Better Days...

Today represents around the 7 month mark of my tinnitus relapse.

I still notice my tinnitus when I wake up in the morning and I still notice it when I go to sleep at night but it doesn't elicit a reaction as frequently as before. However, I have not missed a nights sleep in over two months, so I count that as a success.

The biggest issue for me is the sound sensitivity of my right ear. It cannot handle noise exposure to which I speculate in the higher frequency range where I have hearing loss...that is between 12k and 14k band. I had a through evaluation with a tinnitus expert and told it's most likely a form of hyperaccusis. My LDL's are around 80db, I can handle shocks like car alarms and noise doesn't feel loud. The only issue is that my right ear gets very sore after prolonged exposure and the tinnitus tends to wind up and increase in pitch. I am still waiting to hear the result of my evaluation in regards to a treatment, neuromonics has been suggested.

Moving closer to work has made things markedly better for me. No longer spending 30 minutes each way in the car has meant my tinnitus and ear pain doesn't happen as frequently as before. I am still wearing ear plugs, but only when driving for a duration longer than 10 minutes. I have stopped wearing them outside and even drive the short distance to and from work without too many issues.

My tinnitus still varies from day to day. Some days it hisses, some days the pitch increases, but I do have a better handle on that now. In actual fact my base line tinnitus really doesn't bother me too much.

All I need to happen is the sound sensitivity to go away and I will be back to 100%! This is the part that is taking the longest to improve, but I am believing that this year is my year of recovery!