Hi All,
Let me start by saying I've been dealing with tinnitus for 15 years. For the most part, it's been more of an annoyance than a life-altering issue, and I've gone long stretches without even noticing it.
Recently, I experienced an extremely stressful few months (unrelated to tinnitus) that led to a hospitalization and a change in my medication to Zoloft. Shortly after, I came down with a bad case of the flu and was congested for a week. After a week on Zoloft, I found the side effects intolerable, so I stopped and switched back to Prozac.
Then, about five days ago, while watching TV, I had a sudden, loud episode of fleeting tinnitus. This incident made me start focusing on my tinnitus again after all these years, and now it seems like I'm hearing it everywhere.
The pitch is extremely high, and honestly, in a quiet room, it's probably not much louder than it's been for years. However, the real issue is that my brain seems to be stuck in a cycle where I hear it constantly, and it intensifies with any external noise.
I went to an audiologist today, and we both agreed that while my tinnitus is a very high pitch, it's relatively low in volume. But as soon as I stepped outside into the shopping center, it felt like the tinnitus was louder than all the surrounding noise, and the same thing happened in the car on the way home.
Now, lying in bed, I'd rate it about a 2-3/10 (annoying but manageable). However, I know that if I get up to watch TV, it will compete with the sound of the TV and jump to a 6-7/10. It's driving me crazy.
Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like walking around with earplugs might help since I've habituated to my normal tinnitus, but it's this "ramping up" that's really getting to me. It feels like my brain is, for some reason, amplifying the tinnitus whenever there are competing sounds. I'm wondering if all the stress, anxiety, and medication changes have triggered a fight-or-flight response, causing my brain to perceive this sound as a threat and amplify it.
I'd really appreciate any advice or insights you might have.
Let me start by saying I've been dealing with tinnitus for 15 years. For the most part, it's been more of an annoyance than a life-altering issue, and I've gone long stretches without even noticing it.
Recently, I experienced an extremely stressful few months (unrelated to tinnitus) that led to a hospitalization and a change in my medication to Zoloft. Shortly after, I came down with a bad case of the flu and was congested for a week. After a week on Zoloft, I found the side effects intolerable, so I stopped and switched back to Prozac.
Then, about five days ago, while watching TV, I had a sudden, loud episode of fleeting tinnitus. This incident made me start focusing on my tinnitus again after all these years, and now it seems like I'm hearing it everywhere.
The pitch is extremely high, and honestly, in a quiet room, it's probably not much louder than it's been for years. However, the real issue is that my brain seems to be stuck in a cycle where I hear it constantly, and it intensifies with any external noise.
I went to an audiologist today, and we both agreed that while my tinnitus is a very high pitch, it's relatively low in volume. But as soon as I stepped outside into the shopping center, it felt like the tinnitus was louder than all the surrounding noise, and the same thing happened in the car on the way home.
Now, lying in bed, I'd rate it about a 2-3/10 (annoying but manageable). However, I know that if I get up to watch TV, it will compete with the sound of the TV and jump to a 6-7/10. It's driving me crazy.
Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like walking around with earplugs might help since I've habituated to my normal tinnitus, but it's this "ramping up" that's really getting to me. It feels like my brain is, for some reason, amplifying the tinnitus whenever there are competing sounds. I'm wondering if all the stress, anxiety, and medication changes have triggered a fight-or-flight response, causing my brain to perceive this sound as a threat and amplify it.
I'd really appreciate any advice or insights you might have.