COVID-19 Shifted My Focus Away from Tinnitus — It's Possible to Habituate to Loud Tinnitus

Hi all,

I wrote my last post about 5 years ago. I'm back to share some interesting things. So I developed noise induced tinnitus in 2015, unfortunately overtime it got worse (from basic everyday city noises like buses, trams etc. I haven't been to a party or a concert).

In September 2021 I had my 3rd permanent spike that led me to a really dark place. My mood hit an absolutely rock bottom (similar to the period when I developed tinnitus for the first time in 2015). Then on top of that in January 2022 I contracted COVID-19. At first I was like... maaan, really? I'm suffering with this sound and now COVID-19? But to my surprise that period was tinnitus wise the most calm period of my last 7 years.

I had only one symptom; chest pain. No fever or anything. I was so focused on the pain that to my surprise my brain completely shifted from my tinnitus. Basically the tinnitus was there, but I had no issue with it. My brain was like... "I have more important things to focus on."

I had symptoms for more than a week and I spent that period in peaceful habituation. It was really interesting. Unfortunately after I came out from COVID-19, my brain shifted back to my tinnitus... but this led me to that conclusion, that it's possible to habituate even with really loud tinnitus (since I had 3 permanent spikes in the last 7 years, I can hear my tinnitus in every waking second, only sounds louder than 70-75 dB can totally mask it. That's why I'm not using masking).

Long story short... our brain is capable to shift from tinnitus, we just need to find how, so don't think that habituation is some witchcraft.

Wish you the best!

 

@Hunszi, amazing. Great news, and very helpful.

Tell me, during this period, when you went to bed and woke up were you much less aware of the tinnitus?

 

Thanks for telling your story.

First there are the phantom sounds themselves. How, why, is there a cure, what makes it better, what makes it worse, etc?

Then there is how we react to it, how we focus on it (or don’t focus on it), how we handle the whole affair. It’s the combination of the sounds and how we react to it that adds up to the total affect on our lives.

My experience and the experience of so many here is tinnitus is no big deal, I wish that was all that this is but the pain, the noxacusis causes the suffering. So in effect the noxacusis distracts us from the tinnitus and makes it insignificant much like COVID-19 did for you. The trick then is to accomplish this without a competing pain element which is what things like Back to Silence do for some.

George

 

I had a similar experience when I was down with COVID-19.

 

Is Back to Silence working for you with noxacusis?

 

It has helped in that I don't fear it. It does not affect normal daily tasks and the lower level of pain that comes with this but I still cannot easily and comfortable record music without pain that forces me to stop. I'm still working on this.

George

 

Sorry to hear this. How long have you had the pain?

 

For about a year before tinnitus showed up, that ear would feel full and dull with a little pain after sleeping on that side or long sessions with headphones recording and mixing music. Tinnitus showed up after a leaf blower hit to that side and over the next couple of weeks i developed hyperacusis and much worse noxacusis. That was in May of 2021. Now normal sound levels give me ear pain.

George

 

Aw man, so you deal with THAT on top of all your other health issues and remain positive???

Wow, you’re a trooper...

 

I must admit the last few years have been a lot, the most I have ever faced but I'll keep pushing forward until my time is up. As I see it there are always options. A way to make things better. Most people that have overcome herculean obstacles had many set backs but they just don't quit looking for solutions. My noxacusis research has lead me to cervical spine/forward head posture/TMJ/ear pain. I'm even doing yoga now. This old dog can still learn new tricks!

I once watched a documentary about this Everest team that hit bad weather on the way up. One of the guys fell through some snow and was dangling at the bottom of the team rope. They had to cut him loose and leave him for dead to save the others. He fell hundreds of feet into a crevasse and broke both his legs. The weather was impossibly bad. When he woke up he could see some light so he clawed his way up and out into the open and then lowered himself thousands of feet in the dark in a blizzard to reach the staging camp that the guys had retreated to. In the middle of the night they heard some noises and went out to find this guy totally jacked up with broken legs, frostbite, unimaginable pain, etc. He survived this ordeal after summoning super human strength and heart to save himself. Some people just don't quit, ever. I read a lot of these stories to remind myself what I am capable of, that we are all capable of.

George

 

That’s nuts lol. Stories like yours and that guy’s keep me going. Getting rough lately...

Wish you well.