Finally Making Progress — Then a Setback

[Andrei90]

I actually started to believe the success stories around here when my tinnitus began to level off. I could even say it got more quiet because I could sleep witthout any masking noise. My hearing even seemed to improve a bit after 3 weeks of disappointment. Is that even possible? I even went to a party before Christmas where everybody was loud and managed to endure that for a few hours using earplugs. No problem. Then I walked into a bookstore yesterday without any protection. I mean why need one for a bookstore? I was waiting in line to purchase a gift when some stupid kid popped a balloon about 3-5 feet behind me. Yes, I've somehow managed to join this extremely small club on this forum. I apologize for the language but it's beyond frustrating to experience something like this now when I've gone a full 27 years without ever encountering this. Why now? Why after making so much effort to protect myself these last weeks?

While my tinnitus has spiked a bit, my hearing again seems to have diminished some more (at least I think it did).

Could it perhaps be faulty perception? I have no ear fullness or discomfort except for a bit in my right ear. I understand this could be a good thing and might not indicate acoustic trauma. Should I be worried? I still have my prednisone but I don't do well on it. I have no idea what to do.

 

[Kolisar]

Hi @Andrei90 . It could be perception. You are probably hyper focused on it right now (which is understandable), so you may be experiencing things through a pessimistic filter. It could also be stress. Stress is known to cause an increase in tinnitus symptoms. Many here have experienced that. The best thing, for now, is to not worry about it. Try to relax.

There are a number of posts that discuss how important a positive attitude is when one suffers from tinnitus.

@billie48 wrote his success story demonstrating how positivity helped him habituate.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

@Michael Leigh wrote the following, excellent post on the importance of positivity: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/ and the following on negativity and tinnitus
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

They are worth reading. If you search this forum you will find numerous examples of people discussing how a positive attitude helps them.