Tinnitus, the remake

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

I've had this since just before Christmas.
Woke up with it, didn't think too much of it other than "This will go away".

It's not going away, I doubt it will ever go away. You know how it is after you walk out of the arena after a loud concert, your hearing is restricted, and you have that ringing in your ears?

It's just like that, all the fucking time.
I think it's just in my left ear, or primarily. But it's driving me spare (as the English would say). Crazy.
Last night it was so loud, it woke me up. I don't know if I can live with this, I'd rather be deaf.

Predictably, preliminary examinations show no cause(though it's certainly car accident related), there's no treatment. CT shows nothing.
I've been talking with Loiosh about this, he also suffers from this.

I'm losing my fucking mind.

 

[Tamriel Terror]

on a scale of 1-potato how high are you?

 

[Phlog]

Play white noise or anti tinnitus noise at night from ya phone, you'll sleep like a baby.

Stop thinking about it and it will go away.

 

[billiam]

Is it a low pitch or high pitch? I had a low pitch tinnitus that developed abruptly, it was like my ear was clogged with wax. Went to an ENT doctor, CT scan, etc, they didn't know what it was. After researching online I suspected it was a problem with my inner ear pressure... I switched to a low sodium diet and it went away.

edit- forgot to mention, mine was only in one ear also

 

[Loiosh]

Like Phlog says, background noise is the key to actually getting sleep.

If the thought of having this forever stresses you out, keep this in mind: The brain is great at filtering out useless information or input. You'll get to a point where you barely notice it. It may take a while, but it will happen. It's only in the beginning stages where it's crippling.

I've spoken to people who have it FAR worse than I do and they all told me, to a man, that it isn't fun but they barely notice it any more.

 

[Hattori]

Sorry to hear that

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

on a scale of 1-potato how high are you?

Not at all.
In fact I may have to give up getting high, it makes me concentrate on the sound

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Play white noise or anti tinnitus noise at night from ya phone, you'll sleep like a baby.

Stop thinking about it and it will go away.

The first thing you said is going to be necessary.
The second thing you said is retarded.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Is it a low pitch or high pitch? I had a low pitch tinnitus that developed abruptly, it was like my ear was clogged with wax. Went to an ENT doctor, CT scan, etc, they didn't know what it was. After researching online I suspected it was a problem with my inner ear pressure... I switched to a low sodium diet and it went away.

edit- forgot to mention, mine was only in one ear also

Very high pitched.
I think the closest tone is F#.
Think of a school fire alarm bell, the old style clanger. Then hike that pitch way up and set it on forever.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Like Phlog says, background noise is the key to actually getting sleep.

If the thought of having this forever stresses you out, keep this in mind: The brain is great at filtering out useless information or input. You'll get to a point where you barely notice it. It may take a while, but it will happen. It's only in the beginning stages where it's crippling.

I've spoken to people who have it FAR worse than I do and they all told me, to a man, that it isn't fun but they barely notice it any more.

I've heard this as well, but right now I don't know if I can deal with it until then.
The only thing keeping me from dashing my brains out against the wall is the thought that it might only worsen.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Sorry to hear that

Could you say that again, lol

 

[AgedFlatus]

I think @FinalFight has a wealth of info/exp with this.

 

[Phlog]

The first thing you said is going to be necessary.
The second thing you said is retarded.

Nah man, it's actually exactly how it works. It's a physical stimulus, a loss of signal. The brain fills the gap.

You paying attention to it tells the brain it is stimulus worthy of tracking. It doesn't understand that you can't get away from the annoying noise. By ignoring it you reduce its relevance and it gets tuned out. Like your heartbeat.

 

[Loiosh]

I've heard this as well, but right now I don't know if I can deal with it until then.
The only thing keeping me from dashing my brains out against the wall is the thought that it might only worsen.

Yeah, the beginning was pretty bad. I tried to self medicate with a ton of pot and red wine, that did nothing.

What are you doing to establish background noise? Because that's the golden ticket.

And fuck yes you can deal with it. When mine started I was at the peak of high blood pressure and I managed to avoid blowing my brains out.

 

[DevilsLettuce]

I now (as of the last 2-3 years) have a smudgy spot in my left eye that makes me get a migraine almost every time I'm in an all-white environment.


My favorite thing to do in the world is ride my snowboard. I've spent over 100 days a year on the mountain several times. This bullshit is ruining it and it's really fucking with my mental health. Getting old sucks shit.





I'm 36 and they say this usually doesn't happen until someone is 60+

 

[Peteyandjia]

I like to sleep to this one, pump it through nice speakers in the bedroom:




^^
No sleep problems after that.


Also, you can try putting a foam earplug in the ear that's bothering you once in awhile. This won't get rid of the sound, but it will give that ear a break from the sensitivity of anything else added on top of it, which can ease it a bit, and even lessen the impact of the sound after a while. I keep earplugs on me.

Most importantly, be patient, muster some zen ninja shit, because this really won't bother you as much as you think it will after a while.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Nah man, it's actually exactly how it works. It's a physical stimulus, a loss of signal. The brain fills the gap.

You paying attention to it tells the brain it is stimulus worthy of tracking. It doesn't understand that you can't get away from the annoying noise. By ignoring it you reduce its relevance and it gets tuned out. Like your heartbeat.

Is exactly like saying "Just ignore what you see when your eyes are open".
It's ALWAYS there, loudly. Any quiet moment isn't quiet anymore. I can't enjoy acoustic music anymore.
Even now as I sit in what used to be perfect-enough silence, it's not silent.
It's so fucking loud, people in the same room should be able to hear it.
(and in fact, in a small number of cases, the sound IS externalized and a doc with a stethoscope to the affected ear can actually hear it too, though I can't imagine the mechanism that would make that so, and wonder if that isn't psychosomatic)

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Yeah, the beginning was pretty bad. I tried to self medicate with a ton of pot and red wine, that did nothing.

What are you doing to establish background noise? Because that's the golden ticket.

And fuck yes you can deal with it. When mine started I was at the peak of high blood pressure and I managed to avoid blowing my brains out.

I've noticed that background noise does indeed seem to be the ticket, but not always.
I'm hoarding white noise devices and brainstorming methods... but I was in the midst of a horrible depression when this started... I really didn't need this. Not my hearing. I'd rather be blind or lose a limb.

 

[KhabibTheBeagle]

I've had it for a few years, since I was about 17, and it is hell, at first. But it can become bearable and even insignificant, over time. I listened to a lot of ASMR videos too help me sleep, and I keep a fan running, at night, for ambient noise.

Hang on, buddy.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

I now (as of the last 2-3 years) have a smudgy spot in my left eye that makes me get a migraine almost every time I'm in an all-white environment.


My favorite thing to do in the world is ride my snowboard. I've spent over 100 days a year on the mountain several times. This bullshit is ruining it and it's really fucking with my mental health. Getting old sucks shit.





I'm 36 and they say this usually doesn't happen until someone is 60+

I've been there, my life is similarly limited by epilepsy and associated photosensitivity.