Please Help Me! Spike Coming Back...

[Newbie]

My tinnitus spiked about a month and a half ago. I had this really loud hiss and kind of wavering screeching sound. It drove me crazy. It died down into a low level ring after about a month for two weeks and I felt was getting my life back on track.

Then I heard it again Monday night, kind of yesterday and today it's so bad again. I can't believe it has come back. I don't know what to do

Does it mean it will go away if it has done before? please someone who has had this happen to them reply, I'm so upset.

 

[Mahr]

Perhaps it'll go away, perhaps not. First you should see a gp to be examined; did you have an infection? Were you exposed to loud sounds? Did, or do you take certain meds? Stuff like that..

 

[volsung37]

Tinnitus is a variable beast by nature. I would do all possible to calm your nervous system which is probably exacerbating your perception of the sound to some extent. Good luck

 

[Jomo]

I havent had it as long as you but after the anount of time i have had it i can say it freaking changes all the time...my sound after a month has gone from the low level to the high 8000-9000 khz....just keep doing what you have been doing....tinnitus is a roller coaster....the shit goes up and down and sometimes upside down lol make sure you have some good masking sounds to adjust to the changes

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Newbie Have you been listening to music through headphones or attening clubs where loud music has been played?
Michael

 

[Newbie]

Hi @Michael Leigh no not at all. Se clubs but with ear plugs? Is it always possible for this to go back to baseline? Could it be my anxiety? I don't even know is this a spike ? All I know is I used to have mild tinnitus where I couldn't hear it over the radio and now I can a different noise

 

[jimH]

@Newbie...more than likely it's just another spike and will return to your previous base. I've been through it so many times over the years. The thing that makes it last longer is fear and anxiety that it may stay that way. Panic is the worst thing. So, because you've already had the experience of a spike that ended and your T returned to a lower level, try to reassure yourself that this spike is temporary. The sooner you can calm yourself down the better. So, take heart, this spike will pass too.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Newbie

Se clubs

Can you please tell me what: "Se clubs" mean? Even if you are wearing earplugs at a music club if the sound is loud enough it can still cause damage. I believe the increase in tinnitus is caused by loud sounds. I don't think that it has anything to do with anxiety, this is just my opinion but this could calm back down to baseline. When were you last tested at ENT?
Michael

 

[Newbie]

@jimH thank you so much for this it has given me a lot of hope! I have been suffering from bad anxiety and even when the tinnitus went down I was depressed because I was still constantly thinking about it and afraid it would come back and it it ! it's like a high static electrical wavering hiss does this sound like a spike? It also comes and goes throughout the day.

@Michael Leigh sorry that was a miss spelling! Thank you very much for your advice

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Newbie My advice is to keep away from clubs for a while until the tinnitus calms down. Use sound enrichment at night and during day whenever possible. Have a word with your doctor about your anxiety.
Best of luck
Michael

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Newbie
Tinnitus, earplugs and nightclubs.
Someone that has tinnitus I believe they should try and live a normal life as they possibly can. This includes going out to clubs, concerts and other venues of entertainment where music is played if they wish to. For some, tinnitus can be difficult to live with without putting further restrictions on their life. However, I also believe taking the necessary precautions is absolutely vital, in preventing noise trauma to the inner ear, which could make the tinnitus louder and more intrusive.

Unfortunately, in some instances a person can be left in a hit or a miss situation, as there is no way of knowing if they have put themselves in harms way until after enjoying a night out, find their tinnitus has become louder and more intrusive over the coming days. One hopes this will be a temporary spike but there is no guarantee this new level of intensity won't become permanent and could require a visit to ENT. Sorry to sound so sobering but these are the facts as I see it.

One way of protecting yourself from inner ear damage is to wear noise-reducing earplugs when going to nightclubs or concerts. They will reduce external sounds, in this case music and fortunately won't impair sound quality, which is so important to most people attending these venues. The earplugs are available in various degrees of attenuation from as little as 9 decibels right up to 25 and even higher. If money is no object, one can buy custom moulded earplugs with the full knowledge they are getting the best ear protection that they can afford.

A word of caution to anyone that might not be in the know. I believe no level of ear protection is one hundred percent safe; so one still needs to be careful when attending nightclubs and concerts and not get carried away in thinking, wearing earplugs is completely safe so anything goes and you can stand next to the speakers all night or right up near to the stage where the music is booming out. Some people might not be aware, if music is loud enough it can still be transferred to the inner ear and reach the cochlear and cause damage via the Mastoid bone. This is a hard piece of bone behind each ear. It is honeycombed and has air pockets within it. Please don't think that it's only midrange and high frequencies that can cause harm. Low bass frequencies, which cause vibrations, will do the same.

Go out and enjoy yourself and have fun but at the same time be prudent and respect your hearing.
Michael

PS: further reading is available at:
https://www.britannica.com/science/ear/Transmission-of-sound-by-bone-conduction

 

[Newbie]

@Michael Leigh thank you ! I went to an ent just 2 weeks ago and he said it would go even after having it for a year and 4 months ?? Are you habituated? I feel like my life is over, does it get better?? I habituated before when I first got it but it was so mild I habituated fast. Tinnitus was the least of my problems until a month and a half ago

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Newbie
I understand how you feel. Please understand if you want your tinnitus to keep to a low level you have to be careful. One of the biggest problems that someone with tinnitus can face is forgetting that they have the condition especially when the tinnitus is very low. A person forgets goes out to a nightclub or returns to using headphones and then problems start.

Habituation is different for everyone. Some people think habituation means the tinnitus will no longer be heard but this is incorrect. I have habituated twice in the 20 years that I've had tinnitus. The last time it took 4 years for me to habituate and it wasn't a pleasant experience.

Think back to what you were doing a month and half ago? Did you attend nightclubs or visit a place were loud music was played? Or listen to music through headphones even at low level? I'm sorry to keep on about headphones but in my opinion they are dangerous to anyone that has tinnitus.

Your ENT Dr is right, your tinnitus could go so try to help that by following the simple steps that I've suggested. Use sound enrichment at night etc.
Please click on the link below I think you might find the information helpful.
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/answers-to-hyperacusis-and-habituation.12058/