6 Months Into Tinnitus — Scared and Anxious After Reading People Not Getting Relief After Years

I'm at the 6 month mark and I was feeling OK last week sort of BUT now I'm freaking out - I've spoken to members here online etc who has said to wait it out BUT then I read so many many many many posts here from people who have had it 4 or 5 years with no reprieve - I'm active, fit, keep healthy, travel etc BUT I'm sort of at the point where I need some real direct and honest advice - opinions on this - PLEASE!!

 

Unfortunately the only advice is to wait. Most people will recover! Just stick to research and success forums.

 

Agreed

 

Thank PDodge - what time period should I be looking at - if you average it out...I know everyonme if different but whats the average time to habituate??

 

I'm 2 years in myself, while I still hate it and have my ups and downs I'm not as bad as the begging. I really would like to give you a clear answer but I can't. Try NOT to be a time frame on it or you will be disappointed I did this and suffered!

 

P dodge - what would you say the biggest difference between how you felt at the begging and now is??? Also at what point did you start to see improvements...

 

I am nearly Three years in now and my T and H is still there and if I'm being honest not improved.
BUT what has improved is I care less about it now...I know there is little I can do and its not going to kill me unless I let it.
It is really a Keep Calm And Carry on kind of deal.
You WILL notice it less as times goes on.
Keep busy and don't spend too much time in places like this...forums are great in teh start to reduce panic but then can be counter-productive later on.
Background noise ( Quiet ) can help a lot if you find something you like. I simply use talk radio or ambient type music - not so much Metalica and GNR these days.
Be calm, be busy and be distracted.
Wishing you a better day T friend !

 

3 years in. loudness is worse but thats because I didn't protect myself enough in the beginning. So make sure to not raise your base line. The good news id my reactive part is better and I care way less about my T. I can hear that baby over a shower but I can still sleep without noise machines and sedatives. So if you don't have a reactive problem, at the very least you won't care about it anymore and live life as before except for going to really loud environment. Just don't make it worse.

 

What things did you do before that you would consider too loud to do now?

 

@coffee_girl
Hmm, well anywhere with loud speakers pretty much. I used to go to a lot of concerts and small venues because I liked a lot of bands but always wore ear plugs, movie theaters, classical theater, Disneyland, airline travel, my electric guitar and piano, just all not possible even with hearing protection right now but maybe in a few years as my T continues to stabilize. If I did those tings, I would get spiked but honestly, after 3 years since onset, I'm not sure what it would do to my baseline. maybe it would be ok, maybe not. I just know in the beginning my baseline was raised very easily and so I just stopped all those activities, protected my self and have preserved my baseline ever since because I didn't want to have trouble sleeping. I used to rarely step food outside. It was just so sensitive. Now I go out daily with out much thought and can hike and creep around quite beautiful cemeteries at least. I might be able to snowboard still. Haven't tried yet. I've been debating if I should go to midnight mass this year as it would be the first time since onset. It sure would be nice to go.

Does anything ever spike your tinnitus or raise your baseline besides the new puppy? I recall yours being pretty stable but what, if anything, is too loud for you now?

 

It can improve but it takes a lot of time. Maybe it will not decrease 100% but if one day tinnitus reduces its volume you will feel relief. Take care and avoid loud noise.

 

Thanks for the response! The only thing that spikes me are very loud sounds sustained over a period of time. All things that I avoid completely. I used to not wear plugs when I vacuum, but for some reason (possibly due to this forum)... I wear it now. My puppy barking I'm not sure yet if it's good or bad, luckily she barks within a regular schedule so that I can plot my escape ahead of time. =)

I guess everyone is different, I don't go to the movies at all, but still wish to do so at times

 

Did you have a noise exposure prior to having T? Or were you taking any meds?

 

For some it will get better and for others worse. I have permanent H and T.

 

From my research and my own personal struggle with tinnitus&hyperacusis two times in my life. I can offer this time line:

The majority of tinnitus resolves itself in 6-24 months, however, it can take 3 years or more.
Mt first time it took almost 2 years, but it did fade to zero.
This time, it has been 26 months, and is about 90%+ faded.
Both times my tinnitus was acoustic trauma.
I am 59 years old, so it probably takes longer for me then somebody younger.
This is just my opinion and what happen to me, I know everyone is different

 

Next year will be 2 years in for me and it has not faded. I dont think age has to do with anything but the extent of damage.

 

I've just gone past the one year mark, I'm starting to shift my hope onto an actual cure coming rather than it going away. Some days its easy to deal with, others not easy. I'm trying not to think to deeply about it because its out of my control now. I'm really positive about the scientific progress we are making just frustrated with how they drag things out.

Was very strange that the end of the 1st w/war coincided with my anniversary, it definitely seemed to make me put things into perspective. Quite ironic, weird, strange to think about.

 

The sound is more tolerable and I kind of know its patterns. I have days where it's pretty inaudable

I hope I can make it there

 

32 years now since my mid twenties and here I am middle of the night cup of tea and on the web ,,couldnt take it in bed tonight maskers were driving me nuts as well,.................. this is an absoloute torturous disease

 

The tinnitus fades very slow. There won't be a magic day you wake up and it's gone overnight. What will happen is you will make it through the first year, and you will notice it is getting better. Then there will be times when you're busy you don't notice it. After a while you will start to wake up and it will be pretty quiet. Then you slowly get your life back, and start doing things again. It may take 6 months, it may take 3 years, but it will soon fade away enough to where it is mostly a non issue. Then maybe some day you notice that it has faded away to nothing.

This is what happened to me, and what happens to a majority of acoustic trauma tinnitus.

 

I read but may not be recalling correctly, but acoustic trauma was the cause of about 50% of T suffers. And for recovery, the anecdotal results was that ~70% of sufferers get over their T in that 6-24/36 month period.

Certainly, take care of yourself, give your brain a chance to heal and reorganize, and hope for the best. But time is necessary.

Good luck!

 

Random but I wonder how many people suffered from t and h after WOI

 

Have tinnitus (and severe hearing loss) for around 18 years. First 2 years were extreme nightmare After that I somewhat habituated, but only after around 4 years I felt great relief when it almost didnt bothered me at all. Now after 18 years I am around 98% of time not aware of my tinnitus, although it is still in my head. I am 41 years old now.

Much bigger problem for me is hearing loss, which is not possible to habituate for obvius practical everyday social reasons.

p.s.

This is my new TT account. First one was Ervin64, but for unknown reason I am not able to log in.