Hi! Tinnitus By Acoustic Trauma!

Hello. My name is Marco, I'm 28 years old, and I have a bilateral tinnitus since May 2014, after a rock concert. Initially my tinnitus was very loud, but over time has decreased, until recently has returned to the original levels. I was visited by several ENT specialists, but no one has ever found traces of hearing damage. My tinnitus is a constant electric buzz in the head, recently became unmasked by ambient sounds. I have several friends with tinnitus, is unfortunately all have deteriorated over time. I'm terrified of doing the same end and do not know what to do to avoid it. I ask those who have tinnitus by acoustic trauma for many years ... how has your tinnitus? And 'unchanged or increased volume? I fear, my happy life is over. Please, help me. No medicine or therapy had no effect, I'm afraid of having this all my life, in fear of a deterioration. Sorry for my English. A greeting, Marco.

 

Marco---
I'd say as long as you are careful about your hearing and take proper precautions(ear plugs) when in a noisy environment, you should be fine. Try to stay calm and know that there is help out there.

 

Hi Marco,

I take it you are Italian like me…

You cannot compare your T with other people's as it is a very subjective condition, so do not compare yours with that of your friends…

Furthermore, it is very important not to dwell on negative thoughts about it, as the mind can play tricks to you and make you imagine the worst things about it.. Like SoulStation has told you try to protect as much as you can your ears and keep busy to keep your mind off T..

At the beginning, like everybody else, I had very sad thoughts and was very scared about my life, but with time I learnt to live with it and not react with anxiety and fear as much, and that is when I started to habituate and get my life back on track… Of course I had to make some changes in order to protect my ears, but now, almost one year since onset, I feel I can manage it…

I believe my T is also coming from acoustic trauma and my T has not changed one bit from the beginning, but my attitude towards it is definitely changed, and for the better…

I wish for your T to go away as soon as possible, or at least to accept it and habituate to it and move on with your life… This forum is a great place to look for suggestions, informations and great support from great people, so do not feel alone on this and reach out when you need to.

We are all in this together, so lets give strength to each other

Take care !!

 

Thanks for the words Lorenzo and Soulstation.
Yes, I'm Italian, I write from Rome. Explain better my case, in search of answers and predictions of what awaits me in the future. After the concert, seven months ago, I had very loud tinnitus and hyperacusis (disappeared almost immediately). I had passed well four months ago the fear of tinnitus, which had declined considerably.
So much so that, stupidly, after months of imprisonment in my house, I decided to go to a club, whereas I have friends DJs and musicians with tinnitus for years that has not increased in volume (but many who unfortunately has increased as I wrote first). Unfortunately it was not so 'for me. Currently tinnitus is constant even back in the day and did not seem to lower volume (one month has passed since my stupid idea). What I do not understand, is why the ENT specialists have never found hearing loss or other problems to my ears. (I also tested the high frequencies, even after local). My fear is that it is neurological damage, but even here the MRI with contrast method did not find anything. Yet tinnitus increases and beginning to doubt that the cause is acoustic trauma. For my ENT is a psychological maintenance, but now I was quiet for my tinnitus during these months and above any psychiatric drug (rivotril and Xanax) helped me.

From the research I've done on the problem, it seems that tinnitus bilateral statistically increases for no apparent reason after a few years (10 -20 years) and frankly I could not stand it increased further. For this, I would like to know if anyone in this forum with tinnitus by acoustic trauma after so many years can confirm or not a deterioration (and if there is an improvement). The music was my life (I am a rock musician) and now live in fear for these loud sounds. Thanks to all,
Marco.

 

@I who love music may be able to talk a little about being a musician with long term T.

 

Hi
Yes, I've had T since 1974 because of playing loud rock music and playing the drums with headphones turned all the way up. I used to have a monitor at my left ear that was louder than most stage amps today. I wasn't even out of high school when I decided I couldn't play loud electric music anymore. I've been battling spikes all my life and resisting the urge to "plug in." I've learned that if my T goes away and I get around loud music then the T comes right back to where it left off. About 15 years ago it quit "going away" and I have T all the time. I'm habituated most of the time and am very happy playing acoustic music, and sometimes in a P.A. with very low level monitors. I play a variety of instruments (I gave up the drums, sadly) and make instruments.

 

So I was right, tinnitus by acoustic trauma can change and deteriorate as happened to me?
Only option is habit?
I want to see how it will be when I have 50 years.
Sorry but I honestly feel that a part of my life is over.
I had accepted the tinnitus, but live knowing of his worsening constant ... it's tough. But I do not understand why my hearing is perfect, the acoustic trauma leaves traces of hearing loss.

 

Hi @Mark Sympa,

I think I've had T about the same amount of time as you, but I had a longish email exchange with someone who had T from noise exposure and his T went away after over a decade. You never know. It's easier to find people who aren't doing well - they talk about it more, but there are people who are doing great, too.

As SoulStation said, you cannot compare you T to anyone else's, even someone else's with the same cause as yours. Your damage is not necessarily the same as your friend's or anyone else who had an acoustic trauma. There are a million "what ifs" that you can think about, but the best thing you can do with T is take one day at a time. You do not know what the future will hold and neither does anyone here.

What I do know is that taking care of your whole body (eating right with proper nutrition, 7-8 hours of sleep nightly, exercising etc.) and protecting your hearing, will give you the best chance of healing and of your T not getting worse (and maybe of it improving further!) That's all you can do.

Whether you worry that it will get worse, or assume it will stay the same or get better - the future will just happen. Best to assume it will stay the same or get better, take care of yourself and your ears as best you can, and if something does get worse, cross that bridge when you come to it. Then you get to have a largely happy present and know that you're doing your best.

 

If you're not showing any hearing loss then it's a bit of a puzzle. Your auditory cortex may have remapped around temporary damage with adjacent zones taking over the specific frequency recognition remit of the area which was starved of input. The neurons in the zero sum input area can go into an asynchronous firing pattern and stay there creating a phantom signal. If you're a musician then you will have a high level of synaptic connection in your auditory cortex.

It's possible that learning a new instrument could induce neuroplasticity into the dysfunctional area and "startle" some errant neurons into doing something useful instead. They're making a noise because they haven't got anything to do.

I wouldn't worry about 50 years time, T will be consigned to the history books long before then.

 

I think as you.
I think is a neuronal malfunction and I fear that's why not heal and tinnitus changes.
Do you really think that science will find a solution in the near future? Currently, in Italy, we are still stuck in the useless TRT.
The ENT specialists in Italy are not prepared for tinnitus, underestimate the problem.

PS = I have no idea why I was practically healed for two months and now is back stronger than before.

 

If it is a neuronal malfunction you have more chance of it healing than if it's your cochlea. The brain is very plastic and remaps itself every time you learn something new. People who lose their sight due to eye injury experience huge plasticity into their occipital cortex.

 

Hello marco,

I have the same electrical sound in my head. You were lucky it went away once i hope it will go away again for you.
But i have a question. How did it go away the first time? Did it just fade away or did you do something about it? And how long did it take?

 

Hi Fenas, no I have not done anything to make it go away, just the tinnitus has decreased over time. Lately I have not written because strangely tinnitus was gone again, for a couple of days is back. Beginning to believe that a particular case, I do not understand. However fortunately now has a low volume.

 

Hi all,T for 8 years now,i was a pro rock drummer since age 25 now 68.digital hearing aids have helped my hearing and made T appear quieter by increasing surrounding sounds,i dread removing them at night.I have had to stop playing because also the stage tension or any stress increases your awareness of T,the only help i used to experience was with xanax but over time has little effect,i only take 0,50 mg per night and a zolpidem and if i am calm i can get 5-6hrs sleep.Be careful of serotonin re-uptake anti depressants in my experience can make things worse,i use valdoxan that helps some but blood tests needed after beginning use.I have had the neuronics stimulation device for the prescribed 3 months over a year ago,after initially thinking it helped i believe now it made things worse but it helps others. I wait for some new discovery but the more you do or get involved with as long as it's not stressful the better.You need patient understanding friends and family,my wife is very sympathetic,the hyperacausis is the worst everything in the high frequencies is magnified.My T at 11,000 hz. Good luck to all Johnm

 

Hello Marc, I'm Maria from Greece and i also have tinnitus from noise exposure 2 months now. doc said it's acoustic trauma and i got no hearing loss also. I talked with a friend from Germany today and he also had tinnitus after going to a disco but after 3 months it was just gone. Hope this will make you feel better cus it definitely made me feel better.

 

Are your symptoms over with because I was diagnosed with acoustic trauma and thus ringing in my left ear driving me nuts, also I don't have any hearing loss

 

NOT ANYONE MENTIONED HIDDEN HEARING LOSS?!?!?

this poor guy was left completely in the dark. congrats to pre-MPP tinnitustalk in the darker ages.

 

he even called TRT useless, how cool this guy could have been an MPPer.

 

@Contrast you are the king of dead thread resurrection! lol

No judgement or hate just thought that was funny.

 

Uhhh this is 2014