Struggling with Long Spike

[James Foley]

I've had tinnitus at a level where it was only really noticeable in silent rooms for around 3 and a half years now, and after getting over the initial anxiety hump I came to accept it and it never bothered me again.

That is until I took a trip to Cardiff to visit the girlfriends parents (roughly a 4 hour drive), and I noticed my left ear (the initial 'bad' ear) had a new louder tone. This was after using a pair of earbuds during the journey to listen to a YouTube video. I've never had an issue in the time I've had tinnitus with wearing headphones or earphones, so I can't see this being the cause. I should also point out that I never listen to prolonged loud music, and as far as I can remember the video was at a comfortable level.

All of the recent talk about headphones being a complete write off has put me into a horrible spiral of self blame, and what ifs, but the 20 minutes of earbud usage for that video was no different to the quiet music and odd youtube video I watch during the week using headphones.

Now after a week of the left ear spike it has definitely lowered slightly, but I'm now experiencing a new tone across both my ears which is extremely high pitched, and its been with me for a month now. Its not loud really, but its a pitch that I can hear over basically everything with the shower being my only real escape.

I've tried keeping my diet in check, and introduced vitamins, but I'm not having much luck. Could this just be a long spike fuelled by anxiety? I've had spikes in the past but nothing like this before. The only thing I can think it being is eustachian tube issues again, but I've no perceived heading loss, ear pressure, or pain.

I'm struggling to shake this off my mind and its getting to me a little, any thoughts or support would be great.

 

[Kelvin]

I am sure it will settle again soon.
Since getting T and H I have tried to use earbuds and headphones ( at very low levels...) on a couple of occasions and both tries caused a spike that lasted over a week.
No longer even think about using either...my earbud and head phone use is over !!
You ears and hearing system is simply telling you NO thanks...
Not such a big price to pay to avoid these horrible events.
I hope its getting better @James Foley

 

[James Foley]

Thanks for the reply @Kelvin

The problem I have is music is pretty important to me. Being a programmer in an open plan office means headphones are essential for me to focus. Sound has never really been an issue for me until recently, I protect my hearing when I feel things are too loud, I avoid loud places, any music I play is as quiet as I can make it. I try my best to look after my ears yet my situation worsens anyway.

 

[Kelvin]

Thanks for the reply @Kelvin

The problem I have is music is pretty important to me. Being a programmer in an open plan office means headphones are essential for me to focus. Sound has never really been an issue for me until recently, I protect my hearing when I feel things are too loud, I avoid loud places, any music I play is as quiet as I can make it. I try my best to look after my ears yet my situation worsens anyway.

@James Foley
I have also always loved music and now cant listen too it as much or in the way I used to.
Its been the hardest thing about T and particularly H.
I guess we have to adapt.
No more GNR, Carter or Muse gigs for me...
I tend to have a quiet radio on all day.
The open plan office must be hard...sorry i cant hep with that.
You could try Bose QC 35 (with no music) but just the Active Noise Cancelling on.
An engineered silence...
Hopefully other members will be able to say if this works...?
Peace

 

[James Foley]

I've not tried any active noise canceling headphones, though it was the Bose Soundsport in-ears that I was using when I first noticed my spike, and I now fear Bose headphones. Sounds dumb, I know, but unfortunately thats how my brain wants to work.

I do know my parents have bought me a pair of beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs (annoyingly I asked for these before the spike and I also fear using these). My friend has a pair and they seem pretty awesome a passive noise isolation, so I'm looking forward to using these if it means I can comfortably block out external sound and play some music or sound to take my mind off it.

I've a tinnitus followup appointment at Addenbrookes here in Cambridge this week, so it'll be interesting to hear what they have to say about the worsening T. I've had some other symptoms too such as increased migraine frequency, daily headaches, and facial pain, so its possible there might be another cause.

 

[fishbone]

From my experience, a normal spike lasts from a few hours to a few days. If you are filled with anxiety and stress about a situation, then your body and mind and ramped up and there might not be a recovery sessions, this is not 100%, but it would make sense to me.

I was talking on the phone with a friend and I used my ear buds to hear better. After the conversation my new lower tone (microwave/lawnmower) got much louder. This event pushed my baseline for the new tone, to a new baseline. It was much much louder after the phone conversation, but now it's just a new baseline and it hasn't gone back to the old one. I am not saying, that this will happen for you...I am just sharing my experience.

Avoid earbuds/headphones, even if the volume is not loud, it can still and possibly impact the ears. In general stress/anxiety can keep a spike going, so it's best to try to relax and just say "Whatever that has happened, has happened...I cannot and will not dwell on it and will just move forward". This is the mentality of success for tinnitus and for life. Dwelling is never helpful, just move forward.

"An Empty mind + A filled heart is always helpful" - Fishbone

 

[Kelvin]

@James Foley
IMHO I don't think it will be the make of earbuds.
Its just the form of sound delivery - direct to your eardrum in a sealed environment !!
Now I have T and H this does actually seem a bit draft...hindsight is a wonderful thing
I would avoid earbuds and headphones if I was you...
Best of luck.

 

[James Foley]

Cheers for the replies. Unfortunately telling yourself to ignore it and move forward is easier said than done, and its this I'm having troubles with. No matter how hard I try to push the thought of tinnitus to the back of my mind, there is always something that triggers me to listen and monitor. I'm 99% sure this is because for the first time it is audible over every day activities such as TV.

The one thing I do find interesting is I've always been able to plug my ears and increase my tinnitus in both my ears. The tinnitus I have now basically sounds like the plugged version, apart from I have normal hearing.

 

[fishbone]

Cheers for the replies. Unfortunately telling yourself to ignore it and move forward is easier said than done, and its this I'm having troubles with. No matter how hard I try to push the thought of tinnitus to the back of my mind, there is always something that triggers me to listen and monitor. I'm 99% sure this is because for the first time it is audible over every day activities such as TV.

The one thing I do find interesting is I've always been able to plug my ears and increase my tinnitus in both my ears. The tinnitus I have now basically sounds like the plugged version, apart from I have normal hearing.

It's never easy, it take effort, patience and time. It can be done, I notice my loud, horrible tinnitus 247. It's impossible to not hear it. I can stand on the side of the freeway and my tinnitus is still louder. On the same note, I don't give my tinnitus the attention it wants and tell it to go sit, in the corner and count to 10 and then come out

It can be done, it takes time and lots of effort

be well....

 

[JohnnyMx]

eing a programmer in an open plan office means headphones are essential for me to focus.

Hi James, a fellow software engineer here.

First, I think you are right when you say "I'm 99% sure this is because for the first time it is audible over every day activities such as TV".

I've had T since I can remember, but some 4 years ago it started to be louder than anysound around me (in bad days, I can hear it over the sound of the engines inside of an airplane).

I Had bad times, but I finnaly habituated, and I'm completely sure you will.

I have also problems with earbuds... I have mild hyperacusis (had very bad H in the past) and I can't tolerate using earbuds... they irritate my ears so bad, so I can't mask my T using them.

Weird, but I prefer silence. Habituation makes you just don't care about the sound. When I want to listen to music I use the speakers in my laptop or PC. I also work in an open office environment, my team is small, we are 6 people, and it helps I'm the "boss" so I can turn my speakers on jajaj... in my defense I have a very good taste in music . I use low volume, not because of my T, but to respect my coworkers. Maybe playing very low volume music in your PC, can help you to do not over concentrate in your T until you get more habituated.

Keep going my friend, you will beat this again.

Regards,

 

[Bill Bauer]

headphones are essential for me to focus.

That might explain your spike.

You could try Peltor earmuffs + earplugs or noise cancelling headphones + earplugs.

 

[James Foley]

So I had my second meeting with an audiologist over at the tinnitus department at Addenbrookes in Cambridge.

After explaining my situation and experiences over the last month or so he came to the conclusion that my sensitivity to change is causing my brain to latch onto them, with anxiety playing a big role.

He spoke about how some people experience a change after every day activities such as meeting friends, noticing a change in tinnitus, and then associating the change with the activity as the brain is constantly looking for a cause. This would then send the person into a spiral of anxiety and self blame which just fuels tinnitus, basically a vicious cycle. I was actually surprised at how accurate this was to how I dealt with things.

Plans from here are now to just work hard on shifting negative thoughts directly related to tinnitus, and to use some form of journal to vent frustration on bad days to stop a build up of stress and anxiety.

Another side note, the guy I spoke to actually said headphone usage is perfectly fine if the levels are kept in check. He did mention headphone usage is usually only an issue for people with hyperacusis. I did speak to the guys over at Canford Audio about headphone limiters after reading about them in another post, so I plan on getting my every day headphones limited to 85db to avoid over exposure and sudden loud sounds.

We did have a quick chat about potential causes due to health and such as I've been suffering with increased migraine frequency which sends my tinnitus through the roof, so I'll be booking a follow up appointment with my GP for a blood test and some general migraine info.

No real resolution to my tinnitus, but talking to someone definitely helps the anxiety and lessens the perceived intrusion during the day. I have a third appointment booked for a couple of months time just to track progress and to get any further help if I need it.

Apologies for the lengthy post, but figured it might help someone somewhere

 

[Benoves]

How are hearing aids different from earbuds? Like when i play soft music, it is the Same as listening music with ear buds?

Hopefully Im terribly wrong.

 

[racerfish]

Remember that auditory ear damage is cumulative. A few times with your earbuds might be fine but over time, if you're listening to them at unsafe levels, it could be doing long term harm that shows up as a spike eventually. I'd also dial down the 85db level a little lower if I were you.

 

[James Foley]

Remember that auditory ear damage is cumulative. A few times with your earbuds might be fine but over time, if you're listening to them at unsafe levels, it could be doing long term harm that shows up as a spike eventually. I'd also dial down the 85db level a little lower if I were you.

85db is the lowest Canford Audio will limit to, but I'll of course only be using headphones close to the lowest they'll go. The 85db limit is just there to avoid bursts of loud sounds from unavoidable accidents if they happen.

 

[Elfin]

Addenbrookes in Cambridge.

Are you local to Cambridge?

I went there when first diagnosed 13 years ago and received a sound enrichment device. Would love to know how their treatment and advice had changed.

Interesting similarities as I am also prone to migraines and sensitive to change.

Good that you had a positive, helpful appointment!

 

[Michael Leigh]

Another side note, the guy I spoke to actually said headphone usage is perfectly fine if the levels are kept in check. He did mention headphone usage is usually only an issue for people with hyperacusis. I did speak to the guys over at Canford

Hi @James Foley

I wish you well when using your headphones. It is something that I don't advise you to use even at low volume and especially if your tinnitus was caused by loud noise. Some Hearing Therapists and Audiologist tell tinnitus patients that nothing is wrong with headphone use providing the volume is kept low. It is true some people with tinnitus are not adversely affect by headphone use but many are. Be careful, if your tinnitus increases due to headphone use, it is unlikely to return to its previous level.

All the best
Michael

 

[James Foley]

Are you local to Cambridge?

I went there when first diagnosed 13 years ago and received a sound enrichment device. Would love to know how their treatment and advice had changed.

Interesting similarities as I am also prone to migraines and sensitive to change.

Good that you had a positive, helpful appointment!

I am indeed, roughly a 30 minute drive from my house.

I was referred there after experiencing quite a short bad spike in the summer where I spoke to an ENT. He did a few tests and his conclusion was that I had issues with my TMJ, which I pursued privately (can't say having a night guard is helping the tinnitus, but hey, my jaw feels better...). He also said it would be good to speak to the audiologists in their tinnitus department to help deal with the anxiety and stress.

The first appointment with them was talking about what I was hearing, when I started hearing it, and any potential theories behind what I heard. When I first had noticed tinnitus I had a pitch shift in the ear I had the ringing along with dullness and the feeling of fluid moving about. The audiologist basically explained about how the fluid works in the inner ear and what I experienced was probably a viral infection causing inflammation in the inner ear and Eustachian tube issues. I think it was around 3 or so months after I had the initial onset of tinnitus that things started to improve, but it of course left me with seemingly oversensitive ears. To be honest my tinnitus wasn't really causing too much of a problem at the time of my fist appointment, but it was great to get some more information related to the potential cause.

I was set up with a follow up appointment which I had yesterday. I've been struggling with a spike for a month now and I was glad I had this appointment in place. This time around the guy I spoke to basically went into how the brain works, and the effect anxiety has on the perception of tinnitus. I was also offered a device to wear that he said was to help make tinnitus appear more in the background. At first I just called it a masking device but he was specifically saying that masking wasn't the goal and it was to just have something along side the tinnitus.

Hopefully that gives you a short insight into how things are now. The migraine thing has only recently become an issue, I'd usually notice a loud spike in the morning on one side of my head, and by the evening have an extremely painful headache on the same side. So far co-codamol and sleep are the only things I can do to ease the pain. The headache is usually still with me for the next day, and the spike lasts a week, only to start again with another migraine.

 

[James Foley]

Just as an unrelated thing, is anyone else able to make their tinnitus quieter by clenching their jaw? I read a lot about people clenching and increasing their tinnitus, but a lot of the time when I notice mine is actually louder, I can clench to make it quiet. When I release it'll become very loud a taper down slightly over time.

Tensing the muscles in my neck and jutting out my jaw make it very loud, but the clenching definitely brings the volume down a lot.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Another side note, the guy I spoke to actually said headphone usage is perfectly fine if the levels are kept in check.

There hasn't been any research about what causes T and H spikes/setbacks
http://hyperacusisfocus.org/research/earplug-use-2/
"While there are over 2200 posts on hyperacusis setbacks in the patient forum on chat-hyperacusis.net, no academic papers could be found using a pubmed search."
As a result, your doctor is just telling you the information based on what can hurt a person with healthy ears. As has been established on this forum, it takes a lot less to cause a (possibly permanent) T spike compared to what it takes to hurt a healthy ear.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Just as an unrelated thing, is anyone else able to make their tinnitus quieter by clenching their jaw? I read a lot about people clenching and increasing their tinnitus, but a lot of the time when I notice mine is actually louder, I can clench to make it quiet. When I release it'll become very loud a taper down slightly over time.

Tensing the muscles in my neck and jutting out my jaw make it very loud, but the clenching definitely brings the volume down a lot.

Yes. somatic t. very common. I too can modulate my t by clenching my teeth.

Look at Susan Shore's work. She is trialling a device to help those with somatic t, and there are threads on here about it.

Her hypothesis is that when there is a reduction in external input to the brain (cochlea damage), the somatic nervous system attempts to compensate. Hence, your experience of somatic t.

Havent read the whole thread, but have you had an extended audiogram?

 

[James Foley]

Havent read the whole thread, but have you had an extended audiogram?

I've not had an extended audiogram, no. Is this something you'd recommend having done?

If I'm being honest things have been a lot better over the last couple of days, not sure if its because talking to the audiologist helped, or I'm finally seeing an improvement to the spike.

 

[James Foley]

Not sure if anyone will be interested in an update, but after Christmas has passed I had a couple of days where I couldn't even notice my tinnitus. I knew it wasn't going to last, and sure enough I woke up this Saturday just passed to find my left ear hissing away.

What is interesting though is the only real change from my good couple of days to now is the fact that I've eaten quite a large amount of chocolate and drank quite a bit of coke. Could it really be a simple as my sugar intake causing spikes? Sugar was never an issue, in-fact the only thing that varied my tinnitus was if I was unwell. Unsure if things can suddenly become a trigger...

 

[James Foley]

Still getting pretty frustrated with spikes that seemingly last a few days only to be followed by another spike.

I honestly have no idea what triggers them, if anything. Today's spike was noticeable around an hour or so after eating lunch but there isn't anything in my diet that I would deem spike causing (Weetabix drink, cornflake bar, chicken salad sandwich and a banana).

I've zero idea how I've gone from two years pretty steady tinnitus I could barely hear, to tinnitus that changes basically every day / hour.

My sleep is fine, I'm under no perceived stress, my diet is pretty good, I take daily vitamins and antihistamines, I've had my jaw looked at, I sit in a pretty quiet office all day with no loud sounds, headphone usage has been cut drastically...

Is there anything else I should be checking here that I'm missing?

 

[BuzzyBee]

Still getting pretty frustrated with spikes that seemingly last a few days only to be followed by another spike.

I honestly have no idea what triggers them, if anything. Today's spike was noticeable around an hour or so after eating lunch but there isn't anything in my diet that I would deem spike causing (Weetabix drink, cornflake bar, chicken salad sandwich and a banana).

Mine often spikes an hour after a meal as well, and it doesn't really matter what that meal consisted of. Noise spikes it, as does food as does exercise. My rudimentary belief is somehow the krebs cycle is involved and there's a relationship between the burning of energy and the activity of the fusiform cells. But I honestly don't know....

I think the U Michigan device will help with this kind of tinnitus.

 

[James Foley]

Mine often spikes an hour after a meal as well, and it doesn't really matter what that meal consisted of. Noise spikes it, as does food as does exercise. My rudimentary belief is somehow the krebs cycle is involved and there's a relationship between the burning of energy and the activity of the fusiform cells. But I honestly don't know....

I think the U Michigan device will help with this kind of tinnitus.

How long do these spikes last for you?

Its interesting that I can eat junk food for a day and be perfectly fine, though a banana and a chicken sandwich sets everything off. Whats annoying is it will always be on a day where I'm starting to feel better.

 

[Tinniger]

Maybe: There is no cause for a spike and everything happens by random.
Just a suggestion...

 

[BuzzyBee]

How long do these spikes last for you?

Its interesting that I can eat junk food for a day and be perfectly fine, though a banana and a chicken sandwich sets everything off. Whats annoying is it will always be on a day where I'm starting to feel better.

My after lunch spikes usually last a couple of hours then they go down for a bit and then the tinnitus starts up again when I get hungry before dinner. Lately I've been trying to time the after lunch spike with the inevitable exercise induce spike by exercising around the time I'd get a spike anyway. That causes it to go way up for a bit, but then it also settles down more after. Exercise always seems to help long term even though it spikes it short term.

I'm not sure how much diet has to do with it, but that probably varies from person to person. Maybe it's just the act of digestion and energy burning itself combined with other factors (hormone levels, how much exercise one's had, stress) that play into it. High sodium foods can definitely cause problems for people -- probably more for some than others, but it's wise not to go crazy with processed foods or canned soup. Maybe the chicken salad had a lot of salt in it? Have you been eating anything with artificial sweeteners?

 

[James Foley]

I guess it depends what is deemed high, I think the sandwich was 1.5g of salt overall. As for artificial sweeteners I've not really got a clue.

Are there any food related tests that can be done to find intolerance and such? And would it be worth getting blood sugar tests done?

 

[James Foley]

I've found that the flavoured water I have been drinking contains sucralose, not sure if that's a common trigger or not?