. However, I did not develop tinnitus until 12 to 24 months after the event. I was exposed to intense noise through headphones. Add to that my life-long love for music and headphone use, and it starts to crystallize what the cause for my tinnitus is.

I know from hearing exams made in the past that I have a slightly reduced hearing on my left ear since many years and I sometimes have experienced it could be difficult to participate in a conversation in a noisy room

How bad is your hearing loss on the left ear? Is the right ear better? The only hearing exam I ever did was when I started having ear muscle spasms in the left ear. This I think was the result of the acoustic trauma I had. This was followed by hyperacusis. After that, I started hearing this ringing noise and I started searching for it to see where it was coming from. Then I just realized... I have that thing they call tinnitus! So it most definitely developed gradually for me, up to the point where I could perceive it clearly. My hyperacusis had mostly subsided at that point, but I am still bothered sometimes when someone speaks loudly for example.

What is positive for me is that I do not really suffer from hyperacusis (slightly in the beginning when I probably avoided sounds too much) and I have no issues falling asleep at night

This is a common pattern I see people report about, including myself. Hyperacusis usually subsides, and what remains is the tinnitus. Since you don't have problems falling asleep, I am positive that you have a mild form of tinnitus. Mild in the sense that it is not very loud and intrusive.

I am since over 4 months waiting for an appointment with an ear doctor (yes waiting times for the general medical care where I live is ridiculously long).

It's needless to say, as I am from Sweden and I have mentioned a number of times here on the forum how insanely long waiting time is here. I waited 10 months to see the ENT doctor.

In the beginning I was very frustrated and angry about the waiting time, but now I have come to realize they probably will not be of any major help anyway, but I have decided this will be my next step before trying other channels.

I think you should pay them a visit. Don't suffer in silence, have them know that you have this problem. If we all just keep silent about it, they will never understand how debilitating this condition can be, nor will they set aside some money for research and developing new treatment options for us. Besides, you may have a treatable condition underlying your tinnitus. Tinnitus is considered as a symptom of a condition, not the condition itself.

If anyone else has similar symptoms I would gladly like to hear your story.

Feel free to contact me on PM if you want to talk in private.

 

[Samir]

Welcome to the forum @Lester!

I don't know exactly when this started but I know over which period I started to get some symptoms which resulted in loud T starting 3 weeks back, and was also on the back of a period of stress.

What symptoms would that be?

As I explained above, mine also developed gradually and I also have some hearing loss on my left ear. I was also under a lot of stress right before tinnitus dawned on me. But even before that, I had experience sensations when moving my jaw that remind me of my tinnitus noise that I now have non-stop.

Interesting that you mention you had reduced hearing in your left ear (like me), as apparently when you have reduced hearing the brain realises this and then starts to compensate itself for the lack of sound input by creating the T.

Yes, I believe this is the so called central gain theory. How is your hearing on the right ear?

Its all new to me, so Im just trying to find out as much as I can.

That's the right thing to do. It's something we all do. I like to think that the more you know about your condition the better. One thing that some doctors have said openly is that those of us who experience tinnitus are the foremost experts on the subject.

With that said, there are doctors and researchers who also experience tinnitus. It's in their best interest too to understand this condition so that we one day may find a way to effectively counteract it. Almost everyone experiences tinnitus in a different way, and everyone has a different physical and psychological makeup which makes us withstand this more or less easily. This variability and the lack of objective measures is what hampers progress. It's something that scientists are looking to change.

 

[Björn Andersson]

@Lester: Appreciate your comments. Regarding hearing tests I have done these regularly approx every 2 years as it is included in the Medical care at my work, and last time was only about 6 months ago. I have a reduction of higher tones on my left ear, and the last two tests have shown that it has fallen just below what is considered normal hearing, before it has been on the limit.

Best regards Björn

 

[Björn Andersson]

How bad is your hearing loss on the left ear? Is the right ear better?

Hi Samir. Thanks for your input.

The hearing on my left ear is just slightly below what is considered normal hearing on the higher tones. The right ear is better, as I am above thershold for normal hearing on all frequencies. I have worked on a sawmill for five years, which is a very noisy enviroment, but I have been careful and used ear protection. It is now 10 years since working there, and I have never noticed any issues with ringing ears until now.

I am a bit hesitant that my T is related to noise exposure 10 years ago, but maybe that is the case after all.

Best regards Björn

 

[Samir]

The hearing on my left ear is just slightly below what is considered normal hearing on the higher tones.

Was this test done before your tinnitus started? Compare this audiogram with the previous one, and with the next one if you will go there again to do the test.

One thing I noticed on my audiograms is that I had a 30 dB drop at 6 kHz without tinnitus, which improved to 15 dB at the same frequency in the next 2 months, and by that time I had developed tonal tinnitus. I don't think it's a coincidence.

However, I had started experiencing a static noise before it became tonal like this. The tonal sensation I now have is also something I have had previously when yawning for example, and I did not think anything of it. But now I have that same sensation, more or less, except now it's constantly present even when not opening my jaw.

There is definitely a physical link there! And many people with tinnitus can for example modulate their tinnitus by moving their head or jaw. For some people it's more noticeable than for others, because tinnitus can be experienced in many different ways and have different levels of intensity.

Do you experience a change in your tinnitus when rotating your head or opening your jaw when yawning for example?

I have worked on a sawmill for five years, which is a very noisy enviroment, but I have been careful and used ear protection. It is now 10 years since working there, and I have never noticed any issues with ringing ears until now.

It can take time for tinnitus to develop, if it is the result of hearing loss. It took me about 1 to 2 years. As I mentioned, I had been experiencing strange noises when yawning and I did nothing about it and took no warning from it. I also developed static noise and still did not take it as a warning, and then it became tonal ringing sensation.

As long as you used proper ear protection when working the sawmill you should have been safe. Assuming it's not one of those that block out external sounds but pump in radio music instead. That's a really bad design for a device that's supposed to protect our hearing.

When tinnitus is noise induced, it's most commonly caused by short, sudden, impact sounds at high volumes. Examples include explosions, like explosive devices, dishes that fall to the floor, or the impact sound from a car collision. Add this to the regular wear and tear of sensory hair cells of the inner ear. More often than not, we are now loosing our hearing at home, not while doing noisy industrial work. But many of us work in offices now, and we use headphones to listen to music while working at a computer, and we listen to music on the commute, and at home.

I am a bit hesitant that my T is related to noise exposure 10 years ago, but maybe that is the case after all.

Don't be, because we don't really know how hearing works at a cellular level. There are still many questions to be answered. We only recently discovered the effects of the so called hidden hearing loss.

Do you take any medication that may cause tinnitus? You may want to look that up, as tinnitus is sometimes listed as an adverse effect of some medication. There are a number of other things, besides noise, that can cause tinnitus.

 

[dpdx]

Samir you are almost a year in with T. How is it now? Did you notice any improvements?