7 Months On, I'm In a Better Place

Hey guys.

I'm 28 and have been reading this forum on and off since I got tinnitus.

Around July last year I woke up with loud ringing in my ear around an 8. Not totally sure why, I'd been on a loud night out but had also jammed an earbud (q tip) too far into my ear the previous day. My theory is I damaged the eardrum with the earbud and then later on in a very loud pub did the worst thing and stood next to a speaker....

Anyway after a day the ringing had gone, like loads of other nights out. What became clear was I had Lost my hearing in that ear - the left one (down to 20%) which lasted for about a month until I the ringing returned. My hearing improved in that ear but after multiple hearing tests I have permanent lost around 30% of my hearing)

Since all this, I did the standard stuff -

- panic (I'm naturally a concerned person with health stuff)

- mask the hell out of it

- felt depressed that the consistent whine - the volume was always between 6-10 - was never going to leave

Your reaction to tinnitus has a massive effect. Whenever I was stressed it increased dramatically. Around 6 weeks after I had this, I went on a lads holiday in the US for 2 weeks. It didn't go but it taught me that if you distract yourself it can go into the background.

Unfortunately when I returned my long term girlfriends father was admitted to hospital and after 4 weeks passed away. This caused my tinnitus to rocket again as it was an awful time.

Since then, very slowly, it has been improving. The tone has shifted to a white noise, almost subtle electrical sound. Volume is around 0-3 and only ever gets to a 4/5 if I've been to a loud play and quickly calms after that.

Things that have helped me:

- don't mask it when you sleep. To begin with that is hell, but over time being in silence with it is be best way to help your brain adjust and get used to it. I always had noises in the quiet as everyone does, but although louder now, I react as I used to it. Genuinely the best thing I did getting rid of the fan/nature sounds

- ice pack your ear when it spikes. I read somewhere that cold can help calm the auditory nerve. Who knows whether this is true - all I know is that it helps calm mine down. Maybe it's distracting.

- accept that it's there. It might not ever go, but that's fine with me now. I would never had said that when it started.

- don't use headphones. I was a regular user at work, I haven't used them since July

- give your ears a rest. I have been out to clubs a few times and own musicians ear plugs. I go to pubs etc regularly and it's fine, I'll have a mini spike (up to 3/4 in volume) but that'll be it. Generally I've been careful of loud places. Life adjustments, obviously I'm still pretty young so like going out etc, but I value my hearing and mental happiness over a random night.

Your perception will change and it will fade. I never thought that would happen and at one point felt completely broken. It seemed impossible. I'm back to myself and have learned to deal with it. It's not perfect but then neither are my knees, that doesn't ruin my life and neither does a buzzing noise Keep your heads up!

 

...did your internet connection die?

 

Typed on my iPhone, finger slipped!

 

thanks for the story, maybe there is hope.

 

There is. I saw that you had mentioned you've had yours for 5 weeks. I can't lie to you, you may be in it for the long run.

But take small changes as big positives. Don't look back and think what it was like, try to adapt and accept that it is with you. Distract yourself as much as you possibly can and mask it if it gets unbearable but don't over do that. The best way I can describe how it improves is it becomes normal. I can hear it now but have no emotional response to it.

I made sure I posted on this forum because I was in your position and remember what it was like, looking for answers and positive news. Try not to read too much of forums, I found them a depressing read and all it did was remind me of my tinnitus. Do the things you enjoy and it'll fade.

 

I thought I'd give an update!

I'm now roughly 14 months into this.

As I posted in February I was doing well and despite some slight ups and downs the tinnitus has reduced significantly further. Also my sensitivity to loud sounds has gone right down, which is great as I commute by train now, something I would never have done a year ago (British trains are old and noisy)

I barely hear the tinnitus now in the day time it is very much something I only hear at night now. The last 2/3 months have been really interesting with a sudden improvement to what was already a manageable level of tinnitus.

I never believed it would go, but now comparing myself to different stages I have to say I think it'll be gone soon enough

 

Thanks for your update, very few people make the effort to report back after their symptoms have improved. Hope your T keeps on fading!
How did this sudden improvement come about? You just woke up one day and it was much lower?

 

No problem at all - the whole experience has had a big effect on my life - at one point it was all-encompassing and this forum was a very good source of encouragement especially this section.

It's difficult to understand or believe until it has begun to fade but I believe this must be the process of habituation. I can still hear my tinnitus if I tune into it but it's effect on my mental state is nothing like it was.

I wouldn't call the improvement "sudden" rather it's part of an ongoing process that feels like any other injury getting better I guess. There's no miracle cure in my eyes (ginkgo, meditation etc) - the simple fact is I have got on with things and over time it has very slowly been pushed to the background. That's the only way I can describe it - at first it was 100% distracting (dial tone loud), then it was there as an annoyance but more like if you were listening to the radio (more like a loud static) Following that the static became softer and quieter with every month that passed - not noticeable day to day or week to week but definately a little less each month if I really thought about t and compared.

Obviously it's not completely gone otherwise I wouldn't be posting here, but I've been thinking recently how much it's improved which reminded me of the forum. It's a good marker for me to put down where I am and if it helps others in anyway to hear good news then great

Best thing is I have managed to go to a nightclub a couple of times and now I regularly watch live football again. Both things I gave up for a period of time - in the case of clubbing I went a full year without it. That sucked but was probably worth it.

 

Hey grecian thats awesome!
thanks for reporting back.
some people improve but never come back to report that they are doing well.
thanks for posting.

 

@grecianmax87 Thank you for all your posts! It is most encouraging to hear about not only the first stages but also the later stages of it fading, as you are reporting here. Would you please come back here and post every month or so, to let us know the further things you notice?

It would be sooooo appreciated to hear your story.

So glad it's working out for you, and thanks for coming back!

(I personally THINK I may be in the "gradually healing" stages you've experienced earlier - but need more time to really assess that. Your post is encouraging.)

 

I can't promise every month but I'll update as and when I feel like it's improved further.

If you feel like it's gradually calming down, keep the faith and try to use the less distracting noise to your advantage and think/do things without tinnitus being "up in your face" so to speak.

I'll also reiterate that my initial 2-3 months of tinnitus was pretty severe so everyone should have hope.

 

Thanks, @grecianmax87 ! And yes, it's not a school assignment! Just let us know how you are from time to time, totally at your covenience!

 

Hello again.

So I'm now around 18 months since the initial tinnitus. Promised to keep people updated as I know lots don't once the tinnitus has faded.

Genuinely now I barely hear it, perhaps once or twice daily before my mind tunes it out. I can just about hear a very quiet static sound right now if I listen hard enough. But yeah, I've zoned it out now.

I've gone from very loud, distracting tinnitus in the first 3/4 months to barely anything. Life back to normal. I go to clubs/bars/sports grounds now with no problem. Do carry my earplugs for the louder events though,

Good luck to everybody, any questions just ask.

 

Hey @grecianmax87 ,

Really appreciate the update! Having your perspective on here really gives me hope, at least that I will be able to continue living a normal life. Earplugs are a good idea. When you go to live sports games, do you wear your plugs? If so, what kind of plugs do you wear? Our fans where I'm from currently have the record for loudest outdoor sports stadium (137 db!) and I want to be protected if I end up at a game.

 

I'm intrigued by which team that is wags?

I don't actually bother with earplugs at sports events now, I did to begin with as I was really cautious but I do think there's a lot to be said for exposure to safe loud sounds if that makes sense. When I first had my tinnitus my ears were extremely sensitive to any loud sound - I remember the first game I went to after the hearing damage - my team won which was hard because it was both enjoyable and painful! That said, my team I watch regularly are relatively small so I'm not sure it's a fair comparison. I do stand in the section where the noise comes from though plus a drummer and whilst it may result in a small bit of whistling afterward for an hour or so, I don't panic as I know it'll settle.

The earplugs I do have are Alpine musician ones you'll find on Amazon. Small, discreet and also very comfortable. They have theee different filters so you can decide on many db you want to block out. I went to a gig the other day (one of the few things I would still do with earplugs) and I chose the strongest filter which was a shame as it blocked too much out. All about seeing what works and what doesn't and not being afraid to walk away from things if it is unbearable. But yeah they're the best earplugs I've tried anyway.

Hope it improves for you.

 

Is this model (MusicSafe Pro)?

 

Yes, those are the ones.

 

Thanks so much for your update! I'm at the 6 month mark now and feeling better about things, but still feel broken and sad sometimes. I don't mask mine because I can't, so I just go to bed listening to it and pretending I live on a farm out in the country with lots of crickets. I also spend an hour or two day just hanging out with my tinnitus in the quiet and like to believe that it helping. Not sure, though. Thanks for the tip on applying an ice pack! I am not looking forward to my next spike, but will definitely pull out an ice pack when one happens.

It's very kind of you to take the time to come back here and leave updates.

 

@Tom Cnyc

Hopeful!

 

No problem at all, tinnitus has definitely been the hardest thing I've had to overcome and I remember reading a lot of these boards for reassurance.

I would say you're doing the right thing "hanging out" with it as you put it. It certainly helped my brain normalise the sound. I saw more progress once I stopped masking.

 

May I know that what kind of medication are you taking? like ginkgo, betaserc or vitamins? Did you avoid any foods to prevent spiking of t? Your situation is really encouraging, i feel my t spikes since yesterday, i will try to use the ice pack.