Hey Everybody: I am brand new to this forum after suffering my first ever "intrusive" tinnitus attack just two weeks ago. A little background info on me. I am 65 years old, in very good health, and I'm currently on no medications at all. I am a avid cyclist and ride about 100 miles a week. I live in Florida. My story is this. While on vacation up in NE Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago I was mountain biking on a country road and suddenly noticed that I heard really loud crickets or cicadas on my left side. I stopped to listen more intently, covered my ears, and then realized that there were no crickets at all, but rather the sound was coming from inside my head. This of course kind of freaked me out, so I started researching tinnitus.
Prior to this event I had been noticing a kind of "fullness" in my ears, especially my left, but I have not had a cold or sinus infection in recent months. Despite the fullness feeling, I have noticed no hearing loss. In fact, my hearing actually seems more sensitive. The sound of a refrigerator humming bothers me now when it never did before, and I actually turn down the volume now when watching TV, so much so that my wife can't hear (I think she actually does have some hearing loss). Two weeks since the event the "crickets" are still ringing in my head, mostly in my left ear. I find this to be somewhat scary and distracting, making it difficult to sleep. I went to my general practitioner this past Tuesday. He said my ear canals were clean with no wax buildup; that I had no signs of an external ear infection, and that my eustacian tubes were clear. He prescribed a 5-day dose of prednisone, and 15 Xanax to help me relax and sleep; and he referred me to a local ENT and audiology practice, who I see in two weeks.
I have done mostly office work in a very quiet environment for over 35 years. I haven't been to loud clubs or rock concerts in decades. I rarely listen to loud music, and when I do listen to music I use Bose noise cancelling headphones at a moderate volume levels. The only noise exposure that I can think of is related to my cycling. When road cycling at 18-20 mph, the wind noise caused by turbulent flowing air across the ear pinnae is pretty substantial, estimated in some studies to be about 80-90 db. I cycle about 6-8 hours per week, so that adds up. In recent months I have noticed that I am more bothered by this wind noise and have started wearing ear plugs which help, but also prevent me from hearing approaching cars as clearly as I should for safety reasons. The only recent acute noise exposure I can recall was about two months ago when an ambulance passed very close to me while I was on my bike with his siren on a full blast, which was VERY loud in my left ear, so much so that I worried about hair cell damage. But when I stopped I had no perceived tinnitus or hearing loss.
So my questions for this forum are these:
1) Is it common for tinnitus to just show up one day for no apparent reason?
2) Can there be a delayed reaction to an acute noise exposure (the ambulance siren) when tinnitus appears months after the event?
3) What could explain the "fullness" feeling in my ears in the absence of outer or middle ear infection?
4) Any other thoughts on what might be going on with my case?
After listening to my loud crickets for two weeks I can understand how this condition can create extreme anxiety, stress and depression. I worry that it won't stop, and may even get worse. I have had two previous bouts of major depression in my life, requiring going on antidepressants for several years (been off them for 5 years), and I don't want to go back there. Any thoughts or advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Prior to this event I had been noticing a kind of "fullness" in my ears, especially my left, but I have not had a cold or sinus infection in recent months. Despite the fullness feeling, I have noticed no hearing loss. In fact, my hearing actually seems more sensitive. The sound of a refrigerator humming bothers me now when it never did before, and I actually turn down the volume now when watching TV, so much so that my wife can't hear (I think she actually does have some hearing loss). Two weeks since the event the "crickets" are still ringing in my head, mostly in my left ear. I find this to be somewhat scary and distracting, making it difficult to sleep. I went to my general practitioner this past Tuesday. He said my ear canals were clean with no wax buildup; that I had no signs of an external ear infection, and that my eustacian tubes were clear. He prescribed a 5-day dose of prednisone, and 15 Xanax to help me relax and sleep; and he referred me to a local ENT and audiology practice, who I see in two weeks.
I have done mostly office work in a very quiet environment for over 35 years. I haven't been to loud clubs or rock concerts in decades. I rarely listen to loud music, and when I do listen to music I use Bose noise cancelling headphones at a moderate volume levels. The only noise exposure that I can think of is related to my cycling. When road cycling at 18-20 mph, the wind noise caused by turbulent flowing air across the ear pinnae is pretty substantial, estimated in some studies to be about 80-90 db. I cycle about 6-8 hours per week, so that adds up. In recent months I have noticed that I am more bothered by this wind noise and have started wearing ear plugs which help, but also prevent me from hearing approaching cars as clearly as I should for safety reasons. The only recent acute noise exposure I can recall was about two months ago when an ambulance passed very close to me while I was on my bike with his siren on a full blast, which was VERY loud in my left ear, so much so that I worried about hair cell damage. But when I stopped I had no perceived tinnitus or hearing loss.
So my questions for this forum are these:
1) Is it common for tinnitus to just show up one day for no apparent reason?
2) Can there be a delayed reaction to an acute noise exposure (the ambulance siren) when tinnitus appears months after the event?
3) What could explain the "fullness" feeling in my ears in the absence of outer or middle ear infection?
4) Any other thoughts on what might be going on with my case?
After listening to my loud crickets for two weeks I can understand how this condition can create extreme anxiety, stress and depression. I worry that it won't stop, and may even get worse. I have had two previous bouts of major depression in my life, requiring going on antidepressants for several years (been off them for 5 years), and I don't want to go back there. Any thoughts or advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
Member
. And while these might be good temporary solutions, I truly believe in trying to overcome anxiety and depression through therapy, talking to friends, meditation, etc. I, um, am a proponent for "plant-based" anxiety medication, but that might not be an option or something you're open to, and that's OK. I would just hate for you to become dependent on all these medications (and it sounds like you're not so thrilled about them, either) because of tinnitus. I'm hoping you can find some more solutions with your psychiatrist.
