Tinnitus for 18 Years, But It Just Got LOUD!

[Zoe]

Hi,
I've had tinnitus since I was 16 but it only bothered me at first but it was quiet enough for me to get used to it. However, a month ago it got really loud and shrill and I can hear it all the time. My ears also feel strange and blocked but I don't know if this has anything to do with it. My doctor wasn't very encouraging and my biggest fear is I will have to now live with it at this volume all the time. It's worse at night. I have some making albums which I play when it gets really bad but it just seems to be getting louder and it's really upsetting me. Any coping mechanism suggestions would be gratefully received.

 

[Mark Beehre]

Hi,
I've had tinnitus since I was 16 but it only bothered me at first but it was quiet enough for me to get used to it. However, a month ago it got really loud and shrill and I can hear it all the time. My ears also feel strange and blocked but I don't know if this has anything to do with it. My doctor wasn't very encouraging and my biggest fear is I will have to now live with it at this volume all the time. It's worse at night. I have some making albums which I play when it gets really bad but it just seems to be getting louder and it's really upsetting me. Any coping mechanism suggestions would be gratefully received.

Hi Zoe,

The fullness and blocked sensations are commonly reported by people who have suffered an auditory injury. It can get worse if you continue to expose yourself to loud sound. I can't tell you how loud because it depends on your own personal tolerance, but I can say that you should always wear earplugs when in environments that exceed 85db.

If you give your ears time to heal the fullness and blocked feelings should start to dissipate and this may take several months. You will receive a mix bag of advice here on the forum, there will be proponents of wearing ear plugs all the time and there will be proponents on not wearing ear plugs unless you really need too. What has worked for me is not putting myself into environments that are too loud for me and giving my ears time to heal. I have gradually being able to increase my level of exposure louder environments overtime without complications provided i don't over do it. My journey is still in the early stages being 8 months, however I had a similar event 7 years ago when I first got T and I recovered from that.

There are some treatment protocols for people who got tinnitus within the last month or so. I think Autifony is running a trial, I would suggest you read around the forum or ask @Danny Boy.

 

[Zoe]

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your advice. I tried wearing earplugs but that just made the fullness in my ears worse and amplified the volume of the tinnitus. I don't work in a loud environment, (in an office), there was a generator positioned under the office window for a couple of weeks but I didn't think was at sufficient volume to cause permanent damage. When I first got T at 16 I didn't even listen to loud music (I was a particularly square teenager!) I may have had an ear infection which has caused some damage. I hope that like you the sound will begin to dimminish, if not disappear completely but right now it's very loud and overlays all other sounds I can hear. I'll read the forums. Thank you.

 

[John G]

Hi Zoe,

How are you?. How is your level of T now?