Tinnitus Newbie Rollercoaster

[Viktoria]

Hello!
I have just joined this forum today. I have been living with tinnitus since 13/12-2015. I´m not sure of the cause. I have taken Sertraline for many years. First in was 50mg pr day. Later in was 25mg pr day. Last fall I became aware of grinding teeth at night. My teeth got so sensitive. The pain was constant, so I got a dental night guard at my dentist. The night guard protected my teeth bit it also made me a teeth clencher. I began feeling pain in my jaw, neck, ears and shoulder. The pain made me feeling helpless and depressed, so I decided to take 50mg Sertraline instead of 25mg. That night I woke up with constant clenching and tinnitus in my left ear. Two days later it appeared in my right ear. Now I really felt depression and anxiety, so I went to my doctor. He gave me a choice to keep take the dosis of Sertraline og try another SSSRI. He also told me that the tinnitus was because of stress. He dismissed my idea that the bruxism and tinnitus could be a side-effect of Sertraline. So I went home with a new SSRI, but I did not have the courage to take it. Instead I decided to lower my Sertraline dosis to 12,5 mg. Being on a lower dosis has not helped with the tinnitus nor the clenching.
My first 2 months with Tinnitus has been a rollercoaster of anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia and suicidal thoughts. Starting January I began feeling a little bit better. I got my sleep again by masking the tinnitus.
The Tinnitus began to toy with my anxiety by sending out a really loud sound that would last a minute. Everytime I feared that the new sound would stay. It was a nightmare.
Late Janary I started doing more excercise, spending more time outdoors, eating more healthy and it seemed to lower the tinnitus in the right ear. Medio Februar I tried sleeping without masking and it went okay.
So the tinnitus seemed better but my bruxism/pain did not, but unfortunately the Tinnitus decided to change in tone/sound since Sunday......and now I feel back in the black box. I feel anxiety and I`m constantly monitoring the Tinnitus....the tone/sound. Insomnia is also back again. So I decided to join here to find understanding, comfort and learn how to live with Tinnitus.

Before curtaincfall I just want to mention that my hearing test are above normal and blood samples are fine.

 

[Tibberz]

Best advise I can give is to do your best to stop mentally monitoring the noise and not let it interior your thoughts. During my first few months it was crucial for my sanity to keep myself occupied with things like work, TV, games etc in order for my brain to stop worrying about it. Once the brain stops worrying about it it will fade into the background and you will rarely notice it (like a ticking clock). Although, that process doesn't happen overnight, it happened gradually over 9 months for me.

 

[billie48]

Last fall I became aware of grinding teeth at night. My teeth got so sensitive. The pain was constant, so I got a dental night guard at my dentist. The night guard protected my teeth bit it also made me a teeth clencher. I began feeling pain in my jaw, neck, ears and shoulder.

Welcome to the forum. Your description above may point to TMJ issue. Have you checked this out? TMJ is known to cause tinnitus. Anyhow, try your best not to freak out, as anxiety and stress are bad for T. T is known to morph into different tones, multi-tones, switching ears, etc. during the period when it is new or when it increases to a new level. So it can scare the victim if we don't watch out for it. Don't panic and despair. Life can be good again. a few years back I was in a mess with ultra high pitch T and severe H. But today I live a normal and absolutely enjoyable life. I wrote my success story and listed many helpful strategies to help me turn around. If you like to know them, for brevity here is the link to my story. Try to read many success stories so you can learn the insights from others who have gotten better. Keep up the hope and be positive. It takes time to get better. So be patient. Take good care & God bless:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/from-darkness-to-light-how-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

[Viktoria]

Hi Billie48

Thank you so much for your reply. I`m very sorry for your loss. Your story is a dark and scary one, but it is also a story of light and hope. You are a guiding light
Well I do my best not to freak out, but I´m finding it difficult because of the changes in Tinnitus tones. I realize that my attitude towards Mr. T is unhealthy since I`m monitoring the sound many times on daily basis. I also realize that the efforts I have made in changing some lifestyles, was for the sake of keeping Mr. T happy...not me. My goal has been to lower Mr. T or get rid of him. I have forgotten all about me!
About TMJ.....well I had a CT scan which turned out fine. My pain these days is tension in the neck. I wish that I could stop the bruxism because it effects my life and the little sleep I get. I just haven´t found the cure yet. I use relaxing oil, massage and heat and it does give me relieve, but it does not stop bruxism. There is a little hope though....Grindcare is going back on the market this April in Denmark ( I´m danish ) so I´m buying one. In the meantime I just have to be patient and keep up the hope that I can get rid of bruxism and learn to cope with Mr.T

 

[Viktoria]

Hi Tibberz

Thank you so much for your reply. You are absolutely right!! I need to work on my unhealthy attitude towards Mr. T.
It is much easier said than done....I´m proof of that! My problem is that I am my own boss which means for me alot of time alone. Time alone is time for monitoring Mr. T, so I need to find something else to focus on in the lonely hours.
I just haven´t found it yet!

 

[DinaS]

I just joined today too. Been living with T (pulsatile) since the Summer of 2011. I have learned to live with it best I can. I mask it at night with a white noise maker. But your issue sounds related to your TMJ and tension. I assume you're seeing a Doctor to help you manage this?

 

[Viktoria]

Hi DinaS

Nice to *meet* you.
I have not seen a specialist in TMJ if that is what you mean?
I have tried CT scan, massage, mouth massage and acupuncture. My home remedy is relaxing oil, massage, jaw and neck training. I have also started to use Mindfullness.