Tinnitus? Some advice needed...

[benzo]

Guys, some advice is needed, I'm having a SERIOUS mental setback here. I am sorry I am posting this here, but I need some mental support from the forum that helped me through some difficult times.

I went to a concert last Sunday. I have become quite overfocused on noise over the last couple of years, mainly due to neighbour noise, so maybe it was a foolish thing to do but I have always been really into music. Anyway, we were sitting next to the stage, not even in front of the speakers. After 10 mins I decided to take a break, put in some quality earplugs and get back. So I was protected for about 90% of the time.

After the concert my ears were a bit full but I tend to get that from wearing ear plugs sometimes. I slept fine that day, but the next day I noticed in the car that I heard a bit of noise. Anyway, I only slept for 4 hours, got through the day fine, and as I stepped out of the elevator to get into my car I thought, good thing I wore my earplugs because I have no trouble whatsoever. Got back in my car again and to my dismay, heard the sound again.

Took a Xanax to get to sleep, but over the week I started to focus more in more on the noise and I'm pretty sure I heard sounds before from time to time (it's supposed to be very common in a quiet environment) but thought nothing of it. Started browsing the Internet for more information, Not a good idea.

Anyway fast forward to today: I barely made it through the weekend, couldn't get to sleep anymore and decided to see a nose, throat and ear doctor on very short notice (luckily I live about 200 metres away from the hospital), Turns out I have perfect ear canals, ABOVE average hearing, did an audiogram, people with hearing damage have a low in a certain frequency, turns out I have a little peak on the same exact spot. So it turns out I have the exact opposite profile of someone with hearing damage. Anyway, just to rule out any small damage, they put me on a 10-day course of corticoids and piracetam which usually does the trick.

To be frank, I never have been in so much distress in my entire life. I have put all my mental energy in coping with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome that I can't take another affliction onboard. And of course the thought of never finding peace and quiet again, makes me go insane.

Could it be my autonomic nervous system is so wound up that you end up having the same mechanism as in CPPS: pain-stress-tension-more pain? Has anyone any experience on this matter?

[Whoaday]

For what it is worth,

I think that anxiety is more multi-faceted then most people are even aware. I have trigger points in multiple places on my body, as well as muscle tension and while I believe you can get those just through normal activity, a predisposing factor is always stress and anxiety. Putting yourself through the mental ringer and playing the game of "I'll never" always results in more issues. I know my muscle tension in my body is due to anxiety...it sucks but I am working through it. I am a nervous, tense, worrier, and until I get that under control I'm going to continue to be a mess. Hilariously enough, my chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms are minimal. A lot of guys on here talk about the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome subsiding and another symptom developing...this happens with anxiety...all I can say is try your best to recognize it for what it is, and push through even when you are scared...scanning your body you are ALWAYS going to find something which will then trigger the fight or flight...I'm not saying you should fight your symptoms...but flying from them never helps...just another thing you aren't dealing with. When I say fight through, I mean confront the fear. Accept the feeling for what it is, but work toward it not having control over you.

Be Blessed Brother,

Whoaday

[carld]

Sleep with a sound machine so you can rest and break the vicious cycle...Like me, you have super hearing...If I sit in a silent room, I can hear sounds...Look at it as a gift but try the noise machine...It's amazing!! The sound of crickets is what I sleep with every night...

Best

[benzo]

For what it is worth,

...scanning your body you are ALWAYS going to find something which will then trigger the fight or flight...I'm not saying you should fight your symptoms...but flying from them never helps...just another thing you aren't dealing with. When I say fight through, I mean confront the fear. Accept the feeling for what it is, but work toward it not having control over you.

Be Blessed Brother,

Whoaday

That is true, I am always scanning and scanning myself. I have a history of panic attacks and had psychotherapy sessions about it, I have heard this remark more than once.

thanks

[benzo]

Sleep with a sound machine so you can rest and break the vicious cycle...Like me, you have super hearing...If I sit in a silent room, I can hear sounds...Look at it as a gift but try the noise machine...It's amazing!! The sound of crickets is what I sleep with every night...

Best

Hi, carld. I have a white noise machine which I purchased off Amazon. My best explanation is that I'm overfocusing on what might have been a pre existing sound and which now has come to the absolute foreground.

For the moment I'm fully engaging in catastrophic thinking and reading all kinds of articles didn't do me any good. I know I should let go, as with the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome pain but I suffer from OCD as well.
Xanax helps me get through the night but I'm heading out to see my GP , I think I might need something else to help me cope with the obsession. This has gotten completely out of control in less than 1 week and this is nothing compared with the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome trouble. and I can't put it into perspective anymore, hence more negative thoughts.

What sounds do you hear when you are in a quiet room? Do you need the cricket sounds to help mask them?
Thanks for the support. You guys are great.

[calguy]

I went through the exact same thing a few months ago! I thought I had ear ache but went to ear doc and said I was fine but also recommended I see TMJ specialist! I guess my jaw muscles were putting pressure on ears and causing light ringing noise. After massage therapy and relaxing muscles also PT did some trigger point work and released some tension the noise went away. I still have slight noise in quiet room but that is cause I am focusing on it I believe. Funny secretary at PT office said "o ya I have some ringing in my ear if I listen or quiet I just don't pay attention to it". Funny how some people can just ignore things and we just break down. I know it suck on top of what were going through with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome but just have to stay positive. I was being so careful with hearing, LOL, like any noise would make it worse, but just not the case.There are some treatments too if its really bad, Irvine hospital retrains your ears with different frequencies. MY favorite band Metallica, they all have loud ringing and have to wear hearing aid to mask noise! Look up famous people who have tinnitus, a lot of musicians! Give it time and your ears will adjust, my ear doc said so and she is very highly recommended. Take it easy man I know easier said than done .. .

[HL1979]

I have had tinnitus in one ear for 14 years caused by an accident and ironically, I believe that my onset of tinnitus has helped me cope with my onset of CP/CPPS (about 1 year ago) since it has made me realise that if I dealt with one affliction (the tinnitus, which is chronic) , I can deal with another (the CPPS, which hopefully won't be).

I can understand how bad it feels to have to deal with more than one affliction. Sometimes it just wears you down. And both are affected by stress. I would recommend buying a fan, or a CD with nature sounds. Also buy some foam earplugs and wear them in noisy environments (although don't wear them too much or you may develop hyperacusis).

Best to you.

[Sherradin]

I have only had tinnitus since I started Lyrica and that was two years ago when my nervous system went into over drive with worry about my CPP. I think it is all linked. Tim Sawyer said he sees wierd symptoms. When my abdominal trigger points were pressed I got burning in my feet and sometime I get it in my teeth. I think it is all the same thing. Meditation is the only thing that helps me with that and gentle yoga. But you gotta keep at it. Good luck hang in there.

[rider fan]

Sleep with a sound machine so you can rest and break the vicious cycle...Like me, you have super hearing...If I sit in a silent room, I can hear sounds...Look at it as a gift but try the noise machine...It's amazing!! The sound of crickets is what I sleep with every night...

Best

Hi, carld. I have a white noise machine which I purchased off Amazon. My best explanation is that I'm overfocusing on what might have been a pre existing sound and which now has come to the absolute foreground.

For the moment I'm fully engaging in catastrophic thinking and reading all kinds of articles didn't do me any good. I know I should let go, as with the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome pain but I suffer from OCD as well.
Xanax helps me get through the night but I'm heading out to see my GP , I think I might need something else to help me cope with the obsession. This has gotten completely out of control in less than 1 week and this is nothing compared with the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome trouble. and I can't put it into perspective anymore, hence more negative thoughts.

What sounds do you hear when you are in a quiet room? Do you need the cricket sounds to help mask them?
Thanks for the support. You guys are great.

Benzo, hope you're doing alright. You seem to have great insight to what it going on with you, and as a fellow member of the anxiety/CPPS/tinnitus club I think you're bang on correct. I've dealt with spikes of 'T' at least a few times over the past 10 years and understand everything you are saying.

I would just re-iterate:
- thinking/focusing on the sound does make it louder, it's hard but just try to 'let it go' and pay it no mind.
- find a good masking sound, especially for night. During my last spike I found that a CD of a dishwasher masked my noise well, but I had to download about 10 other CD's first!
- realize that the spikes always subside - at least a bit - and that your mind WILL adjust to the sound and block it out
- if it gets really bad there are treatments like retraining therapy (TRT)

Lots of good tinnitus - and just good general - advice on this thread from everybody.

Take care!