Reactive Tinnitus Has Ruined My Life

[ErikaS]

First, let me say how incredibly informative this thread is and likely far exceeds any useful information that any of us would receive from a health professional.

And @ErikaS, you have described exactly what I feel. My reactive tinnitus reacts to everything, like running water, door slamming, turning over in bed, my own voice, TV, etc. Sometimes, I feel that it reacts to air when the window is open. I've been dealing with it for seven weeks following a 10-minute MRI that would go on to change my life.

After the incident, I continued my life as usual with some extra earplug protections I hadn't done before. However, things slowly worsened, seemingly no matter what I did. I have since taken a leave from work and started trying the silence approach, wearing earplugs most of the time. It might make me more sound-sensitive, but I will take it if the reactive tinnitus stabilizes. It is truly a horrific condition that makes you live the life of a prisoner. Last night was absolute hell after a day of being out and about.

I pray the reactivity settles because the thought of living this way for 20-30 years makes me panic.

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, @BBApple. I still experience reactivity, but it's gotten to a point where I can live pretty normally, just avoiding really loud bars, sporting events, and concerts. I carry earplugs with me, but I've only used them once recently. When I'm out and about, the tinnitus doesn't bother me much; sometimes, I don't even notice it until I actively listen for it. When I get home, it calms down pretty quickly.

During a spike, like the one I'm experiencing now, not only does the reactivity become more sensitive and the tinnitus louder, but my emotions and PTSD response to it also intensify, which absolutely makes it worse. It's very hard because my tinnitus is closely tied to my stress and emotions. Managing it involves trying to stay calm and keeping stress hormones, panic thoughts, and depressive moments in check. My trauma therapist has really helped me with this, and I believe that's why I've reached such a good place.

Regarding in-ear protection, the nerves in my ear canals have become sensitive and hyperactive since my SSHL event. If I touch the inside of my right ear canal (my damaged ear), the sounds in my left ear get louder. It's strange, I know. When I use ear protection, it dampens the environmental sounds, but my ear canals' sensitivity ramps up my tinnitus. Therefore, I only use in-ear protection when absolutely necessary because of this sensitivity that spikes my tinnitus.

Everyone is different, and I cannot stress that enough, but I wanted to share that I was able to reach a baseline I didn't think was possible with very reactive, bilateral multi-tonal tinnitus while not being in constant protection.

 

[Pinhead]

I experience SBUTTs like this: my hearing doesn't completely go out, but it sort of dims during the SBUTT. However, it isn't dull afterward. Like you, I find them disturbing because they grab my attention instantly. The only way I've slowly gotten better (even though people think I'm crazy when I say I get them 20+ times in each ear on some days) is by simply ignoring them and treating them with malignant indifference. I think to myself, "Oh, you're back, motherf%^%$#@" and let the higher or lower-pitched ringing finish before immediately moving on with my day. Some days, it's harder to cope because you'll be having a good day, and then WHAM—you're instantly reminded that your hearing is messed up, which can set you back mentally.

That's great, but the SBUTTs don't always go away. That's why I usually end up in a complete and utter panic. I have many tones that are still here now.

 

[IYIiKe]

That's great, but the SBUTTs don't always go away. That's why I usually end up in a complete and utter panic. I have many tones that are still here now.

Does the hearing/dimming persist? That's weird. SBUTTs are no joke, and the people who only get them like once a month have no idea how messed up it can be to feel like you're managing just fine only to be assaulted with that sensation. It can completely change your day. Usually, mine settle back down to where it was before, slightly louder than before, or slightly less (extremely rare, probably 5% of the time) than before — but mine never persist longer than 15-20 seconds. Ever get checked out for muscle spasms of either the inner ear or pterygoids? I notice the frequency of my SBUTTs seems to increase when my jaw is more active, whether it's chewing/talking. I wonder if whatever is causing yours (and if it's muscle spasms) is something a muscle relaxer could assist with.

 

[BBApple]

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation, @BBApple. I still experience reactivity, but it's gotten to a point where I can live pretty normally, just avoiding really loud bars, sporting events, and concerts. I carry earplugs with me, but I've only used them once recently. When I'm out and about, the tinnitus doesn't bother me much; sometimes, I don't even notice it until I actively listen for it. When I get home, it calms down pretty quickly.

During a spike, like the one I'm experiencing now, not only does the reactivity become more sensitive and the tinnitus louder, but my emotions and PTSD response to it also intensify, which absolutely makes it worse. It's very hard because my tinnitus is closely tied to my stress and emotions. Managing it involves trying to stay calm and keeping stress hormones, panic thoughts, and depressive moments in check. My trauma therapist has really helped me with this, and I believe that's why I've reached such a good place.

Regarding in-ear protection, the nerves in my ear canals have become sensitive and hyperactive since my SSHL event. If I touch the inside of my right ear canal (my damaged ear), the sounds in my left ear get louder. It's strange, I know. When I use ear protection, it dampens the environmental sounds, but my ear canals' sensitivity ramps up my tinnitus. Therefore, I only use in-ear protection when absolutely necessary because of this sensitivity that spikes my tinnitus.

Everyone is different, and I cannot stress that enough, but I wanted to share that I was able to reach a baseline I didn't think was possible with very reactive, bilateral multi-tonal tinnitus while not being in constant protection.

Thanks for that, @ErikaS. I'm glad to hear things have improved for you, and it also gives me hope that this condition can improve over time. I try to avoid noisy situations now but will likely also try to limit my use of earplugs as I feel that overuse can cause other issues over time. Right now, it is so difficult because the tinnitus ramps up over any ambient noise, and that is what I hear the most. If it were to stop reacting, I feel I'd be able to live normally, more or less. I will also try some low-volume white/pink noise exposure to try and desensitize it over time. As you said, everyone is so different, and what works for some does not work for others. I will keep fighting the fight.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Thanks for that, @ErikaS. I'm glad to hear things have improved for you, and it also gives me hope that this condition can improve over time. I try to avoid noisy situations now but will likely also try to limit my use of earplugs as I feel that overuse can cause other issues over time. Right now, it is so difficult because the tinnitus ramps up over any ambient noise, and that is what I hear the most. If it were to stop reacting, I feel I'd be able to live normally, more or less. I will also try some low-volume white/pink noise exposure to try and desensitize it over time. As you said, everyone is so different, and what works for some does not work for others. I will keep fighting the fight.

What kind of hearing loss do you have?