Has Anyone's Tinnitus Ever COMPLETELY Gone Away?

I’m not talking habituation or almost gone. I’m talking dead silence, ears closed and not even a 1% of a sound or static, in a silent room. Pretty much back to where it once was.

I’ve read success stories and during this month that my tinnitus started, I found out quite a few people I know have tinnitus as well. I haven’t seen one person who had tinnitus and that it vanished.

Is it possible?

 

My mild unilateral tinnitus went completely away but it took a couple years. Sat in many silent rooms and heard nothing - let my ears really expand and open up, still heard nothing. It’s a great way to decompress.

Now I have severe bilateral tinnitus and am hoping it comes down...

 

I sincerely hope you get to that silence again man.

 

I think it depends on the root course.

I heard quite a lot of stories when after an acoustic trauma ringing subsided in couple of days, even in a week.

I have a friend who had unilateral tinnitus which went away in the acute phase, after 2,5 months, but it was due to an ear infection. Hers never got back and she hears total silence.

In the chronic stage, with bilateral tinnitus, I think, chances are not so good for us.

 

GBB, I'm trying to gather info from people who got tinnitus after wax removal (mines was from syringing).

I noticed from this study that there might be a high recovery rate even though it can it a long time:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...tus_resulting_from_cerumen_removal_procedures

How mild was your tinnitus? Could you hear it outdoors?

What do you mean by unilateral. When I hold my right ear closed, I can hear the high pitched noise coming out of my right ear (but not when I do that to the left). However, I when I normally hear my tinnitus, it sounds centered. Do you know if mines counts as unilateral?

When yours went silent, did it happen gradually?

I read in another thread you mentioning you had mild H from this too. Did that also take years to go down?

 

Hi, the first time my tinnitus was just from a loud noise - some weights clattering at the gym. By unilateral I mean it was very localized to my right ear - no head noise or left ear noise. This I could not hear outdoors, and yes, it went away gradually.

Yours sounds unilateral to me.

My severe bilateral tinnitus is clearly localized to both ears happened as a result of microsuction. This I can often hear outdoors depending on the day. If crickets are chirping I can’t really hear it. In silence it is extremely loud. It has gone up and down - no clear trend for two months. It seems easily spiked by very benign things hence not sure if it will heal.

 

@donotringatme

Yes. My bilateral tinnitus went away completely after about two years. So there is definitely hope. Three years later it came back in my left ear following very mild hearing loss at one tone in that ear. MD thinks I got a virus in my ear. Can only imagine how devastated I was. It’s been about six months now with no change. Then a month after this started, I developed bilateral, fluctuating, high pitched tinnitus in both ears but more predominately in my right ear. I suspect it’s high frequency hearing loss probably due to age but not measured on a typical audiogram. Per my ENT, you lose 1/2 of a percent of your hair cells for every year that you age. Getting older stinks.

I have little expectation of it improving but you never know, and I am managing ok for now. I pray it does not get worse.

 

That sucks, I hope you manage to recover completely again. I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you have ETD? Confirmed ETD by an ENT?

 

@donotringatme,

It’s interesting you ask about eustachian tube dysfunction. If you’re referencing back when I originally got tinnitus in 2015, no, ETD was never brought up. But I did have fluid in both ears and had a lot of pain and pressure bilaterally, which they attributed to the fluid. I should say that a few days before the ringing started I had attended a very loud AC/DC concert without earplugs. Never had any clue of the damage we were doing to our hearing when we went to these concerts. My hearing at the time however, tested completely normal.

Presently, one of the things that I experience predominately in my left ear is a lot of pain and pressure. Quite frankly I think it’s worse than the ringing.

I was absolutely convinced that I had fluid in my ears again, but alas, my ear was fine. I know that aural fullness can come with hearing loss but my ENT said my hearing loss is so mild he can’t imagine that has anything to do with that. He’s more inclined to agree that there’s something malfunctioning with my eustachian tube or it is TMJ related. I’m a clencher and boy I feel it when I wake up in the morning. I have found that my nasal antihistamine and a steroid spray has helped with that pain and pressure in my ear a lot. My ENT also told me they can’t really see your eustachian tubes so they don’t really know if it’s the cause or not. It’s more deductive reasoning.

I hope we both improve soon.

 

Allow me to make an assumption with confidence that you never had acoustic trauma and the concert didn’t do anything more than stress your already stressed eardrum. It is ETD that’s causing it all. I have it and pretty much everyone else who shows no hearing loss and tinnitus.

The only test available in my country is tympanometry and supposedly it’s all you need. It uses a microscope in the ear canal and will find if fluid is present, it will measure middle ear pressure as well by testing the eardrum. Checking the ET is also possible with a micro camera tube that goes through the nose up to its opening. It can check for sinuses, inflammation etc. Mine was totally clear yet my middle ear pressure is double the outer and my eardrum was slightly inflamed. ENT can also check the condition of the eardrum for its color, presence of scar tissue and angle, he can take an image too if you insist. Have those tests done.

I used to clench, I have TMD and I am positive that this is all because of muscle tension and poor mechanics in the face and neck that creeped up slowly. I was testing my neck and jaw posture, finally found one (that I can only keep for seconds) which completely cleared my ET (no gluey clicks anymore) and tinnitus was pretty much gone momentarily. I also assure you that this pressure issue we all had for months before tinnitus knocked on our door, especially those who had earwax buildup. Check your neck too.

I have an appointment with a TMD doctor - finally after 5 weeks - next Friday and I’ll report back.

 

Please do. I’m interested in your findings as I believe there is something going around this year causing this.

There was an article out about COVID-19 causing some tinnitus a few months ago. I’m wondering how many unknown tinnitus cases this year are caused by mild unknown “asymptotic” COVID-19 carriers.

 

Some general findings I hope they help you:

“There are three main theories behind why problems with the jaw joint may cause tinnitus, or make it worse. Firstly, the chewing muscles are near to some of the muscles that insert into the middle ear and so may have an effect on hearing, and so may promote tinnitus. Secondly, there can be a direct connection between the ligaments that attach to the jaw and one of the hearing bones that sits in the middle ear. Thirdly, the nerve supply from the jaw joint has been shown to have connections with the parts of the brain that are involved with both hearing and the interpretation of sound.

The jaw joint can be overloaded if your teeth are the wrong shape or out of position, even slightly. Jaw joint problems are common in people with missing teeth and when the teeth don’t fit together properly. If you suffer from tinnitus it can be an idea to make sure that your jaw joint is working properly. A dentist can make you a removable individual bite tester to wear and if this takes the tinnitus away, treatment can be carried out to improve your bite and keep the noise away permanently. Treatments may include reshaping or replacing teeth, braces or a bite guard.”

I’ll update the other thread in a week.

 

I had typewriter tinnitus which went away after I stopped chewing gum.

 

Can you describe what exactly typewriter tinnitus is like?

I had an ear surgery to remove an osteoma. After surgery I developed intermittent clicking in my ear. Dr said it would likely go away and I’ve seen others mention ear clicking being temporary after surgery. However, it’s be a year since the surgery at the end of this month and mine has never gone away.

Some days it may only happen a few times. On my worst days it’s hundreds of times a day. I can’t tell if it’s tinnitus, muscular like stapes, or ETD related. It can be maddening.

 

@donotringatme,

I should clarify that just after my tinnitus returned in April, I had a hearing test. This test showed that I had mild hearing loss at one tone in my left ear at a low frequency. It also showed some loss at a higher frequency but it was not in the mild hearing loss range. It was still considered normal but it was lower than I tested in 2015. They do not believe it is conductive hearing loss but rather sensorineural. Unfortunately.

Interestingly, in February I had to get a crown upper left molar. So I had a temporary crown put on in February and the permanent crown put on in early March. My ENT suggested I see the dentist to ensure that my bite was fine. I went back to the dentist and they had to file the tooth down because my bite was off and I was hitting it too much. They have tested my bite several times and believe that my bite is fine with this crown. However, the tooth is bulkier (Wider) than my natural tooth because it’s porcelain around steel to reinforce it for strength. I always wondered if that had anything to do with my tinnitus and pressure in my left ear. But since I also have a hearing loss I don’t think so. And despite having to thenhave a root canal on that same tooth in May, it still hurts.

@cpmcmah,

I read one study where 13% of people surveyed who had COVID-19 reported hearing loss and for many, it resulted in tinnitus. Some had their hearing come back and some did not.

 

@cpmcmah I’m in a dilemma where I’m not sure if my tinnitus was caused by COVID-19 or loud noise exposure... or the combination of both. I had very mild COVID-19 symptoms... but my ringing appeared 1 month later after a really loud alarm went off... I too want more info about COVID-19 causing tinnitus.

 

Typewriter tinnitus is a staccato sound of clicking noises, much like the sound a typewriter makes. In many cases it is caused by a blood vessel impinging on a cranial nerve and is either treatable or can go away on its own.

 

Do you feel a sensation with the clicking or anything. Mine often feels like my ear has a movement of some kind, but the sound doesn’t seem to be objective. I’ve tried recording my ear with my phone to see. If it was objective I’d think more that it was the stapedius.

The osteoma removal actually decompressed the cochleovestibular nerve so I wouldn’t expect it to cause typewriter tinnitus, but here I am with this clicking in the ear since then.

 

I had a breakthrough, will update the other thread @Forever hopeful.

Anyone with ETD should check it out. It isn’t a cure but you’ll know what you have. Treatments I suppose can range from splints to tongue rehabilitation to medication.

 

I don't know anyone personally, but a musician I follow on Twitter, Juliana Hatfield, recently tweeted that her had gone away after quite some time.

 

I didn’t feel a sensation with mine, just noise.

 

Can't it be MEM, especially stapedial myoclonus? The clicking does sound like it.

I am yet to find a method to diagnose MEM, all the doctors I asked was either dismissive or said that basically I could have my ear muscles cut and if the sound stops, that's my answer of the diagnosis, but I don't have the more typical thumping/clicking sound.

 

I haven’t looked into that. Thanks for the suggestion. I do have TTTS thumping.

Yeah, trying to get help is frustrating hopeless it seems. My surgeon/ENT just seems dismissive and somewhat defensive whenever I’ve brought it up with him. I think he’s worried I’ll try to sue him or something. I just want it to stop.

 

I don't know about your location, but Dr. Bance in the UK seems to be a somewhat expert on the issue. For me, he is far away, especially in COVID-19 times, but he offers teleconsultation, which I don't have the money for.

TTTS is I think one form of MEM.

I'm worried to have surgery because I fear that without stapedial reflex, my inner ear would be even more exposed to loud sounds, but I got told, that the role of the reflexes in the ear are overrated and it's ambiguous what role they really play. I'm indecisive.

(I am not sure whether it's allowed to recommend doctors here, I got the recommendation in a Facebook group, so if it's against the rules, please let me know and delete the comment. Thank you.)

 

I’m in the US in Ohio. I don’t have the money for a video visit either unfortunately.

 

Yes.

 

It's known that tinnitus can vanish for those with tinnitus after a year with stress deduction or a physical problem was corrected / healed. Loudness and amount of hearing loss are weighing factors.

 

What about salicylic acid applied topically in the scalp daily in doses higher than normal and without washing it off for some time? It is stated that it can penetrate the skin but doesn’t really say it causes tinnitus, unlike the oral form. But it is said tinnitus can begin via activation of cochlear NMDA receptors. Do you know more about this? They say stopping it leads to recovery.

 

Certain people on here make it seem like tinnitus never goes away completely. I get so discouraged. Like this is hard enough to deal with! I really need to get out of this bad dream. Serial killers, child molesters, and rapist deserve this torment.

 

I've had no silence for 30 years. Please do not wish ill on others.