3 weeks ago I made a doctors appointment as unilateral tinnitus (left ear) had developed out of nowhere. I think on some level I’ve always had a very slight tinnitus after listening to loud music/going to a concert, but nothing like this. The tinnitus started as a high pitched, electrical hissing sound and at the time, I thought it was unbearable. I was given sleeping medication as no amount of white noise/masking worked and I couldn’t sleep at all, but the tablets are of course starting to wear off.
3 weeks in, I now have all sorts going on. Alongside the hissing, there’s a sort of morse-code type low-tone sound, in both ears, and it seems to make music at that exact pitch sound like morse code too (the into the BBC news theme tune, for example). Sometimes when the tv is on, it sounds like I’m going through a wind tunnel in my head, even my ear canals feel more “open”, like I’m aware of air being passed through.
I went for a private ENT consult who deemed eardrums to be fine. My right ear was blocked so I had the wax drained, the problem persists. I’m now waiting an audiology appointment early in the new year, but not sure if I’ll last til then. Having to take time off work and really struggling with this. It’s the lack of sleep which is worst, I tried sleep meditation apps too but this tinnitus seems to make itself heard over anything.
Has anyone else with otherwise good hearing had this sudden onset?
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Sarahem89
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I think the thing to be aware of is that you're at the outset of a condition which can change a lot, especially when it is new and causing no small amount of concern.
I would say that a lot of people posting in this community would advise you that this level of tinnitus is not constant - if you follow Richard Hallam's oft-quoted "Four Stages of Tinnitus Habituation" structure, you're probably firmly in stage one.:
Things can and do improve from that point. It might be a case of having to reassure yourself in the short term that tinnitus does become quieter and less intrusive, until you can have an audiology appointment and have that part of the puzzle explored.
Another option to consider, should you feel that it might help you, is to think about cognitive behavioural therapy as an additional approach to managing tinnitus, should it persist. It's not unknown for the ear to be more sensitive than usual following an ear wax removal - it often has to try and get used to hearing a full range of sound after being obstructed for a while. That can lead to some of the shifts in sound and weird noises which you mention.
Be positive, hang in there and take some of the good advice that the community here will no doubt share with you.
thank you so much for your reply, it means a lot that people are reaching out to offer guidance and support. This seems like a really nice community, and I'm in awe of how people who have suffered tinnitus long term are able to actively focus on the condition to help others.
Thank you for providing the scale, I hadn't seen that before and it is helpful to remind myself that this is the beginning of something which will likely improve. It's easy to forget that especially when in the 3-4 weeks since this began, the noises themselves have been adapting and multiplying in variety/volume so I was worried that my tinnitus would continue on that trajectory.
I have been referred for computerised CBT as I understand the NHS wait list for face-to-face therapy is extensive. I have an audiology appointment early January which I'm hopeful will be the beginning of some proper treatment for this, as treatment offered so far has really been limited to sleeping tablets which are starting to wear off, and I'm just permanently exhausted.
I'm hopeful the tinnitus that seems to be brought on by music/sounds is in response to the ear being drained, as this is making any type of background music/masking impossible.
Hello Sarahem89. I’m posting as a T sufferer myself to say, firstly, that everything Pat says would be confirmed by other T sufferers on this forum. I can tell from what you say that you’re concentrating on the noises, and the changes therein. The thing is, Sarah, that T (who I imagine to be a small imp sitting just out of sight behind my shoulder) is loving this attention, he’s smiling and clapping his hands. Woohoo, she’s listening to me! As you are taking time off work, really use this time to go out into the open air and listen to the trees, the birds and even the rain - the sounds of nature around you. Get yourself tired by walking so you’ll sleep better.
thank you so much for your kind words and I do agree that organic, outdoor noises are helping me so I'll be trying to go for walks as much as I can (in addition, to try and tire me out so that I can get a decent nights sleep!) - even the hum of a fridge seems to be setting my tinnitus off at the moment, so it's all I can do to stay away from appliances..
I'm definitely concentrating on the noises, but I can't seem to muster the will power to stop no matter how hard I try. I'm hoping my audiology appointment and subsequent CBT (if offered) will give me tips on doing this. I seem to be battling two types of tinnitus, the high pitched unilateral hiss which has been on a constant loop for 4 weeks, and this new morse-code like hum which is set off by certain pitches/frequencies on the tv, radio or by electrical appliances. I have, though, noticed that I'm paying less attention to the first kind of tinnitus since this new once began, an early sign of habituation I hope!?
Hi Sarahem89 I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. It's very normal in the early days of troublesome tinnitus to feel the way you do. Things will get better . If you look at the 'Four Stages' TinnitusUKPat mentions you can see where you are now and where you'll be in future. I've got them stuck on the fridge door to remind myself habituation is possible . The things that have helped me are the BTA helpline & forum, books and CBT. Hang in there .
Hi there. Sorry to hear you are new to the club. Mine started at age 11 after noise exposure and the beginning was utter heck. I am now 56 and life is good most of the time. I’ve got years without thinking much about it. It does get better, which I hope offers some consolation.
Yes Sarahem i am the same .. i have had tinnitus for a long time. But could cope . But few months down the line after getting microsuction . The ears are ringing constantly. Went to specialist. Said ears were clear. I have Ottoscirosus in right ear . Doc said she thinks its too risky to operate as tinnitus could b below the bone. I had op 20 ago on left ear a stapedectomy. Was sucessful. Lastest update . Read lisinopril can cause ringing. So doc has put me on a new blood pressure med . Losartan. Took one yesterday . Noise raised the roof. Also doc gave me sleeping tablets. Slepted well while still on lisinopril. But last night i got about 3 hrs with bein on new blood pressure meds .
Hi, sorry to hear you are having a tough time. My experience of getting T was very similar, I had good hearing and then had an unexplained inner ear event which resulted in T, vertigo and hearing loss. I agree with what Pat and the others have said, I am glad you have some CBT scheduled as I found this really helpful in helping me reframe my thoughts and feelings which ultimately enabled me to put some distance between how I was thinking about my T.
I have posted the below before about how I managed my sleep, hopefully this helps:
I couldn't sleep for months when I first had T. I can now say I can sleep well and in fact I am managing my T so well I am back to sleeping with ear plugs so the only sound I can hear is my T (I am at point in my management journey that my T no longer invokes a flight/flight emotional reaction, I habituate and can live well with my T).
• I used a sound generator app (I used ReSound Relief but plenty of others out there). I mixed sounds that (1) I found pleasant and (2) mapped well to my T. Audiologists tell us to map the volume of the sound to just below the volume of your T. As time went on and I felt more 'positive' towards my T I slowly reduced volume until I no longer needed the sound generator
• I tried to use positive reinforcement in relation to the sound from the generator app. The sound I had chosen was beach, waves, and rain, when I would go to sleep, I would listen to the sound and think of lovely holidays I have had walking on the beach. As T creates such a negative emotional reaction, these types of thoughts allowed me to calm down and think about something other than my T
• When I was lying in bed if I felt stressed and my mind was focused on my T I would follow a mindfulness body scan. I found this very calming and did take my mind off my T
• I used BTA support group to help me learn more about T and techniques to move towards living well with T. As I learnt more and managed to reduce the negative emotional reaction to my T I would even say 'hello' to my T when I first settled down to sleep. The reason I did this is I found when I was stressed by my T it was always at the forefront of my mind so I found that if I said hello to it then (1) I had acknowledged it and my mind could move on to something else (2) by saying hello I was reducing my fight/flight reaction to it and this helped me to 'normalise' it for me.
• I tried to follow a good sleep hygiene pattern (maintain a regular sleep routine, avoid daytime naps, don't watch TV or use the computer in bed, no caffeine after 18:00 and as I am a clock watcher I put the alarm clock out of sight so I wasn’t constantly looking at it.
• Exercise was also important as this allowed me to be physically tired
It took me quite a while to get into a better sleep pattern but as I said I can now sleep with my new sound of silence. The BTA has some excellent resources on sleep tinnitus.org.uk/tinnitus-an... and has good links to products such as sound pillows, headbands, etc. In the above link the vicious cycle graphic really highlights how the fight/flight reaction to our T inhibits our sleep. I found by practicing other distraction and behavioral techniques in the day I slowly shifted how I thought about my T (I saw it as less of a threat which took its power away) and in combination with the things I did at night I slowly got back to normal sleep patterns.
I hope the above may help in some small way. Take care
Hi Sarah I have found some excercises to do online for my horrendous tinnitus and these excercises have certainly eased my suffering . If you search on YouTube I’m sure you will come across the programme I followed. It involves putting your thumbs just in your ears and lightly pressing whilst opening and closing your mouth. Also massaging the ear lobes plus running your thumbs along the top of your ear . Anything is worth a go.
I sympathise with you. Im going thru a tough time just now. Tinnitus is so loud. Wondering if its the sleeping pills . Zopiclone . 7.5 get about 3 hrs sleep . Just started them about 4 days ago. Have always had tinnitus but very mild. Got ears microsuctioned over 2 months ago . That was it . Just got worse since then. Got appointment for hearing test 1st feb . Seems like a lifetime away. Really getting to me.
Similar situation here but triggered by very loud band almost 3 weeks ago. Went with 3 friends, one of which suggested band. Could have been OK if less loud. Painful. Designated driver and like an idiot put up with it. Couldn't talk to the person next to you. Turned out none of us enjoyed it but as lovely new addition to friendship group suggested it stuck with it. Incredibly stupid. Thought when initial pain died down it would be OK. ZZ top type music which I'd usually like but just noise.
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