I found this web site just this evening as I was searching the web for general information about tinnitus. About two to three weeks ago I started having long episodes of tinnitus. It seems to be triggered by "normal" urban sounds — traffic, power washers, sirens, etc. I've had brief episodes of tinnitus many times in my life since my later 20s or early 30s, but they've never been particularly bothersome. The last few weeks, however, the tinnitus has been very troubling. There have been a few of "quiet" periods of a few hours each, but the current one has been continuing for the 36 hours or so.
I have a history of hyperacusis, which started around 2003. After having an ENT specialist diagnose it (following a "test" to see how much noise I could "tolerate" — and tell me that I'd have to learn to live with it), I managed to find an audiologist who told me that she absolutely could treat it, and she did. I wore "pink noise" generators for about two years, and came away with only occasional, very mild episodes of hyperacusis.
What was most interesting to me was her theory that my hyperacusis resulted from my experiences with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam. I was there for only 37 days before I was seriously wounded, but during that time I experienced incredibly loud sounds of combat. On one occasion I was only a few metres away from a Marine who triggered a "bouncing betty" mine that blew both of his legs off. For long moments I assumed that the world had come to an end. And no one who has not been in combat can imagine how loud modern rifles and machine guns are, not to mention grenades and artillery. Then there were periods when we had to maintain strict silence for hours at a time in hopes that Viet Cong wouldn't become aware of our presence. As a result, the audiologist believed, it became impossible for me to differentiate the volume of sound — everything, even air conditioning sounds in large buildings or ordinary fans — were uncomfortably loud to me.
Following my successful therapy, I applied for VA compensation for hyperacusis, but was turned down despite an eloquent letter from the audiologist. Subsequently, I was diagnosed with combat-related PTSD, which the VA accepted.
I have an appointment in mid-November with the same audiologist. I'm hoping that she can offer some help for my current tinnitus, assuming that it continues.
Bob
P.S. One fascinating detail about my hyperacusis, before it was diagnosed: A few times, when my wife said something to me, I would get an instant replay of her words, in a tiny but clear voice, in my left ear. That really freaked me out.
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