getting worse: i need some advice i have had... - Tinnitus UK

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getting worse

kimmmmmm profile image
31 Replies

i need some advice

i have had tinnitus for 2 years now ...i habituated to it for 7 months ...i could hear silence ...recently i had a bad bout of TMJ and it made my tinnitus come back twice as loud...i now have a perferated ear drum thats making it worse too....i have hypercusion also...i have never felt so ill...sound makes it all worse and im scared i wont even get this to go down again...is this a spike ? when i yawn my ears ring so loud...when i stretch they ring too....my tinnitus was caused by a neck injury ....any advice would be great

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kimmmmmm
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I was made deaf 85% was the level of deafness in both ears this was die to an accident involving streptomycin. I was perscribed steroids for my ears and that was likely the root of my tinnitus. Later I lost my sense of smell and had to have a sinus operation that was unsuccessful I was put on ears, eyes and nose Steroids. I was prescribed these for 19 years that caused me many problems on the way - I was taken of the steroids on 4th February 2014 with immediate affect - After this mainly health issues followed - I have now been on Gabapentin capsules for treatment the last two months that has started to help me yesterday was my best day in 7 years. Now the pain is not so aggressive in my chest bone I am back to my two high level tinnitus - it turned into a third dimension level from the top left of my head like the sound of a fire alarm during my chest pain with was quite unbearable- so now back to my usual never gives up exa loud tinnitus that when Im busy I do not notice it - i got into the habit of getting really into keeping myself very busy - but with fibromyalgia- I get very tired and cannot do that no more so i get lost in music on my bluetooth ear phones

djv1985 profile image
djv1985 in reply to

Ever considered taking up video gaming to keep yourself distracted? I ask because you mentioned keeping busy but get tired quickly and though maybe that’s help. I use it as a distraction (even though I’m terrible at it lol) when mine is at its worst.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to djv1985

does anyone have any answers for me ? do you think tmj treatment will help...i was cured of tinnitues for so long and now from cheing gum its come back to loud :( i have jaw pain so i hope thats an incling of getting my tmj right might bring down the tinnitus again...since mine isnt noise induced ...i have no damaged there ...any reply to put me at ease

djv1985 profile image
djv1985 in reply to kimmmmmm

I was hit with t from an infection and not noise related either. I always took care of my ears as a kid with no headphones or ear phones etc so I didn’t get mine through noise. If yours is from TMJ isn’t there treatment for it? I heard once the undermining issue is treated it CAN get rid or reduce t.

Personally I lean on distraction. Even at the level it’s at now which is super loud I go on a games console or read or watch tv and tune it out as best I can.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to djv1985

the problem is mine is reactive ....so im guessing hypercusion too...i cant listen to anything and i also have a ruptured eardrum right now....thats reactive to anything ...even body movement of the neck (i think that will get better) but i am getting a mouth guard in 2 days ...my tinnitues is so loud...nothing masks it at all....im not sure if this is a spike....i habiutated to mine and i could hear silence for like 8 months....then i was chewing gum and got unreal pain in my jaw and my tinnitus came back so loud with the noise sensitivy ...so im hoping it will go back down when the stress is out my jaw ....i cant believe i did this to myself...i was pretty much cured until now....my tinittus was gone ...now im worse than i was 1 year ago

i just need hope the sounds will go down again...i cant ignore it since i have no way to mask it

djv1985 profile image
djv1985 in reply to kimmmmmm

You shouldn’t blame yourself. I think most of the Tinnitus sufferers go through this some more than a few times. We just have to keep our chins up.

If it is movement then it might by something they can look at and possibly help. My T right now has probably spiked and reacted to some high pitched noise but I have to carry on with what I’m doing and yes I’m about to jump on a games console for an hour or two (and hopefully lose less often lol) because I cannot...no we cannot let it beat us.

I’m hoping that you get this sorted but my best advice is put this down as a spike. Look forward to when it goes away and if it doesn’t we will have to find a way around it.

I think my spike is from being in a car for 7 hours or close to it that.

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Hi,I have pretty much the same problem as you,I'v had tinnitus for 18 months, had hyperacusis at the start then it died away,but this last 6 weeks it's come back with avengence, went to gp and she said there's fluid behind the ear drum and gave me a spray but it hasn't helped, my tinnitus is also reactive to noise and I have noise distortion with some sounds,I also suspect mine is tmj I got mouth guard made about 4 months ago but it hasn't helped. If I open jaw my tinnitus goes mad also and get pain in jaw.i hav'nt a clue how to sort this. Everyone keeps saying relax and it'll go down, easier said than done

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

are you sure yours is TMJ related? mine kicked off after chewing gum and it was painful and stiff is ....then i got all these symptoms again...my anxity dfo kicked up alot of it too ...my muscles are all tense ...i pick my mouth guard up in 2 days

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

I'm not 100% sure but bite is off and dentist has referred me to tmj specialist now, so just waiting on appointment.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

i was at maxifacial ...they did nothing for me ,just told me to use a mouth guard ...your bite is off sso maybe u will get better than me ...i dont think my bite is off...i think mines all muscle and tension

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

try getting 10 hours sleep...i know its easier said than done and work gets in the way...but with tmj problems sleep is major and will help alot!! it will relax everything ...i feel better after a long sleep and my ears do too

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Definitely easier said than done,my anxiety is killing my sleep at the minute, my hearing is just so messed up, hyperacusis and sound distortion is the worst part of this for me,

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

i have all that tooo...but anxiety feeds into distaughtion because your always listning for sounds that dont seen right and it feeds into it...creating more ...when i habituated the first time...when i left my house all i heard was a loud horn lowing and i knew it wasnt supposed to be there....but i ignored it and didnt play into it and only know i realise that sound stopped....since im in a spike right now (i hope) i hear all this again ..ontop of a perforated ear drum where any movement and sound it like Morse coded in this ear right now ....have u looked at anxiety meds? you need to try and get to grips with it ...because its going to keep creating sounds for you (i know...we are living it)

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

We have the same sort of problems, I also have morse code type noise in my left ear, I'v had this on and off since my tinnitus sorted,it has been here now 8 weeks constant and a feeling of a distant car alarm in right ear along with usual tones.doctor did say I have some fluid behind the eardrum but spray hasn't done anything to help.i think a combination between tmj muscles and fluid somewhere in ear were it shouldn't be is causing all this.i like you had my hyperacusis gone, but now I'm alert to every sound just like at the beginning I'm in panick mode,I keep asking myself how did I get this to calm down but have no answer.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

mines doing morse code because its perferated ....dno if fluid behind the ear does that ...worth speaking to a audiologist about ...you sound so stressed out (i am too) you need to do some body based therapy..have a massage or something ... i dont remember how i got mine to calm down either ...all i know is reading bad tinnitus stories online and keep teling yourself this is how its going to be forever doesnt help....you can habituate again....just do things to relax....you need someone else to do it for you....so massage ..accupresure .... this morse code only happened when i perferated my ear drum...so its dfo that ....my normal tinnitus is static ...but im hearing 5 different sounds atm....but my anxiety and stress has created most of them....speak to your doctor or go see a audiologist about all this .....i fast too...i water fast and dry fast...dno if it actually helps ....most of the distaugsion will go and correct itself when you get to grips with your anxiety...some will stay...but you dot even notice it....ive made mine so much worse because of how i reacted to my tinnitus spike

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

did your doctor say if your eardrum is perforated?

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Hi,she didn't say anything about perforated eardrum.since my tinnitus started I'v never had a static sound, mines changes all the time.i do think fluid somewhere is messing my hearing because if I'm listening to a sound and move slightly the sound I was listening to changes.it is so frustrating especially on the mouth of Christmas, even the TV is distorted. My anxiety is through the roof. Just have to hang in there but this is no way to live life.

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

I did try anxiety meds but had to stop as they made me shakey

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

anxity meds will do that for the first couple of weeks to anyone....you have to push through....i took a amatryptoline last night and woke up with silence ....(i have static) bitnothing like all the noises i normally here .....i just got back from the doctors and my ears still perferated :( im hearing so much distortion....im sure thats due to the stress and anxiety...since most cases of this kinda thing are ....its all mental based i do believe....when something else happened in my life more tragic than tinnitus ....my mind let go of it ....and i was habituated ....i still got some distortion.....but imworse now since alll my mind does is play on it....i belive the key to getting over this is truley distraction ....i still have panic attacks right now with how distortion my sound is ....so im going for a massage and osteopath work so relieve some stress ...........we will get through this ...im 25 and i have gotten over before...i ill be damned if i let this get the best of me ...

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Hi, your very young, your right stress is playing a major part because when I got rid of this before I had hayfever and forgot about hyperacusis because I had blocked ears due to hayfever and I was more concentrated on that.since this my anxiety and stress has been through the roof,I'm just turned 37. I panic aswel about sound distortion, once your eardrum heels you'll be grand.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

we both sound like we are in the same boat...once are mind lets go of it...we will habituate again....its just a long spike and are mentality is whats proglonging it to go down....mine is horrible with sound...but after a goodnights sleep its not so bad..progresses through the day ....i think when i learned to not listen to the distaughted sounds and just accept then....my brain tuned them back together again...so i dont hear the sound of wind with every movement (i have that right now) when my tmj started i panicked so much it set my tinnitus off again....im sure of it....solution is cope as best as you can ...bring those levels of anxiety down (i went for hour long walks.....sound was still distorted but i ignored it) and it all sorta fell into place....my tinnitus has never been this loud...but i also know how quite it can be ....and theres no reason we cant get back to that

just gotta learn to tune out

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Hi,definitely we sound very similar, I would hear wind even when walking,your right if mentally we can block it we will habituate again.i definitely will stay in touch with you to see how your keeping and any tips.well atleast I know I'm not the only one with this,as sometimes I think am I going crazy.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

i dont come on these forms much...because when your trying to ignore tinnitus and habituate....you cant fully do that when your on forms...because your brain is still connected to tinnitus doing that....thats how i habituated anyway....i hope u are doing well and its gone down alittle

Michael8272 profile image
Michael8272 in reply to kimmmmmm

Hi, I'm not as bad but still have hyperacusis bad,doctor is sending me for ENT appointment because I had had fliud behind eardrum. I think mine is all eustation tube related because I get random popping off and on but hopefully it will correct itself, happy new year to you, hopefully a quiet and peaceful one to come🙏

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Michael8272

well the loud ring i had gone...due to my perferation..still got a spike in my tinnitus and pulsating ....but im sure it will correct itself out

Yogijo profile image
Yogijo in reply to kimmmmmm

Sounds like you’re having a difficult time at the moment! If you’ve habituated to it once then you know it’s possible for that to happen again. Stress can make T worse so the symptoms and worry are a vicious cycle because worrying about what’s going on may make it worse but the symptoms may cause stress. Relaxation techniques might help with that aspect. tinnitus.org.uk/Pages/Categ...

Don’t blame yourself, chewing gum isn’t exactly reckless behaviour and you couldn’t have known that would trigger an issue! Have you looked at the information about TMJ on the BTA website tinnitus.org.uk/tinnitus-an...

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Yogijo

thank you.....did you have any reactive T?where listening to anythin made it louder ...i dont know if this is hypercusion or not

Yogijo profile image
Yogijo in reply to kimmmmmm

I have times where it has become louder briefly but not sure if it is reactive. It definitely seems louder when I’ve got a headache and when I’m stressed! Yoga and meditation help me manage my stress. Some noises make my ears hurt and sometimes it’s not exactly painful but it’s as if I can feel the sound in my ears, could be hyperacusis but I’ve had this issue for as long as I can remember- for me it didn’t develop after T.

kimmmmmm profile image
kimmmmmm in reply to Yogijo

mine started after my t spiked up again from my jaw....just hopping all this will correct itself if i relax and get my jaw sorted and stop it from being so tense

Yogijo profile image
Yogijo in reply to kimmmmmm

Hopefully those things will help! Just have to keep reminding yourself that you’ve habituated to it before and try to find technique that help you deal with it now. Good luck.

Pollyanna65 profile image
Pollyanna65

What caused burst eardrum and how did they find this out? ,I am curious because I may have the same?

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