Can Someone Please Explain This? Sudden and Unexpected Improvement in Tinnitus and Hyperacusis

So, for the first 5 months of having tinnitus I almost always had a very quiet constant tone a about 1.1 kHz and a slightly higher frequency tone in the left ear that is hard to hear even with my ear plugged.

Then there is the high frequency dog whistle sound that's almost so high it's not even a sound but a sensation in my brain. This one really fluctuates harshly and feels like a sorta burning electrical zap. I also have slight hyperacusis that is triggered by doors shutting, gates slamming, etc.

I was feeling really good taking high doses of curcumin and at night my tinnitus seemed to disappear altogether. Then 3 and a half weeks ago I went to this Church I was invited to and the PA's were very very loud and I could feel my ears hurting so I left. I began to experience a bad spike in the high frequency electrical tinnitus. It screwed my sleep patterns and made me depressed and I stopped running, exercising, and other stuff.

Then about a week later, I was exposed to leaf blowers and lawnmowers for about 10 minutes and the high frequency electrical tinnitus increased 3-5 fold. I could hear it over everything and alcohol wouldn't quiet it and it started to even sound like sand being poured over a metal surface or an idling jet engine 24/7.

That lasted about 3 weeks. I woke up this morning and it was all almost gone except the base tones that are very quiet in comparison and I have to plug my ears to hear it. My hyperacusis, completely gone. The high frequency zap, is a tiny almost non-existent nothing. I can hear clearly and distinguish multiple sounds and speech simultaneously which for the last 3 weeks was very difficult?

Can anyone explain this?

 

That's awesome!! I have the electrical feel in my brain too. I honestly think it might be more connected to hyperacusis? IDK. This is all still a mystery to me. I hope this continues for you!!!

 

Seems like a bad spike that just took a little while for it to go back to baseline. This is good news. I highly suggest you start taking low doses of curcumin again along with other supplements that have the potential to protect again NIHL.

 

I've been taking NAC regularly but it now has brown flecks in the capsule and it's been bothering my tummy when I take it first thing in the am. What's up with that???

 

I'm starting to think hyperacusis and the high pitch electrical noise/feeling is the nerves and the constant tone is dead hair cells.

 

Mine behaved exactly the same. Very mild for 4 months with fluctuations (changed ears, different tones, a new buzzing in the head), then 2 weeks ago started to grow louder to the point where I could hear it while driving in my car without earplugs. I also got this pouring sand over glass/metal sound in the middle of my head.

One week it started subsiding and right now I am basically tinnitus free again. Yesterday I put my earplugs in in my bathroom at work and heard maybe just some slight head noise? But for me that is as good as silence can get. So yeah, try not to worry about it and treat it like random fluctuations and protect your ears in case.

 

This is not the first time we have shared similar experiences.

 

Oh you lucky bastard.

 

I know how lucky I am. And that's why I am so excited for a treatment/cure and donate what I can to research. If my tinnitus stays this low I swear that I make a nice Christmas donation to TinnitusTalk

 

I’m so confused with mine. I can’t tell if mine's mild, moderate or what! It can range from the tiniest tinkling sound that I can hardly hear up to being able to hear it over the car a bit all in the same day! Different sounds different volumes and yes I get the sand head thing as well. I’m almost 5 months in.

 

Tbh I will be surprised if this lasts.

 

What was the dose? What was the brand?

Tinnitus tends to fade for some (most?) people. Your body can sometimes heal itself.

 

Jarrow 95 500mg.
8 grams per day.

 

Thank you! I will try it!

You took 16 pills a day, right? How many times a day were you taking these pills? In other words, were you taking 1 pill 16 times a day, or did you take 16 pills once a day?

 

I would take 8 at a time. Twice a day, breaking them open into some kinda of sauce, and using it on my food luckily curcumin tastes pretty good.

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. I‘d say we have to thank YOU for doing all this work behind the scenes while dealing with this crap condition. I am very grateful for all the things you and the team are doing and pushing forward to a cure, so the least I can do is to donate to the cause. If I can help with anything else let me know.

I am so sorry about your condition, but I really really hope that in the next few years we will have at least something that helps to manage this condition. All this new research at least to my untrained eye looks very promising.

 

I am glad for you.

That was my experience in 2015. Intrusive tones disappearing 100% and only base tones left.

PLEASE avoid loudness from now and dont forget your experience here. It can easily come back (and worse) even years later. Your base tones can also became more audible. I am living proof.

It´s just my advice.

 

I believe it!

 

This is so great to hear that your hyperacusis is completely gone.

Did you test your hearing by audiologist? How about your LDL (loudness discomfort level)?

@JohnAdams

 

Congratulations, and don't let the sad clown posse on this forum ruin it for you

 

But "sad clowns" advices are usefull. I wish I had met a sad clown at the door of the nightclub.

 

No I did not, and I also dont expect it to stay gone unfortunately. I think my nerve damage is on the threshold to the point where sometimes it is okay and other times it isnt.

 

@JohnAdams -- Congratulations on your improvements!--no matter how temporary or permanent they may be. -- You might find the following interesting...

Hyperbaric therapy: who benefits? -- Though its healing potential is vast, only 13 uses are approved. Some local doctors think that should change.

From the above linked article:

Some studies have shown that a patient who undergoes 40 days of hyperbaric oxygen treatments for about one hour each day ends up with eight times as many stem cells circulating through the body.

 

@JohnAdams What was the dosage? Did you take it with fat..? For how long did you take it?

 

3 weeks. Food, mayonaise, butter, or whatever.

 

The brand of curcumin might be more important than we think. I've read that adulterated spices (including turmeric and curcumin) are a problem worldwide. Apparently in India, lead is sometimes used to enhance the color of Turmeric/Curcumin to fetch a higher price. And it appers some of these products make it to the outside world. Below is an article from "Public Health Reports" on this problem...

Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States

"...Today, adulteration of turmeric with lead chromate, which is vibrant yellow, is a concern in India and Bangladesh. In this commentary, we summarize a growing body of evidence indicating that turmeric containing excessive concentrations of lead is available for purchase in US grocery stores and that childhood lead-poisoning cases attributable to consumption of contaminated turmeric have occurred in the United States..."

 

Great

 

Why did you stop? Any side effects? (Except from turning yellow)

 

I am glad for your recovery! I don't understand why are you negative about it... How do you know you have nerve damage in the first place... maybe your tinnitus was caused by stress or medication as I see you are also not very sure in the profile.

Please keep us posted, cheers!