New to Tinnitus

[PeterPan]

Hello,
I am new to Tinnitus and was hoping I might get some help from other members of the forum.
I am 54, and had it for 3 weeks now.
I think I got it through heat exhaustion. I was training for some upcoming holiday mountain climbing in a hot humid environment and think I overdid it. On the way down from the mountain (a 900m peak) i became dizzy and experienced ringing in the ears for about 30 mins to an hour. Then 2 weeks later I got Tinnitus.
Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk!
For the three weeks I have had it:
First week: At work. 24 x 7 Tinnitus, although varying in intensity.
Second Week: Went on the holidays in a foreign (exotic!) country. The first day I was there, and 6 hours after arriving, T disappeared for 36 hours. When I say disappeared, I mean I didn't hear it at all. Over the 7 days of holidays, I didn't have it for about 50% of the time, and when I did, it was lower intensity.
Third Week: At work. Disappeared for 2 days out of 5.

I am wondering if the initial patterns of T are indicative of the ongoing patterns? And if the pattern of it completely disappearing for some days is common? And if the reason for the improved state while on holidays would be either less stress, or my brain being too interested in other things to worry about generating Tinnitus noises! And if anyone else has experienced similar results. Also, if anyone has found changing their lifestyle radically has helped with T. I am thinking of retiring soon, and traveling regularly might be on the agenda (and given the above, may help).

Also, I am keeping a spreadsheet recording the state of the Tinnitus during the day, the quality of sleep the day before, what I ate the day before, the amount of exercise I had the day before, the amount of TV or similar I experienced the evening before, the amount of time I spent reading the day before, etc to try to work out if there are any patterns. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, as it might cause be to obsess about T and I understand one of the best therapies is to kind of ignore it. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on this.

Finally I am finding the T is not really impacting my work too much, although at the end of the day, I am a bit anxious to leave as I think I am getting tired more quickly due to possibly annoyance from T. How do other people find out it impacts their work?

Sorry about all the questions, but if anyone can help at all, that would be much appreciated!

 

[Baxter]

Hi,

I am a new member too, and I don't know how much I can offer in the way of anything supportive, but i figured I would comment since nobody else has (nobody's commented on mine either).

I'm not sure what brought it on for you. I mean, given the fact that you became dizzy and had ringing at the same time when it first started, maybe it could be Meniere's disease? Although if you haven't had any other bouts of dizziness then it's probably not that.

My tinnitus also seems to fluctuate like yours, although it's never completely disappeared like yours has. Maybe it has something to do with your emotional state. I'm not really sure what the consensus is on how dependent tinnitus is (the loudness itself, not the disturbance from it) on your emotional state and anxiety.

 

[Patch101]

I find it very hard to record. There are just to many factors.

I too have thought, "oh, its worse" then later in the day "Oh, its better" but there is just to many inputs during the day to make those micro assessments. I think you can take something like going to bed every night and judge that, or the noise while driving, something consistent with min. outside factors, but even then habitation is a factor.

I know for example I have had a very very slight improvement from driving around. I also know that I tend to have lower noise when I wake up than when I go to bed.

 

[Samantha R]

@PeterPan
Sorry to hear you have developed tinnitus.
I've had mine for a few weeks now, and it's quite erratic too.
I'm getting better at not focusing on it (I don't check it in quiet rooms anymore)! That has really helped my state of mind.
I also find the periods I am busy with other things and not thinking about my tinnitus has also increased, and my anxiety has decreased.
You should probably see a doctor and get a hearing test, if you haven't already done so.
You actually sound like you are coping really well, I couldn't have continued working when mine started!

 

[Michael Leigh]

@PeterPan Many things can cause tinnitus but the most common is exposure to loud noise. Do you listen to music through headphones? If so, this could be the cause of the tinnitus. Many people don't realize when listening to music through headphones the volume is set far too high and over time this can cause tinnitus. The dizziness with tinnitus you experienced on the mountain could also be an indication of a inner ear problem. If the tinnitus persists and you have other symptoms which wasn't there before it's best to referred to ENT. Hearing loss which you might not be aware of can also cause tinnitus.
Michael

 

[PeterPan]

Hey, thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it. In response to Micheal, no I don't listen to music through headphones (and I may make myself unpopular here by saying I don't even like music ).

I've now had T for over a month and I have found, either through research or experience:

• There seems to be a lack of information on the natural course of Tinnitus. That is, there is a not a great deal of research on how it progresses from initial onset. One authoritative web site said that 75% of the time after six months it resolves, but this seems to be at odds with this site (maybe because it is represented by difficult cases?). Seems like no-one really knows the natural course.

• I am tracking my T via a spreadsheet. Initially I was getting two bad days followed by a good day, but now I am tending to get more 2 good days followed by a bad day (a good day is when I don't hear it most of the time). I initially thought that, oh great, I am different than everyone else. But I found that my form is, in fact, also common, and the 3 day cycle is the most common cycle. Over the last 7 days, I have only had 2 bad days (but today I have it ). I've also found so far, I never have more than 2 good days in a row.

• It appears that there is no research that points to a cure. The only thing I tried was taking a large dose of Niacin (I love Tuna and Vegimite, both high sources of Niacin) which was around the time that BadBadGood turned into BadGoodGood, but highly likely to be coincidental.

• I find that if I have it in the morning, and I go to my (quiet) office, it generally gets worse throughout the day and it never improves for that day. This has also been reported by others on the Internet. However, if I am out and about, doing exercise, exploring and in a generally busy environment (i.e. not a quiet workplace!), it can improve for that day and even disappear for the rest of the day.

• I don't have any problems sleeping. In fact it may have even improved as I think I may get more tired during the day when I have T.

• Of course there are lots of people pedaling cures on the Internet. Neuromonics have some research papers around that, on the surface, look promising, but I remain skeptical.

I am pinning my hopes on either habituation, some other form of natural improvement, or improvement through a change in lifestyle. I mentioned earlier that I am thinking of early retirement, so this may also potentially help e.g. less working in a stressful corporate environment and more traveling and enjoying life.

In case anyone is interested, here is a simplified version of my log starting from 2 weeks after onset (when I started recording). G means most of the day I did not hear any ringing, B is everything else:

BGBBGBBGBBGGBBGGBGBGG​

 

[Jonah]

PeterPan, thanks for sharing your experience. One question - when you say T disappeared and you dont hear it at all is that because you're focused on a different task and not paying attention to it anymore?

In the past before mine got worse I could easily forget about it when I am up and about with my daily routine.

 

[PeterPan]

Hi Jonah, Thanks for the interest.
When I say T has disappeared, I really mean it. I can't hear it even if I try!
Although, I must say that sometimes it is difficult to tell if I have a faint background T or not (in which case I usually rate this as a good day as if I am having difficulty telling if I have ringing or not that is obviously very good!).
Also, I am finding that once I have a couple of good days in a row, I start to feel very good about myself and start to think that it is going to go away for good (only for it to return with vengeance the next day ). And vice-versa - If I am having a bad day, I start to get anxious and get the feeling it may not go away. Obviously I have to get these feelings under control. I find it very interesting that other people on the Internet have expressed exactly these symptoms, and also, exactly these feelings!

As for monitoring, I think I will quit after maybe 2 months because monitoring does tend to bring you back to focus on your T, which is probably not good. But maybe I will monitor for 2 months every 12 months, or something similar. If anyone got any ideas or suggestions on monitoring, that would be appreciated.

 

[MikeP505]

Damn, my tinnitus is so flippin loud it's impossible to not hear it. I do my hardest not to monitor it but it's always there, raging on like crazy. Only time I get ANY relief is when I am in a deep sleep. So lucky you for not having this nasty business anymore. Hope it stays that way for you!!

 

[PeterPan]

Hi,

Well I have T now for almost 2 months. As mentioned above, I have an intermittent form of Tinnitus whereby sometimes it disappears, and sometimes it rings all day.

I have been keeping a log of how many hours in each day I don't have it, starting from 2 weeks after it commenced. This is shown below.

The blue line is a best fit estimate and the red line is a moving average for the last 15 days (i.e. the average over the last 15 days).

Today I have T, and at least for some parts of the day it has been quite loud! However, it looks like the overall trend is improvement.

I have been trying various supplements (magnesium over the last few days and melatonin earlier). Honestly, I don't think they make any difference, but I will continue to experiment, as I don't have much to lose!

I have also been trying to see if T is correlated in anyway with things like the quality of my sleep, what I ate the day before etc. While I originally thought I saw some correlations, I think as more data comes in this is no longer the case. Again, I think there is not much I can do to influence it.

Although T can be quite annoying, I think I am coping reasonably well. I can even see it has a silver lining in that I am feeling grateful about the other things in my life i.e. I am realizing how lucky I am and how things could be a lot worse! Also paradoxically I think my anxiety levels have gone down as I now have something to focus on and worrying less about all the things I was worrying about prior to T!

I am hoping that the ringing will become less and less intrusive as time goes on, and reading the posts in this forum is encouraging.

Anyway, I hope this 2 month retrospective is useful.

 

[MikeL1972]

Hey PeterPan,

I appreciate your observations.

I'd just like to add my .02. Basically, there is no cure because scientists cannot pin point exactly where it is in the brain. There is an undertaking going on however where they are planning to completely map the human brain. I don't know if they will try to map and identify all 100 billion neurons either, but it would be incredible if this were to happen. Obviously, this is going to take a lot of time. However, the results will pay dividends.

All in all, we just need to remain patient, hopeful, and carry on with our daily lives. One day, there will be a cure for tinnitus as well as a list of other maladies affecting mankind. You have people with tons of money like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates pledging to give away their fortunes for the betterment of mankind.

 

[Joe P. Tamborra]

Hello Peter Pan. I also have intermittent tinnitus as a result of an acoustic neuroma tumor that I had; and eventually surgically removed. Tinnitus is certainly a very complex issue with so many factors that can contribute to its intensity. I first experienced ongoing tinnitus in April 2012. For about the last two years I also have been tracking tinnitus in my life. I have found at this point in my tinnitus journey that about 2/3 of the time it does not bother me anymore. The other 1/3 of the time it bothers me in various degrees. Some of the time when I m having a day of annoyance it is 1/2 and 1/2; another words 1/2 the day I have relief, and the other part some suffering. I also have found that stormy weather, high altitudes, poor diet (to much sugar and salt), stressful situations,lack of adequate sleep, and elevated blood pressure are triggers for a poor day. During this two years of tracking, I had one month it hardly bothered me, I have had a stretch of about one week straight it troubled me. During the times of it bothering me for the greatest length it seems I was under stressful situations. Long showers can provide temporary help, walks by busy roads, good conversation, movies, anything that can take your mind off of it. The best advice I was given was; just ignore it! This is easier said that done on bad days; but try!!!!Also I have found that prayer is vital for me when it starts getting bad. I go to prayer; and I ask others that I know pray, to pray for me.

 

[PeterPan]

Thanks Joe. I can really relate to good conversation, busy roads etc as something that can take your mind off T. I think in this intermittent form, if you keep busy and active, sometimes its more difficult to distinguish the bad days from the good days. I really noticed this when I was on holiday recently.

Just wondering if your T is improving? You mentioned that 2/3 of the time it doesn't bother you. Was it like this in the first few months, or has it improved?

I have another interesting graph. This one shows the T by day of the week. Normally on the weekend I am exercising, being active etc (although sometimes I sleep in as well ). During the week I am working in a quiet office environment. Seems like the days after exercising (Sunday and Monday) are normally good ones. I think I am getting a good day on Thursday because it is 2 days after a good day (in my 3 day cycle - but why don't I get a good day on Wed as well!).

I am not sure if I exercised every day if I would get good days every day or not. Maybe I only get so many good days per week....

 

[PeterPan]

7 Month Update!

Well, I have now has Tinnitus for about 7 months.
What are my feelings towards T?
Well, it is not much fun. I think about it quite often and it can be quite annoying.
I am finding I still can continue to function reasonably well and even went out on a drunken night with my workmates recently. My ability to concentrate prior to T was very high, and I am still able to concentrate quite well. I think the main issue is that I can get a bit tired towards the end of the day, and also can get grumpy (something I used to do before T as well!).

I am continuing to track T and am finding it hasn't changed much at all. Also, although it's only been 7 months, no real sign of habituation yet. Here is my updated graph. It has a straight line best fit (the straight line), and moving average of 20 days (the irregular blue line) and a 6th order polynomial best fit (the red line!).

​

On average I have a good day (no ringing) 42% of the time, and a bad day 58% of the time.

I also now have enough data to work out if some things have an impact on T or not. I have gone back to my University statistics days and used binomial distributions to work out if there are any significant correlations:

Here are the results:

​

You can see that the only things that significantly change the ratio of good/bad days at the 95% level are:

• A good nights sleep the day before. However, while significant, there is not that much of an improvement.
• The prior day being a good day.
  
• The prior two days being good days.
  
• Having Tuna for Dinner the night before will increase probability of a bad day the next day.

Interestingly listening to the radio the night before for more than 3 hours seems to make quite an improvement (although not quite significant). Maybe if the brain is hearing noise at night it is less likely to make it up the next day.

It's also interesting that the only correlation with diet is Tuna, something known to impact T (although I think it is supposed to make it better, not worse!).

The bottom line is that some things seem to improve T and some not so much, although in the scheme of things, these are fairly minor improvements. Also, it seems almost always that I have at most 2 good days in a row.

My next experiment will be to lose some weight to see if this make a difference. This should improve my overall health and maybe will reduce T. We will have to see!

 

[PeterPan]

Sorry guys, I missed looking at one type of dinner the night before which I just looked at now.

Vegetarian Meals:

Wow!

(total of 30 vegetarian meals over 215 days, 21 Good days after, 9 bad days after).

Seems like I might have found a major factor in helping to reduce my T!

 

[PeterPan]

Oops, Sorry. Should have known it was too good to be true.

Made an error with the Vegetarian meals. Here is the correct table.

Still better than average but not significant.

 

[Samantha R]

Wow @PeterPan. You've put a lot of thought and effort into tracking your tinnitus.
It's definitely a worthwhile exercise as you may find some triggers or patterns.
Though sometimes I think there is just no rhyme or reason to the way it behaves.

 

[PeterPan]

Hi Samantha,
Looking at my results to date, it seems that the major impacts are if I have had it on previous days i.e. seems to be unrelated to what's happening externally! In particular if I have a bad day, I am likely to have another bad day the next day; if I have 2 bad days in a row, I am very likely to have a good day the next day; if I have 2 good days in a row I am very likely to have a bad day the next day.

However, a good night sleep (positive), listening to the radio more than 3 hours at night (positive), and maybe eating Tuna (Niacan) for the evening meal (negative) do seem to have an impact.

But I am thinking a bad night sleep might actually be caused by T rather than the other way around. That is, if I am to have a bad day the next day, it might cause a bad nights sleep because of the impact of the T on my sleep. The radio does seem to have a real impact though. Maybe I am picking up why noise based methods e.g. CBT seem to work!

Although I find that my T is not predictable, i.e. I don't know if I will have a bad day or good day the next day, the patterns are predictable. i.e. the probability I will have a bad day given the previous day is bad is remarkably consistent. Maybe some others also have these patterns.

There is a statistical technique, Logistical regression (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_regression) which would be better than my binomial method, and is freely available in a language called "R". When I have some more time, I might look at modelling using this language as it should provide more insights than my present method.

This might also be useful to others as it provides a scientific method of picking up things in the environment and behaviours which impact on their T.. For me, I have learned that listening to the radio at night improves T the next day, and also, that a bad day increases the probability of another bad day (I expected the opposite without looking at the numbers).