Panicking — Please Help — Terrible Spike

[sweden1991]

Hi,

I got tinnitus mainly in my left ear 3 months ago after going to a nightclub, theres been a lot of ups and downs but the tinnitus was almost always maskable by being outside and I had learnt to live and study with it.
I would get a few seconds worth of really loud tinnitus but it would always leave.
Yesterday it got worse, first my right ear started ringing and progressively the left one got worse.
Today I was woken up by a loudness I have never experienced before, it's constant and loud and not much can mask it.

Furthermore, theres this metallic matching sound whenever I hear a noise or soemoen else speaks.
I had gone to a pub the day before but it wasnt particularly noisy and I was wearing earplugs for most of it.

Can someone please help me? What should I do? I can't sleep or eat, I have just signed up for a masters program here at Oxford and I'm now worried I'll have to drop out.
Will this subside?

Thankful for any advice

 

[glynis]

It sounds like a spike where something causes a tempory change in your tinnitus but should settle back down over the next few days.
I would get your ears checked for a infection or wax build up and maybe a ENT refural too.
Do what you can to relax and keep sound on around you and keep posting for support around the clock..lots of love glynis

 

[zombiechick]

I agree with @glynis, stay calm. Turn on your favorite movie or show. Call a friend or family member. I used to go sit in a coffee shop and listen to people talking. While I was pregnant I would look up yoga poses that supposedly help calm tinnitus. You have to hit it with everything. Also, if you're a big caffeine drinker, cut back. It goes down.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@sweden1991
Hi, Glynis has given you some good advice and I suggest that you follow it, as there's nothing more I can add to that.

However, on another matter, I feel your tinnitus has been coming on for some time since you have said you've previously been able to be mask it? This leads me to believe you have frequently attended places where loud music is played, for example: clubs, pubs, and you probably listen to music through headphones or ear-buds attached to your cell-phone or mp3 player?

If I am right by what I've said above, then you need to take action now, if you persist your symptoms will get a lot worse. Sorry to sound so sobering but that is my belief.

If you listen to music through headphones then you need to stop doing this immediately and if I were you, never use them again. I'm serious about that. Secondly, by all means go out and enjoy yourself at clubs, pubs etc where music is played, but use noise reducing –earplugs. These are different from foam earplugs, as they don't completely shut-off external sound.

I strongly advise you to start using sound enrichment at night. This is achieved by using a sound machine by your bedside that plays nature sounds. You should avoid sleeping in a quiet room. More is explained in the link below. It is an article I wrote titled: An Introduction to tinnitus. I suggest you print it out and refer to it regularly.

Best of luck and please keep away from loud music and headphones if you wear them.
Michael https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/an-introduction-to-tinnitus.12100/

 

[sweden1991]

Thank you so much, I haven't been listening to headphones at all since it happened, I've been out to pubs but always brought earplugs and used them when it seemed too loud. I was at a pub the day before it started getting worse but j was wearing earplugs and it wasn't that loud anyways (no music), people were somewhat loud next to me for a while when I wasn't wearing them so I'm not sure if it could be that? Do you think it'll go away? It's calmed down a little bit now but it's still there. I've also been sick

 

[glynis]

Being sick can be anxiety and feeling worried.
Stay calm and relax as stress will ramp up your sound.
Give it a few days and I'm sure you will be fine.
Please keep us posted...lots of love glynis

 

[sweden1991]

Thank you So much Glynis,
I hope youre feeling better too?

I am just so devastated, i cant believe this is happening to me - and all because of a stupid nightclub i didnt even want to go to. But I felt as if it had been getting better for the last month (had it for 3 months), and all of a sudden this huge increase (constant loud whine), I went to a pub (with earplugs most of the time) and had 2-3 glasses of alcohol 2 days ago. Is this common 3 months in?
Will it usually subside to what it was before?

 

[volsung37]

Don't drop out of your program. You will find being able to immerse yourself in something interesting and meaningful will help with your habituation and recovery.
At the beginning of my T I thought I would have to give up the job that I love. Now 9 months into the problem this fear has subsided considerably and i've found that having something to get up for and immerse myself in has helped me cope.

 

[Charliemurphy]

Hang in there Sweden. There's a good chance that you can overcome your noise-induced T over time by either getting used to it or having it fade considerably. I've added my intro below but long story short... I've gotten over it before and I plan on doing it again. It just takes time, rest, and good spirits. During these 1st couple of months I've experienced spikes as well but they've always died down after a few days. I strongly believe there's going to be a steady baseline that my T will level off at and that's where the habituation will start...
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-to-habituate-for-2nd-time.18039/#post-209560