seekingpeace

My tinnitus started in November 2019 after 8 hours of chiseling loose concrete from my basement walls. A week later I finished the project with ear protection (or so I thought), and hyperacusis joined the tinnitus.

The first few months were horrific. I cried every day, desperate to resume my old life, unable to tolerate my new one. After following advice to stop protecting my ears, the hyperacusis subsided and my sound tolerance is pretty close to normal. Tinnitus and TTTS remain a daily struggle.

In desperation I have seen every kind of doctor possible and tried everything they recommended. I saw 2 ENTs, 3 audiologists, an acupuncturist, three therapists, and a neurologist. I've done CT scans of my brain and multiple EEGs, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, taken anti-anxiety meds, melatonin and some other supplements, and now I am about 16 months into Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).

While TRT is questionable, my clinic's audiologist has helped me tremendously by providing in-depth evaluation of my hearing, my mental state related to T & H, measurement of my hyperacusis and tracking it over time, and the diagnosis of Tonic Tensor Tympani Syndrome (TTTS). And the soft background noise provided by the hearing aids has been helpful.

Some days and weeks are okay, some are bad. When the noisy, depressing, intolerable days happen, this forum has been a lifeline of information, advice, and understanding. I visit when the T drives me crazy and I need to feel less alone in my suffering. I am grateful for the caring people here.