Change in frequency and new sounds

[Pink6-]

Hello Tinnitus Forum Members

I wondered how you cope with Tinnitus?

Mine had settled down for months and months and in fact, it was excellent (ie no sounds) on and off for a year or so. It started January 2021 out of the blue

When it first started I was a my wits end and called the Helpline (BTA) and advisor I spoke with at the time promised me it woukd get easier and better She saved me and she helped me to go on. It did get better and so much that it disappeared for days then weeks and since then has been very good to excellent.

I went for a hearing test a month ago at audiology at the Hospital and detected a deeper hearing loss in left ear.

Usually there is no sound but since then I've noticed a difference.

In fact, there was a muffled sound as if it was blocked one morning 6 weeks ago. Now I have noticed sounds on a regular basis.

One is a constant tone in left ear but not audible unless quiet. The fuzzy fluckering noise is in the head but then moves to right ear and as a sissssh sound like water escaping or a tyre deflating.

The left ear tone is constant since 6 weeks ago.

I went to see the Queen's funeral and was in HydePark and not that far from a speaker. The bells of Westminster chimed.

I"ve been to noisy restaurants around that time and have heard several loud motirbikes passing in the street. I've been in a few loud(ish) places but short term as I got out quickly.

Also I was sitting next to a grouo of people in my networking group and when tjey clapped they really clapped loud!! Does that have an impact? I noticed someone next to me had the loudest clap and that was near my left ear. Does clapping (loudly) affect the ear and Tinnitus?

So you think it will go back to my normal which is no sound as it did a few months ago?

Just need reassurance.

Thank you!

[Happyrosie]

hello Pink and I’m sorry you’re affected again.

The book “Tinnitus: From Tyrant To Friend” by Dr Julian Cowan Hill - and you might find it a good idea to borrow from the library, buy or download - says that tinnitus does have a cause of loud noise.

I disagree - I just got tinnitus in my teens and thought it was all a part of growing up. My parents and first boyfriend also had T so it was just normal for me and still is, sixty years later.

You’re lucky that your T just went away. And so it might again - why not, after all?

But, you need to stop worrying about what caused it. Giving tinnitus this attention just feeds it. I quote from the book

“It is far more useful to focus on what makes you feel well in yourself and get guidance and support from a professional therapist. This will help you process a lifetime of experience held in you body, bring you out of a state of red-alert, and settle your system. “

Though you don’t necessarily need a therapist- think back to how you coped before and do it again.

[Pink6- in reply to Happyrosie]

Thank you Happyrosie! That is very helpful so thank you. So helpful what you say about not feeding it with the whys and wherefores. I'm going to realighn my thougts to how I can feel significant and a connection with the world

Sorry to note that you’ve had T since you were a teen

It's great that you have a positive mindset around this strange T thingy.

[Fridays_Child_62]

Although tinnitus can be caused by exposure to noise, I think this is prolonged noise, like in a loud work environment or regularly attending loud music events, although extreme one-off events like explosions can trigger it. I don't think you can lead your life avoiding everyday noises, like traffic noise, restaurant noise and clapping, although I agree that they can make a tinnitus sufferer nervous. Personally, I find clapping just a harsh noise and all of these are sounds I would prefer not to hear, but to lead a normal life it's necessary to put up with them. I also think there is the danger that if you keep yourself quiet, your hearing may become more sensitive and you may develop hyperacusis, along with elevated tinnitus. I believe if the brain turns up its internal volume control, you get hyperacusis and any tinnitus (internal background noise) that is there will be amplified. So I'm of the opinion that a quota of moderate to loud sound per day is good for me.

From what you say, your tinnitus seems highly variable, but over a long timescale of weeks or months. Mine is too but it can vary a lot during the day, and day to day. It is also reactive to sound, so noise can aggravate it. I've had new tinnitus sounds that have come and gone. I think some of this is due to blood flow and position, but I guess it's possible that some of these tinnitus tones are there all the time but we only hear them when they are peaking. On previous form, I'd say that there is a chance that yours will fade again.

[Pink6- in reply to Fridays_Child_62]

Hi Fridays_Child_62, thank you for your reply. I didn’t think about being over cautious about exposing myself to loud noises. You make a lot of sense. Today has been better. It’s lightly sizzling in the head but it's better.

[Pink6- in reply to Fridays_Child_62]

Hi Fridays_Child_62 just to follow up, the T has definitely calmed down today again it nearly gone so you were absolutely right. Thank you, I think my belief system needed to know that it will calm down!

[Fridays_Child_62 in reply to Pink6-]

That's great news! I think some people's T is constant and some people's is very up and down. Mine is the latter, for which I suppose I should be grateful in a way, although it probably makes habituation more difficult. I think you just have to be prepared for the peaks and the troughs.

[doglover1973]

Hello Pink6- Good to see you but sorry to hear your T is a little louder . In my experience T can get louder if you have a slight drop in hearing - though I doubt any of things you mention would cause hearing loss. Sometimes we just lose hearing as we age. It's natural. The hearing loss in your left ear would account for the increase in T in that ear . The less natural sounds you hear the more you notice the sounds within. Are you wearing your HAs?

[Pink6- in reply to doglover1973]

Thank you doglover1973 and good to see you too. Yes, I have HAs from the NHS. I've had them for 14 months now. Hope you’re well.

[Hearthrob in reply to doglover1973]

What are HAs?

[doglover1973 in reply to Hearthrob]

Hearing Aids 🙂

[Hearthrob in reply to doglover1973]

TY

[rabbits65]

Hello Pink6,

Everyone here has come out with a lot of good sense and I am sure you feel more reassured now. One last thing to add if I may is to also advise you to get out for some long walks in the fresh air and listen to the birdsong and rustling trees, it’s very calming. I have two poodles and without my two dogs I would not be in a better place today. Good luck to you , we all have our stories of T to tell and wide experiences .

[Pink6-]

That's extremely useful advice too rabbit65. I like walking and nature is very therapeutic and calming. It has that special affect. The T has definitely calmed down since reading the replies on here so thank you and to everyone!

[Persevere99]

Hi Pink6

I will explain how, 5 years ago, I came across a way to finally put T ‘in its place’.

By telling myself every day the following -

“T IS NOTHING, COMPARED”

Any problem, T included, will get different reactions from different people. If there was a way to give 10 people the same T noise, each one would deal with it differently, would they not?

I had T which I rated at 50, for 10 years, ending 5 years ago. 

I had to take increasing doses of clonazepam to get to sleep.

Then, fortunately/unfortunately, I came across, entirely by chance, on an American website, some very scary tales of people being very cruelly tortured before being murdered.

What would those poor unfortunates give to have just T to deal with?

And, I said to myself “ X you’re SO lucky just to have T to deal with, compared to the horrific ways people were tortured before being murdered”.

And, that finally put T in its place and my T rating fell straightaway to - Zero.

And I haven’t needed clonazepam to get to sleep since then.

Of course, I acknowledge there is ‘something’ there, but it doesn’t bother me at all anymore, as I now rate it as Zero.

As I count myself SO LUCKY to have just T to deal with.

Please see my own post on T which explains the above in more detail.

All the best!

Persevere99

[Pink6- in reply to Persevere99]

Hi Persevere99, yes it's a state of mind this T thing. Your perspective on T is healthy and you have a positive outlook on life.

[doglover1973 in reply to Persevere99]

Hi @Persevere99 I'm glad you've found a way to help yourself but it doesn't work for me. I know that people around the world suffer more than I ever will and - while it helps me keep things in perspective - it doesn't relieve the day to day burden of my T . I would happily rate it as zero if I were able to do so.

[Persevere99 in reply to doglover1973]

Hi doglover

What did the trick for me was to ‘helicopter up’ and see the extreme problems other people in the world have to face/have faced.

Reading about how cruelly some people met their deaths, certainly made me reevaluate my own T - iny problem.

Before, I was rating my T as 50, solely because I was preoccupied with it. Listening to it all day etc.

Now, keeping in mind that others have faced problems a million times worse than T, I no longer listen to it or rate it anymore.

Suggest try the same and you may find it helpful?

Persevere99

[doglover1973 in reply to Persevere99]

OK thanks Persevere99