Tinnitus After Hitting Head in Attic

[DebInAustralia]

Hi there,

I'm a 42-year-old male.

My tinnitus is still quite new, but I'm alarmed nonetheless due to the odd nature from which it set in. I hit the top of my head on a rafter in the attic that I did not see when taking a step forward. Hit it fairly hard somehow. It gave me a slight bump on the head and localized head aches and pains. Tinnitus did not set in immediately though. For the first week after bumping, all I had was some sensitively to loud noise, headaches, and sort of feeling off. Then, about a week later I noticed the hiss and ring in both ears. The hiss has remained constant and really spiked my anxiety.

Panic and anxiety over this ( mostly due to tinnitus ) drove me to go get checked out and get a head CT. It came back fine. I've spoken to the doctor about the tinnitus, but they really don't acknowledge it much. They pretty much say, "you likely had a concussion, and you may wish to go see a concussion specialist type of doctor". The doctor did say they saw a very small amount of fluid in my ears which they said might be contributing. Asked me if I had allergies.

I'm an anxious person, and I've always struggled with insomnia. So, having constant tinnitus is not good when I'm already mentally wired where I struggle to relax.

My tinnitus itself - It's an extremely high pitched hissing sound in both ears. It's constant and mostly unchanging.

Has anyone else experienced something like this after bumping their head? Did it ever get better?

Gman45

Wondering how you got on?

I had a significant head injury last July. Wonder if this has anything to do with the relapse now.

Is your tinnitus only in your ears?

 

[Gman45]

It's been about a year and a half since my concussion and tinnitus onset.

Tinnitus is still there. I still struggle with having it, but I have had to accept it. My emotional distress to it goes down slowly in time. The volume of it fluctuates, but seems to trend down. I have had a few days where it actually seems low in volume in recent months. It doesn't always stay lower, but sure hope to have more of those days.

My tinnitus Is in both ears and very much the same sound and volume in both ears. Definitely seems like it's perceived as ear noise, not head noise for me.

I have taken up lifting light weights in recent months and for some weird reason, I have noticed my tinnitus is lower after lifting. Really strange. I wonder if that has something to do with neck muscles.

Best of luck to you, and wish for silence for all of us sufferers.

 

[Gman45]

Closing in on two years. Still sucks to have tinnitus. I have days where I can ignore it, but that's the best it can be. I still have moments where it's less loud and moments where it's screaming. I still wish for a cure of course, or just a lowering. The closest I have come to silence was when I was on Prednisone, but that stuff Is not something you can just stay on.

 

[Gman45]

It's now year three. Every December I think about how it turned on after a mild concussion. I saw my ENT a few times this year just in case anything new may come to light. My ears and hearing are fine they say. My hearing test when I first got the tinnitus three years ago showed mild hearing loss in the high register. Last week, thee years later, I had a follow up hearing test. They said my hearing was all normal now. No hearing loss. Just shows how tinnitus really can be just a brain thing. I can hear fine, yes, I have had constant ringing ever since the week after the concussion.

Am I habituated? Not really. I am not freaking out anymore and I can sleep, but still can't stand it.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

Am I habituated? Not really. I am not freaking out anymore and I can sleep, but still can't stand it.

Sounds very, very familiar. Same time frame even (minus the concussion.)

Stay strong. Endurance is everything.

 

[Gman45]

Tinnitus still sucks. The noise is pretty stable now. It's just the way it is. It turns off when I sleep, and that's it. I find myself enjoying dreams more these days. Someday, we'll be free of this. A cure would be amazing.

I don't really buy into the habituation idea. You can always hear it, and it's still a stressor. It's not a good sound, and it never will be.

 

[Furetto]

Tinnitus still sucks. The noise is pretty stable now. It's just the way it is. It turns off when I sleep, and that's it. I find myself enjoying dreams more these days. Someday, we'll be free of this. A cure would be amazing.

I don't really buy into the habituation idea. You can always hear it, and it's still a stressor. It's not a good sound, and it never will be.

Is there any chance the bump could have damaged your neck somehow, like whiplash or something? Have you had your neck checked out?

 

[Gman45]

Is there any chance the bump could have damaged your neck somehow, like whiplash or something? Have you had your neck checked out?

I had it checked out and went through acupuncture a couple of years in. My neck felt better, but the tinnitus remains. I'm convinced, in my case, that it's something in the brain. They say there's a kind of filter in our brain, and I think the concussion might have stopped that filter. Life goes on, but it's just different, you know? The world is a constant high-pitched screech. It could be worse, I guess.

I think everyone here understands how tough it can be. The hardest part is that you can't just sit in a quiet room. Silence isn't comforting; it feels uncomfortable, and that gets old. If the tinnitus ever stopped, I think I'd just sit in silence for ages. Silence is such a beautiful thing for those who can truly relax in it.

What gets me is that the medical community just tells us to "habituate." That happens to some degree, I suppose, but it's still always there. I don't understand how some people say they don't notice it. Maybe they have a much lower level of tinnitus.

Hopefully, we'll get a cure someday. I just wish the medical field would stop telling us to "habituate" and focus more on finding the root cause of the problem.

 

[MindOverMatter]

What gets me is that the medical community just tells us to "habituate." That happens to some degree, I suppose, but it's still always there. I don't understand how some people say they don't notice it. Maybe they have a much lower level of tinnitus.

Hopefully, we'll get a cure someday. I just wish the medical field would stop telling us to "habituate" and focus more on finding the root cause of the problem.

It's easier and takes less time to habituate to a low level of tinnitus, but that's not decisive, in my opinion. Many factors come into play. Acceptance is always the first step. I also believe a person's individual characteristics play a significant role. No two people are alike.

I can hear my tinnitus pretty much over everything if I focus on it, but I can also go hours without thinking about it at all, even though it's always there. My brain tunes it out and perceives it as no threat. Sometimes it tunes back in for a while, as the tinnitus fluctuates, and then tunes out again when my focus shifts. This didn't happen overnight. I've gone through this process many times, even after being fully habituated to my "old" tinnitus for 15 years.

Setbacks and spikes happen. They're unavoidable. This is an ongoing process. There will be days when the brain tunes back in completely, putting you in alert mode. These are the days when it becomes bothersome, especially when it's reactive to external sounds. However, the better days far outweigh the less good ones. Getting out in nature, staying physically active, and practicing photography are my top forms of therapy.

For me, there's only one option: keep going and make the best of it. Tinnitus and hyperacusis are complex, and there won't be a one-size-fits-all cure. This makes it even harder to find the root cause. For now, some degree of habituation is the best we have, since there aren't any other options. It's a better approach for most of us than sitting and waiting for a possible cure.

 

[Furetto]

I had it checked out and went through acupuncture a couple of years in.

So you got an MRI?

 

[Gman45]

It's easier and takes less time to habituate to a low level of tinnitus, but that's not decisive, in my opinion. Many factors come into play. Acceptance is always the first step. I also believe a person's individual characteristics play a significant role. No two people are alike.

I can hear my tinnitus pretty much over everything if I focus on it, but I can also go hours without thinking about it at all, even though it's always there. My brain tunes it out and perceives it as no threat. Sometimes it tunes back in for a while, as the tinnitus fluctuates, and then tunes out again when my focus shifts. This didn't happen overnight. I've gone through this process many times, even after being fully habituated to my "old" tinnitus for 15 years.

Setbacks and spikes happen. They're unavoidable. This is an ongoing process. There will be days when the brain tunes back in completely, putting you in alert mode. These are the days when it becomes bothersome, especially when it's reactive to external sounds. However, the better days far outweigh the less good ones. Getting out in nature, staying physically active, and practicing photography are my top forms of therapy.

For me, there's only one option: keep going and make the best of it. Tinnitus and hyperacusis are complex, and there won't be a one-size-fits-all cure. This makes it even harder to find the root cause. For now, some degree of habituation is the best we have, since there aren't any other options. It's a better approach for most of us than sitting and waiting for a possible cure.

Your post makes total sense to me. I also hear the tinnitus over almost everything. There are days when I manage to tune it out, but then there are times, like now, when it comes back front and center. It stinks, but I understand how you feel. I'm in the same boat.

 

[Yellowblue44]

Hi @MindOverMatter,

I wanted to get your opinion on something. I know everyone's experiences are different, but I am asking out of concern. I developed hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus after a DJ party, and then had a second setback when my house alarm went off. That was two months ago. Since then, things have not improved; in fact, they have worsened.

Before, I could drive short distances without earplugs and go for walks without needing them. I couldn't go to restaurants or playdates, but looking back, I realize now that I was much better off then compared to now.

Now, I hear a constant drone as soon as I step outside. Distant traffic, lawn mowers—it's all I can hear, overpowering any peaceful nature sounds. I can't remember the last time I experienced real quiet. I even hear the sound of the wind when it's not windy. I still make myself go for walks in nature, but it feels very loud to me. There's always a mower or a plane nearby. I live in the city, so all the parks are surrounded by 60 mph traffic, making it impossible for me to take out my earplugs.

My question is, did you experience anything like this? I just don't know what to do anymore. Should I stay at home until this settles down, or keep pushing myself to go out? I haven't seen any improvement since all of this began. Going outside feels like a horror movie—things that shouldn't make noise now have sound.

Thank you so much for any advice.