Tinnitus sufferers: ever find anything that helps?

Most likely Tensor tympani syndrome
I've been looking for a name and documentation for my problem for years. I've just researched the term, and THIS is it. For decades, I've experienced a "spasm" in my ear, like something tugging on my eardrum when exposed to certain sounds, even at very low volume. I've described it to several ENTs, only to have them shrug their shoulders. It is associated with pain when hearing sounds that are no where near loud enough to cause pain for most people. A soda can pop top is excruciating. A low-volume sine wave can cause a constant spasm with pain. Sometimes.

I considered the problem neurological, because sound present in only one ear can cause a spasm in the opposite ear. For instance, if I am on the phone at low volume, or using headphones and sound is coming into only one ear, the opposite ear can "spasm". The spasms are highly correlated with the audio signal. Sometimes, the ear receiving the signal will spasm as well.

Thank you so much for this information. Perhaps there is some treatment to help reduce the discomfort, or perhaps not. But it is a relief of sorts to even know it is recognized and has a name.
 
I've done some more reading. Turns out, I also experience the symptoms of Hyperacusis and Misophonia, as well as TTS and tinnitus.
 
I've been looking for a name and documentation for my problem for years. I've just researched the term, and THIS is it. For decades, I've experienced a "spasm" in my ear, like something tugging on my eardrum when exposed to certain sounds, even at very low volume. I've described it to several ENTs, only to have them shrug their shoulders. It is associated with pain when hearing sounds that are no where near loud enough to cause pain for most people. A soda can pop top is excruciating. A low-volume sine wave can cause a constant spasm with pain. Sometimes.

I considered the problem neurological, because sound present in only one ear can cause a spasm in the opposite ear. For instance, if I am on the phone at low volume, or using headphones and sound is coming into only one ear, the opposite ear can "spasm". The spasms are highly correlated with the audio signal. Sometimes, the ear receiving the signal will spasm as well.

Thank you so much for this information. Perhaps there is some treatment to help reduce the discomfort, or perhaps not. But it is a relief of sorts to even know it is recognized and has a name.
It is always my left ear. It happens frequently enough to remember and pay attention to, but, thankfully, infrequently enough that it can still be called 'occasional' instead of 'chronic'. I suspect, in my case, it is related to an old, untreated whiplash injury from 1992....
 
Someone I know has it... they told me it has something to with the follicles of micro hairs inside the ear canal... the lack of.

And the same person mentioned something about a hearing aid that releases a frequency that dampens out the frequency your hearing.

i was pretending to listen, but wasn't interested in paying attention because it was a odd tangent in a conversation... but I'll ask again .
 
I played in bands and with amps since 1995 without wearing ear protections, the result : I gigged in 1999 a black metal show in a venue, felt Dizzy at the end of the show, half drunk, managed to walk back home and sleep.
The day after, both of my ears bleeded on the pillow, I Grabbed my high school bag, and just fell on the ground, tried to get up again, fell again.
That's the time I called my mother for help and we went to the hospital.
Basically I ripped both of my tympans, and the doctor told me to wait, but this kind of mistake would make me deaf next time for sure.
I lost part of hearing at voice freq and some high frequencies and feel blessed I still hear a big Spectrum of frequencies and still enjoy music a detailed way.

Since then, I Always protected my ears, and I feel stupid for that avoidable mistake.

Back to topic, happy 20 years old to my tinnitus, both ears, 7/24, high pitched noise, and those special times when it gets louder thanks to blood pressure, stress, getting tired, or just being in complete silence...
You know the high pitched sound you get when you feel Dizzy from a lack of sugar or standing up too fast.
I sometimes want to hit the wall with my head but I know it will not work.
 
I have had Tinnitus for months at a time from one side, with very little hearing from that side (or at least muffle hearing where I don't really hear the mid high frequencies as well).

It's due to my Eustachian tube being block from recurrent sinusitis.

Been waiting for almost a year to see the EAR, NOSE AND THROAT doctor specialist.

Anyhow,some of you guys suffering from tinnitus might be related to something else like Eustachian tube blockage. Worth a talk to your doctor!
 
Unfortunately, count me in. I have a moderate one since a Metallica concert in Moscow, not to blame the russian guys, probably was the last nail in the coffin as I have also a bit of hearing loss due to too much volume on headphones during my youth and late adoption of ear protection in rehearsals and shows.

For the last month is bothering me more, perhaps I am paying more attention than necessary to it. I don´t want to get depressed or let this shit ruin my life so I am determined to overcome it. At the end of the day, there are worse things or people suffering much more with conditions that completely fuck their lives.

I have found that good sleep tends to soothe it a bit. Also exercising helps, probably because you seggregate hormones of happiness :)

So far no idea about impact of coffee or alcohol, I really don´t take much of any ...

Seems treatments are on the way though, I have hope. There is that Lenire product released by a irish company not so long ago, based on what they call neuromodulation, and using a similar approach a technology by the University of Michigan that is passing its FDA review, who knows, maybe we will perceive silence again before passing away :)

In the mean time and whilst I am in the office I have always engaged this rain generator:

https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/rainNoiseGenerator.php

Somehow masks the shhhhhhhhhhh and I can concentrate at work.

Do you guys keep on going to concerts? I am a bit scared that even using ear protection, I can make things get worse
 
I've been dealing with this for about 10 years now. I always wear ear plugs now at rehearsals or gig (our own or watching)
I saw some specialists at Mass Eye and Ear and one of the doctors gave me a prescription for Clonapin/Clorazapan. just 0.5 tablets. He says it's the only known drug that actually blocks the chemical in your brain that gets interpreted as "ringing". I only use it once in a while as that is an anti anxiety drug and does have some side effects if you over use it, but every time my tinnitus has elevated, I take one, usually at night so I can sleep. without fail when I wake up in the morning I wake up to total silence, no ringing at all. As I get up and moving and the drug wears off the ringing returns but at it's "usual" day to day level that I've learned to live with.
 
In 1990 I was on an antibiotic(can't remember which one) and blew out my hearing at an extremely loud gig(was waring 35db cut earplugs at the time).
It was a Fire Station(polished cement floor and walls/metal sealing). The sound company set up Large Turbo Cabs on 30' Genie Towers normally used for outdoor gigs!
I'm sure I would have lost some hearing but my ears roared for a week!
Turned out the antibiotic I was on had a side effect of making your silia in your ears brittle and easily damaged! The tinnitus got better but I still have it! Protect your ears and look up the side effects of any meds you may be on!
 

There are several possible remedies out there, some active others waiting to be released, hope in the next two years we have really a solution in place.

In the mean time, I think I am going to switch my Axe listening from the monitors to an active cab. From monitors my ears get tired soon and I normally keep SPL under 75 db. I have been playing with my JVM410C these days to make sure I was sure and for me at least, with my condition, it makes sense. What are your experiences on this?
 
Breathing meditation (mindfulness with breathing). The principle is simple: be aware of the breath and try to make it comfortable. But sometimes not easy to do it with consistency at he beginning, if the mind is too agitated.

I've learnt directly from the forest monks, here in Thailand. It has even helped me healing migraines, pain in the back, and a C5-C6 disk compression

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/painhelp.html
 
Breathing meditation (mindfulness with breathing). The principle is simple: be aware of the breath and try to make it comfortable. But sometimes not easy to do it with consistency at he beginning, if the mind is too agitated.

I've learnt directly from the forest monks, here in Thailand. It has even helped me healing migraines, pain in the back, and a C5-C6 disk compression

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/painhelp.html
Here is a series of audio lectures by the same monk on the same subject. It has helped me.

https://www.audiodharma.org/series/16/talk/1843/
 
Breathing exercises can indeed help; the purposeful breathing helps activate the sympathetic nervous system, aka “rest and digest”, which can help offset the negative effects of the parasympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight
“ response to tinnitus, which in effect increases stress, heart rate etc and results in kind of a negative reinforcement of tinnitus distress.
 
Breathing exercises can indeed help; the purposeful breathing helps activate the sympathetic nervous system, aka “rest and digest”, which can help offset the negative effects of the parasympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight
“ response to tinnitus, which in effect increases stress, heart rate etc and results in kind of a negative reinforcement of tinnitus distress.

At the risk of being seen as a nitpicker (as opposed to a guitar picker), I think you'll find those are the other way around.
Parasympathetic is the "rest & digest" system (vagus etc - slower heart rate, increased bowel activity, etc)
Sympathetic is the "fight or flight" system (adrenaline, increased heart rate, vasoconstriction, etc).

Sorry - nothing worse than another nitpicking medico ;) Thoracic and Vascular surgeon, in my case, and also Prof of Clinical Anatomy, just by way of credentials. Anyhow, back to the tinnitus discussion.....
 
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