Hi all,
I finally decided to make an introductory post after having been eyeing this forum soon after onset. First let me say that really helped.
My tinnitus started in July this year (2018). At first I started noticing it at work in my left ear mainly - it wouldn't be there all the time but a fairly nasty beep would materialize which around lunchtime would become insufferable. In my right ear I had a more constant tonal beep developing which never bother me that much. Left side seemed to be triggered by sound and thus I now suspect an hyperacusis component.
At some point I asked my colleagues if they could hear beeping too but this wasn't the case so I knew it was me. For that first week after a full workday I could not enjoy my usual Netflix as the beeping was too loud and distracting.
In this first week I wasn't worried yet as I thought it would pass. Nevertheless I started having panic attacks at night which would hit me every time I was about to fall asleep. This was hard as it was depriving me of sleep. Note that I wasn't panicking yet, it's as if my limbic system was doing this on its own.
I was in Stockholm at the time where I was working on a project at our head office. My usual office is in London. The tinnitus and hyperacusis started in my last week there. The 5 weeks I was there my neck had become a wreck from a bad pillow/bed and I was sleeping far too little. I also listen to headphones for long periods of time, not at high volumes, but long enough, usually in the office. I think this combination may have triggered it.
My mom was coming for a visit that last weekend as I wanted to show her around the city and as a little thank you for always being an awesome mom. Unfortunately that weekend was ruined by me being in a total state of panic. I couldn't eat (I had to force myself) or enjoy myself and was just very gloomy all day.
I noticed my mom could really calm my tinnitus by massaging my neck and back, and in this first week I also managed to get my right ear tinnitus to stop my turning my neck a certain way. It would then come back slowly. My left ear wasn't so responsive and would react to sound more than anything else.
This first week of tinnitus and hyperacusis I was also waking up in normal quiet. Not T or H present at wake up. I could go about my morning routine and it would pick up on my way to work in my left ear.
After the weekend I went back to London and she went back home to Amsterdam. I had taken the first two days back off as I wanted to see a chiropractor and an ENT.
I had on and off tinnitus this second week. Seemingly also helped by the chiropractor's magic hands. The NHS ENT said I had inflamed eartubes, but the private ENT I saw said he could see nothing and I would have to live with it. Not what you want to hear then. A Dutch ENT confirmed this.
I spoke to an old teacher of mine over the phone who had tinnitus from a burn out years ago and she said she recognized a lot of that in me. I had developed IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) three months prior to tinnitus onset and this had me really worried as I was losing blood in my stool (which now turns out to be a hemorrhoid). I also had testicular pain which I now know (had it checked) was radiating out from elsewhere, so nothing fishy there.
This had me worried a lot those couple of months and I can imagine it built up tension.
So she said "you developed IBS, have panic attacks and you've had a tough couple of years prior, you might be near a burn out". She told me to take time off.
Around this time I also started noticing my tinnitus would subside a bit in quiet rooms, while in my office it would beep like mad.
As I couldn't focus on work at all and was distressed, I spoke to my employer and they let me go on sick leave. I then made my way back to Amsterdam to be with supportive family and get my panic attacks under control.
I now know my tinnitus was highly reactive to sounds like a fan, supermarket coolers, aircon, traffic noise, wind, or driving my car. This prompted me to stay indoors mainly and avoid those sounds. I scarcely exposed myself to them to not be a total recluse and go shopping for groceries.
I played my Wii U for about four hours a day or so, but the fan would cause this evil head buzz that would only die down once I would move to a quiet place and lay down for 30-60 minutes. The actual T alone wasn't too bothersome being a gentle tone in my right ear.
I spent these first few weeks turning off devices which would make a humming or buzzing sound and this helped to keep the head buzz away.
Then in early august I joined my parents, aunt and uncle on a camping trip for two weeks, sleeping in a tent. My tinnitus and hyperacusis had become a bit less reactive already and I knew to protect my ears from high pitched whooshing if I wanted to keep the head buzz away, so I sort of managed and the feeling of dread was slipping away as I got a sense of control.
I noticed how my tinnitus would spike during the day but would be quieter in the mornings when I woke up in my tent and when outside at the camping table I couldn't hear my tinnitus much. I had by this time also read lots of posts here about not protecting too much so at night I would sometimes take my plugs out.
I then went home in the middle of August, and I had an appointment at the University Hospital of Antwerp on the 29th at their tinnitus clinic, a two week wait.
My fright was over and I started having better days. I would sleep in a quiet room and still used earplugs at time and within a few days I would wake up a lot quieter again as compared to the camping as my tinnitus had toned down a lot.
I was now also sometimes able to sit in the living room or garden and not hear my tinnitus, although my hyperacusis would still often trigger a head buzz.
When I went to Antwerp I had a bunch of tests done. This also revealed I have mild hearing loss in the outer ranges beyond 10-12k, but not significantly less than my age average (I am 31).
I explained them about my tinnitus and hyperacusis and how it would trigger in the car, in airconditioned places, etc. They told me there to go back to normal life as much as possible and not to protect my ears in the car or anywhere else I could not damage my hearing further. Only to use them in excessively loud places. I also mentioned the fan of my Wii or computer would cause a spike but they said not to make any adjustments for the tinnitus.
They explained tinnitus and hyperacusis should get better over time. Encouraged I went back home and started playing some games on my computer too to get my mind off things. This would trigger my head buzz and my normal tinnitus would spike a bit but every morning it would be gone again. I would drive my car without plugs now to my appointments and other errands.
I fairly quickly noticed less reactivity from my car, supermarket or anything else for that matter. Even watching TV became easier. Previously it too would trigger my tinnitus fairly quickly if not immediately.
This continued for a good two weeks or three and I really perked up. I even went on some lunches with my aunt and I could sit in a place or outside without my tinnitus triggering. It would build up much more slowly.
This is when I decides to plan a trip to Bruges with a friend. I drove up to his place, a good 1.10 hours and didn't trigger my tinnitus much. We then drove his car for the remaining 2 hours. The first day my tinnitus didn't bother my much. It would trigger but not to the same loud extent it had. Even eating in a restaurant went well, and that nigh there I felt like my tinnitus quieter than usual. Not so the next day. It had come back a bit louder, but not too much and I managed to happily spend the day there, knowing I was on a path of recovery. This was 15 September.
The week after I visited a friend in her new house and realised my tinnitus was fairly quiet even after a 1.5 hour drive and while at her place. It seemed to have improved further.
I think ever since, my reactivity has further reduced, but the character of my tinnitus has been changing every since onset, pretty much every 1 to 2 weeks.
I noticed how the tinnitus that would trigger due to my hyperacusis would migrate from my left ear into the middle of my head, where it has stayed for a while. While there the maximum screaming it would do has reduced in loudness, but now it is more high pitched (not louder).
I am confused about this as I feel my head tinnitus (I distinguish between that and my ear tinnitus) has become more unbearable. It's almost as if I have peeled off a layer of the lower pitched sounds and am left with only the high pitch ones. It now also sets much farther back in my head, and when it goes bad it seems to be back in my left ear too, although mainly in my head. This is really difficult for me to deal with as I am not sure if I screwed something up or if I simply am left with desensitizing the high pitch bits.
Since my Bruges trip I went to a political discourse in Amsterdam, in a theater, went for dinner twice and spent a full day in Utrecht and did some more trips out for lunch. I also joined the local gym 3 weeks ago, which was one week after I started noticing the higher pitch sounds. None of the things I did had dangerous dB levels, max 70 DB.
I also went to the cinema last week and when I got back home I noticed my tinnitus had not really spiked, and for a TMJ treatment I drove an hour to Utrecht on Monday which also hadn't spiked it much. Only after the drive back did I notice it quite heavily.
It's weird, as what is triggered now is much higher freq than what I am used to yet it is not as loud. The problem with the head tinnitus is that it sits on all other sound which makes it especially annoying, and it's like a buzz or chirping sound, it sounds nerve like or electrical even, and that makes it hard to ignore.
I am now left wondering, did I push too far and am I having a setback, or is this a normal reaction of H retreating, with the highest frequencies going last? I still wake up very quiet and if I avoid sound it does not trigger, or is very lately in the back of my head. I can move about the house and not hear any tinnitus at that point so I know my baseline tinnitus is still very low. I only hear it in my bedroom at this stage.
You may see how I think I have an anxiety angle to my tinnitus onset from previous buildup of stress, but also somatic and from hearing loss. I am pursuing all angles still but it makes it hard to pinpoint a cause.
What I have been doing:
Taking supplements, all high end;
-multivitamin complex.
-magnesium.
-ginkgo biloba.
-vitamin D3 (5000 iu/day).
-ashwagandha (to calm down a bit).
Meds/treatments:
-psychology (not anymore)
-haptonomy (1x per 2 weeks)
-taking Dymista nasal spray twice daily
-orthomolecular diet, basically clean eating, for IBS too.
-chiropractor (initially weekly, now monthly)
-had my neck cracked (manual therapy) end of August.
-TMJ therapy (weekly since two weeks).
-exposing myself to sound, going out, trying to live my life.
-I go to the gym again, twice a week, weight training and some cardio.
My ear tinnitus is certainly quieter than in week 1 but has changed. At first I did not have it left, but now that side is also involved. Left and right now sometimes shift in which side is worse, but never too loud. I can mask my ear tinnitus by rubbing two fingers softly together next to my ear or in near there and when my head tinnitus isn't present I don't hear it except for in very quiet rooms.
My head tinnitus has become much less reactive at first but now seems back from the dead. It's not as loud anymore but the high pitch makes me extremely uncomfortable. Getting rid of that component is key to my recovery.
My ear tinnitus has become higher pitched over time, and mildly louder I think, but when I wake up it is very quiet and I would be happy if it stayed that way.
I would apologize for the long post but I feel this way gives the best insight into my particular case which I have a hunch is somewhat complex.
@Michael Leigh, @glynis, @coffee_girl, I want to thank you all and everyone else here for your support and wisdom which have helped me get through the initial phase while I was trying to make sense of things.
@Michael Leigh, might you have an idea as to what is going on with my hyperacusis triggered head buzz? Do you reckon I made a fallback here or does it seem like a normal step on my path to recovery? How should I move from here? Your insights have been most helpful so your two cents on this are worth a lot to me.
And what would you suggest about sound enrichment? Do I need a specific speaker to get into that 12k+ range?
Thanks all!
I finally decided to make an introductory post after having been eyeing this forum soon after onset. First let me say that really helped.
My tinnitus started in July this year (2018). At first I started noticing it at work in my left ear mainly - it wouldn't be there all the time but a fairly nasty beep would materialize which around lunchtime would become insufferable. In my right ear I had a more constant tonal beep developing which never bother me that much. Left side seemed to be triggered by sound and thus I now suspect an hyperacusis component.
At some point I asked my colleagues if they could hear beeping too but this wasn't the case so I knew it was me. For that first week after a full workday I could not enjoy my usual Netflix as the beeping was too loud and distracting.
In this first week I wasn't worried yet as I thought it would pass. Nevertheless I started having panic attacks at night which would hit me every time I was about to fall asleep. This was hard as it was depriving me of sleep. Note that I wasn't panicking yet, it's as if my limbic system was doing this on its own.
I was in Stockholm at the time where I was working on a project at our head office. My usual office is in London. The tinnitus and hyperacusis started in my last week there. The 5 weeks I was there my neck had become a wreck from a bad pillow/bed and I was sleeping far too little. I also listen to headphones for long periods of time, not at high volumes, but long enough, usually in the office. I think this combination may have triggered it.
My mom was coming for a visit that last weekend as I wanted to show her around the city and as a little thank you for always being an awesome mom. Unfortunately that weekend was ruined by me being in a total state of panic. I couldn't eat (I had to force myself) or enjoy myself and was just very gloomy all day.
I noticed my mom could really calm my tinnitus by massaging my neck and back, and in this first week I also managed to get my right ear tinnitus to stop my turning my neck a certain way. It would then come back slowly. My left ear wasn't so responsive and would react to sound more than anything else.
This first week of tinnitus and hyperacusis I was also waking up in normal quiet. Not T or H present at wake up. I could go about my morning routine and it would pick up on my way to work in my left ear.
After the weekend I went back to London and she went back home to Amsterdam. I had taken the first two days back off as I wanted to see a chiropractor and an ENT.
I had on and off tinnitus this second week. Seemingly also helped by the chiropractor's magic hands. The NHS ENT said I had inflamed eartubes, but the private ENT I saw said he could see nothing and I would have to live with it. Not what you want to hear then. A Dutch ENT confirmed this.
I spoke to an old teacher of mine over the phone who had tinnitus from a burn out years ago and she said she recognized a lot of that in me. I had developed IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) three months prior to tinnitus onset and this had me really worried as I was losing blood in my stool (which now turns out to be a hemorrhoid). I also had testicular pain which I now know (had it checked) was radiating out from elsewhere, so nothing fishy there.
This had me worried a lot those couple of months and I can imagine it built up tension.
So she said "you developed IBS, have panic attacks and you've had a tough couple of years prior, you might be near a burn out". She told me to take time off.
Around this time I also started noticing my tinnitus would subside a bit in quiet rooms, while in my office it would beep like mad.
As I couldn't focus on work at all and was distressed, I spoke to my employer and they let me go on sick leave. I then made my way back to Amsterdam to be with supportive family and get my panic attacks under control.
I now know my tinnitus was highly reactive to sounds like a fan, supermarket coolers, aircon, traffic noise, wind, or driving my car. This prompted me to stay indoors mainly and avoid those sounds. I scarcely exposed myself to them to not be a total recluse and go shopping for groceries.
I played my Wii U for about four hours a day or so, but the fan would cause this evil head buzz that would only die down once I would move to a quiet place and lay down for 30-60 minutes. The actual T alone wasn't too bothersome being a gentle tone in my right ear.
I spent these first few weeks turning off devices which would make a humming or buzzing sound and this helped to keep the head buzz away.
Then in early august I joined my parents, aunt and uncle on a camping trip for two weeks, sleeping in a tent. My tinnitus and hyperacusis had become a bit less reactive already and I knew to protect my ears from high pitched whooshing if I wanted to keep the head buzz away, so I sort of managed and the feeling of dread was slipping away as I got a sense of control.
I noticed how my tinnitus would spike during the day but would be quieter in the mornings when I woke up in my tent and when outside at the camping table I couldn't hear my tinnitus much. I had by this time also read lots of posts here about not protecting too much so at night I would sometimes take my plugs out.
I then went home in the middle of August, and I had an appointment at the University Hospital of Antwerp on the 29th at their tinnitus clinic, a two week wait.
My fright was over and I started having better days. I would sleep in a quiet room and still used earplugs at time and within a few days I would wake up a lot quieter again as compared to the camping as my tinnitus had toned down a lot.
I was now also sometimes able to sit in the living room or garden and not hear my tinnitus, although my hyperacusis would still often trigger a head buzz.
When I went to Antwerp I had a bunch of tests done. This also revealed I have mild hearing loss in the outer ranges beyond 10-12k, but not significantly less than my age average (I am 31).
I explained them about my tinnitus and hyperacusis and how it would trigger in the car, in airconditioned places, etc. They told me there to go back to normal life as much as possible and not to protect my ears in the car or anywhere else I could not damage my hearing further. Only to use them in excessively loud places. I also mentioned the fan of my Wii or computer would cause a spike but they said not to make any adjustments for the tinnitus.
They explained tinnitus and hyperacusis should get better over time. Encouraged I went back home and started playing some games on my computer too to get my mind off things. This would trigger my head buzz and my normal tinnitus would spike a bit but every morning it would be gone again. I would drive my car without plugs now to my appointments and other errands.
I fairly quickly noticed less reactivity from my car, supermarket or anything else for that matter. Even watching TV became easier. Previously it too would trigger my tinnitus fairly quickly if not immediately.
This continued for a good two weeks or three and I really perked up. I even went on some lunches with my aunt and I could sit in a place or outside without my tinnitus triggering. It would build up much more slowly.
This is when I decides to plan a trip to Bruges with a friend. I drove up to his place, a good 1.10 hours and didn't trigger my tinnitus much. We then drove his car for the remaining 2 hours. The first day my tinnitus didn't bother my much. It would trigger but not to the same loud extent it had. Even eating in a restaurant went well, and that nigh there I felt like my tinnitus quieter than usual. Not so the next day. It had come back a bit louder, but not too much and I managed to happily spend the day there, knowing I was on a path of recovery. This was 15 September.
The week after I visited a friend in her new house and realised my tinnitus was fairly quiet even after a 1.5 hour drive and while at her place. It seemed to have improved further.
I think ever since, my reactivity has further reduced, but the character of my tinnitus has been changing every since onset, pretty much every 1 to 2 weeks.
I noticed how the tinnitus that would trigger due to my hyperacusis would migrate from my left ear into the middle of my head, where it has stayed for a while. While there the maximum screaming it would do has reduced in loudness, but now it is more high pitched (not louder).
I am confused about this as I feel my head tinnitus (I distinguish between that and my ear tinnitus) has become more unbearable. It's almost as if I have peeled off a layer of the lower pitched sounds and am left with only the high pitch ones. It now also sets much farther back in my head, and when it goes bad it seems to be back in my left ear too, although mainly in my head. This is really difficult for me to deal with as I am not sure if I screwed something up or if I simply am left with desensitizing the high pitch bits.
Since my Bruges trip I went to a political discourse in Amsterdam, in a theater, went for dinner twice and spent a full day in Utrecht and did some more trips out for lunch. I also joined the local gym 3 weeks ago, which was one week after I started noticing the higher pitch sounds. None of the things I did had dangerous dB levels, max 70 DB.
I also went to the cinema last week and when I got back home I noticed my tinnitus had not really spiked, and for a TMJ treatment I drove an hour to Utrecht on Monday which also hadn't spiked it much. Only after the drive back did I notice it quite heavily.
It's weird, as what is triggered now is much higher freq than what I am used to yet it is not as loud. The problem with the head tinnitus is that it sits on all other sound which makes it especially annoying, and it's like a buzz or chirping sound, it sounds nerve like or electrical even, and that makes it hard to ignore.
I am now left wondering, did I push too far and am I having a setback, or is this a normal reaction of H retreating, with the highest frequencies going last? I still wake up very quiet and if I avoid sound it does not trigger, or is very lately in the back of my head. I can move about the house and not hear any tinnitus at that point so I know my baseline tinnitus is still very low. I only hear it in my bedroom at this stage.
You may see how I think I have an anxiety angle to my tinnitus onset from previous buildup of stress, but also somatic and from hearing loss. I am pursuing all angles still but it makes it hard to pinpoint a cause.
What I have been doing:
Taking supplements, all high end;
-multivitamin complex.
-magnesium.
-ginkgo biloba.
-vitamin D3 (5000 iu/day).
-ashwagandha (to calm down a bit).
Meds/treatments:
-psychology (not anymore)
-haptonomy (1x per 2 weeks)
-taking Dymista nasal spray twice daily
-orthomolecular diet, basically clean eating, for IBS too.
-chiropractor (initially weekly, now monthly)
-had my neck cracked (manual therapy) end of August.
-TMJ therapy (weekly since two weeks).
-exposing myself to sound, going out, trying to live my life.
-I go to the gym again, twice a week, weight training and some cardio.
My ear tinnitus is certainly quieter than in week 1 but has changed. At first I did not have it left, but now that side is also involved. Left and right now sometimes shift in which side is worse, but never too loud. I can mask my ear tinnitus by rubbing two fingers softly together next to my ear or in near there and when my head tinnitus isn't present I don't hear it except for in very quiet rooms.
My head tinnitus has become much less reactive at first but now seems back from the dead. It's not as loud anymore but the high pitch makes me extremely uncomfortable. Getting rid of that component is key to my recovery.
My ear tinnitus has become higher pitched over time, and mildly louder I think, but when I wake up it is very quiet and I would be happy if it stayed that way.
I would apologize for the long post but I feel this way gives the best insight into my particular case which I have a hunch is somewhat complex.
@Michael Leigh, @glynis, @coffee_girl, I want to thank you all and everyone else here for your support and wisdom which have helped me get through the initial phase while I was trying to make sense of things.
@Michael Leigh, might you have an idea as to what is going on with my hyperacusis triggered head buzz? Do you reckon I made a fallback here or does it seem like a normal step on my path to recovery? How should I move from here? Your insights have been most helpful so your two cents on this are worth a lot to me.
And what would you suggest about sound enrichment? Do I need a specific speaker to get into that 12k+ range?
Thanks all!
Member
(Interview with the Vampire)...I'll never forget it.
