Poll: Has Your Tinnitus Worsened Over Time? (Tinnitus for 3 Years or More / Cause Acoustic Trauma)

Please, participate only if:

• You have had tinnitus for 3 years or more, and if
• Your tinnitus is due to acoustic trauma.

 

I hesitated in answering, because I don't want anyone to get scared and have this feeling of inevitable doom ("it has gotten worse for so many, it will get worse for me"). Therefore I think it would be important for people to tell how and/or why their tinnitus got worse. And might be useful for also get the views of those whose T has gotten better: how long did it take, was there something that helped, is it habituation or actual decrease in volume etc.

For me there is a clear reason why I now need to vote that mine got worsened. I got mild T in 2011 from something I had no power over: I was enjoying a meal in restaurant with no music, when suddenly a live band blasted music right behind me - I actually got deafened for a moment. That's how it all begun.

Now the most important thing here is: my tinnitus DID NOT degrade over time, on it's own. As my T was mild and remained stable. After the initial shock of losing silence - well, one kind of forgot about it. Later I would continue to go to concerts, festivals, night clubs etc. I usually had earplugs with me, though. I thought earplugs would ensure my safety. This continued, until the second acoustic trauma: an electronic music concert which was insanely loud, I noticed it, stayed anyway (because hey, I had earplugs!) and paid the price with heavily worsened T.

I firmly believe that if I had all the information I have now and if I had understood what getting T meant... Well, I could have protected myself from T getting worse. This is not to express regret, but to give hope for those who want to manage their tinnitus and give it chance to heal, even. It's important to remember our ears are sensitive, it's important to acknowledge some places are too loud and it's important to understand how hearing protection has its limits because of bone conduction.

We can't control everything - the world is so loud! - and accidents happen, but there is a good chance of controlling T volume by taking care of our delicate hearing (and other related things like stress) and not forgetting that T has already compromised our system. This matters especially with mild T, as when years go by it's easy to forget and start blasting the ears once more.

 

I got significantly worse following an additional trauma. If it's continued to get worse over the ~8 years after that, I am not really sure -- there is a lot of ebb and flow to it, and if it's worsening in general it's happening at a rate I'm not consciously aware of. As of a couple years ago I was frequently waking up to really alarming tone bursts, and having loud fleeting T on a pretty regular basis. That seems to be happening a lot less these days; I don't remember the last time I had the wake-up-to-a-flashbang experience, and the fleeting T I get tends to be a lot more subdued than it used to be. So, based on that, it seems like my audio centers are calming down to some degree; of course my hearing has degraded somewhat in the meantime since I'm nearing 40.

To the extent things are calming down -- I don't know if it's random luck, or related to the fact that I moved from the city far into the woods, am exposed to far less sound now than I used to be, and have also been increasingly diligent about meditation.

 

Yeah, another exclusion criteria I should have added in this poll would have been to also participate just in case tinnitus was not mild but intrusive.

People with mild tinnitus carry on with their lives and keep exposing themselves to loud noises, that makes the perfect "my tinnitus worsened overtime" testimony.

On the other hand it would be really interesting to have some of those people who have had it improved to drop some lines in here.

That makes me think that those subjects keep lurking in the forum even having their tinnitus better than at some point in the past.

 

It has probably worsened a little, I can't be sure. But if it increased it is so insignificant that I voted "remains the same"

 

You should add a "I'm under three years, but I want to vote to see the results." option.

 

I didn't see this and I voted "worsened" despite the fact that I'm neither of these. -1 for worsened.

 

Physiologically what makes tinnitus worse? Why it happens?

 

My tinnitus increased in severity in 2008 and took 4 years to habituate. It has improved more since then but still has fluctuations in intensity. Silent, mild, moderate and occasionally severe. I used to take clonazepam quite regularly when the tinnitus was severe but haven't taken it for a while now....

 

Pump this thread up.

 

I have to qualify my remains the same vote. By remaining the same I mean it fluctuates over time from nearly imperceivable to total misery and no evidence or indication what sets it off for me other than my suspicion that stress/worry about "things" in life can raise it up and once it's up it's hard to suppress it back to the I don't care mode.

 

Hi Joe - Tinnitus low level for 20+ years,
then high level for 3 1/2 years.
Jazz trombonist - definitely due to acoustic trauma.

 

Could someone please tell us what the current results of this poll are? I don't want to vote as I am currently only 9 months in, but I would like to know how others had voted.

 

46% worsened, 32% same, 22% improved.

 

The above is good news when one takes into account how popular "don't protect your ears, live your life" point of view is, and the fact that when people improve they tend to not visit this forum.

 

Hate that viewpoint "ignore the problem and try to not notice getting worse as a biproduct". Again this is a certain cancer you only see with the tinnitus community.

 

It is quite a relief.

 

You kept playing not protecting your ears?
I've played clarinet, saxophones (tenor & soprano), trombone and electric bass during all my life prior to tinnitus onset. Got rid of all my musical arsenal as soon as T shown up and I am not planning to make a return until an effective treatment or a cure appears.

 

@Joe Bananas - when my very light “T” showed up 20+ years ago I was almost totally ignorant of it - though I did start to read about it.
I knew nobody with “T” to swap ideas with.
Since age 20 I have played professionally and still do.
The London jazz scene from the mid sixties onwards, was very competitive. If you were not working, you would do the clubs, looking for a sit in, where you hoped your ability/expertise might tip the forthcoming work in your favour.
Then of course, when you were holding your chair, others would sit in on you, and try to impress bandleaders, and maybe pick up some of your work.
On one of my gigs there were “Five” trombonists in the house, walking in with bone cases, looking for a blow. I thought there must be a bloke outside, with a truck, selling them.

I work mainly in the traditional/swing style, some of it “Trad” some of it quite “Mainstream.”
I played for a long time, with this low level “T”.
Some time later, I started using ear plugs.
In June of 2014 I played an outdoor gig, with a banjo playing loud and too close to me.
Obviously I complained, moved further away, and got aggressively sworn at.
I curse that musician.
The next day my “T” level was reset, and stayed there, as a loud prrmenant hiss.
From that day forward (for over three years) I have worn ear plugs, with my left ear very well blocked, and my right ear half occluded.
As we are into improvisational territory, I need to still hear the lead voice, and other harmonies.
Even with ears blocked, of course I hear quite well through bone connectivity.

I took a two month lay off in November.
I am about to book an ENT assesemant before continuing to play.
My feeling is that I should stop now.

I play to a high standard, clubs, international festivals, Cunard cruise ships etc....
but even so, I need to be very careful.
Your thoughts would be appreciated Joe.

 

My T started around 2002 at a concert. We rushed the stage and the speaker on my left was so loud the sound literally pushed on my head sideways. Afterwards I could hardly hear out of my left ear with loud buzzing. The volume of the buzzing went down after a couple of days but never went away. I also worked for an airline and would stand on the jetbridge to meet and dispatch 767s and 777s every day. Most time I wore those flimsy ear plugs they gave us but some times I didn't have time to find them or put them on which of course didn't help my T.
I did notice a few years ago when I started taking Welbutrin that the T seemed louder. I stopped taking it for about 6 months and noticed a slight improvement. Meaning I actually had to think about it to hear the buzzing.
But I went back on the Welbutrin about 3 months ago and the buzzing, humming and ringing is back louder than ever and my hearing, especially in my left ear has worsened.
I also think that since I had four dental implants put in last year my bite seems to be off and that could be adding to the worsening T.

 

Thanks for your answer.
Since onset, one of the things that has worried me the most is the fact of tinnitus worsening over time due to its own nature, gradual hearing deterioration or involuntary exposition to loud sounds. Mine has been already a hardcore one since day one, fluctuations aside. That's why I started this thread which results are somewhat positive in case only people gathering my requested criteria has participated.
As I said my T is not always the same. It goes from the most intrusive, unmaskable, loud electrical whirling noise to a really weak boiling water like sound in the distance I need to focus to find. I dont know what triggers the changes but what I am sure is that sleep is crucial and almost every morning I wake up to a different T. Now I am going through a mild flu and is driving me nuts. Is super loud and with a nasty frequency for five days now. I dont know if it is a coincidence or there is a link.
I first picked up trombone at age 12 but as I had no teacher and the thing was loud I gave up and traded it for a clarinet. I can see how trombone could be dangerous for the player's hearing as it is really close to the right ear and it can be really loud. I started playing clarinet and went into the conservatory. Years later I moved to saxophones (tenor & soprano) and started to play in rock, jazz, experimental, improvisation sets touring Europe. I always protected my ears with foam ear plugs independently of the music genre. What I have abused is listening to music by earbuds at max volume. All my life. Almost every day. Thing is compared with people of my age (I am 39 now) I havent been to lots of concerts and festivals. In fact I have been to just a few. My girlfriend, who also has mild tinnitus, is a metal festivals animal and there she is with a mild form of this.
I had a sports injury which left me with half my left hand paralized for life. I couldnt play sax anymore. I sold my well cherished Selmer Mark VIs and lost contact with music for a couple of years. Then I felt comfortable playing a friend's bass and I bought one myself. I started studying at home on a daily basis and later on formed a band.
One day, being going through a heavy flu, I went to rehearsal and things were extraordinary loud. I just spent 10/15 minutes in the rehearsal room. When I left everything was fine. That night I woke up for a pee and T was there, loud and clear but, now that I think of it maybe not as loud and clear as it is lately. Is difficult for me to say if it has worsened. I gave up playing and I miss it a lot. I dont even practice at home. I am not going to do it until an answer to this shows up which I am afraid is going to take a lot.

 

@Joe Bananas - quite a story Joe.
Thanks for taking the time.
Being a life long muso (first held a cornet in my hands at 10y, in the Salvation Army) I find other musos stories very interesting.
My brothers were both trombonists, and at 18y I borrowed a bone, worked out the positions for myself, and in two years I was jazzin’ around.
I never took a lesson, except a couple of sessions with a master, to improve on my diaphragmatic breathing, for better high notes.
I’ve been jazzin’ professionally from age 20 to 75.
Giving up would be hard - I think melodic musical phrases all the time - when out for a walk, whenever - so I’m taking one gig at a time - plugging my ears - and observing what happens.
Any changes and I will stop.
You know how jazz is.
We are all unique.
I don’t hear anybody approach jazz trombone quite like I do.
I know that sounds big headed, but I don’t mean it that way.
We all have a unique voice, eh Joe?

So sorry about your hand.
Sorry about the Tinnitus we all suffer.
Very best wishes my friend,

Jazzer.

 

@Jazzer Has your T got any worse since that change in 2014? Have you been methodical with the use of earplugs or have you been anytime around loud sounds no wearing them since then?

 

@Joe Bananas - ever since the rise in volume I have used ear plugs, left side very well blocked, right side partially blocked.
Left side hiss has remained constant, right side still pretty well clear.
If practicing or rehearsing solo at home, I still follow the same procedure, and practice at quite low volume level, very cautiously.