Spontaneous Recovery Stats: Many Recover (3 Studies)

[Bill Bauer]

Question, my tinnitus has been spiking really bad last days and I am trying to figure out why.

Have you changed your diet recently? Dairy foods sometimes cause tinnitus spikes.

There is no reason to worry about a spike unless it doesn't begin fading after about a month...

 

[magiccat]

Have you changed your diet recently? Dairy foods sometimes cause tinnitus spikes.

There is no reason to worry about a spike unless it doesn't begin fading after about a month...

I don't think I have changed anything really.... my tinnitus is always intrusive but now it felt even worse.. But I am hoping it will calm down.

I could really need more people that has experienced this (over maybe 10-more years) and gotten used to it and living happy lives to write success stories. It is a lot of focus on that the sound has to disappear, but I just want to know that one will get better and happy even though the tinnitus stays.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I just want to know that one will get better

Several months after your sinus problem is treated and goes away, the spike ought to fade...

If the spike ends up being permanent (hopefully this is very unlikely), then many people report partial habituation after about three years.

 

[FGG]

Have you changed your diet recently? Dairy foods sometimes cause tinnitus spikes.

There is no reason to worry about a spike unless it doesn't begin fading after about a month...

Is this only if a food allergy is involved or does dairy do this more generally?

 

[Bill Bauer]

Is this only if a food allergy is involved or does dairy do this more generally?

Over the years I have had countless spikes (including some horrifying/serious ones). I have also been reading about other people's spikes. The rule of thumb seems to be that most spikes are temporary and those spikes begin fading 4 weeks after the onset or earlier. So to answer your question, my comment was a general comment.

 

[ThomasC]

My tinnitus is not noise induced, I don't know why I do have hearing loss and tinnitus.
I don't know how common it is, but my tinnitus hardly fluctuates. It does a little bit, but it never goes from mild to loud and vice versa which means I've never had terrific spikes.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

Question, my tinnitus has been spiking really bad last days and I am trying to figure out why. I just now wondered if it is some kind of allergy, I don't normally feel allergy symptoms but now when i think about it i experienced blocked ears some days ago and they my tinnitus escalated. Can it be that this periods blocks anything in my sinuses without me noticing it? It is the worst allergy period now right? Im really hoping my spike calms down soon....

My tinnitus spikes with the beginning of allergy season every year for like 5-15 days. Once my body adapts to the pollen it calms down.

 

[screechesilence]

The rule of thumb seems to be that most spikes are temporary and those spikes begin fading 4 weeks after the onset or earlier. So to answer your question, my comment was a general comment.

I have very low tinnitus one day and extremely high static suicidal one the other, so my 'spike' is cyclic, almost every other day. I can't seem to get any help or figure out why and how to get out of the loop. It wouldn't be half as bad if it stayed in its lowest form...

 

[Bill Bauer]

I have very low tinnitus one day and extremely high static suicidal one the other, so my 'spike' is cyclic, almost every other day. I can't seem to get any help or figure out why and how to get out of the loop. It wouldn't be half as bad if it stayed in its lowest form...

Your tinnitus is still new. Hopefully it will eventually change for the better.

A number of people wrote about having cyclical tinnitus like that. I confess I hadn't been paying attention to their long run trajectory...

 

[screechesilence]

It was new and constantly changing for about a month. Now it's very much set into this pattern for what seems like an eternity.

I never suffered from anxiety/ depression or took any meds, but I read about sufferers finding some relief using tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline and nortriptyline. I asked my doctor about this purely to get relief from tinnitus and not cure my anxiety caused by it (and NOT the other way around) but they prescribed me sertraline instead. I never took it because I'm not sure I want to go down that route...

 

[Tara Lyons]

Conversely, if at the one-year mark you had improved compared to how you were at the 3 or 6 month mark, there is no reason for it to not continue to fade.

I've been told by someone on here to reach out to you. I'm struggling with this tinnitus. I think it's mainly because I don't have an answer as to how it started. I'm 32. Never had it in my life.

I just woke up with a "loudness" and ear ringing. Turned to some echoing, burning, blaring, fullness. Of course ringing. Just a sensation of noise. Idk. Scary stuff.

How do I stop missing silence.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I just woke up with a "loudness" and ear ringing.

Sometimes tinnitus takes up to two weeks to appear following the ears being injured. Has anything happened in the two weeks before the onset of your tinnitus?

You might also want to search this forum using the names of all of the medications that you had been taking around the time of the onset of your tinnitus. Sometimes the drug isn't even on
https://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf
and yet there are horror stories about it on this site.

Are you sure you don't have TMJ?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tmj/symptoms-causes/syc-20350941
If you might have it, you are in luck as tinnitus eventually goes away after TMJ gets treated.

Is your tinnitus relentlessly at the same volume level and pitch? Has it faded (if only a little) compared to how it was 4-6 weeks ago?

 

[Tara Lyons]

Sometimes tinnitus takes up to two weeks to appear following the ears being injured. Has anything happened in the two weeks before the onset of your tinnitus?

You might also want to search this forum using the names of all of the medications that you had been taking around the time of the onset of your tinnitus. Sometimes the drug isn't even on
https://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf
and yet there are horror stories about it on this site.

Are you sure you don't have TMJ?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tmj/symptoms-causes/syc-20350941
If you might have it, you are in luck as tinnitus eventually goes away after TMJ gets treated.

Is your tinnitus relentlessly at the same volume level and pitch? Has it faded (if only a little) compared to how it was 4-6 weeks ago?

No it's not like the typical high pitch steady ring. Never was. Always fluctuated. Over the weekend it was low pitch but just a constant sensation of "noise." That's how it's been lately opposed to ringing. IDK IT'S CRAZY. Never had an episode of tinnitus in my 32 years.

Few weird echoing episodes, only one burning one night, fullness, loudness. It's insane.

Is it my years of headphone usage? Ughhhhh whyyyyyyyy ;(


I miss silence!

 

[Bill Bauer]

That's how it's been lately opposed to ringing.

Are you saying that it used to ring and now that had changed to a sensation of noise? It sounds like it has been improving.

only one burning one night

So it has happened only once, right?

loudness

What do you mean by that?

Is it my years of headphone usage?

Have you used headphones a lot around the time of the onset?

 

[Tara Lyons]

Are you saying that it used to ring and now that had changed to a sensation of noise? It sounds like it has been improving.

Ringing now :/ and feeling so f'ing FULL like my ear drums are going to explode


So it has happened only once, right?
burning, once yes very scary
What do you mean by that?
loudness? Idk I can't explain it.

Have you used headphones a lot around the time of the onset?

I've used headphones for years, at the gym, on vacations, etc.

 

[Zugzug]

Is it my years of headphone usage? Ughhhhh whyyyyyyyy ;(

It's hard for me to believe that years of headphones usage would cause you to wake up with this spontaneously. I could be wrong, but I feel like it would be more gradual, with a loud noise experience pushing it over the edge.

 

[Tara Lyons]

It's hard for me to believe that years of headphones usage would cause you to wake up with this spontaneously. I could be wrong, but I feel like it would be more gradual, with a loud noise experience pushing it over the edge.

I'm really feeling like I can't take this anymore. I feel very hopeless.

 

[sssing]

Hi @Tara Lyons, I said the same exact words over and over again, I just want to encourage you, don't give up. Please hang in there! I fully understand the pain and despair you're facing. Believe me that there's a good chance it will improve. Anyway, there are treatments coming along. Use masking to help you. When you handle the depression and panic Attacks, you will feel less traumatised and get better. You are still very young and there's not much evidence of severe damage done to your wards so likely the injury is not that bad and will heal in time. Just continue to reach out to us for support.

 

[Tara Lyons]

Hi @Tara Lyons, I said the same exact words over and over again, I just want to encourage you, don't give up. Please hang in there! I fully understand the pain and despair you're facing. Believe me that there's a good chance it will improve. Anyway, there are treatments coming along. Use masking to help you. When you handle the depression and panic Attacks, you will feel less traumatised and get better. You are still very young and there's not much evidence of severe damage done to your wards so likely the injury is not that bad and will heal in time. Just continue to reach out to us for support.

I don't get why this is happening. I don't remember it being like this when it first started.

Did I somehow make it worse? What if it's my brain doing this to me? Could this really be an ear problem causing all this misery?

I had vibrating, echoing, fullness, burning. I'd somehow feel better if I was reassured this was an ear issue and it just takes time.

I'm devastated. I'm plagued by this noise all day every day.

 

[Hotspur2931]

I don't get why this is happening. I don't remember it being like this when it first started.

Did I somehow make it worse? What if it's my brain doing this to me? Could this really be an ear problem causing all this misery?

I had vibrating, echoing, fullness, burning. I'd somehow feel better if I was reassured this was an ear issue and it just takes time.

I'm devastated. I'm plagued by this noise all day every day.

Hang in there Tara, you're still very new. I hit my lowest point around month 5. Things started to feel better around month 8. I'm now in month 16 or thereabouts and while tinnitus still annoys me my life is basically back to normal and I can enjoy myself again.

The "whys" and "whatifs" are absolutely the worst. Please try not to plague yourself with these thoughts. Just dealing with tinnitus is enough. Get a lot of noise around you (safely). Seriously, get in the kitchen, put on the oven and the radio and the extractor fan and get chopping and frying and baking, whatever gets you absorbed. You just need to get through each day for now, and I PROMISE you it gets better.

 

[Tara Lyons]

Hang in there Tara, you're still very new. I hit my lowest point around month 5. Things started to feel better around month 8. I'm now in month 16 or thereabouts and while tinnitus still annoys me my life is basically back to normal and I can enjoy myself again.

The "whys" and "whatifs" are absolutely the worst. Please try not to plague yourself with these thoughts. Just dealing with tinnitus is enough. Get a lot of noise around you (safely). Seriously, get in the kitchen, put on the oven and the radio and the extractor fan and get chopping and frying and baking, whatever gets you absorbed. You just need to get through each day for now, and I PROMISE you it gets better.

I can't stop crying. I'm at my desk at work completely breaking down. i can't deal with this.

I never had this in my life. It ruins my days, my sleep. Just constant blaring noise.

What did I do to deserve this.

 

[sssing]

Since you have done your MRI and cleared it, you can be quite certain it isn't your brain. From what I know as a layman, the brain is responding to the ears but the source of the problem is not the brain but the ears. If you can, I suggest you do an extended audiogram? It may give you some more clues. Did your ENT check and rule out things like infection? Did he suspect the burning is a result of some infection? Do sounds cause the burning? There really is a good chance you'll get better, believe me!

 

[sssing]

I can't stop crying. I'm at my desk at work completely breaking down. i can't deal with this.

I never had this in my life. It ruins my days, my sleep. Just constant blaring noise.

What did I do to deserve this.

my heart goes out to you, sorry to hear what you are going through, my advice is to put some water flowing or rain sounds to mask it and get through today. Sorry, I know this may not be the answer you want but please seek some help/support with the panic and depression. Are you taking some medication for it? And if you really can't bear and you feel like the ending it all, please go to the ER and tell them about it. Sorry for being so blunt. These were the things that happened to me before. I still firmly believe that things will get better for you.

 

[Zugzug]

I'm really feeling like I can't take this anymore. I feel very hopeless.

These conditions bring out strength in us that we didn't know we had. I honestly can't believe what I've adapted to.

 

[Hotspur2931]

@Tara Lyons

Lots of us have been where you are so please trust us, take a deep breath and get yourself some help right now.

Have you seen your doctor? Are you taking any medications for depression or panic or sleep? Please talk to a professional about how you are feeling and let them help you.

What are you doing to relax? I know it's so hard to do when you have the noise in your head but there are ways to make it easier. For me strong physical sensations – like a hot bath or a massage or even sex – get me out of my head and into my body and make me feel better.

Have you seen an audiologist? Or are you doing any kind of therapy? I found CBT really helped me. When you are feeling this bad you really need to be seeing someone once a week at a minimum – it really helps to have a professional to check in with. They will be able to listen to you and tell you that you're not crazy. And they can teach you techniques to cope.

Also it sounds like you are going through a spike and you are just overwhelmed right now. It's normal for tinnitus to change a in the first few months. I think it will settle down to a more manageable level. Try not to monitor it, or give to much thought to the changes. It doesn't really matter in the end – what matters is getting you back to feeling better. And believe it or not you CAN feel better, no matter what your tinnitus is doing.

Lizzy
Xxx

 

[Bill Bauer]

I can't stop crying.

Three months after the onset is the most horrible/difficult time. Here is a poll I made back when I was three months in:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-make-you-wail-and-weep-uncontrollably.21797/

 

[Tara Lyons]

Three months after the onset is the most horrible/difficult time. Here is a poll I made back when I was three months in:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-make-you-wail-and-weep-uncontrollably.21797/

I just feel like my ears are screaming. Not even ringing. It's honestly alarming.

Yes I feel this is the hardest point for me. I sleep to try to get away from this noise.

 

[Tara Lyons]

Three months after the onset is the most horrible/difficult time. Here is a poll I made back when I was three months in:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-make-you-wail-and-weep-uncontrollably.21797/

Is it normal for it to feel like it's just "noise" coming out of your ears? It's not the typical "EEEEEE" or dial tone tinnitus. It's just noise. Then after I'm exposed to noise I get this weird "loudness." The neurotologist said this is a "rebound." Whatever that means. She said it should calm down in time. It hasn't calmed down at all. I sleep just to escape it and wake up to it against my pillow.

@Michael Leigh

 

[Michael Leigh]

Is it normal for it to feel like it's just "noise" coming out of your ears? It's not the typical "EEEEEE" or dial tone tinnitus. It's just noise. Then after I'm exposed to noise I get this weird "loudness." The neurotologist said this is a "rebound." Whatever that means. She said it should calm down in time. It hasn't calmed down at all. I sleep just to escape it and wake up to it against my pillow.

@Michael Leigh

HI Tara,

Your Neurologist is correct in that things will calm down but haven't heard of the term rebound. As I have mentioned to you before tinnitus behaves is way in the early stages which can begin to calm down with time. I would like to ask what was the dosage of Klonopin your doctor advised you to take?

Michael

 

[Tara Lyons]

@Tara Lyons

Lots of us have been where you are so please trust us, take a deep breath and get yourself some help right now.

Have you seen your doctor? Are you taking any medications for depression or panic or sleep? Please talk to a professional about how you are feeling and let them help you.

What are you doing to relax? I know it's so hard to do when you have the noise in your head but there are ways to make it easier. For me strong physical sensations – like a hot bath or a massage or even sex – get me out of my head and into my body and make me feel better.

Have you seen an audiologist? Or are you doing any kind of therapy? I found CBT really helped me. When you are feeling this bad you really need to be seeing someone once a week at a minimum – it really helps to have a professional to check in with. They will be able to listen to you and tell you that you're not crazy. And they can teach you techniques to cope.

Also it sounds like you are going through a spike and you are just overwhelmed right now. It's normal for tinnitus to change a in the first few months. I think it will settle down to a more manageable level. Try not to monitor it, or give to much thought to the changes. It doesn't really matter in the end – what matters is getting you back to feeling better. And believe it or not you CAN feel better, no matter what your tinnitus is doing.

Lizzy
Xxx

Is it normal to feel like it's just noise coming out of your ears? Not even the typical high pitched "EEEEEE" ring. Just noise.

The neurotologist said it should calm down over time. Also told me to watch my diet.