Hypercuasis and reactive tinnitis - help

Hello,

I have had tinnitus since september which has now turned into very reactive tinnitis/sensite ears/hyperuasis. No real diagnosis as UK docs are not great.

I have an ent appointment on the 9th privatel.

Noises I hear are loud crcikets which turn into sceaching, buzzing and fuzzing all at high pitch. Everything is setting it off at the moment - can't listen to music, kettle, water etc.

Please help as It's ruining my life - anxiety is taking over and I finding it difficult.

Any encouragement and advise please.

Thank you!

[Happyrosie]

Hilar, Tinnitus is hard when you first have it. The brain reacts as if it has heard a smoke detector, which is meant to be unpleasant, so that we react to them immediately. So when you are reacting to your sounds, the brain thinks that its done the rights thing, that your reaction is the right one.

So you have started on the right path abut having things investigated to ensure there's nothing actually wrong with you, and you are seeing ENT. In the meantime, c an I suggest you go to the website of the charity Tinnitus UK and specifically put 'pulsatile' into their search function, top left.

Doctors are not great, as you say, because they know there is no 'cure' as such (and please DO NOT consult Dr Google for cures). Just believe what you might hear here from other posters, and from Tinnitus UK and your medical professionals.

It does take a while to habituate to the noise, but you will get there in the end.

[Hidden]

Hello Hilary, I am sorry to learn that your Tinnitus is spiking at the moment. I too have Hyperacusis and taps and kettles are my nemesis as well. Some time ago on this site another member posted a link which was very helpful to me when I read it. Hopefully it might be helpful to you as well, please see below.

healthyhearing.com/report/5...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Summer, have you seen and ENT consultant?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes, several years ago now, but there was nothing they could offer that helped me. The article that I shared with you is the most helpful one I have read.

[hemmaman]

Hello Hilary! I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through. Most people on this forum have had similar experiences and most people find ways of dealing with it. As you've heard already, it's worst in the beginning, when you're trying to come to terms with it, and the hyperacusis you describe is often at its worst initially. One is easily overcome with fear thinking that ones life is ruined - that's how it was for me. But gradually one realises that your life is still there to be lived and that you can do most things you've done previously. And your brain has an amazing capacity to accept that the sound is insignificant - as it does with so many other sounds around you.

But as the tinnitus sound initially can be so uncomfortable and scary, the brain often reacts with fear, which is likely to ramp up your perception of the sound further. There is where you seem to be right now - but gradually, as your brain gets used to the sound, it pays less attention to it, and at some stage it will be more like other sounds around you.

I had a horrible start with my tinnitus, but I've lived a completely normal life with it for 25 years now. I have a firm trust that the perception of tinnitus improves with time, so I believe things will settle for you too.

[Hidden in reply to hemmaman]

Thank you for your reply. May I ask did you go through any treatment or medication?

Thank you 😊

[Cookie24 in reply to hemmaman]

Good advice.

[hemmaman]

I tried everything available in 1999. Alcohol, Gingko Biloba, masking, sleeping tablets, massage, night guards, a 6 week yoga retreat, having a dentist changing my bite. I saw “specialists” in Freiburg, Malmö and London, and I saw a handful of therapists – to no avail. In the end I was so fed up with it, so I basically gave up "fighting". And for me that was the right thing. I gradually stopped monitoring my tinnitus, which actually finally allowed habituation to start working.

I never forget the morning I woke up realising that I just felt "normal" again. The sound was still there, of course - but it was of no consequence.

I used to think of it as grief. I had lost something I would never experience again - silence. But in most cases grief is something that will pass, given time - even if you think you’ll never be happy again.