From Darkness to Light, How I Recovered from Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

@jimH Thank you Jim! So it is possible for hyperacusis to go away on it's own? I went yesterday to a sound therapy kind of clinic and spoke to an audiologist and she didn't answer me when I asked if it could clear up on it's own. It made me wonder if they won't admit that because they want me to buy their outrageously expensive equipment ($2000.00 if my insurance won't cover it...still waiting to see what it does cover any of it). I really can't afford something like that even if my insurance covers most of it and I was worried that I would have to live with H forever. It's good to know that it is possible in some situations for H to subside on it's own and I am hoping mine will. Did you do anything to help it along or did it just go away on it's own? I wish you well and take care!

 

Yes, it's definitely possible your H will subside and that it could permanently cease. jjflyman recently posted on his profile page that his H is now also gone:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/members/jjflyman.19808/

In my case it occurred during a horrific four month spike. The worst and longest spike in over 30 years of having T. I did not even know what it was at first. Searching for answers on the internet is when I discovered this forum. I did need to go on an anti-depressant for a few months during that time so that I could eat and sleep. When my T level gradually went down to it's previous base, the H stopped. I'm hoping that your H will also fade and eventually cease....

 

Thanks @jimH ...I hope it does! I have spent so much money this year on Dr appointments, I would love not to spend more on the device they want me to buy. It would be wonderful if it goes away on it's own...keeping my fingers crossed and staying optomistic! Although the past few days I feel as though my tinnitus has gotten louder at times, I am trying to remain positive. When it starts to stress me out, I try not to think about it. It may be what I am eating...things high in salt, dairy, etc. I have read many things we eat can cause it to get worse. I need to have some sort of enjoyment in life so I have been eating what I want lately, but still avoiding caffeine. I miss my coffee! I want to start drinking it again but don't want to make the ringing worse, so haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure I will eventually. I went out for drinks a few times and maybe it made it slightly worse or I just imagined it...but it didn't seem to make too much difference, so maybe the coffee will be ok if I don't over due it. Take care and thank you for your response!

 

I can relate to a lot of what you wrote. Thank you for sharing. For me too going out has become a chore. The noise and distorted sounds bother me so much and it is painful when people are too loud.

 

Hi @aberob...I have decided that life is short and I want to enjoy it again, so I started going out again. I now am drinking coffee and alcohol on occasion and although it may make my T spike at night, I am doing it anyway. When I go to restaurants & bars where it is too loud or there is a band, I definitely use earplugs. I even went to a movie recently and although it wasn't as enjoyable with ear plugs I didn't want to take any chances. My hyperacusis seems to be improving little by little as I expose myself to more noise. It's not as painful to my ears now to go out. Restaurants have become easier for me except when it's really loud. Even sirens have become easier for me to tolerate. I went to NYC last week and it was very loud for me there so I wore ear plugs almost the whole time to be safe. Too many sirens and car horns beeping quite often. I have been wearing my TMJ splint for a few weeks now and My T is quiet and almost silent in the mornings, however, it gets louder as the day goes on. I do feel that inflammation has a lot to do with my T. When I take motrin at night it seems to lessen my T in the mornings as well. Hopefully my quiet mornings mean that I will improve over time. I may hold off on the T and H sound therapy and see if this can start clearing up on it's own, as the therapy is a long process and extremely expensive. I hope things start to improve for you too! Try to stay positive and happy...it has made a huge difference for me. And protect your ears if need be so as not to make your T & H worse. I wish you the best in your recovery!

 

Thank you so much Daisymay. I am really getting down with this T and having difficult nights. I am wondering from all I have read if my TMJ is a root cause. I will bring this up when I see the ENT in Nov. Do you have to wear the splint all the time? Maybe I should try motrin too.

 

@aberob My ringing started from a loud concert in a small venue, however, I believe that my stress and anxiety cause me to clench my teeth more which worsened my TMJ and T. I only wear the splint at night, but it appears to be helping me. I hope that my T will eventually decrease during the day since it is lower in the mornings. As far the motrin goes it does work for me, but I have read on here that it can also cause ringing in the ears, so it was a tough decision for me to start taking it again. I didn't take it for several months after the T started because I was worried I would make my T worse. It does seem to help me though, so I take it here and there, but I usually only take one tablet.

 

Haven't checked this story thread for a while. I hope you are well too with your tinnitus and insomnia. Take good care. God bless.

 

Hi @billie48...I am doing ok. My tinnitus was improving until I stopped wearing my TMJ guard, now it's back to where it was which is upsetting. I have so many health issues....I was wearing it and all of a sudden I got excema on my lips which I think may have to do with an allergy to the plastic that the TMJ guard is made out of. Other things irritate them as well, so not sure. But I have taken a break from it for a few weeks to try and clear it up. I have to admit though that I don't listen for my tinnitus as much as I used to. I hear it now because I turned my TV off. I just try to keep the TV or music on so I don't hear it. My insomnia is good most of the time lately but I still have my bad nights. I'm still trying to keep a positive attitude though throughout it all. Today I spent the whole day at Immediate Care and then getting Cat Scans done, so it never ends with me lol.
I hope you are doing well and thank you for checking on me! Take care

 

Yes I am doing quite well. Thank you @Daisymay. I am living life abundantly regardless of T these days. Will be going on a cruise on one of the biggest cruise ships of the world "Harmony of the Seas" in a week. Looking forward to some real fun and adventure soon. The heck with T. It blasts at me most morning when I wake up but I don't tip toe around it anymore. Finding joy amid the pain and positivity is my new motto in life. Glad to know your insomnia is getting better. The fact that you don't listen to T as much as you used to means that you brain is slowly learning that T is not the mortal threat as it used to be so it doesn't zoom on T anymore. Habibuation is beginning to kick in. You will do just fine. Take care. God bless.

 

Thank you @billie48! So glad you are doing well and finding happiness in spite of your T! I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise...Enjoy!!!

 

Hi @billie48 - You are planning a wonderful trip and here's wishing you and your wife a very enjoyable time. Please tell us all about your cruise aboard "Harmony of the Seas" when you return. I am sure it will be a lot of fun! You are a "winner" in everyone's book and if anyone deserves to have pleasure, it's surely you! Take care and be well.

Sincerely,
Barbara

 

Can anyone tell me what a TMJsplint is??

 

@Mary d I can relate to your experience with contact to pigeon fungus and then getting a mystery virus where you had to have your ears syringed. There are names for this type of mystery virus as you probably searched. Did you say that you got tinnitus after your exposure, but before the syringing?

I had an incompetence nurse syringe my ears after my exposure to pigeon fungus. There was harden white substance in my ears and the procedure was loud. Neck and TMJ problems that you mentioned can also relate to tinnitus which I now have.

You can read my story by placing the word pigeon into search at the top of page. My post is about five down from top. I have never read a cause that relate to myself as yours.

 

A strange thing happened to me to day. I woke up at 4 am with low T.Too early to get up went back to sleep woke up with high T.Went to nice quiet spot in the countryside mediated for half an hour no change.Then I started deep slow breathing and in 10 minutes my T went from 9 to about 1-2.I was amazed.The question is was it the fresh country air, was it the silence, was it the meditation ,was it the deep breathing, was it the slow breathing, a combination of all of them or did it just happen ? I thing I will have to experiment with them individually to come to a conclusion.I hope it is the deep slow breathing because I can easily practice it anywhere.

 

Iam sure, this post must have helped so many. God Bless You...man.

 

It can be due to one or more of those you mentioned. It is a good idea to test out which one or which combination of them will give you the best result. Meditation and deep breathing tends to relax or rest the brain and if your T is due to too much stress/anxiety level, then this will help reduce T. Good luck. God bless.

 

Welcome back @billie48 ! I hope your cruise was wonderful and you had a very enjoyable time. Would you care to tell us a bit about it?

Best wishes,
Barbara

 

@Bobbie7,
Yes it was such a fun time on that huge cruise ship. It is 250,000+ tons, massive. They have so many things going on in the ship, such as non-stop food (all you can eat), dances and programs at the promenade, shows such as 'Columbus', 'Grease', aquatic show, etc., even impersonator show where I laughed so much as the guy was just too funny, and there was ice skating show, many music lounges, so many swimming pools and jacuzzis, gyms, jogging track, awesome top deck for sun bathing, so many water slides, flow riders, zip line, mini golf, basketball,ping pong, even wall climbing, etc., etc. Then there are the shore excursions to Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico with so many heavenly beaches where you can swim or snorkel, or just absorb in with nature and unwind. It was so much fun. T can go to hell. But gosh, so hard to come back to the 'cold' reality of 'polarland' Canada and be again wrapped up in heavy clothing like a cocoon. Lol.

 

Excellent post thank you

 

Thank you very much @billie48. I will experiment and keep you posted.

 

Thanks so much Billie48! I have had T and H since 2001 and this is the first I have ever read of someone’s account of T and H that is very very much like my own experience with extreme loud and high pitched T and the way H makes the T worse! I have found similar relief over time and have actually began again to enjoy listening to music again the last two years. Before that music and any prolonged noise was like having my teeth drilled by the dentist without freezing!
Thanks again!

 

I found this link about neck massage to stop ringing in the ears no idea if ti works or not.http://susangaer.com/studentprojects/earring.htm

 

@billie48
Truly inspirational writing.
I come back to your posts time and time again.
Thank you so much,
Jazzer x

 

Thank you Billie48!

From Darkness to Light is a terrific success story, and clearly of great help to people struggling with tinnitus and hyperacusis. Your approach to recovery is very much like what we do in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It proves that the best strategies draw on age-old wisdom, how to craft thoughts and actions to best face challenges like tinnitus/hyperacusis—to accept, adapt, and conquer. And thanks for being one of a rare breed of people who continue to give back long after they’ve habituated and moved on from their own tinnitus/hyperacusis.

Bravo!

Dr Hubbard

 

Thanks Jazzer. Glad that the post has been helping to you. Keep being positive and calm and try living life as normal and give it time. Take care. God bless.

 

Thank you very much, Dr Hubbard. I am so honored and yet humbled by your kind words. I am merely one among many here on TT trying to help others. You have written a wonderful success story too crediting CBT for saving you from your severe tinnitus. I often refer to it and recommend people to read your excellent post. In fact I have just updated my success story to include a reference to you and your success story in the section dealing with 'Beware of Distorted Thoughts'. Thank you for helping out the suffering members in your column at the Doctor's Corner. Your contribution as a doctor to the TT forum is just so precious. God bless you.

Thanks again,
Billie

 

Thank you for your kind words!

 

Hi Billie:
Your words hit the nail on the head. Everything you've mentioned I've done, and each one was instrumental on my Habituation process. I too am a firm believer that being positive, is a huge asset in getting habituated. I also believe that when you compare your T to other ailments (ie Blindness) you can really put things into perspective, and your mind begins to realize just how minimal your T really is. For example, during my 4th month of my T, I had severe pain in my stomach and had to get an operation. Well, during that whole ordeal, my T took a back seat to my stomach pain, and I realized just how un-important my Tinnitus was in comparison to my stomach pain. Everything is relative, and once you minimize your T and truly believe it is unimportant and not a threat, everything else falls into place, and you truly begin to habituate.

Thank you,
Bishop