Tinnitus Since March, Trying to Get a Handle on Things...

[Colt206]

Hey all - my name is Colton, I'm 25 y.o. and I recently discovered I have tinnitus back in March. I'll try to keep my story as brief as I can. I've had quite a bit of noise exposure in my life from attending music events but have generally kept quite a bit of distance from speakers while also taking frequent breaks. I also have a history of moderate daily headphone use so that could certainly play a role in my current condition. However when my tinnitus came on it wasn't in the proximity of any music event I'd attended and for the most part I'd just been listening to NPR on my headphones at work on low volume. The day I discovered my tinnitus was in the middle of a high-stress week at work when I also simultaneously had another high-anxiety life event going on, so I'm curious if that may have played a role.

I visited my GP early on when I had weird pressure in my ears and ringing. He told me I may have a virus causing my ears to misbehave and prescribed me prednisone. On a follow-up visit when the pressure has calmed down a bit I asked him about the ringing and he told me that at this point "the damage is down and I'd have to get used to it". I've also seen an ENT who checked my ears (no-wax), referred me to an audiologist (normal heating results), saw no history of ototoxic medications, and prescribed me Flonase for my seasonal allergies. Due to a lack of other options I'm now trying acupuncture (because why not try) to see if I can get any relief. I've also discontinued all headphone use for the time being.

I'm now a bit over two months in and hoping things can get better. I got back from a trip to a wedding a few days ago and had a horrible spike where I could hardly hear myself think but am unable to pinpoint the cause as I was attempting to push the tinnitus out of my head for most of the weekend while I was out of town and attending. It has since calmed down a bit and I was able to sleep without masking the past two nights which is a win in my books.

And that brings me to where I am now...

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any words of encouragement.

 

[Autumnly]

I got back from a trip to a wedding a few days ago and had a horrible spike where I could hardly hear myself think but am unable to pinpoint the cause

If they played loud music at some point and you didn't wear hearing protection, that might be the reason why your tinnitus spiked.

Some things you could try

• give your ears a break, protect them from loud noises
• don't listen to anything through earbuds or headphones for some time
• get a mouthguard if you grind your teeth at night
• see a physical/massage therapist if you have issues with your neck, jaw or cervical spine
• listen to white noise, natural sounds or music during the day and at night (through external speakers, not earbuds or headphones) so that your brain can focus on something else (however some people say background noise irritates their ears)

Supplements you could try

• Magnesium or Magnesium Citrate
• N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
• Nicotinamide Riboside
• Vitamin D, Vitamin B12

 

[winstona]

Hey all - my name is Colton, I'm 25 y.o. and I recently discovered I have tinnitus back in March. I'll try to keep my story as brief as I can. I've had quite a bit of noise exposure in my life from attending music events but have generally kept quite a bit of distance from speakers while also taking frequent breaks. I also have a history of moderate daily headphone use so that could certainly play a role in my current condition. However when my tinnitus came on it wasn't in the proximity of any music event I'd attended and for the most part I'd just been listening to NPR on my headphones at work on low volume. The day I discovered my tinnitus was in the middle of a high-stress week at work when I also simultaneously had another high-anxiety life event going on, so I'm curious if that may have played a role.

I visited my GP early on when I had weird pressure in my ears and ringing. He told me I may have a virus causing my ears to misbehave and prescribed me prednisone. On a follow-up visit when the pressure has calmed down a bit I asked him about the ringing and he told me that at this point "the damage is down and I'd have to get used to it". I've also seen an ENT who checked my ears (no-wax), referred me to an audiologist (normal heating results), saw no history of ototoxic medications, and prescribed me Flonase for my seasonal allergies. Due to a lack of other options I'm now trying acupuncture (because why not try) to see if I can get any relief. I've also discontinued all headphone use for the time being.

I'm now a bit over two months in and hoping things can get better. I got back from a trip to a wedding a few days ago and had a horrible spike where I could hardly hear myself think but am unable to pinpoint the cause as I was attempting to push the tinnitus out of my head for most of the weekend while I was out of town and attending. It has since calmed down a bit and I was able to sleep without masking the past two nights which is a win in my books.

And that brings me to where I am now...

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any words of encouragement.

Hi Colton, welcome to the forum! You are now two months in. I would suggest that you start to be more careful about protecting your ears, don't give it too much stress. For the next months, you should stay away from loud concerts, loud movies and listening to music with headphones of any kind. This is so that your ears can heal and they do heal very slowly so you need patience.

A lot of tinnitus sufferers have their tinnitus fade away over time, especially when you are young.

 

[billie48]

The day I discovered my tinnitus was in the middle of a high-stress week at work when I also simultaneously had another high-anxiety life event going on, so I'm curious if that may have played a role.

Welcome to the forum. Yes anxiety and stress are known to trigger or aggravate tinnitus. It was also said that the damage to the ears and hearing is a cumulative thing and stress and anxiety can just act as a trigger. So the first thing you need to do is to try to stay calm and positive as humanly possible as you can. Negative reactions such as fear, panic, anxiety, anger etc tend to bring out the worst of tinnitus as they can cause the limbic nervous system responsible for the fight or flight response to take over, making T much worse. Trying different approaches or treatments is something many new T sufferers will do. Hope you are lucky to find the right solution. Have to be careful not to be sucked in a state when you seem to be a slave to the T condition, giving it too much attention and thereby signalling to the brain that T is a mortal threat. Instead try to minimize T by getting busy with your life to try to live as normally as possible. Your T is still very new. Give it time. It may fade over time. Try read some success stories and learn some helpful strategies to cope with T. I have written my success story listing some helpful strategies to help me turn around. If you have the time, check it out. Take good care. God bless.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

[Michael Leigh]

I recently discovered I have tinnitus back in March. I'll try to keep my story as brief as I can. I've had quite a bit of noise exposure in my life from attending music events but have generally kept quite a bit of distance from speakers while also taking frequent breaks. I also have a history of moderate daily headphone use so that could certainly play a role in my current condition. However when my tinnitus came on it wasn't in the proximity of any music event I'd attended and for the most part I'd just been listening to NPR on my headphones at work on low volume.

HI @Colt206

The most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noise/sounds. Typically, it is listening to music through headphones at too high a volume and for long durations. Going to clubs, concerts where music is too loud that are responsible for the onset of tinnitus.

I advise you not to use headphones of any kind even at low volume for at least 6 to 12 months. Preferably, never use them again. Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus that you might find helpful.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

 

[Colt206]

Thank you for all the advice and support guys! I'm gonna do my best to keep my head down and let things heal as best they can. Will do my best to stay positive!

 

[Contrast]

Hey all - my name is Colton, I'm 25 y.o. and I recently discovered I have tinnitus back in March. I'll try to keep my story as brief as I can. I've had quite a bit of noise exposure in my life from attending music events but have generally kept quite a bit of distance from speakers while also taking frequent breaks. I also have a history of moderate daily headphone use so that could certainly play a role in my current condition. However when my tinnitus came on it wasn't in the proximity of any music event I'd attended and for the most part I'd just been listening to NPR on my headphones at work on low volume. The day I discovered my tinnitus was in the middle of a high-stress week at work when I also simultaneously had another high-anxiety life event going on, so I'm curious if that may have played a role.

I visited my GP early on when I had weird pressure in my ears and ringing. He told me I may have a virus causing my ears to misbehave and prescribed me prednisone. On a follow-up visit when the pressure has calmed down a bit I asked him about the ringing and he told me that at this point "the damage is down and I'd have to get used to it". I've also seen an ENT who checked my ears (no-wax), referred me to an audiologist (normal heating results), saw no history of ototoxic medications, and prescribed me Flonase for my seasonal allergies. Due to a lack of other options I'm now trying acupuncture (because why not try) to see if I can get any relief. I've also discontinued all headphone use for the time being.

I'm now a bit over two months in and hoping things can get better. I got back from a trip to a wedding a few days ago and had a horrible spike where I could hardly hear myself think but am unable to pinpoint the cause as I was attempting to push the tinnitus out of my head for most of the weekend while I was out of town and attending. It has since calmed down a bit and I was able to sleep without masking the past two nights which is a win in my books.

And that brings me to where I am now...

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any words of encouragement.

Have you heard of hidden hearing loss?

Why do you not suspect your tinnitus can from history of noise over-exposure?