When and How Did Your Tinnitus Start and How Have You Tried to Alleviate It?

[Petloy]

My T started August 1, 2012 about 3 a.m I woke up with a high pitched ring in the middle of my head...went to ENT ears seem to be fine was scheduled for audiogram Sept 10, 2012. I actually got used to my T in 2 weeks I hardly notice it during daytime, only in the early morning hours when everything is so silent.

My T is probably noise induced to Ipod use when running daily.

The month of September was bad for me...I attended church service with amplified music (Sept 7), My very mild T increased and is now 2 types on both ears and became noticeable even during waking hours I had my audiogram with mild high frequency hearing loss at 6-8khz. I use masking when I get spikes, I take Ativan 0.5 mg only as needed especially when I have spikes that really make me anxious and stressed out and when I really need to have a good night's rest.

So far I considered myself back to square one on Sept 7, so I have good days and bad days, I am probably at 30-40% not noticing my T, I sleep at least 5-6 hours with out meds. October was up and down, I kept tracked of my T spikes (which I promised not to do anymore) I had 9 bad days in the month of October...we'll see what November 2012 brings..

Peter

 

[AttackingTinnitus]

Hi Mack,

This is how my Tinnitus started: This all started for me around the week of June 9, 2012.

1. I have acid reflux so I sometimes I sleep with my head propped up on pillows.
2. I fell asleep for "I don't know how long".
3. I woke up/sat up in bed and immediately BOTH of my ears had felt as though someone slammed something very loud next to my ears, ex: like a slammed hammer next to my ears.
4. My ears immediately felt like a "muffled sound" and that my hearing sort of felt diminished.
5. I always feel like my ears are full and I am always squeezing my nose and blowing to unplug them. The ENT drs. looked in there and said there is NO fluid in there.
6. I had this one chiropractor I went to and he said it could be allergies and that fluid is caught in the inner, inner part of the ear where the ENT cannot see it even when he puts his little scope inside your ear.
7. After exhausting every dr. under the sun, I have started with a new chiropractor that isn't your typical one, but one that is trained in Upper Cervical area. He deals with the Atlas. It's where your brainstem sets, right above that first Cspine right under your skull.
8. He says that when your Atlas is off major things can happen.

Take your research towards the neck area too and not just the ears. My Dr. (which there are a few trained in this) says that if nerves have been pinched for a long time and your Atlas is off, it's basically like your head is NOT sitting on your shoulders correctly.

 

[mick]

When did your T start? (Some people know a specific date, while others seem to have had it forever.)
Mine started not long after I had an MRI of my abdomen. Without going into a great detail, the MRI became the MRI from hell. The MRI was very stressfull because it was supposed to be only 10 minutes and turned into 45 minutes. I was thinking that it was going so long because they had found something. It turned out to be a problem with the device they used to detect my breathing, but they didn't tell me what was going on until a little before it was over. Anyway, when I got out my ears were ringing and I felt like I was drunk. The ringing went away a few hours later, but the drunken feeling would return every now and then, plus I felt incredibly tense and irritated all the time afterwards without knowing why. I remember mentioning to my wife that I felt something metallic. Thinking about it now, I wonder if my ears were ringing then, but I was not consiously aware of it and the metallic feeling was just what my mind translated the ringing (like the ringing from striking an empty pipe) into a metallic feeling (strange, I know). I remember also thinking to myself things don't sound quite right, but I could not place what was wrong, plus I found that loud noises were very irritating to me (hyperacusis - I didn't know what hyperacusis was then - all I knew was that loud sounds really grated on me) and I started wearing hearing protection while cutting my grass with a power lawn mower. After about a week I began to wonder if the tense, irritated feeling was what high blood pressure felt like. My blood pressure had normally run on the low side. When I checked, my pressure was very high - 145/100. I couldn't believe it at first, so checked it again, and then had it checked at work - they got the same value. It remained high for 2 weeks. I contacted my doctor and described what was going on, and her response was that I had worked myself into an anxious state and that checking my BP was making it worse thus driving my BP higher. She suggested not taking my BP for a while. So I didn't. After several days I checked it again, and it was even higher 150/105. I was getting scared. Normally my BP was 110/78. I called the doctors exchange and they were worried, but told me it was not worth going to the ER. That doctor said he would make sure I got into see my doctor in the morning. I was unable to sleep. I had some Xanax for anxiety due to earlier medical problems that had me very worried. I had only taken 3 of them over the previous 2 years. I took one to sleep, and woke up and hour later with my ears screaming. They have been that way since. Shortly after that I had another medical scare that combined with the tinnitus sent me into severe anxiety and depression which made the tinnitus even worse. I thought I was going off the deep end, but my sanity has luckily remained intact (at least I think so; my wife thinks otherwise, but that was pre-tinnitus as well )

Do you have any idea where it came from?
Possibly due to stress experienced from the MRI which may have been exacerbated by Xanax. I do have a high frequency hearing loss, not sure if it was there before the MRI or not.

How have you tried to treat it or make it tolerable? (Meds, sound generators, Neuromonics, music, foods, etc.)
Masking, more Xanax, anti-depressants, exercise, accupuncture, chiropractor, yoga, focusing on relieving anxiety. So far I would say masking, reducing anxiety, chiropractor, and Xanax have been the most effective though I hated taking the Xanax (off it now) and had a terrible experience with withdrawal. My doctor told me I would not get addicted to it, but I found I was. There is no question though that Xanax lowered the volume of the ringing for a couple of hours after each dose. It wasn't dose dependant though; even small doses (0.o625 mg) gave me the same degree of relief for 2-3 hours as 0.5 mg.

How have those efforts been working out?
See above.

 

[jennifer anderson]

Hi everyone,

I am doing dissertation research on tinnitus and the ways people deal with it. I am interviewing many patients and audiologists in person, but I would also like to get input from folks on the TT forum.

So if you don't mind, please share your story:

1. When did your T start? (Some people know a specific date, while others seem to have had it forever.)
2. Do you have any idea where it came from?
3. How have you tried to treat it or make it tolerable? (Meds, sound generators, Neuromonics, music, foods, etc.)
4. How have those efforts been working out?

Thanks... And special thanks to Markku for adding a prize drawing for those who answer below!


Mack

I have Pulsatile Tinnitus it first began some two months ago.

It was very hot here in Melbourne and was over 35 degrees for some 7 days straight and I was going to the City Baths not using the pool just the spa and sauna. I had pointed out some dirt around the spa which was eventually cleaned up. However after a brief discussion with a professional cleaner who was also in the Spa I came to the awful realisation that the spa and sauna area was very dirty. The professional cleaner mentioned that the area should be shut down as it was very dirty and be thoroughly cleaned.

Going back to those seven very hot days I probably went about four or five times during that period. Since it was so hot I didn't dry my hair after my shower at the City Baths and later that day I had another shower at home again not drying my hair. Important to take note that I did shower twice a day on four or five occasions without drying my hair. The point being since I wasn't drying my hair I was also not drying my ears.

I began to notice a fullness in my right ear like water was clogged up in outer ear passage and I sometimes felt itchiness in that area. After a few days of this discomfort I developed pulsating ringing in my right ear and I went to a GP and he said I had an ear infection and prescribed antibiotic ear drops. He told me the ringing would go away when the ear infection cleared up.

Well a week later I went back to the GP as the pulsating ringing was still happening and it was of course very distressing as it went on continuously day and night. I had done some research (I do have a Masters Degree) apparently an ear infection can cause fluid behind the ear drum which can cause Pulsatile Tinnitus I mentioned this to the GP and he prescribed antihistamines.....they didn't make any difference and I was becoming exhausted, nauseas and ill.

A month after this all began I had a few sleepless nights and the more distressed I became the worse the ringing in the ear was and also the heart began thumping which is very frightening. I wound up three times in the emergency ward at the Eye and Ear Hospital...one ENT specialist put a tube up my ear and down my Eustachian tube and said I had mucus behind the ear drum ….although this was disputed by another ENT specialist.

An appointment was made for me to see an ENT specialist in the Outpatient Department in three weeks time. I did attend however was told I had to have a MRI. Did not feel very confident in the ENT specialist thought his communication skills were poor and gave the impression he did not know much about pulsatile tinnitus

Present moment my MRI is on 3 June 2013 and I am quite ill, exhausted and getting very depressed. I am concerned because a resolution has taken so long that I may be permanently stuck with this Pulsatile Tinnitus. I have some hope as apparently if the fluid is drained the Pulsatile Tinnitus should go as well (that is if I actually do have fluid behind the eardrum). I am also concerned about permanent damage to my ear drum as this has been going on for some two months now.

15.03.13 emailed naturopath who said that I now have a chronic condition that will need ongoing and consistent management and recommended I go and see a Naturopath this one is in queensland…I am looking for a cure not management.

I am currently taking Gingko Biloba, St Johns Wort and Ultrainflamx …..my pulsatile tinnitus has slowly but surely become worse over the past two months.

Would appreciate any assistance

Kind regards

Jennifer Anderson

 

[Zeo]

How is your condition now Jennifer ?

 

[carol kane]

Zeo, how are you doing? has the t subsided for you?

 

[awbw8]

Hi Mack,

I'm not sure if you're still looking for stories, but I would be willing to interview if you wanted.

Other than that, mine started after a very, very loud concert. I tried a great many things, most of which are detailed on this blog (which is, I guess, another thing I tried - haha) under the "tried it" tab. All the rest of the story is on the homepage.

Hopefully I don't look too lazy, there's just way more information already there than I could rewrite here

I did biofeedback as well which isn't on there yet, but will be soon.

www.hopeblog.org


May I say thank you so much for bringing attention to this condition with your research.

 

[Floyd Mayweather]

Sup people,
I was just wondering how did you get Tinnitus? Was it from an ear infection? A cold? Exposure to loud sounds?
Also, how loud is your Tinnitus?

Discuss

 

[Floyd Mayweather]

I got mine recently from either, a nightclub or a light cold. Since then it has improved

 

[pef]

1. When did your T start? (Some people know a specific date, while others seem to have had it forever.)
   March 16, 2013, about 4:30 PM.
   
2. Do you have any idea where it came from?
   A Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum snub nose revolver, loaded with full-house .357 magnum rounds. I was in an enclosed space with no acoustic damping and no hearing protection when I fired the gun. I was instantly deaf, hearing only a soft "whoomp!" When I spoke it was as if the high frequency spectrum was gone - flat, low frequency tones only. Withing seconds my hearing started to return, and my ears began to ring. They have continued to ring since. About 6-7kHz in my right and 10.5 kHz in my left.
   
3. How have you tried to treat it or make it tolerable? (Meds, sound generators, Neuromonics, music, foods, etc.)
   I had two weeks of prednisone after the acoustic trauma. Also tried ginko biloba for a while. Neither helped. For about a week I tried sleeping with a sound generator. I found it to be of no help. I just decided I would learn to sleep with the T when I am in silence. I did not want to rely on anything. It took me about six weeks before I could sleep through the night again.
   
4. How have those efforts been working out?
   T is pretty much a non-issue for me now.

 

[AndyCGaveMeT]

1. When did your T start? (Some people know a specific date, while others seem to have had it forever.)

November 17

1. Do you have any idea where it came from?

9 hours of drum 'n' bass. Andy C hosted a five hour set at Concorde2 which was phenomenal. Then we went to Volks for another three hours. Ears were shot afterwards.

1. How have you tried to treat it or make it tolerable? (Meds, sound generators, Neuromonics, music, foods, etc.)

Started with sound generators and music. The way I got over it was in a 24 hour cafe at 5:30AM. I told myself "If it will go away, great. If it won't go away, it'll get easier over time. Either way, things will only improve. (I was pretty despondant at the time, hadn't slept much. I was completely mentally exhausted from the stress) Now I listen to podcasts at night. I am militant about wearing plugs when I go out. I don't care for silence anymore. T basically is my silence. I actually find it soothing to listen to at night as it gives a constant for my mind to focus upon.

1. How have those efforts been working out?

As I said, the psychological evaluation was the best. But I'm lucky, my tinnitus has subsided over time. It's still there, but its times like this when I remember just how utterly terrified I was at the time. That was, without doubt, the worst month of my life. I'm glad I made it through.

 

[derpytia]

When did your T start? (Some people know a specific date, while others seem to have had it forever.)

My T started in April 2014 when I went to bed one night and noticed my right ear was whistling. Went to bed and woke up with it still there. Later after a month and a half more higher pitched tones showed up and stayed. It's been a battle to get to sleep and a battle to keep what little sanity I have left.

Pretty sure it came from a combination of things that are not good for my ears. One, listening to music/watching TV/Skype calling friends with headphones way to much (sometimes for hours). But that was unavoidable because I'm a music major and I needed to listen to music on my computer without disturbing my roommates in the other room. Before that I got a feeling of pressure in my right ear (the same ear with the T) and my on campus doctor did a series of tests and looked at my ears (more thoroughly than any ENT I've been to) and said I might have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Also, I had a bit of high frequency hearing loss from childhood (my father thought it was a good idea to shoot off a gun without me having hearing protection when I was 6). Also, I sometimes have a bad habit of clenching my teeth when I'm stressed/while I'm sleeping. Finally, I was diagnosed with anemia (I've had it before) which I've heard can cause/affect T.

Also, the week before I got T was a noisy one. I went to a renaissance faire with lots of sounds and people, I was working in the recording studio with a band to record their new single, and I had a choir concert festival that I attended. Too much sound that week combined with my headphones was not a good idea.

My little floor fan in my bedroom has become my masking BFF, although it doesn't mask all my tones. And now that I'm home for the summer, the fish tank filter noise in the other room helps a bit too. And we have wind chimes and a small fountain outside that can be relaxing to listen to.

I tried lipoflavanoids for a while but stopped using them when I ran out of them and the money to buy more.

I was given .25mg of Xanax by the first ENT I went to see (the only useful thing he gave me) and I don't take it all the time, only when I start to lose it or when I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping. And sometimes I don't even take the full .25mg, I snap the pill in half and only take one half.

I just went to my Audiologist who ordered some musician's earplugs for me (something I should have gotten before I got the T. My mother, bless her heart, still has hope that this will go away even though I don't have any hope for that. She ordered something my Audiologist suggested, Arch's Tinnitus Formula, ginkgo, and melatonin (so I can get some sleep!)

Xanax is a big help and I'm hoping that the melatonin will work out in helping me sleep. I don't know how the other stuff will work. I've tried telling my mother to give up but she wont quit, she still has hope or big wishes for me and I can't blame her; I'm her only child and I'm still 20 years young.

Masking has become a friend to me and I try not to linger too long in a completely quiet space. So far I'm taking it one day at a time and I do have breakdowns more often than I'd like and it takes me a day or so to recover from them completely but I just have to soldier on and pray that I habituate quickly. The people here on TT and on this Facebook group I joined, run by a lovely woman named Jodi Goodenough (who is a great advocate for those with hearing loss, T, and Meniere's), have all been very supportive and there for me when I need to whine or vent because I can't do that to people outside of here and expect them to be okay with it because they don't understand. So that's my story.

 

[Asian]

From a concussion. It's been 6 months to it now

 

[mcaogn]

In late 2013, I was trying to find ways to make my study more productive. I bought foam earplugs for the first time of my life to help me isolate in the library's study room. I put them in carefully and within 1 -2 minutes T visited my ears! ((( In the beginning I was hearing a low frequency hum like when we get our ears wet in the sea. Then in a couple of seconds T was there with a high-frequency sound(s). Such a bad experience. It seems like it's a family of high pitched sounds (not a unique frequency). I was also in anti-high blood pressure medication that has as a side-effect T, but it should be something "mechanical" that caused it, right? How else can I explain its almost instantaneous onset after plugging in the earplugs?

I went to a MD we cleaned the ears for some weeks, tried in-ear antibiotic that made it kind of worse temporarily but nothing worked. I do not know what to do. It is more frequently concentrated on my left ear. Some weeks ago I moved to a noisy environment . When I sleep I use earplugs because without them I have a disturbed sleep. It seems I am somehow getting used to it but I still want it out of my head!!! Pf!

 

[Ahmet Mithat]

Hello,

I don't know if this thread is still active but I would like to share my story:

When did it start?
It started on 12/20/2015, if I correctly recall the date. I was laying down on my left ear and I suddenly heard an "engine" running. I went in upstand position and the noise went away and then it started again when I put my head on my pillow. I remember that I was hearing a "clicking" sound on my right ear a few days ago which was not much bothering. I thought that it would go away but it never did since then.

Do you have any idea where it came from?
Not sure really. There are a few possibilities. I am an amateur musician who plays electrical guitar with loud sound at studios without using any ear-protection-buds. Also I used to practice at home with headphones - guess how loud it can be when you play rock. I also love listening to music with earbuds outside when I am alone. I don't remember if there was any health issue around those days, such as flu or something like that but I was in depression. So most probably loud music + depression triggered my T.

How have you tried to treat it or make it tolerable? (Meds, sound generators, Neuromonics, music, foods, etc.) / How have those efforts been working out?
Not yet other than the meds my doctor gave - it is a vitamin called Tintus Formula. I haven't seen any progress yet but I guess I am a bit impatient. I am currently in research of what else I can do to reduce that bothering sound. It wakes me up from my sleep - e.g.: I had only two hours of sleep yesterday.

I will see another doctor a few days later and I will post the news here but I am worried that he will not say anything different than the other doctors: it will probably my "worst" friend who will never leave me. I don't want to be hopeless but the idea with living with that one sounds a bit scary.

Looks like life tests us with the worst. I mean I was one of those guys who loves to find the peace in full silence and it looks like I am losing it forever. I would pay everything to get it back

Thanks,
AMB

 

[socalsurfer]

Hi Mack. Welcome back, I remember your last post back in March 2011 just when Tinnitus Talk had launched where you described your dissertation in more detail. Actually if anyone's interested, here's that discussion: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hey-folks-im-mack-a-tinnitus-non-medical-researcher.81

Mine started in April 2010. Soon been two years. I don't remember the exact date, but it was the first days of April.

Started right after having my ears syringed. Both ears high-pitched ringing, left ear sort of a clicking noise. The clicking noise isn't as bothersome as the ringing as it's pretty low in volume and I can only hear it in semi-quiet surroundings.

Hope your research goes well!

Markku

Hey Markku,

I would like to know if your tinnitus eventually went away. I think mine started after having my right ear syringed too.

Raul

 

[Mario martz]

Hey guys i have an idea, why dont we collect info about our onset.
maybe we can find a pattern, similarities or maybe something helpful for research....
like joining the dots and find similarities...

Describe how was your Onset of tinnitus....

Mine:

Onset Description: One day i went to bed in silence next day i had a noisy left ear that hasnt gone away.
no apparent trigger, But... i was listening to loud music, few hours before going to sleep, i was having horrible nightmares that night and then i woke up in the middle of the night and had the ringing, fell asleep again and woke up like this.

Possible cause: Years of loud music & Concerts, used to go to festivals and buy front row tickets.
I experienced T before after concerts o punk gigs many, many times.

How does it sound like: it fluctuates a lot, sometimes its a hissing, sometimes is very gone, and i cant hear it unless i cover my ears, when covering ear is a pure tone, sometimes high pitched, sometimes low pitched.
sometimes i get this "starwars sable sound" too.

Other Symptoms: headaches, sometimes my ears feel blocked, sometimes seems like t switches ear, sometimes it feels so blocked like some audition goes, but then it returns back, mild sensitivity to sounds,
ear crackling all the time no matter what, Sometimes i feel out of balance, dont know if there is a relation.

Does it Spike?: Yes, Naps (sleeping seems to reset it for best or worse), Salt, Sugar and MSG

 

[william adams]

Hi Mack my T started Dec 14, 2015 seven days after general anesthesia from leg operation. Went to an ENT and had MRI and hearing test with some hearing loss in right ear in the higher frequencies. I tried all kinds of vitamins , suppliments and snake oilcure offered over the enternet. Only thing that has helped me is low does of xanax and have habituated a little at a time over the last 9 monthes. I still get days where it can be bothersome but I keep busy and keep some type of sound in the background although I still hear the T. When im working or in social situations it fades in the background. Mine is the loud high pitched sound that seems to be hard to mask but I am 110 % better now than when I first got it..