Why Are My Ears Ringing? Its Driving Me Crazy!
The symptoms of hyperacusis include continual ringing, buzzing and/or hissing sounds and can cause intense pain and even a post-traumatic stress disorder.
I have hyperacusis and tinnitus, so I can speak with some authority on the subject. As disabling as light sensitivity or profound muscle weakness can be, hyperacusis keeps a Lyme sufferer from every activity imaginable. Where there is sound, there is pain.
I find that on bad days even complete silence can be intolerable due to the tinnitus that continues unabated and varies only in its intensity, and frequently burst into tears when someone accidentally sneezes loudly nearby. It is a symptom that can be described but never truly understood unless one has experienced it.
Recently a woman killed herself with a drug overdose after repeatedly trying to get surgeons to operate on her ears to completely remove the ability to hear. Imagine having to deny yourself from every small gathering (forget about Thanksgiving or Christmas). Activities that is understandably taken for granted like eating out, going to a movie or shopping become insurmountable events.
I constantly wear ear plugs but even so, one day while trying to grocery shop, I had to sit down in the middle of an aisle on the floor rather than faint. The embarrassment is nothing compared to the frustration and depression that keep even the most determined Lyme disease sufferer from venturing out of the house.
Quoting again from neuro.psychiatryonline.org:
“ Lyme disease patients can experience an extreme sensitivity to sound, also known as auditory hyperacusis. In some patients it is limited to louder sounds, but in the more severe cases “ordinary” sounds can be very debilitating. The impact can be felt throughout the body, and this condition can affect every aspect of daily living.
“Patients can experience heightened awareness and an inability to tolerate conversation, running water, page turning, the humming of electronic devices, other people’s breathing, etc. These normal everyday sounds become painful and unbearable, and as a result the individual’s ability to leave the home is greatly limited. Patients may also experience an increased startle response and an “electric shock” type feeling.
Sounds can also induce dizziness, and this is called Tullio’s phenomenon. According to Jenifer Nields, MD, “This peculiar short-circuiting of the inner ear’s auditory and vestibular functions is known as the Tullio phenomenon. This phenomenon has been deemed pathognomonic for syphilis, but, as it appears, can occur in Lyme disease as well , and thus provides one more example of the “new great imitator,” Lyme disease, imitating the old “great imitator,” syphilis.
Well now we have some good news!
“Breakthrough Medical Digest reports on a newly developed non-invasive procedure that allows medical practitioners to pinpoint the area in the brain causing the tinnitus:
“Until now, we had no way of pinpointing the specific location of tinnitus in the brain,” says study co-author Michael D. Seidman, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotolgic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital.
This imaging technique, magnetoencephalography (MEG), can determine the site of perception of tinnitus in the brain, which could in turn allow physicians to target the area with electrical or chemical therapies to lessen symptoms, according to study results being presented Saturday, Oct. 3 at the American Academy of OtolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO.
“Since MEG can detect brain activity occurring at each instant in time, we are able to detect brain activity involved in the network or flow of information across the brain over a 10-minute time interval,” explains co-author Susan M. Bowyer, Ph.D. bioscientific senior researcher, Department of Neurology at Henry Ford Hospital. “Using MEG, we can actually see the areas in the brain that are generating the patient’s tinnitus, which allows us to target it and treat it.”
Imaging techniques currently used to study tinnitus in the brain PET and fMRI provide a general location but are not successful at determining the specific site in the brain that is generating tinnitus symptoms.
MEG, by comparison, measures the very small magnetic fields generated by intracellular electrical currents in the neurons of the brain. Only 20 sites in the U.S., including Henry Ford, are equipped with a MEG scanner. MEG is presently used at these sites for pre-surgical brain mapping for patients undergoing surgery for brain tumor removal or Epilepsy treatment.
“With PET and fMRI, most of the auditory cortex of the brain lights up with activity during imaging. MEG, however, is a much more sophisticated machine and it can identify a specific tone or topic point, so only a small area in the brain lights up. It’s like having the lights on in only the city of Detroit, compared to having the lights on in the entire state of Michigan,” explains Dr. Seidman, director of the Otolaryngology Research Laboratory and co-director of the Tinnitus Center at Henry Ford.”
This news should give some of the 50 million sufferers of tinnitus hope for the very first time.
For more information read (and watch) actor William Shatner’s personal nightmare with tinnitus, the suicide of Rick Tharp, and the intense pain told by concert pianists Paul Tobey.
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October 4th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
I have only ever had mild ear ringing thankfully. Another cause is TMJ (jaw) problems. And Lymies often have their tendons and ligaments damaged by Lyme.
October 5th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Thank you for finally addressing this.
The noise in my ears is constant. I too, wear eye plugs almost all of the time, especially at night when it’s more quiet and the noises in my ears is deafening.
I do have ringing, but mostly it sounds like traffic noise. I’ve explained it to my lyme doctor like this, it sounds like I’m standing next to an eight lane freeway in Los Angeles.
Every day noises like the tv, talking, my husband typing on the computer, etc…can be extremely painful, hence the ear plugs.
I feel for the woman who committed suicide, but can understand how that might happen. Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my mind.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I know EXACTLY what you mean! I have been prescribed Lyrica to help but it turns me into a zombie (a FAT zombie), I find that GABA is the most helpful and least expensive supplement – it helps with sleeping too which as you know can be evasive at best. Do you ever hear the sound of helicopter wings when you rest the side of your head on a pillow? People think I am nuts when I discuss this…even the sound of my husband walking on squeaky floorboards can bring me to tears.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Well, that’s a symptoms of tinnitus. Yes, but you can apply some remedies or treatments on that. Just seek advice to your doctor and follow what they prescribe. I know tinnitus is not a disease, but a condition that needs to be treated. You can have some tinnitus info’s here at http://www.tinnitussite.com/Ringing-in-Ear.html
October 13th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
When does the ringing in your ears warrant a closer check from your doc? My sis suffers from what the doc has diagnosed as tinnitus and felt when it got really bad that it could be fixed with meds. It lessened it while on the pills, but returned. I personnally can’t imangine dealing with this on a regular basis. I feel for all who can’t get any relief.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Hi Kuy -
A neurologist is the doctor to see…regular MDs (in general) will tell you it comes from taking ibuprofen, aspirin, Tylenol or some other pain relieving med. But a neurologist would look closer with an MRI and a full health work-up.
I hope your sister finds the right doctor to get to the root of her problem and finally get relief…it is SO miserable!
Blessings, Jenna
November 4th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Tinnitus and Hyperacusis … Not at all the same. I have chronic, twenty year long LD that has just hit new highs in the past couple of years. I now have almost constant Tinnitus, but not “always”. But, now… Hyperacusis. That’s a new word for me. Wow, I’ve found a name for one of my daily horrors. Hyperacusis. it has a name. It’s right on the money. I think tinnitus is triggered, or intensified by one or another thing(s) that I’m not always certain of, but certainly loud noise in that “coming awake” period in the morning, as one gather the strength to face yet another day was never defined until I read your words. I do have hyperacusis, and it’s different than tinnitus… by a long stretch. Google them both. The tinnitus is that constant “ringing” sort of sound that has become part of my daily life, and that I have adjusted to. Hyperacusis, on the other hand, is a different demon. It is what happens when I wake in the morning and my girlfriend’s Westie (we each have one… litter mates) is barking madly and constantly at squirrels in the back yard on the fence, or in the trees. It’s when her pager goes off and she doesn’t stop it quickly enough if she’s on call as a midwife in the morning hours, and I feel my BP rise, and tension build, and anger grow in me at her for nothing that makes sense at all to me… it’s just a sound. It brings on anxiety, and a sort of panic attack. Not really panic, but a sense that I can’t stop the dog, or the pager, and she doesn’t care enough to stop either, and I get very irritated that she doesn’t seem to notice it as I do, and quiet the maddening sound (Her pup, I love as much as she does, but isn’t mellow like her brother, my pup. And her bark is a shrill hell to me.) THAT is hyperacusis in the works, and that, regretably is another one of the hellish symptoms of MY own personal darkness of LD. They are not the same, One I have learned to live with. The other has brought us to seperation several times, because she doesn’t understand how it grates me to my core. Now I know. And now, perhaps, I can explain it to her. I love her, and I need her. And, naming this is one more step toward helping us both cope with my LD. Thank you.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Hi Frank -
Your message brought tears to my eyes – if you ever need someone to talk to your girlfriend, I would be happy to. I have found that of all my symptoms the Hyperacusis is the worst – no more restaurants or movies or dinner parties – even in my own home. With six adult children and two grandsons I cannot tolerate their energy or noise even though I long to be able to…holidays – forget it – so I
empathize with you, and highly recommend the GABA to take the edge off – even Fent patches just make it bearable – it doesn’t take it away.
Getting better is the only way to get rid of it… oh, and for the rage, try tears – don’t fight them, your girlfriend will react very different to tears rather than rage.
Blessing Frank!
Jenna
February 27th, 2010 at 9:35 am
I love your blog. Good to see people writing about this subject.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Mike – there are no charges for my ebooks…what page were you on?
I have not had any access to the internet except a few days at the library for over 3 weeks…is there anything I can do to help you??
Jenna
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:52 pm
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March 29th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I always feel lucky when reading these kind of articles. Never heard about Tinnitus before and not suffering from any medical problems!
March 29th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Hey, but Lyme disease is not the only cause of ringing right? One of my aunts and and 2 of her kids have it, so I’m assuming there is a hereditary component as well?
March 30th, 2010 at 6:49 am
Enjoy every moment of your goog health and don’t forget to give compassion to those who suffer!
Thanks for your comment!
Blessings,
Jenna
April 17th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Seventeen years of ringing in my head destroys my concentration and memory. We have seen six doctors that hve come up with no repair.
April 18th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Oh Mike, Seventeen years! I can only recommend GABA as I do over and over again – I would be locked up in a padded cell without GABA as it takes the edge off the ringing (turns the volume down), eliminates around 40 – 50% of the pain associated with sound…and for some reason, the “musical hallucinations” are never frightening – just interesting…Christmas Carols, orchestral pieces I’ve never heard before, drums in the distance and a radio in the distance…can’t recognize the channel…is any of this familiar?
The whispers and speaking voices get eerie, but then I will tell you they have diminished over the years…
I think it would take a special doctor and great patience to navigate through the necessary doctor-hunt OR you can try GABA for some time.
May 16th, 2010 at 3:04 am
When does the ringing in your ears warrant a closer check from your doc? My sis suffers from what the doc has diagnosed as tinnitus and felt when it got really bad that it could be fixed with meds. It lessened it while on the pills, but returned. I personally can’t imagine dealing with this on a regular basis. I feel for all who can’t get any relief.
May 16th, 2010 at 10:49 am
I recommend having every symptom checked by a medical professional. What could be a symptom of Lyme for me, could be a tumor or some other disease for your sister (not to scare you.) Also, it has been shown through many, many tests that over-use of pain meds such as ibuprofen and Tylenol can cause tinnitus which my father suffered with due to that according to his doctor.
The question I would ask your sister is, do you have pain associated with the tinnitus and are you sensitive to all sound or just the ringing?
If it is just the tinnitus, try stopping all pain meds and rest in a quiet place for as long as you can…it should help much more than you can imagine. But if it doesn’t, try GABA – 2 capsules every 6 hours is what I have used to find relief – there are details on my website under “Relieve Symptoms” – it helps with insomnia and anxiety as well.
August 10th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Been reading your blog for a while now so I thought I would finally drop a comment. Lately I have become addicted to blogs I think. I will start reading a little and before Yes, it half the day is gone. I enjoy exploring all you’ve got on your site, just amazed how infinite the topics can be out there.
September 28th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
My tinnitus was caused by Zithromax, then Biaxin, both which can be ototoxic. I have Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, too, but these were not symptoms for me, but medication toxicity and have not gone away even after being off those macrolide antibiotics. I do have the exaggerated startle response and use ear plugs frequently.
October 15th, 2010 at 10:02 am
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December 14th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
“Jenna SmithNo Gravatar (121 comments):
October 5th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Do you ever hear the sound of helicopter wings when you rest the side of your head on a pillow? People think I am nuts when I discuss this…even the sound of my husband walking on squeaky floorboards can bring me to tears.”
I JUST FOUND THIS POST! I have just started having this same thing, The first time it happened I thought a bug flew into my ear while I was sleeping, but then I began to notice it happens in both ears at different times and sometimes it sounds like it is in front of the eardrum real loud and other times it sounds like its behind the ear drum and is very quite. It it Tinnitus? I thought Tinnitus was ringing of the ears.
I know last night I was dreaming 1000′s of flying Beatles were chasing me and I awoke to my ear on the pillow sounding like high pitched wings of some kind. Thats when I thought I should investigate the symptoms.
December 22nd, 2010 at 2:45 am
I also suffering for this problem ringing ears, not so much as bad as some people but it will only take a day in the factory and the rest of the evening my ears are ringing…. Luckily it hasn’t got so bad that I can’t sleep, that must be terrible…
ringing in ear
April 4th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
I was diagnosed with lyme about 3 months ago. I am currently taking Zithromax, Doxi, Flagyl, hydroxychloroquine, and probenicid. I am absolutely positive my ear ringing is medicine induced. I had a lot of joint, muscular, and neuro symptoms before taking the medicine, but the ear ringing came after I was on the medicine. I am conflicted. I don’t want to stop antibiotics too early but, I am terrified to deal with the ear ringing long term, and now I feel I can not hear as well. Any suggestions? Should I take a break from antibiotics? I finally feel relief from the lyme and I don’t want all of my symptoms to come back. I have probably had lyme for a year and a half, but I was only diagnosed 3 months ago.
September 20th, 2011 at 1:40 am
Lori,
I had the ear problems abruptly 6 weeks after tick bite.
I was on Doxy and Azith, and I was thinking tey helped instead of hurt.
How did it go with you?
October 6th, 2011 at 11:15 am
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