New Tinnitus Tone (Beeping/Chirping) After a Cold

[Viciousears]

Hello,

I have tinnitus and hyperacusis. I've had tinnitus for as long as I can remember, likely due to a combination of severe ear infections, noise exposure, and possibly stress. I would rather not go into details about why I have hyperacusis, but I have had it for about two years, and it has improved significantly. Interestingly, my tinnitus even became quieter once my hyperacusis started to get better, quieter than it was before I even developed hyperacusis, which I find a bit odd.

Recently, I had a setback. I caught a severe cold that brought on a new beeping or chirping sound. Unfortunately, this sound is unmaskable. No matter what I try, I can always hear it. Previously, I could use certain sounds to mask the usual "eee" tone, but this new tone will not disappear. It also seems to be somewhat reactive.

I was sick for about seven days, but I still have a lingering cough, some nasal issues, and very red eyes, so I guess this cold has not fully passed. I am hoping that this new tone will eventually go away or at least lessen to a point where I do not notice it. I have had other tones in the past: hissing, static, and some strange ones when my hyperacusis was new, and they always returned to the usual "eee." I have only had this new tone for about four days, so it has not been very long.

I have been lurking on this forum for many years, and it has helped me through some tough times. Unfortunately, this setback is hitting me very hard, even though it has only been a short time. I was doing so well despite having hyperacusis, with only mild tinnitus and some reactivity to certain sounds and volumes. This one cold has disrupted all of that. Being sick, weak, and stressed out, unable to eat or sleep properly, is not helping either.

I have had spikes in the past that eventually went away. For instance, I once had a car accident that resulted in a concussion, which caused my tinnitus to spike to a much louder "eee" tone. My doctor said it would likely go down in a couple of months, and it did. I have also had strange tones when my hyperacusis first started. So, I know most spikes are not permanent, but this one is scaring me quite a bit.

 

[Viciousears]

I did a COVID-19 test and it seems I tested for a weak positive? Makes sense considering I'm probably at the end of it (over a week now).

 

[Cmspgran]

How are you doing now? Sorry to hear about your ongoing struggles. If your additional tone is being caused by the cold, it could be due to fluid or pressure in the ears. I've had two severe colds recently, and both times the tone in my right ear changed, but it went back to its usual, more annoying Morse code once the colds had faded.

 

[Viciousears]

I'm feeling better overall, but I still have symptoms, including a lingering cough with occasional mucus. I've had Eustachian tube dysfunction issues in the past, so I wonder if this virus, whether a cold or COVID-19, has triggered it again.

I've been debating whether I should see a doctor or at least message them. I know that some medications for ETD, ear infections, and related issues can be harsh on the ears. Right now, I have slight itching, occasional random stinging (which has improved), and frequent popping. The popping happens constantly, even without yawning, swallowing, or doing anything to trigger it.

 

[InfiniteBlue]

Hey there, I've had this kind of "chirping" tinnitus as well ever since my most recent acoustic trauma in August 2023. I can't find many other people who've also experienced this, and ENTs had no answers, so I'm glad to have someone to commiserate with.

I've had the typical "eee" tinnitus my whole adult life due to many live music shows. My trauma last August was (foolishly) brought on by overdoing my headphone volume during a long run. I knew immediately afterwards that I made a grave mistake - my ears felt pressurized to a degree I've never experienced before, like they badly needed to 'pop' but were completely unable to. Hyperacusis and ETD followed suit. My tinnitus suddenly had a new cacophony of multiple shifting tones.

Once the pressurization and ETD subsided after 2 months or so, the chirping began in my left ear, and continued pretty much non-stop for about 8 months. It sounds like a bird chirping, usually in small bursts of 1-3 chirps every 10 seconds.

It almost feels like as the facial muscles loosened up, something in the ear that was compressed became slightly out of alignment as things returned to normal. Kind of like trying to smooth out a piece of paper after being crumpled up - it's never quite perfect again. I'm not a doctor though so this is just layman speculation.

The good news is that my chirping has improved dramatically. After 8 months or so I began to have periods where the chirping would largely go away for a while, with "smooth" ordinary tinnitus ringing replacing it. Now, after 15 months, it's still here but much less frequent and less noticeable when it does pop up.

There's times where the chirping will spontaneously appear and hang around for several days before going back into remission. Weight lifting or other straining physical tasks tend to provoke it as well. Thankfully it also seems to go back into remission quicker as time has gone on.

I'm guessing your ears experienced something similar after your illness - I have faith that you'll see improvements over a similar period. Just keep in mind that it can take a REALLY long time, and it's never a linear process. I hope that another 15 months will yield more improvement, even if it's diminishing returns. The chirping is a very different beast to habituate to but it's doable nonetheless.

 

[benjd2016]

COVID-19 definitely affected your ears—there's no doubt about it. It did something similar to mine, and I ended up with what is probably Meniere's disease. Two COVID-19 infections have likely caused permanent damage to me.

You might consider trying a short course of steroids to see if it helps. I'd recommend consulting a doctor as soon as possible, as time is critical for treatments like this.