Healing from Tinnitus / Hyperacusis Is Accelerated Through Silence — My Personal Experience

Discussion in 'Support' started by GBB, Sep 2, 2020.

    1. GBB

      GBB Member Hall of Fame

      Location:
      NYC
      Tinnitus Since:
      2016-2019 (Mild, Cured) 8/2020 (Severe)
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Virus / Microsuction / Acoustic Trauma
      First a bit about me and my tinnitus/hyperacusis.

      I sleep in silence. Every morning since my onset from acoustic trauma 40 days ago, when I get up from bed my tinnitus is at its quietest point in the day. Each week it is getting quieter, the trend is towards recovery, though day to day there are setbacks. It has gone from a piercing tone which I could not endure without gritting my teeth, and sometime genuinely having dark thoughts, to today, where it is a quiet sort of hissing - I can best describe it as sand being poured, though with occasional, harsher "chimes" intermingled. The "chimes" sound like the dying cries of the original tone - whereas before it was continual and unbroken, now it only rears its head for an instant at time. I imagine the noise is slowly being buried in the hissing sand. I would like to believe that the hiss, in time, will also fade into silence, though personally I could live with only the hiss without too much annoyance if it were to stay as is. After what I endured the first 4 weeks, an ultrasonic piercing signal that may have genuinely traumatized me, I thank god for this comparative heaven. I'm not sure how to live life after this, though I'm sure muffs and plugs will be a staple, though that is another topic.

      All of that being said, as I expose myself to more noise each day, part of which induces hyperacusis related pain, the tinnitus ramps up, being "reactive". After particularly noisy days, the tinnitus seems worse the next day, and after silent days, I tend to wake up feeling even less tinnitus than the day before, and more healed. The trend overall is toward less tinnitus/hyperacusis, fortunately, though I am trying to protect myself from sound.

      My point/question is, it feels good to remain in silence and off of conference calls. Progress is also swifter when abstaining from noise. Personally, my decision will be to limit noise, that is already settled, but as I understand it there is a dichotomy between "protecting" and "exposing". Personally as of now, I fall on the protect side, given my experience. This broken leg must heal before it bears weight, in my opinion.

      Because I have had such clear experience, I simply wanted to add my anecdotal account to the heap. I hope this is helpful as another data/reference point to the community.
       
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    2. ShaunR

      ShaunR Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      June 2004
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Concert + Motorbike
      Hi,

      This is the exact method I'm using too. I've made more progress in 3 days over protecting my ears than I did in the 2 months since onset.

      Tinnitus is a none issue for me but the pain for hyperacusis has driven me almost to suicide.

      I now drive with my hyperacusis ear plugged, print docs at work with ear muffs etc.

      Although the pain isn't totally gone it has eased off to a point we're I can currently live again.

      I'm going to maintain this method for a year before starting to reintroduce sounds like road noise etc.

      Like you say you wouldn't walk on a broken leg.

      Shaun.
       
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    3. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      GBB

      GBB Member Hall of Fame

      Location:
      NYC
      Tinnitus Since:
      2016-2019 (Mild, Cured) 8/2020 (Severe)
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Virus / Microsuction / Acoustic Trauma
      Shaun, I wish you the speediest of recoveries. I have very little if any physical pain, but had piercing sound which was so loud it induced nausea and headaches daily; although in that regard I am on the other side of the spectrum, I empathize fully with what you're going through.

      It is probably common knowledge on the forum, but if you are looking for good earmuffs, I recommend the 3M Peltor X5A which are some of the most powerful in terms of noise protection that I have seen offered.
       
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    4. ShaunR

      ShaunR Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      June 2004
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Concert + Motorbike
      I work for an airline so we have top quality ear defenders... Just a shame I didn't wear them when I started ten years ago and was oblivious to engine runs.

      The burning pain and tingling was the maddening symptoms for me but there going... Very very slowly.

      I wish you continued health :)
       
    5. Juan

      Juan Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      08/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Several causes
      I think that's accurate. Hearing needs a long time to stabilise after a noise trauma, and this means spending a lot of time in silence or around sound at low volume.

      The tricky part is getting back on with a normal life, as peak sounds are unpredictable in daily activities.
       
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    6. GaryTH
      Panicky

      GaryTH Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      03/2020
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise exposure, stress, NSAIDS, eabuds, shingles vaccine
      I have yet to find a study that supports this idea that overprotecting your ears lowers your sound tolerance, or increases the severity of hyperacusis. Do any exist?
       
    7. twa
      Busy

      twa Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Location:
      US
      Tinnitus Since:
      2017- mild /Sept. 2020-moderate
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      meds/acoustic trauma
      That's what I'm having a hard time with. My family is loud and it's difficult to know when a loud noise will occur.
       
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    8. weab00
      Gloomy

      weab00 Member Benefactor

      Location:
      nunya
      Tinnitus Since:
      05/2019
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      some good mf music
      Same dude, except add a dog to the equation. Very disheartening since I feel I could’ve improved a whole lot more in the two months since hyperacusis onset if I could live on my own in silence. We gotta find the strength to go on somehow.
       
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    9. dan
      Chatty

      dan Member Hall of Fame

      Location:
      Toronto, Canada
      Tinnitus Since:
      06/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Loud noise
      Nope. Nobody seems to give a flying f*ck.
       
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    10. weab00
      Gloomy

      weab00 Member Benefactor

      Location:
      nunya
      Tinnitus Since:
      05/2019
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      some good mf music
      The don't overprotect advice is actively harming hyperacusis sufferers.
       
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    11. Digital Doc

      Digital Doc Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      2018
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise induced
      Silence at night appears to be important. The ear plugs at night promote this during sleep, and have helped me quite a bit.
       
    12. dan
      Chatty

      dan Member Hall of Fame

      Location:
      Toronto, Canada
      Tinnitus Since:
      06/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Loud noise
    13. Juan

      Juan Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      08/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Several causes
      Family can be challenging if you have bad hyperacusis, but the really dangerous sounds are objectively loud sounds that would bother or damage anyone, like power tools, car horns, sirens and the like.
       
    14. weab00
      Gloomy

      weab00 Member Benefactor

      Location:
      nunya
      Tinnitus Since:
      05/2019
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      some good mf music
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    15. FestivalT
      No Mood

      FestivalT Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      03/2023
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic trauma
      How are you feeling these days @GBB?
       
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