Hello from Clarkesville, Georgia!

Hello. I am new to the forum. Tinnitus started a little over a year go. Got referred to an ENT, and was checked out. Minimal hearing loss (I am almost 60), and little else, in terms of advice and information. A couple of weeks ago, it notched up a bit.

It used to fade easily into the background, but it has gotten louder.

So, my first question is, does it always get worse?

 

Your Tinnitus is probably due to your hearing loss. Unfortunately hearing loss doesn't get better with time (some companies are working on reversing that, but we're not there yet), but it's not uncommon for T to get better.
You may simply be having a spike.

Good luck!

 

it doesn't always get worse. it can stabilize more over time. Mine has taken 3 years to stabilize some. So even though you are already a year in, there is still hope it can stabilize further. Just take care of your hearing in the mean time and try not to make it worse. That could mean some lifestyle changes but its worth it.

 

Thanks!

 

A lot of the time it fades.

Have you been exposed to loud (or even moderate) noises, since the onset of your T? Now that we have T, our ears might have been compromised, so it might be a good idea to protect your ears from the noises that used to be ok back when we were healthy.

 

Yes, my t is nowhere near as loud as it was years ago... It was really loud when it first started

 

@Sam Buice

It all depends what caused the onset of your tinnitus? Since you have been checked out by ENT and there is no underlying medical problem causing the tinnitus it can be difficult to say whether it will get worse or not. You have minimal hearing loss, so this may not be responsible for the tinnitus although HL can cause its onset. In this case a hearing aid/s can help in reducing the noise to a very low level over time.

However, hearing aid/s may not be of help to you since the hearing loss is minimal. My opinion is that your tinnitus didn't just appear out of the blue as something is usually responsible. Exposure to loud noise or using headphones are two of the most common causes of tinnitus. If you are a regular user of headphones or going to places where loud music is played, or working in a noisy environment, any of these things will make the tinnitus worse.

Stress can also cause tinnitus and make it worse. My guess and it's just that, "exposure to sound" has made your tinnitus worse. If you are a regular user of headphones or going to venues where loud music is played this probably caused your tinnitus originally and if you continue this practice, especially using headphones (if these were the cause) the tinnitus will probably get worse.

Please click on the links below and read my post which you might find helpful.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/