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I don't think you have a psychological problem, you have a severe tinnitus problem. You have physical damage in your ear, which has caused hearing loss and consequently tinnitus. You are a severe case because your tinnitus easily (potentially permanently) worsens from normal noise exposure and...

Have you considered wearing earplugs or earmuffs when there is a risk of that kind of exposure?

Visiting an ENT is a waste of time; they cannot help and may even make things worse. A hearing test could also worsen your condition. It is up to you how much you want to engage with sound, or avoid it. You will have to live with the consequences of any worsening of your tinnitus.

This seems very simple. If you want to avoid continuous worsening, then you’ll need to consider avoiding all the noise that clearly makes it worse. Even with ear protection, sound still travels through the skull—this is called bone conduction—to the inner ear.

Everyone assumes that hair cells only respond to frequencies within the audible range. But I think there is a real possibility that hair cells also respond to other frequencies, such as those emitted by Wi-Fi or electromagnetic fields from electrical appliances. Perhaps tinnitus sufferers...

@timsmith, were you not wearing earplugs when next to traffic?

@Regis, your 2) "Wind noise reduction headphones" are EARMUFFS, not headphones. Please read this if you are unsure of the difference.

@Ralphie, same question, do you think earplugs and earmuffs would help reduce the chances of tinnitus spikes in those settings you frequent?

@Strife_84, do you think it would have helped if you had worn both earplugs and earmuffs during your visit to the bar and club?

There is definitely an irony here. I thought you were leading up to encouraging the original poster (the psychiatrist) to tell others in their profession that the standard treatments are not only unsuitable but also patronizing. As it turns out, you have essentially asked them to take a dose...

Who?

If your tinnitus continually changes, won't that make it more difficult for the brain to habituate and ignore it?

Some users have reported that their tinnitus worsens when using the ANC mode on ANC headphones. This issue has been debated in another thread. Essentially, if you see the term “phones,” it indicates that the device produces noise, so caution should be exercised. From a technical perspective...

I have often read on this forum where people use these two words almost interchangeably, as if they refer to the same thing. For complete clarity, I will explain the difference: Headphones contain small loudspeakers and are used for private listening to audio, such as music. Some believe that...

Just one post, proving that they ‘were’ a tinnitus sufferer at some point in the past would be enough to ‘determine their legitimacy.’ A success story without ‘some’ evidence of the success is essentially contradictory.

You'd do well to researc it and learn. You can't hear external sounds AT ALL with earplugs in? This is a most irresponsible act of ignorance, considering the damage the original poster has suffered and what others have experienced from bone conduction due to "air soundwaves." Consider...

Harsh lesson, but well learned. Let others learn from this experience.

This is a typical response from someone writing a success story. It does not say anything specific about the tinnitus. Let me put it to you directly, without any of the “got better,” “not thinking about it,” or “mentally better” talk: Do you still hear your tinnitus? (Yes or no will suffice.)...

Stop doing the HBOT.

Do you mean earmuffs? More uncomfortable than the tinnitus and hyperacusis? If you are more concerned about looking discreet than about worsening your tinnitus and hyperacusis, then you are in a relatively good state. My advice is to wear earplugs AND Peltor earmuffs during the journey to...

The above statement is true for several reasons: The medical profession, generally speaking: Knows very little about tinnitus. Shows little interest in tinnitus. Offers no effective treatment. Often views it as more of a psychological condition, or even as a personality disorder. Is aware of...

Seeing an ENT is a waste of time. You are already noticing improvement. Continue using protection to give yourself the best chance of ongoing progress.

This largely depends on you. If you would like it to worsen, then continue living life as usual, take risks with noise exposure, and experiment to find out what makes your tinnitus worse. I am sure you will find it interesting and enlightening. You could also get a hearing test or even an MRI...

Wouldn’t you be better off with the 1.5 T machines? Wouldn’t they be quieter than the 3 T machines?

I thought this would have been obvious. They should have considered it from the beginning. No wonder the drug failed. Incompetent knowledge would not have helped them succeed.

Your ears are damaged (the cause is less important), and as a result, they’re more vulnerable to further damage from noise exposure. Simple as that. Have you tried using a software graphic equalizer on your computer? Many are available for free. You can manually adjust the volume of specific...

An MRI will almost certainly not help. It exposes you to over 100 decibels of noise. There is nothing you can do to fix this. Seeing doctors, ENTs, or audiologists is often a waste of time because they typically cannot offer any meaningful solutions for this condition. You are the one...

Is that the speakers or the tinnitus you're talking about?

What about wearing earplugs that slightly reduce noise levels while at work?

@Michael Leigh, in your experience coaching tinnitus sufferers, has anyone reported their tinnitus worsening with hearing aids?

Some people on this forum have reported their tinnitus worsening after hearing tests. A hearing test involves playing tones as loud as 100 dB into your ears if necessary until you respond. Do you think that is a safe noise level for someone with tinnitus? ENTs and audiologists are trained to...

Even with hearing protection, sound waves still travel through your skull via bone conduction to your inner ears. You must be able to hear it when working with a jackhammer. On top of that, there are also intense, high-energy vibrations from your hands on the jackhammer, which travel through...

A tinnitus sufferer and jackhammers are not an ideal match. This is certainly a risk for tinnitus worsening, especially as you age and experience more exposures. Can you ask your line manager for alternative duties that don’t involve using a jackhammer?

Has your tinnitus increased as a consequence of the noise at the gym?

What about the possibility of Russians interpreting America's stance with Ukraine as weakness and them forming a pact with China? The Kremlin is being notably quiet about Trump. As the saying goes: "Do not interrupt your enemy while they are making mistakes."

Aren't you Americans worried that Russia will, in turn, come for you?

You had mild tinnitus. Now, due to loud noise exposure, it has progressed to moderate. If you continue to expose yourself to loud noise, expect it to worsen further.

I wonder what Zelenskyy would do differently if he could go back three years in time?

This intrigues me; you habituated to reactive tinnitus? That is tinnitus that continually changes in response to sound. Sorry to hear this. Do you wear any hearing protection outside?

It’s commendable that you recognize this as a mild-to-moderate case. I’d actually say it’s more on the mild side since it’s monotonal (a single sound), and the fact that it comes and goes for days at a time firmly places it in that category. You’ve had it for less than two months and are...

I am amazed your audiologist acknowledged your reactive tinnitus condition. Reactive tinnitus essentially means that you are allergic to sound. By not exposing to sound, you are giving your tinnitus nothing to react to.

I doubt sleep deprivation caused your tinnitus.

Could you please describe your tinnitus, @NickJones48?

Yet another “success” story without any previous “before” posts. Not reading it. Not convinced. There seems to be a trend now—people posting about winning the race without any evidence that the race even happened.

Reactive tinnitus can cause your baseline tinnitus to become louder in response to external sounds. What it’s called is less important than how you manage it. Protect your ears. If Prednisone made your tinnitus worse, I’d be cautious about trying other medications.

Be cautious with hearing tests—many people on the forum have reported their tinnitus worsening because of them. I wouldn’t recommend it. Besides, how would a hearing test help your tinnitus or hyperacusis, other than risking making them worse? As you’ve already learned, hospitals often make...

The medical profession doesn’t view tinnitus as a real problem, mostly because they can’t do anything about it and also because it’s entirely subjective. How are you coping with your job? Are loud noises at school affecting your condition? An ENT won’t be any more helpful than your MRI...

Use ear protection when around your son?

When you say "It is better now", do you mean a reduction of tinnitus noises and/or volume? Or do you mean you are merely feeling better about it and accept it easier?

If you can't handle the answer then I would encourage you to consider if you should be asking the question. You've had a tinnitus worsening. It's the worst thing that can happen to a tinnitus sufferer. That is the bitter truth. This is a commonly used phrase that can have one of two...

When you say you "needed to," what was the motivation? What would have happened had you not 'equalized'?

This poster has never posted before. Sorry but I cannot read this story. I cannot take it seriously.

Check this thread out: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/not-sshl-as-suspected-my-unexpected-hearing-recovery-%E2%80%94-a-two-year-journey-and-the-power-of-the-valsalva-maneuver.55109/#post-718841

Are you able to get medical retirement?

You were doing two things at the same time; this increases the chances of 'accidents.' The process of putting on X5As and removing them is in itself a risk, albeit small. If I could change your action to the following: Before I walked into the room, I stood still. I then devoted my entire...

It is always encouraging to read success stories. They give every sufferer a glimmer of hope. Whenever I come across a success story, the first thing I do is click on the original poster's profile and read their early posts. I am particularly interested in understanding how severe their...

This certainly sounds like a case of going from moderate (and habituated) to severe tinnitus as a consequence of loud noise exposure (at a concert). Reactivity is a bad sign. It means two things: that you can't mask and that you'll be dealing with variable tinnitus. It's a whole new world of...

Just a guess here: It’s possible that the bones in your middle ear weren’t properly aligned, which could have affected their ability to transfer sound to your inner ear. By performing the Valsalva maneuver, you might have forced the tiny bones back into their correct positions, essentially...

The forum that gave you advice and perhaps helped you make better decisions to aid your recovery? It may be that your tinnitus was reacting to your own voice for a while? This is a classic line used frequently by those lucky enough to recover. I think your logic would be true in reverse...

There are a few threads that discuss the dangers of hearing tests. Here is one.