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.

 

[Sonia554]

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.

Hi! I'm so sorry you've been going through this for 15 months. I'm just starting month 8 and I really hope it clears up soon. The first six months were hellish, but the last two months I've been making steady progress.

Can I ask what you've tried in terms of treatment? Are you using sound therapy or exposure therapy at all? I don't know if it was my imagination, coincidence, or something else, but I seemed to turn a corner when I started using cuff-style and open-ear earbuds with sound therapy. At first, I used a 10-hour cricket video from Treble Health on YouTube (search for "Treble 10-hour crickets") and set the volume on my phone to the very lowest setting. If I was inside, I had the earbuds in, but not when I was outside. Within two days I started noticing the tone dropping.

At night I slept with my phone next to the pillow, at least a foot away from my head. During the day, I layered the crickets with a soft jazz stream on YouTube. Giving your brain complex sounds to focus on helps reduce its attention on the tinnitus.

I was also practicing quiet exposure. I'd sit in a silent room, turn off the jazz, and pause the crickets. At first, I could only handle a few seconds. Then I worked up to a few minutes. Now I can sit in a quiet room for hours. I still hear the tone, but it doesn't blast me like it used to.

I also take a lot of walks outside. Every two or three hours I go around the block to help my brain learn to prioritize ambient sounds over the tinnitus. I've been doing that since April.

One incident with an AirPod shouldn't result in lifetime tinnitus. Our brains are resilient, but once the alarm system gets activated, it can take a long time to calm down and a fair amount of retraining. Don't give up—you can still fix this.

I eventually stopped using the crickets when the tone started falling and switched to rivers and rain landscapes. I also have a jacket made of water-resistant material that makes crinkly sounds. When I'm sitting on the sofa, I put it over my chest or shoulder by my worse ear and rub my thumbnail on the fabric so I have some background noise without it being too much. At night, I slide my arm under the pillow and gently scratch the pillowcase with my thumb. It creates a soft sound that helps redirect my brain, and when I fall asleep, it naturally stops, leaving me in silence, which is another healthy adjustment.

I know tinnitus is very individual and what works for one person might not work for another, but sound therapy and quiet exposure have been found helpful for many people. Best of all, they're free. You can also look up head and neck exercises for tinnitus—keeping those muscles relaxed is important too.

This is a hellish condition, and it's awful that doctors don't provide more guidance when there are simple therapies available to almost everyone with just a phone and earbuds.

 

[BigdogZ]

I've had this condition for over 30 years. It started with basically exactly what you describe—at first it seemed to stay mostly in the background and was tolerable. After so many years and countless doctor visits, I've finally come to the conclusion that it will never stop for me.

I listened to loud music for many years without realizing it was making my condition worse. Even as I write this, the noise is almost intolerable, and sleeping has become harder to achieve.

If I can make a suggestion, get frequent hearing tests to see if the frequency changes. In loud situations, wear proper protection. At the age of 71, it's been a long haul.

I hope your situation improves.

Sincerely,
W

 

[Yu.3]

Hi! I'm so sorry you've been going through this for 15 months. I'm just starting month 8 and I really hope it clears up soon. The first six months were hellish, but the last two months I've been making steady progress.

Can I ask what you've tried in terms of treatment? Are you using sound therapy or exposure therapy at all? I don't know if it was my imagination, coincidence, or something else, but I seemed to turn a corner when I started using cuff-style and open-ear earbuds with sound therapy. At first, I used a 10-hour cricket video from Treble Health on YouTube (search for "Treble 10-hour crickets") and set the volume on my phone to the very lowest setting. If I was inside, I had the earbuds in, but not when I was outside. Within two days I started noticing the tone dropping.

At night I slept with my phone next to the pillow, at least a foot away from my head. During the day, I layered the crickets with a soft jazz stream on YouTube. Giving your brain complex sounds to focus on helps reduce its attention on the tinnitus.

I was also practicing quiet exposure. I'd sit in a silent room, turn off the jazz, and pause the crickets. At first, I could only handle a few seconds. Then I worked up to a few minutes. Now I can sit in a quiet room for hours. I still hear the tone, but it doesn't blast me like it used to.

I also take a lot of walks outside. Every two or three hours I go around the block to help my brain learn to prioritize ambient sounds over the tinnitus. I've been doing that since April.

One incident with an AirPod shouldn't result in lifetime tinnitus. Our brains are resilient, but once the alarm system gets activated, it can take a long time to calm down and a fair amount of retraining. Don't give up—you can still fix this.

I eventually stopped using the crickets when the tone started falling and switched to rivers and rain landscapes. I also have a jacket made of water-resistant material that makes crinkly sounds. When I'm sitting on the sofa, I put it over my chest or shoulder by my worse ear and rub my thumbnail on the fabric so I have some background noise without it being too much. At night, I slide my arm under the pillow and gently scratch the pillowcase with my thumb. It creates a soft sound that helps redirect my brain, and when I fall asleep, it naturally stops, leaving me in silence, which is another healthy adjustment.

I know tinnitus is very individual and what works for one person might not work for another, but sound therapy and quiet exposure have been found helpful for many people. Best of all, they're free. You can also look up head and neck exercises for tinnitus—keeping those muscles relaxed is important too.

This is a hellish condition, and it's awful that doctors don't provide more guidance when there are simple therapies available to almost everyone with just a phone and earbuds.

At this point, it has been 16 months, and I never imagined that a three-second sound in my AirPods could change my life like this. Every day I wake up not knowing what the day will be like. Around 40 percent of the month my tinnitus is tolerable, but about 60 percent of the time it is more bothersome.

My tinnitus also seems somewhat reactive, and I have some hyperacusis, so environmental sounds on YouTube and elsewhere bother me more than anything else. I admit that I spend most of my days in silence or near silence, and I often use ear protection even at home to soften background sounds.

I have read many testimonies online, but as more time passes, the more I fear I belong to the group of people who do not recover and may actually get worse over time. I do not expect my tinnitus to disappear completely, I would simply like it to lessen. As of today, I have not noticed any significant improvement. I still have good days and hard days, but always in roughly the same proportions. I have not seen an increase in the good days or any real improvement in the difficult ones.

And of course, when I read testimonies from people who say they have been suffering for decades, my mood certainly does not improve.

 

[Sonia554]

At this point, it has been 16 months, and I never imagined that a three-second sound in my AirPods could change my life like this. Every day I wake up not knowing what the day will be like. Around 40 percent of the month my tinnitus is tolerable, but about 60 percent of the time it is more bothersome.

My tinnitus also seems somewhat reactive, and I have some hyperacusis, so environmental sounds on YouTube and elsewhere bother me more than anything else. I admit that I spend most of my days in silence or near silence, and I often use ear protection even at home to soften background sounds.

I have read many testimonies online, but as more time passes, the more I fear I belong to the group of people who do not recover and may actually get worse over time. I do not expect my tinnitus to disappear completely, I would simply like it to lessen. As of today, I have not noticed any significant improvement. I still have good days and hard days, but always in roughly the same proportions. I have not seen an increase in the good days or any real improvement in the difficult ones.

And of course, when I read testimonies from people who say they have been suffering for decades, my mood certainly does not improve.

That's where I am, too. How could fifteen minutes in a furnace room change my life forever? Why didn't I see the danger? Why didn't I make a different choice? Why did I do this to myself? Did I ruin my whole life in fifteen minutes? The guilt, regret, and anger can feel overwhelming. But I try to remind myself of the progress I've already made and the fact that many people with short, one-time exposures go on to full or near full recovery, even after a year.

The chances that either of us will be in the same place a year from now are almost zero. If you look at people who have lived with intrusive tinnitus for many years, hardly any of them got it from a single short exposure. Most are musicians, long-time concertgoers, or people who spent years in loud bars. Many have significant hearing loss, complicating medical conditions, OCD, or high anxiety. Others developed tinnitus from medications or injuries. A lot of them keep re-injuring themselves because they never stop going to loud places. They are not you or me. Their story isn't ours, and their path isn't ours.

I know how real and terrifying the fear of permanency feels. I don't know if I'll ever be okay again. Every morning I wake up and it's still there, it feels like a new disappointment. I've lost weight, I have trouble focusing at work, and this has been the worst thing that has ever happened to me. And the hardest part is knowing I did it to myself. It was completely avoidable.

I wasn't too worried while I was still inside the first six months everyone says are so important, but now that I've passed that point, my concern has definitely grown. Still, if you look at recovery stories, so many of them happen around or after the one-year mark. Time hasn't run out.

 

[MindOverMatter]

At this point, it has been 16 months, and I never imagined that a three-second sound in my AirPods could change my life like this. Every day I wake up not knowing what the day will be like. Around 40 percent of the month my tinnitus is tolerable, but about 60 percent of the time it is more bothersome.

My tinnitus also seems somewhat reactive, and I have some hyperacusis, so environmental sounds on YouTube and elsewhere bother me more than anything else. I admit that I spend most of my days in silence or near silence, and I often use ear protection even at home to soften background sounds.

I have read many testimonies online, but as more time passes, the more I fear I belong to the group of people who do not recover and may actually get worse over time. I do not expect my tinnitus to disappear completely, I would simply like it to lessen. As of today, I have not noticed any significant improvement. I still have good days and hard days, but always in roughly the same proportions. I have not seen an increase in the good days or any real improvement in the difficult ones.

And of course, when I read testimonies from people who say they have been suffering for decades, my mood certainly does not improve.

Stay off those boards, or wherever you're reading those stories, whether it's here or somewhere else. You said it yourself: your mood doesn't improve when you read them. I'd say it actually has the opposite effect.

Make sure you're getting enough auditory input during the day and not staying in complete silence, because that can make you more sensitive in the long run.

Try to avoid harsh artificial sounds on YouTube and similar places, and instead bring more natural soundscapes into your environment if you can.

It can still get better. There is still time. Keep your head up and have faith in better days ahead.

 

[Yu.3]

Stay off those boards, or wherever you're reading those stories, whether it's here or somewhere else. You said it yourself: your mood doesn't improve when you read them. I'd say it actually has the opposite effect.

Make sure you're getting enough auditory input during the day and not staying in complete silence, because that can make you more sensitive in the long run.

Try to avoid harsh artificial sounds on YouTube and similar places, and instead bring more natural soundscapes into your environment if you can.

It can still get better. There is still time. Keep your head up and have faith in better days ahead.

The only thing that keeps me going is the hope that one day I can get better. Whether it happens after two years or three does not matter. That hope is the only thing that keeps me moving forward.

The thought of living like this for the rest of my life because of three seconds of noise in my headphones, not even at maximum volume, feels like far too harsh a punishment, especially considering that I have always been a calm person and a lover of silence. I never abused my ears by going to concerts, working in noisy places, or anything like that.

Right now I simply have decent days and terrible days. If my days were to become all, or mostly, decent—even if I were still in a worse condition than before all this—I would still consider myself healed.

 

[Furetto]

That's where I am, too. How could fifteen minutes in a furnace room change my life forever? Why didn't I see the danger? Why didn't I make a different choice? Why did I do this to myself? Did I ruin my whole life in fifteen minutes? The guilt, regret, and anger can feel overwhelming. But I try to remind myself of the progress I've already made and the fact that many people with short, one-time exposures go on to full or near full recovery, even after a year.

I have exactly the same thoughts as you. I got mine from playing drums for fun one night, and I am not even a musician. It was only the second time in my life that I ever played live with other people. I even helped organize that night by looking for people online.

I keep thinking that if I had just stayed home watching Netflix that night, my life would be normal now.

The chances that either of us will be in the same place a year from now are almost zero. If you look at people who have lived with intrusive tinnitus for many years, hardly any of them got it from a single short exposure. Most are musicians, long-time concertgoers, or people who spent years in loud bars. Many have significant hearing loss, complicating medical conditions, OCD, or high anxiety. Others developed tinnitus from medications or injuries. A lot of them keep re-injuring themselves because they never stop going to loud places. They are not you or me. Their story isn't ours, and their path isn't ours.

This is also something I keep telling myself. I always look at the profile and the cause.

I know how real and terrifying the fear of permanency feels. I don't know if I'll ever be okay again. Every morning I wake up and it's still there, it feels like a new disappointment. I've lost weight, I have trouble focusing at work, and this has been the worst thing that has ever happened to me. And the hardest part is knowing I did it to myself. It was completely avoidable.

Same 100%.

I wasn't too worried while I was still inside the first six months everyone says are so important, but now that I've passed that point, my concern has definitely grown. Still, if you look at recovery stories, so many of them happen around or after the one-year mark. Time hasn't run out.

I interrogate ChatGPT Pro about this all the time. For acoustic trauma, it says that healing is very slow and usually happens within the 12 to 24-month window. I have collected plenty of stories in an Excel file, and I can send it to you. There are even people who recovered after three years.

Another thing that frustrates me is seeing people with much worse symptoms than mine getting relief much faster. However, ChatGPT says this is normal because if your case is more moderate, your system has less motivation to rebalance itself, which makes improvement slower. I am currently 14 months in, and I have not seen any improvements yet.

 

[Sonia554]

Stay off those boards, or wherever you're reading those stories, whether it's here or somewhere else. You said it yourself: your mood doesn't improve when you read them. I'd say it actually has the opposite effect.

Make sure you're getting enough auditory input during the day and not staying in complete silence, because that can make you more sensitive in the long run.

Try to avoid harsh artificial sounds on YouTube and similar places, and instead bring more natural soundscapes into your environment if you can.

It can still get better. There is still time. Keep your head up and have faith in better days ahead.

I concur with @MindOverMatter. Do not read the worst-case scenarios. The vast majority of people improve. Not everyone finds complete resolution, but most discover that their tinnitus becomes non-bothersome over time. You experienced a minor exposure. Your nervous system is probably on high alert, but I think it is highly unlikely that you have severe and permanent damage.

I have exactly the same thoughts as you. I got mine from playing drums for fun one night, and I am not even a musician. It was only the second time in my life that I ever played live with other people. I even helped organize that night by looking for people online.

I keep thinking that if I had just stayed home watching Netflix that night, my life would be normal now.

This is also something I keep telling myself. I always look at the profile and the cause.

Same 100%.

I interrogate ChatGPT Pro about this all the time. For acoustic trauma, it says that healing is very slow and usually happens within the 12 to 24-month window. I have collected plenty of stories in an Excel file, and I can send it to you. There are even people who recovered after three years.

Another thing that frustrates me is seeing people with much worse symptoms than mine getting relief much faster. However, ChatGPT says this is normal because if your case is more moderate, your system has less motivation to rebalance itself, which makes improvement slower. I am currently 14 months in, and I have not seen any improvements yet.

I know exactly what you mean. My dad developed tinnitus from using an air hammer in the garage, which is a much more intense exposure, and he recovered fully within a few weeks. Meanwhile, here I am seven months later. I am very similar to my dad when it comes to health issues, so I am left wondering why he recovered so quickly while my own progress has been much slower.

In a big way, though, it is comforting to know that people with much more severe exposures have still recovered. Someone here shared a study on soldiers who were exposed to cannon fire, extreme gunfire, and blasts. Almost all of them recovered before they were discharged. Another study looked at people over the age of 70 with severe hearing loss, and many of them reported that their tinnitus improved over the first year or two. This shows how adaptable the brain is, and that adaptability remains even as you age.

I truly believe that the vast majority of people with tinnitus either improve to the point where they hardly notice it anymore or recover fully. Reading through posts here, it seems like only a very small group report persistently severe symptoms over long periods of time. Most people are still in the early stages, very afraid, but very likely to recover. I have had bouts with tinnitus in the past and always recovered, although never as prolonged as what I am dealing with this time.

I would love to see your file of recovery stories. That is really what I joined this forum for. I was hoping to connect with people who still believe in their own recovery and want to share their progress. The doom-and-gloom "it never gets better" posts are the ones I try to avoid. They are not helpful for people who are still in the healing process. I am seeing progress, and I am not ready to give up hope for my recovery.

 

[Yu.3]

I concur with @MindOverMatter. Do not read the worst-case scenarios. The vast majority of people improve. Not everyone finds complete resolution, but most discover that their tinnitus becomes non-bothersome over time. You experienced a minor exposure. Your nervous system is probably on high alert, but I think it is highly unlikely that you have severe and permanent damage.

I know exactly what you mean. My dad developed tinnitus from using an air hammer in the garage, which is a much more intense exposure, and he recovered fully within a few weeks. Meanwhile, here I am seven months later. I am very similar to my dad when it comes to health issues, so I am left wondering why he recovered so quickly while my own progress has been much slower.

In a big way, though, it is comforting to know that people with much more severe exposures have still recovered. Someone here shared a study on soldiers who were exposed to cannon fire, extreme gunfire, and blasts. Almost all of them recovered before they were discharged. Another study looked at people over the age of 70 with severe hearing loss, and many of them reported that their tinnitus improved over the first year or two. This shows how adaptable the brain is, and that adaptability remains even as you age.

I truly believe that the vast majority of people with tinnitus either improve to the point where they hardly notice it anymore or recover fully. Reading through posts here, it seems like only a very small group report persistently severe symptoms over long periods of time. Most people are still in the early stages, very afraid, but very likely to recover. I have had bouts with tinnitus in the past and always recovered, although never as prolonged as what I am dealing with this time.

I would love to see your file of recovery stories. That is really what I joined this forum for. I was hoping to connect with people who still believe in their own recovery and want to share their progress. The doom-and-gloom "it never gets better" posts are the ones I try to avoid. They are not helpful for people who are still in the healing process. I am seeing progress, and I am not ready to give up hope for my recovery.

Reading posts like this is good for the heart. Still, I am always a little scared when I have to hear certain sounds, like at the dentist. Over the last 16 months, I have avoided most sounds. You could say I have spent about 90% of my time in silence. But of course, sometimes you are forced to deal with sudden noise, and every time it happens, I am terrified it might make my situation worse. That thought makes life very hard.

It is not just the tinnitus that is the problem, but also the fear of new acoustic trauma. I honestly do not understand how a sound, like a small explosion suddenly blasting in my headphones during a Twitch stream, could have caused me all this damage. It feels like my nervous system just short-circuited. Some people recover in days or weeks, and I am still here after 16 months. I only hope that my recovery is simply much slower.

I always hope that one day this will just be a bad memory. People around me hear the worst kinds of noise, and they do not even care.

 

[Sonia554]

Reading posts like this is good for the heart. Still, I am always a little scared when I have to hear certain sounds, like at the dentist. Over the last 16 months, I have avoided most sounds. You could say I have spent about 90% of my time in silence. But of course, sometimes you are forced to deal with sudden noise, and every time it happens, I am terrified it might make my situation worse. That thought makes life very hard.

It is not just the tinnitus that is the problem, but also the fear of new acoustic trauma. I honestly do not understand how a sound, like a small explosion suddenly blasting in my headphones during a Twitch stream, could have caused me all this damage. It feels like my nervous system just short-circuited. Some people recover in days or weeks, and I am still here after 16 months. I only hope that my recovery is simply much slower.

I always hope that one day this will just be a bad memory. People around me hear the worst kinds of noise, and they do not even care.

I think the fear of sound and staying in silence may be holding back your progress. If all you give your brain to focus on is tinnitus, then tinnitus is all you will hear. Try doing the opposite of what you have been doing. Instead of spending long periods in extreme silence with only occasional sound, try soft background sound with occasional silence.

Start small. Sit by an open window in the morning or evening. Turn on the TV and leave the volume very low, just enough to break the silence. I even use a coat made from crinkly material—holding it under my worse ear and rubbing it with my thumb. Sometimes I take it to bed with me. Go for walks outside. If a loud noise happens, that is okay. Very few sounds are truly loud enough to harm you.

Remember that fear and anxiety can create real physical effects. You may want to try meditation, yoga, or calming exercises. At night when I get into bed, I go through each muscle group, relaxing one by one. I breathe deeply and let the tension go, almost as if I am sinking into the bed. I am always surprised by how much tension I carry without realizing it.

During the day, when I start to worry or feel afraid, I sing a silly song. Camptown Races is my current favorite. It helps lift my mood, gets serotonin flowing, and takes my mind off tinnitus so my brain has a chance to forget it. I also try to manifest wellness. I tell myself, "Yes, it is definitely fading. It will go away. I am better than I was two months ago, and two months from now I will be better than I am today. This is not my forever, it is just my right now."

I made a big mistake seven months ago and I am still paying for it, but I believe that by this time next year things will be much better. I do not think either of us has permanent damage. We shocked our systems, and it will take time for them to settle. Most people who get tinnitus do not have it forever.

 

[cwell]

I have been dealing with constant, intrusive tinnitus for almost six years, which I believe was caused by benzodiazepine withdrawal along with significant age-related hearing loss.

A week ago, I got new state-of-the-art hearing aids, and they have made a huge improvement in both my hearing and my tinnitus. I have worn hearing aids for more than ten years, but these new ones have made a big difference. Now I hear everything more clearly, and the sounds of daily life help to mask the tinnitus.

I am hopeful that once I am fully used to the new aids, the tinnitus will continue to remain in the background.

 

[delta784]

I have been dealing with constant, intrusive tinnitus for almost six years, which I believe was caused by benzodiazepine withdrawal along with significant age-related hearing loss.

A week ago, I got new state-of-the-art hearing aids, and they have made a huge improvement in both my hearing and my tinnitus. I have worn hearing aids for more than ten years, but these new ones have made a big difference. Now I hear everything more clearly, and the sounds of daily life help to mask the tinnitus.

I am hopeful that once I am fully used to the new aids, the tinnitus will continue to remain in the background.

How long did you use benzos for?