15 Months of Tinnitus with No Improvement, Except for Occasional Good Days in a Row

[Yu.3]

Hi everyone,

It has been 15 months since I developed tinnitus from acoustic trauma while using AirPods. It is a high-pitched noise in my head with two or three different tones. My hearing tests are fine, but I suspect I have lost some ultra-high frequencies in my left ear. Sometimes I notice a hiss or slight distortion with certain high-pitched external sounds.

I usually have about 10 bad days a month, and the rest are good or at least manageable. On the good days, I still hear it, but it does not bother me much. If every day were like that, I would consider myself recovered. Sleep seems to affect it, and I never know how I will feel in the morning.

The thing is, after 15 months, my situation is basically the same. There has been no real improvement. Sometimes I will get four good days in a row and think I am making progress, but then a bad day always follows. I have never made it to five good days straight.

I read all kinds of stories online. Some people say having several good days is a great sign, while others say they have been stuck like this for decades. That is what scares me, the thought that I might never get better. On bad days, the ringing is so loud that I cannot get used to it. I only adapt when it is softer.

15 months is a long time, and I am slowly starting to lose hope. I would be happy if the bad days simply became less frequent over time. Early on, I believed things would improve, but now, with no real change, I am worried that in another three to nine months I will still be in the same place. I told myself I would give it up to three years, based on what I have read, but the closer I get to that limit, the harder it is to stay positive.

 

[MindOverMatter]

If you have ten bad days a month, meaning two-thirds of your days each month are good or at least manageable, I believe you should focus on the positive side rather than on what you cannot control.

You have something here to be happy about, and something to build on for the future. Down the road, I would say there is a good chance that if you can accept and let go of the thought, this is me for now, those ten bad days could become even fewer.

We also tend to forget how things really were, and our minds make us think everything was so perfect before. If only…

In any case, while it may not completely go away, habituation is possible with time and the right steps.

 

[Yu.3]

If you have ten bad days a month, meaning two-thirds of your days each month are good or at least manageable, I believe you should focus on the positive side rather than on what you cannot control.

You have something here to be happy about, and something to build on for the future. Down the road, I would say there is a good chance that if you can accept and let go of the thought, this is me for now, those ten bad days could become even fewer.

We also tend to forget how things really were, and our minds make us think everything was so perfect before. If only…

In any case, while it may not completely go away, habituation is possible with time and the right steps.

Honestly, when I'm having good days, I get hopeful—like, "Okay, maybe I am getting better." But then a bad day comes along and it's like all those good days never even happened. Like today—it's rough, even though I just had four good days back-to-back.

I'm not really expecting to be totally cured. For me, just cutting down the bad days, or at least making them less bad, would already feel like a win. On my good days, I still hear the ringing, but it's quieter, so I can deal with it. The bad days are the real killer.

I'm 42, and I read that when tinnitus shows up later in life, it can take longer to get better compared to when you're younger. It's been 15 months now. I'm grateful for the good days—they let me live pretty normally. But the bad ones… yeah, they really knock me down.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

I'm 42, and I read that when tinnitus shows up later in life, it can take longer to get better compared to when you're younger. It's been 15 months now. I'm grateful for the good days—they let me live pretty normally. But the bad ones… yeah, they really knock me down.

I turned 46 this summer, and I know how you feel. My tinnitus started nearly five years ago and has followed a very similar pattern. Although the pitch has grown louder over the years, I have mostly accepted it and just deal with it in the moment. Bad days are just that, but we get through them.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I'm 42, and I read that when tinnitus shows up later in life, it can take longer to get better compared to when you're younger. It's been 15 months now. I'm grateful for the good days—they let me live pretty normally. But the bad ones… yeah, they really knock me down.

I completely understand where you are coming from.

I am around your age as well, although I had stable tinnitus since 2004, which I was 100 percent habituated to. Things took a major turn about 15 years later. But here I am now, in a much better state than I was in 2019 and 2020.

I am about five years down the road since my habituated tinnitus changed to multitone, unstable tinnitus that is reactive and sound sensitive. It has taken a lot of time and effort to get to where I am now. I live a normal life. I just got back from vacation, which included two plane rides, a train, a bus, a boat, and more, and I was okay.

Still, every day cannot be good, now or ever, and I came to terms with that a long time ago. This is a non-linear process, and there will be spikes, setbacks, and so on. I have had many of them, and some have lasted up to six months at their worst. Now, however, setbacks usually do not last as long, unless I have pushed myself too far.

My tinnitus, along with its reactive component, is by no means gone, and it never will be. But this is my life now, and I cannot change that. What I can do is make the best of it and still enjoy the things I like.

I am far less negatively attached to it, and my response patterns are different from what they used to be. Spikes and setbacks are still difficult, but I now know that, as long as I do not do anything unwise, they are temporary.

Remembering all the good days you have had and still have can help. It supports the rewiring of the brain and reassures your mind that you are safe, which can help break the fight-or-flight loop.

 

[Yu.3]

What is certain in my case is that sleep seems to have a big effect on my tinnitus. I still cannot figure out the logic behind it, as it feels completely random, though maybe it is not. After every time I sleep, my tinnitus basically resets, and it can go from totally manageable to completely unbearable.

It seems to be the only thing that really affects it.

I looked over the charts I made about my tinnitus, and I need to correct myself. I probably have about 50 percent of the days in a month that are good or okay, and the other 50 percent are almost bad or bad. It is not just 10 bad days, but more like at least 15. Not all of those 15 are truly awful, but some are almost awful.

 

[Mark F.]

I completely understand where you are coming from.

I am around your age as well, although I had stable tinnitus since 2004, which I was 100 percent habituated to. Things took a major turn about 15 years later. But here I am now, in a much better state than I was in 2019 and 2020.

I am about five years down the road since my habituated tinnitus changed to multitone, unstable tinnitus that is reactive and sound sensitive. It has taken a lot of time and effort to get to where I am now. I live a normal life. I just got back from vacation, which included two plane rides, a train, a bus, a boat, and more, and I was okay.

Still, every day cannot be good, now or ever, and I came to terms with that a long time ago. This is a non-linear process, and there will be spikes, setbacks, and so on. I have had many of them, and some have lasted up to six months at their worst. Now, however, setbacks usually do not last as long, unless I have pushed myself too far.

My tinnitus, along with its reactive component, is by no means gone, and it never will be. But this is my life now, and I cannot change that. What I can do is make the best of it and still enjoy the things I like.

I am far less negatively attached to it, and my response patterns are different from what they used to be. Spikes and setbacks are still difficult, but I now know that, as long as I do not do anything unwise, they are temporary.

Remembering all the good days you have had and still have can help. It supports the rewiring of the brain and reassures your mind that you are safe, which can help break the fight-or-flight loop.

Thank you for your posts. You have a great attitude!

 

[momus]

I think one needs to have patience with tinnitus. Believe me, I had none at first, and I was pretty scared. That was more than 30 years ago. Of course, I still have tinnitus — that is usually how it goes. I like to be outside as much as possible, as ambient sounds tend to cover it up. I assume you are using other sounds to help mask your tinnitus. Things do get better, either through acclimation or a decrease in the tinnitus, and that improvement lasts for as long as it lasts.

 

[Yu.3]

I think one needs to have patience with tinnitus. Believe me, I had none at first, and I was pretty scared. That was more than 30 years ago. Of course, I still have tinnitus — that is usually how it goes. I like to be outside as much as possible, as ambient sounds tend to cover it up. I assume you are using other sounds to help mask your tinnitus. Things do get better, either through acclimation or a decrease in the tinnitus, and that improvement lasts for as long as it lasts.

I hope it becomes more manageable with time and that I can forget about it more often. I do not expect it to stop completely, only to lower in volume a little and for my habituation to improve.