Does anyone have tinnitus?

[ILikeToBeBesideTheSea]

I 'acquired' tinnitus about three months ago. Unsure of cause, different noises in each ear and a general head noise. I'm struggling with my 'new normal' (sorry, hate that phrase) I've read it can improve/you can get used to it so you don't hear it so much anymore. Can't imagine me getting to that point. Getting sick of it being the first thing I hear or think about when I wake up to it being the last thing I think about. It's affecting my life big time but I don't want it to. I worry it will get worse.

I’ve had it for about 5 years and the noise is constant in both ears. I was like you and very stressed about it at the beginning but you so get used to it and it hardly bothers me at all now. I fall
Asleep listening to podcasts as the only time I can really hear it is in a quiet room. Try not to worry too much about it as you will learn to live with it

@ElfIsAnAss actually it isn't as rare as you think. Between 15-30% of the population have some form of tinnitus.

I’ve had it for years and notice is less, I find it hard if I’ve been in noisy places, drunk alcohol or if I get a head cold. I find it hard to block out with those. Otherwise I don’t notice it so much anymore

Yes, I have it in my left ear from playing in very loud metal bands for years with no protection. Occasionally in the other ear too. It became permanent about 2 years ago. At the start it was very troublesome and caused me great anxiety but I have got more used to it now and it does not affect my quality of life anymore. Time makes it easier to cope with as it becomes 'normal'. It does get worse when I'm tired or stressed. My wife is convinced that acupuncture would help me and it does a little.

I started with it just over 3 years ago. Constant hissing in one ear. GP sent me for tests as tinnitus in one ear can be an acoustic neuroma. Test was clear but they said I had lost some high frequency hearing. Probably age related as I'm 59. Sometimes I get it in both ears now but mostly just the one. I only notice it if I get stressed about something or someone mentions tinnitus. Couldn't hear it until I saw this thread. It really is mind over matter. I was frantic at first, thinking I was stuck with this for the rest of my life. But now I just think of it as part of me, like my achy joints and dodgy eyesight. It is a good indicator of how stressed I am. The more you can accept it, the less you should hear it. You have my sympathies.

Has the noise improved/faded for anyone? So hard to accept that 'this is it' now. I'm only 35.....

Yes, me.

It started for me around January and it sounded external. I thought it was some sort of house noise that I couldn’t pin down. It kept me awake. I presumed it was something to do with the works we were having done at the time until I realised that earplugs didn’t help and I heard it when I was sitting in my car in the countryside. I was so upset desperate and exhausted .

Im sure the reason I got it was the stress from some terrible things that were happening at home for some months. As the situation has improved, so has the tinnitus. It’s much quieter and less frequent, and because I’m happier and more relaxed now I find it easier to deal with, and it rarely keeps me awake now.

OP if you think stress is causing yours then it may improve if things generally improve for you. I do hope so. I remember how crushed and desperate I was realising I had tinnitus.

I have it basically 24/7 because I have Ménière's disease but it does get controlled by medication! Stress & alcohol makes it deafening sometimes!!

Does anyone else fluctuate in pitch/volume? Sometimes it's almost like it's zapping me with electric shocks, it's almost like I can feel it.

I've seen a lot of people on FB mention that they got it this year with Covid. I'm not sure if that will make a difference on how you tackle it.

I have it. I use a small white noise machine when it is bad to help me sleep.
Every now and then it disappears for around 39 seconds.
It seems connected with blood sugar sometimes. I keep think I have a pattern where blood sugar is low followed by spike - so days where i don’t eat until say mid afternoon and then do have Late lunch it really improves around an hour later. Equally I’ve read anecdotal accounts from others that for them little and often is the best eating pattern for theirs.
Alcohol makes it worse for sure for me. Plus lack of sleep and stress.
Mine is there all of the time though.
I was referred to audiology and have some basic hearing aids which I’ve never worn as can’t get used to them (just like my old dad who refused to wear his despite needing them and despite (because) of us all encouraging him to)!
Good luck op.it is often livable with. Really important not to lose sight of that.

Did anyone do anything in particular to help them get used to it?

Yes, me, had if for probably about 20 years. Constant low level buzzing noise. Don't notice it most of the time. Maybe others have more intrusive noises.

I've had it for about 9 years after a severe ear infection. It is always there but now it's just become the norm, I don't notice it every day now but I can't remember how long this took. I notice it more when it's extremely quiet but white noise even at low volume helps with it. Mine gets worse with a head cold or a hangover.
I took a bout earlier in the year of a fluttering, irregular beating type sound/feeling which I think is a different type of tinnitus. This was HORRENDOUS, thankfully it only lasted a few weeks but I hope that doesn't return. I can cope with high pitch squealing but not that fluttering.
I hope you find a way to deal with this and hopefully yours will only be temporary.

I’ve had it for years - since chemo but I’ve no idea if that was coincidence/stress/whatever.

It comes and goes. Am on D 14/15 of Covid and it’s been very much worse but of course that could be stress too.

A lot of the time I don’t notice it much these days but once I have noticed it, then it’s really annoying and I have to put some background noise on.

You will find your own ways of managing it I’m sure. But I would love to hear the sound of silence just once in a while!

I’ve had it for over 10 years now, mine is linked to nerve damage due to B12 deficiency

I can always tell if my levels are low as it’s much more apparent

I have had it for as long as I can remember. Both ears, high pitched whine at about 10 kH. No hearing loss though.

I have tried literally everything. Audio tracks, strange exercises to open the Eustachian tubes, tapping, acupressure , supplements, audio flare ear plugs ( don't waste your money on those BTW.) None get rid of it but when it's particularly bad I do find that a masking track can be helpful- especially when trying to sleep. The one I found the most useful is Resound

apps.apple.com/gb/app/resound-tinnitus-relief/id928432517

You can build a sound file that works best for you. I find birdsong, white noise and rain works best for me.

I am actually a Teacher of the Deaf so work very closely with audiologists and they have a team of tinnitus therapists. These people can't cure it but offer advice and CBT type treatment to help you to train your brain to ignore it. However my GP felt he knew better and refused to refer me, telling me I have to just get on with it...

I have intracranial hypertension which caused mine. A spinal tap and weight loss helped it immensely.

@AzraiL, what were your symptoms if you don't mind me asking?

@BrigitsBigKnickers does it bother you much or are you 'used' to it?

Google 'colours of noise' and look into brown and pink noise. they can help mask tinnitus much more effectively than white noise, and there are loads of music videos on youtube.

There have been trials at retraining your brain using the right noise but they suggest you have to listen to it for most of the day.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29336133/

Can't see you saying you've seen an ENT specialist yet?

@ILikeToBeBesideTheSea It was discovered by my optometrist. The optic nerves in my eyes were swollen. She sent me to emergency and my blood pressure was really high (I've never had an issue with high blood pressure before). Stayed in hospital for a couple of nights and MRI showed the hypertension. They then did CT guided spinal tap to extract some fluid and relieve the pressure in my brain. The tinnitus almost halved immediately after. They also recommended I lose weight which improved it even more. I've gained some weight back this year and it seems to be coming back, so I'll have to do something about it.

Aside from the tinnitus, my symptoms were brain fog (including an inability to focus/remember simple things) exhaustion, constant headaches and clumsiness.

I*LikeToBeBesideTheSea
*
I go through phases where it bothers me less, usually when I am busy and there is a level of background noise. And there are other times where I just want to cut my bloody head off with the frustration of the relentlessness of it.

Some things make it worse such as a sudden loud noise and being tired ( ironic as it is what keeps me awake...)

@Fizzydrinks123 I paid to see a private ENT consultant as NHS couldn't see me until May. He couldn't find anything wrong, no hearing loss. I do have some muscle tension/sudden misaligned teeth on one side but find that hard to believe it's causing tinnitus in both ears and head.

Thanks for the advice on the 'colour noise', I can't get on with any continuous fuzzy sounding noise, may as well listen to the tinnitus! I like rain noise and have my bedroom window open at night for traffic noise/wind/rain on the conservatory.