Visual snow and tinnitus

[NameK]

So I haven't seen alot of posts about this on the fourm. Does anyone else here have visual snow/ or tinnitus. I've seen that it isnt uncommon to have both of them.

I honestly dont know how long I've had visual snow but that probably doesnt really matter either. It doesnt bother me as much as the tinnitus does sometimes .

Is visual snow mentioned in any tms books?. And can noise induced (most likely my cause or from tight muscles, anxiety etc) be fixed via tms?.

Most of my pain symptoms have improved and gotten better. It's just my eye floaters, dry eye syndrome, light sensitivity, visual snow and tinnitus that havent yet.

 

[Tirubow]

I have tinnitus, but not visual snow. I overcame back pain about 5 years ago after reading Dr. Sarno's book. I didn't have to do much other than realizing the pain was not structural in origin. A few years later, my thumb started hurting at the base. Then both thumbs. One day I realized this was TMS as well and it disappeared the same day. I believe my tinnitus is TMS but I find it much harder to address. With back and thumb pain I could just keep powering through any pain and tell myself there was no issue. But with tinnitus there is no way to just stop hearing the ringing. It’s hard to explain, but just more difficult to overcome so far. I have been journaling and doing guided meditation for healing. Plus the affirmations that there is no structural issue. I’m getting some reductions in the tinnitus volume, but it is still wildly variable day to day and even within any individual day. I have entire days with no ringing. But so far it always returns. I wish it was as “easy” as overcoming the back pain for me. Not sure this is any help, but this has been my tinnitus experience thus far.

 

[NameK]

That's similar to my experience like it's easy for me to ignore the pain and just carry on but with tinnitus it bothers me the most when I try and sleep (when my ese is pressed against the pillow I hear at a louder the typical volume.

The visual snow doesn't bother me as much because I honestly think I've had it since I was younger but didn't know it wasnt normal until two weeks ago

I'm also unsure if mine is from noise trauma as havent had a hearing test because I asked my doctor and she said my hearing is probably fine for my age (24)

Although I used to listen to headphones and use a gaming headset alot when I was younger, I went to about 15-20 concerts in the last 5 years and I would blast music in my work vehicle at like 30 out of 60 for last year or so.

And I only recall after a few concerts and going to the bar I would have ringing but it always went away the next day.(I thought it was normal back then)

Until last Halloween I was at a party and there was a DJ and huge speakers I was right by it for about 10 -20 seconds and I got scared after and about 5 days later I noticed the ringing in my right ear ever since. It was after I read about hearing loss and what can happen (tinnitus) and I went into a silent room and heard it.

I think I also have it in my left ear now and I'm not sure if it's gotten louder but it might because I've been noticing and focusing on it more.

 

[Tirubow]

You should definitely have a hearing test. The doctors tell me one source of tinnitus is a reaction to hearing loss (the tinnitus is filling in for missing sound?). I had my hearing tested and it came back normal and unchanged from my last hearing test 15 years ago. If you have tinnitus on one side only they may suggest an MRI to look for tumors that can grow on the auditory nerve - they are benign and grow very slowly, but they can trigger tinnitus as well as other issues. I'm having an MRI next week. Once those two things are ruled out I think it becomes the TMS cat and mouse game, which is where I expect mine to end up. What initially made me mad was the experts who say "as soon as you get to a place where it doesn't bother you, it will go away". Talk about a Catch-22 situation! If it doesn't bother me it doesn't need to go away. But as the weeks go by I am starting to get it a little bit. You don't want it, but I'm trying to get to a place of less resistance and knowledge that it can not hurt me. So instead of trying to say it doesn't bother me, it's more getting to a place where I don't perceive it as a threat. But ultimately I still think it is my brain trying to distract me for all the same reasons that went with the back pain and the thumb pain, and it will ultimately go away.
I know having tinnitus is maddening and hard to explain to people who don't have it how much distress it can cause. But reducing resistance and seeing it as benign does start to help diminish the impact. Good luck!

 

[NameK]

Thnaks I'll book a hearing test with an audiologist? (An audiologist I could just go and see within a week)

Or should I go see an ent? A referral here unfortunately would take atleast 6 months or more. And and mri here would take probably over a year. The wait times here are insane here but that's what you get for free healthcare I guess.

 

[Tirubow]

Definitely start with an audiologist. I started at the ENT, but the first thing he did was send me across the hall for a hearing test with an audiologist. The audiologist also did some kind of test that can indicate a tumor. But it only catches 50%, which is where MRI comes in. Then the ENT, once he saw no inflammation or other issues in my ear, said there is nothing to be done about tinnitus. By the way, there are guided meditations on YouTube specific to tinnitus that I find helpful. And there are good podcasts on tinnitus.

 

[NameK]

Okay I will do that and go from there my GP looked at my ears and didnt find any inflammation or anything out of the ordinary when she checked it. But a hearing test will definitely give me some peace of mind.

Thanks I'll check those out and I'm sure you have probably seen julian cowan hills videos on YouTube.

What he talks about sounds very simlair to tms and he was someone who had tinnitus for over 20 years and got rid of it and he has tons of videos for free on there so if you havent I cant recomend him enough.

 

[NicoleB34]

Tinnitus, yes. interestingly it started after a bad respiratory infection that put pressure on my ear. i was convinced i sustained damage. i suspect that yes, the ear got inflamed or irritated and that it would have calmed down on it's own, except that i went absolutely crazy about it. I already struggle with insomnia and i need to sleep with earplugs (light sleeper) however, the earplugs locked the noise in and i was beside myself over this new thing keeping me from sleeping. Sometimes the ringing (more like morse code beeping) would infiltrate into my nightmares and it's all i could hear. I truly think my obsession with it and how it was ruining my life, is the reason it stuck around. This went on for two years. Then the other ear became involved, and that should have been a clue. Either way, at some point it started to fade, and by then, i had grown an acceptance to it. I"m sure my acceptance is part of what made it fade faster. It still pops up every once in a while, and for some reason, i've been left with a hypersensitivity to noise in that ear permanently. I can feel my eardrum flap when i hear high frequencies. Either way, i dont have the same panicked reaction to it like i used to, so now the tinnitus is very intermittent.

 

[NameK]

Yeah interestingly enough it started in only one ear after a loud party with a DJ (I was right next the the speaker for about 10 seconds and I got anxiety afterwards. I didnt notice a ringing in my right ear until about 5 days after (nov 5th 2018).

and a few months later I had to the other ear flushes out and I was put on an antibiotic ear drop with a steroid (apparently that antibiotic has a potential to be oxotoxic ) and that made my anxiety tenfold while I was using it.

I'm unsure if the ear syringing or the antibiotic caused it to be in my other ear. Most likely it was the anxiety and stress that caused it.

Either way I got it in my left ear in febaury 2018.

But recently it has seemed to have gotten louder in silence and I cant pinpoint anything that would cause that other then stress / anxiety or I've been having migraines and neck tension recently .

I also have tmj and that could be a contributing factor. I'm aware most of these symptoms are likely tms if my doctor doesnt find anything.

Oddly enough it dorsnt give me trouble sleeping as when I press my ear against the pillow I hear it loud and clear despite having my A/C on all night.

 

[Tirubow]

NameK - thank you for the Julian Hill recommendation. I just watched his "How to help tinnitus - 15 tips" video on YouTube. It was the most informative and helpful I have seen. When he talks about having to shift the focus of your body from your head to down into your body, I was trying to figure out how to do that. I was taking the dogs out for a walk and I thought I would try just focusing intently on the bottom of my feet like they were the center of the universe. Feel everything through the bottom of my feet. And the tinnitus stopped. I know it will come back, but just the demonstration that you can have some impact makes a world of difference. I found his video so helpful in taking away the fear that I am placing on the symptoms.

 

[NameK]

Yeah his videos are very tms like but I cant take the credit of finding him another member here DFW actually recommend him to me when u first got tinnitus and I really need to give them a watch again.

 

[Mycatkaz]

Hello there

I have recently been diagnosed with Visual Snow Syndrome and my main symptoms are lots of eye floaters, light sensitivity and after images. I saw your post and I was wondering if you had had any success with TMS therapy?

 

[NameK]

Unfortunately I have not but to be honest I've had it for a while and never knew it was different until i stumbled apoun it while I was reading about tinnitus and how they can be connected or related.

But that,isn't to say that other people haven't it just doesn't seemed to be talked about much compared to tinnitus but u also suspect that lots of people have it but don't realize it's a thing.

 

[banjoman]

I had tinnitus for a very long time , Honestly it nearly killed me I was on the verge of suicide a number of times from it and that a long time before I discovered Dr Sarnos work. Tinnitus is 100% TMS, I work as a musician in really loud venues and even if I get ringing in my ears from the show it disappears after a day. so ear trauma or hearing trauma can cause ringing but it doesn’t stick around. Hearing loss is a completely different thing and I have no hearing loss whatsoever

in my experience the obsessive nature of the TMS personality latches on to the ringing sound and obsesses and fears it therefore it serves its purpose which is to distract from the emotional pain and emotional rage that is causing the symptoms in the first place. White noise generators on your phone are an excellent way to distract from sound but the most important is to constantly remind yourself that you are okay that tinnitus literally cannot hurt you at all . Distraction through white noise is simply to break the cycle of fear and obsession.

always think psychologically and emotionally

 

[NameK]

Mine started after a loud outdoor event back in 2018.

I was,convinced it was from me going to bars; clubs, concerts over the years and playing music in my car and work truck at 30 out of 60 volume 6-8 hours a day , using a gaming headset that i had damaged my hearing.

Got my hearing checked by a,audiologist for a another hearing test said I don't need one for another 10 years.
So I think Mine is definitely triggered or affected by stress especially in my neck muscles jaw (tmj) which we know is tms.

I still need to get over the fear factor part.

Whenever my brother plays loud music in the car or when i walk by someone using power tools I get incredibly anxious and worried its going to damage my hearing.

Which I know sounds silly but it's like a,conditioned response and no one in my family understands because they haven't experienced it chronically only temporary for a few hours or day or two.

That e kng said my parents have been to probably close to 50-100 concerts they grew up in the rock n roll Era and they aren't deaf nor do they have tinnitus.

Never seen them wear earplugs even when. My dad was using a saw to cut wood building the fence last weekend.

 

[rickm]

I can related to these symptoms. Though I have to say that visual snow is not a really big symptom for me.

 

[Balsa11]

You should definitely have a hearing test. The doctors tell me one source of tinnitus is a reaction to hearing loss (the tinnitus is filling in for missing sound?). I had my hearing tested and it came back normal and unchanged from my last hearing test 15 years ago. If you have tinnitus on one side only they may suggest an MRI to look for tumors that can grow on the auditory nerve - they are benign and grow very slowly, but they can trigger tinnitus as well as other issues. I'm having an MRI next week. Once those two things are ruled out I think it becomes the TMS cat and mouse game, which is where I expect mine to end up. What initially made me mad was the experts who say "as soon as you get to a place where it doesn't bother you, it will go away". Talk about a Catch-22 situation! If it doesn't bother me it doesn't need to go away. But as the weeks go by I am starting to get it a little bit. You don't want it, but I'm trying to get to a place of less resistance and knowledge that it can not hurt me. So instead of trying to say it doesn't bother me, it's more getting to a place where I don't perceive it as a threat. But ultimately I still think it is my brain trying to distract me for all the same reasons that went with the back pain and the thumb pain, and it will ultimately go away.
I know having tinnitus is maddening and hard to explain to people who don't have it how much distress it can cause. But reducing resistance and seeing it as benign does start to help diminish the impact. Good luck!

"as soon as you get to a place where it doesn't bother you, it will go away" This is exactly what happens in my case with tinnitus. I had visual snow once when I had a one-time hormonal migraine, but that was it.

 

[NameK]

This has basically happened with my visual snow I hardly notice it now.

With tinnitus I mainly hear it at night (when my ear is on my pillow and sometimes throughout the day.

Also when I have ear plugs or headphones in its louder abd noticeable other then that there is usually sometype of back round noise so I don't notice it and i don't actively listen for it like I did when I first noticed it.