Hello, I‘m Jiri and This Is My Story (Bad Tinnitus 5 Weeks In) Help, Please.

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Jiri, Dec 1, 2017.

    1. Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      Hello everyone,

      I’m new to this forum but I like it a lot already so I thought I’d say hello to all of you and share my story here.

      I used bullet points for ease of orientation & to mark when and where I think the trauma has occurred.
      • I first noticed a slight ringing in my right ear after I went to a Judo class, where I did a handstand, my left arm gave in and I fell on the back of my c. spine. We did countless front rolls before that. I remember it must’ve not been so bad back then as I was still able to focus on working on my assignments and sleep no prob. This was towards the end of October.
      I was used to working in complete silence to be able to focus, the same goes for sleeping.
      • I started to notice my Tinnitus in the r. ear a lot more on the 4. Nov. 2017. It was right after a B-day party when one girl shouted something into my right ear. As you can imagine, there was a pretty loud music in the club too.
      A small side note: I was a full-time postgrad student and employed full-t. at the same time, pulling in 40 – 50 hours a week to survive in London. Lost 7 kg within the first 2 to 3 months. It was tough – all work and no play for me. I returned back home mid Oct to save some money and finish my dissertation in peace (the irony) so that I can get a good grade. Meeting my friends in our favourite undergrad club after all this time, and celebrate my B-day there ‚sounded‘ like a great idea.

      Right the next week Mon I went to see our local ENT doc. He looked into my ears, found nothing, measured my hearing (audiometry) – that was fine, prescribed to me Betahistine 16 mg 2x a day and said he is looking forward to his retirement in Feb. 2018. That was it.
      • The next I would say 2 weeks were still very tolerable – I was able to sleep and I had a date with a lovely girl (my classmate). There was of course no better place like going to the cinema to see an action movie. I did have some ringing back then in my r. ear but I bought some good quality ear plugs and thought it’ll be ok (a bad mistake). Little did I know.
      • I was told later that week by a neurologist to go straight to a rehab and specifically to see this one chiropractor who happened to be a M.D. as well. He was supposed to be the best. They both thought the ringing was caused by a cervical spine damage from Judo (particularly a pinched nerve and/or arteria vertebralis). I highly doubt that now. They used some device on me – it looked like some variation of a small jackhammer that produces shock waves. The therapy is called extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). I was told it’ll relax my trapezius muscles and that it works. Anybody with a tinnitus please don’t undergo this procedure! I could feel my inner ear and the whole head vibrate, not to mention the loudness. Again, the doc. said it’ll help and that I have a good chance of recovery after that.

      Last week beginning Tue 21. Nov. is when my nightmare truly started. Just the worst. At first it was a really bothersome ringing in my r. ear. that kept changing in frequency. Then it got a lot louder and high-pitched. In addition, I could feel a new sensation – a high-pitched frequency sound right in the centre of my head that got and gets sometimes louder then my r. ear ringing. I could not sleep at all. I only passed out usually at 5 a.m. or even 7 a.m. out of pure exhaustion (sitting on the side of my bed usually). Not to mention that I am now way behind with my dissertation and I had to take a break in my studies because I simply cannot focus anymore. It was driving me insane to the point I was considering doing something really stupid ☹

      Then it got miraculously better for 2 days. One day I even felt like it went away completely – so strange. I went to sleep normally without any pills and enjoyed the peace.

      The ringing is now back unfortunately stronger than ever. Yesterday night I noticed that in addition to my r. ear ringing and the oscillating sound in my head, my left ‘healthy ear’ started to make a humming noise as well. It feels I can almost hear 3 different sounds now. I fell prey to panic, it’s very loud in my head, desperate, and my anxiety is going through the roof. Super scared over here and I can’t sleep again.

      I understand there is a 3 to 6 months window period when it may get better. I also understand my ears are damaged now. All I know is I could never habituate to all the noises as they are now. It’s much too bad. It’d be my end.

      I wrote an essay, I’m sorry for that. It did keep me a little distracted from all the noise for a while. If you made it all the way here – thank you. I appreciate the time you took.

      A BIG QUESTION: Does anyone have any idea what that high-pitched tone in my head could be?? It does not sound like your “standard” tinnitus. It sounds more like a broken circuit signal right in the centre of my head that keeps disconnecting and reconnecting. It gets very loud, oscillating and it’s a high-pitched whistle! I can feel it drown out the tinnitus ringing in the both of my ears. What the heck is that?? I feel like I have some brain nerve damage on top of this all (MRI of my head was ok tho).

      It kind of sounds like this, from 0:00 – 0:04
      High Pitch Oscillating Squeak
      Just higher in pitch.

      Any statistics, facts or personal advice/experience that would help me at least get rid of all the anxiety now and gave hope for better tomorrows again, would be highly appreciated!

      All the best wishes,

      Jiri

      P.S.:
      Promise: If I survive this and my T. subsides or goes away by some miracle, I will not be the one who just disappears after 3 months mark. Every new positive bit of info I find, I’ll share on this forum 100%.​
       
      • Hug Hug x 6
    2. fishbone
      Shitfaced

      fishbone Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      1988
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      loud noise and very bad sickness
      You are not the only one, to feel the way you are feeling. All of us, feel odd, scared ,annoyed and hurt when tinnitus comes into our lives. It is a tough ordeal and many do not know how to deal with it.

      My formula for tinnitus is this:

      Time + Support+ Distraction

      All of these are crucial for one to manage their tinnitus and start living their lives.

      Time = It will take time, to adjust and learn coping skills

      Support = Seek it, talk it out, share your feelings

      Distraction = This is in my opinion, the biggest one. DO something and don't constantly think about your ringing. Many people that just got tinnitus, will monitor and think about their tinnitus. I did it too, no one is perfect. Distract yourself and try to NOT think about that noise. Do something that is safe and try to enjoy yourself.

      It takes time, but you can cope and live your life :)
       
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    3. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      Hello fishbone,

      Just one thing. I certainly don't want to come across as a cry baby. I fully realise there are a lot of people with this terrible condition and from the bottom of my hearth I feel sorry for every one of you. If there is anything I can do to make things a bit better for someone else, I'll do it. Always have.

      All I'm saying is I had a really tough last year which proly contributed to my t., I hear different sounds screaming in my head 24/7, and I haven't slept for 2 weeks now. If someone doesn't feel sorry - that's fine. People where I live are mostly uptight, stressed and pessimistic. I see it all the time. So perhaps all I really want is some hope and a bit of positive thinking. If someone can throw in a piece of advice, or interesting stats than that's awesome! Cuz right now I'm scared s***less as I'm behind with everything and my life has just literally turned upside down.

      On that note, thank you very much for your formula. Much appreciated and I'll give it a shot.
       
      • Hug Hug x 2
    4. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      You are most likely to get better sometime between month 1 and the end of month 6. You can give up hope that it won't get better only after about 2 years.
      The volume and pitch of T tends to change in such a way that it is easier to ignore. This happens in most cases. It is especially likely to happen in your case, as your T hasn't been at relentlessly the same volume and pitch.

      But please try to protect your ears from even moderate noises like that of a blender or a hair dryer. You might want to do that for at least a year, to give your body a chance to recover.
       
      • Helpful Helpful x 2
    5. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      Back when I was in that acute stage, amitriptyline helped me sleep. It is non-addictive and it didn't make me feel drowsy in the morning.
       
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    6. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      You have already seen the studies on https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
      right?

      I wish I could give you a source for my statement about most people's T gradually changing for the better. I came to believe this after talking to many people on this forum, and reading the posts on this forum for the past 9 months.
       
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    7. Greg Sacramento

      Greg Sacramento Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Syringing + Somatic tinnitus from dental work
      @Jiri You may have muscle stress hyperextension of neck, a form of whiplash that consist of a blow (not a jerking motion) to your c spine. You neck muscles were probably tensed from the rolls. Statistics show that 80% of the time with conventional trauma such as this, recovery is within 90 days. Your doctor probably didn't order a MRI on both neck and head because he did a visual and touch protocol and deem MRIs not necessary. Hopefully he asked about any vision or balance problems.

      No hearing loss is good, but your DCN dorsal cochlear network is on standby. So be careful with noise - not to bring reaction from bundles of nerves behind the ears. Use correct neck posture and sleep with a small pillow under your neck for support. Use warm compresses for a few minutes 3 or 4 times a day. Stay in touch and communicate back whenever needed.
       
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    8. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      Hi Bill and Greg!

      It's always great to hear from the both of you :)

      Here I am at 3:34 am again, waiting for my body to just shut down and begin installing updates.

      @Bill Bauer Always helpful and what a great piece of advice. I will definitelly try out the Amitriptyline, thank u!

      You might not believe it but I read that thread every. single. day. No joke. Stats, evidence, science - powerful tools. As a matter of fact, it was the first thing I read that made me feel relieved and I signed up to this forum right after.

      If what you said is true, than there is hope (and that is massive). I never knew before something like tinnitus even existed. I only thought you can go deaf or worsen your hearing in a super loud gig. I'd slap myself now.

      I worry now mostly that my tinnitus was caused by a cumulative damage hence the 4 bullet points. To my understanding that is the worst case scenario. London itself is a pretty hectic and loud place (Piccadilly tube line being a prime example). Bar tending in my last 3 months of my stay there probably didn't help much either...

      With regards to my ear protection, I guess I now officially have phonophobia. Loud sounds scare me and I'm wearing ear plugs -32 dB wherever I go (I'm aware it's no good to 'overprotect' like that). Can't help it.

      @Greg Sacramento I understand you have a degree in anatomy and physiology, correct?

      What you stated makes perfect sense and now I'm thinking my problem could very well be a combo of both a neck injury and an acoustic trauma. I will look more into it. I have a scheduled meeting with an orthopedist on Monday.

      I did have a head MRI scan last Fri. With all what's going on with me right now it's surprising they didn't find anything. Hoping they didn't do a sloppy job and overlooked smth. A neck MRI scan would surely be great but I don't think I'll get one. It's the Czech. Rep. docs here prefer to radiate people.

      And a again, perfect advice I will follow + new hope! Thank you.

      You guys are my new heroes now.
       
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    9. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      Thank you for your kind words. I signed up for this forum in order to make that first post in the "Stats" thread. Those studies gave me hope in the early, bad days (when I would weep uncontrollably multiple times a day, every day; before that time, I never cried as an adult).
      I learned about T years before I got T. I learned about it after reading this blog post
      https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/adventures-in-the-land-of-illness
      I was horrified that conditions like that were possible. Unfortunately for me, Sam Harris (the author of that blog) got his T out of the blue (as opposed to getting it as a result of an acoustic trauma). After reading that blog post, I was under the impression that there was nothing one could do to prevent T. I wish I were to spend more time looking into this - I might have spared myself my acoustic trauma...
      Initially I had been suffering from H. After I began protecting my ears (e.g., I wear ear plugs when I walk on the sidewalk near a busy road where trucks and motorcycles sometimes accelerate), my H got better and was eventually gone. I would watch movies with the volume set to medium, while not wearing ear plugs - so some minimum exposure to noise is all you need to ensure that your H doesn't get worse.
       
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    10. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      One last thing. Yesterday my tinnitus was so bad that I packed my things and rushed to the hospital A&E. I just couldn't take it no more. They didn't admit me but I got an injection of Solumedrol 125 mg i.v. and now I'm going to be on a course of all this:

      Medrol (methylprednisolonum) 16 mg tbl. 3-2-0, 3-1-0, 2-1-0, 2-0-0, 1-0-0 every 2 days.

      Betahistin Actavis 24 mg 1-1-1

      Lansoprazolum 30 mg 1-0-0

      Vitamin B1 and B12

      Xanax 0,25 mg 0-0-1

      And I'm putting together a battle plan to fight this condition. Coming up soon. Will keep you all updated.

      There's no backing down just yet. The fight's on.
       
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    11. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      From now on, whenever a doctor offers to prescribe anything to you (for any medical condition), ask the doctor to ensure that what he or she is prescribing to you is not ototoxic. Also, use
      http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf
      to ensure that the drug the doctor prescribes is actually not ototoxic (and has low risk of causing T). It appears that none of the drugs you mentioned in your last post are ototoxic, with the exception of Xanax. Xanax is tricky - it is my understanding that it (and other "benzos") provides temporary relief to many T sufferers (one of the few things that can actually lower the volume). Search this forum for more threads on Xanax to determine if it is right for you. It is definitely supposed to be addictive. I would take it only if amitryptiline were to not be effective.

      Note that just because a drug is on that list, does not Necessarily mean that you shouldn't take it. Amitriptyline is actually on the list (for some reason it is misspelled as Amitryptiline). If you search scholar.google.com, you will see that Amitriptyline has actually been used to treat T. It is a common pattern - any drug that helps a fraction of T sufferers was also noted to make T worse for a smaller group of sufferers.

      You can try to take a smaller dose of a drug than the one you have been prescribed, and then raise the dose slowly, but at least one person I know tried this approach and Still got a spike in his T (possibly the spike would have been worse had it been caused by an even larger dose).

      On this forum, I read horror stories of people getting a permanent increase in T after just one dose. Of course these cases are rare. But still it looks like from now on it makes sense to take drugs only when you are absolutely sure that you need to take those drugs.

      Check out
      https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/xanax/tinnitus/
      (you can get this information for any drug XXXX by using URL
      https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/XXXX/tinnitus/ )

      Note that 0.81% is the fraction of everyone who had reported getting side effects after taking Xanax who listed T as one of the side effects. The real risk is given by 686 (the number of people who complained about getting T as a side effect) divided by the total number of people who took Xanax. The real risk ought to be much lower than 0.81%.

      The most interesting piece of information found at the URL above is that close to 90% of the people who got T after taking Xanax, were taking it for longer than a month. So taking Xanax for less than a month is probably not too unsafe.

      It looks like all 50 people who got T after taking amitriptyline took it for longer than 2 years.
      https://www.ehealthme.com/ds/amitriptyline-hydrochloride/tinnitus/
       
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    12. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      I have definitely heard of ototoxity and am very well aware of it. It was a ENT A&E in a good hospital. The doctor insisted that I take the medc in this exact order. I think I even asked her specifically, and later my GP in an email, if these drugs could be ototoxic in this combo. The answer was 'no'.

      I don't think I have here other choice but to use these meds in this exact order.

      I saw other people urging others on here to get on a course of Prednisone asap. Medrol is a form of Prednisone - it's a corticosteroid.

      I hear you tho. Xanax and other benzoz are known to worsen T. in some people. However, as you correctly stated those cases are mostly rare.

      Mayo Clinic i.e. even recommends it on its website with regards to tinnitus treatment:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350162

      Just keep your fingers crossed for me that this combo will actually help, and that it may become another option for others like us.

      The websites look awesome btw. Will check them out tmrrw for sure.

      Now I'm off to hit the sheets, let's see if I can get a wink of sleep tnight. 5 a.m. here
       
      • Like Like x 1
    13. Greg Sacramento

      Greg Sacramento Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Syringing + Somatic tinnitus from dental work
      @Jiri If your neck injury came before the ringing, then that's what caused your acoustic trauma. Hopefully all will turn out well. My neck is responsible for my somatic T. With that @Bill Bauer - I answered your mail. My T is ringing very hard tonight.
       
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    14. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      You meant to say that his neck injury is the reason for his T, right?
       
    15. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      A quick update: Woke up with some form of a gastroenteritis (just my luck). I think it also should be noted that I'm coeliac (gluten intolerant). Went to see an internist and apparently it's still fine to take all the pills.

      @Greg Sacramento It kind of did, yes. However, it wasn't something very noticable and like I said, I could work, sleep, everything no prob until the 30th Oct. 4th Nov is when I definitelly noticed it's there after the party viz my 1st post.

      And I'm sorry about your T ringing hard. I can feel your pain. Hopefully, it'll subside soon.

      @Bill Bauer Just checked out the brochure and the links. Great stuff! I like it a lot, thanks.
       
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    16. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      This is what happened today, I had a mental breakdown earlier on as I couldn't stand the noise anymore. As a matter of fact, I started to hear a new sound and couldn't tell if it's me hallucinating or the laptop making the noise..

      A couple hours later, I was just very exhausted from not sleeping in weeks and constantly listening to all these squeals... I'm sure my anxiety levels over 9000 contributed a big time to amplifying these sounds.

      Out of desperation I ended up in a mental house in the evening. It was my last resort, ready for everything.

      Long story short, talked to the psychiatrist and got an injection of something to calm me down. It worked amazingly.

      I ofc asked him about the ototoxicity and benzos making the tinnitus worse and all that. You know what he said? Don't go on the internet. These drugs are here for a good reason and while it's true that in some individuals they may worsen the condition (which is true for every drug, side effects etc.) in a vast majority of cases - they will help. His explanation was that a lot of people are already very anxious and stressed out about their t., so they take a pill, there's no immediate effect so they freak out even more causing the tinnitus to get worse. That makes sense.

      As of now I'm sedated so I'm looking forward to a desired goooood nice looong sleep. Yay! And guess what I can still feel the t. but it's changed it's frequency and it's more like a low-pitched humming now. Not bothersome.

      I got two more antidepressants to be taking daily (1-0-0 and 1-1-1-2) and was reassured by both the psychiatrist and a pharmacist that they're not ototoxic and won't worsen my t. in a combination with the other medications I have.

      I understand now for my body to be able to recover I need to calm down pronto. When stressed and in pain the longed-for miracle ain't likely to happen. Then the other medc from ENT will have the chance to make a change.

      Bottom line is, don't read horror stories on the internet, find a medical specialist, doublecheck with a pharmacist too and trust their advice.

      Do yourself a favour and read this thread if you haven't done so already: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-medications-are-usually-given-for-tinnitus-patients.22836/
       
      • Hug Hug x 1
    17. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      I am sorry about all of the suffering that you have been enduring.

      It is likely that the lack of sleep had contributed to your T getting louder and not improving. Hopefully you will get to feel a lot better several weeks after your sleep is normalized.

      I disagree with you regarding reading the horror stories. I think these stories help me to avoid the mistakes made by others. Having said that, I can see how reading those stories is counterproductive if one has a panic attack as a result of the stories.
       
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    18. jjflyman

      jjflyman Member

      Location:
      Michigan, USA
      Tinnitus Since:
      09/2016
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise (Concert)
      Listen, there are people who's T is permanent, But for the VAST majority, T from acoustic trauma is temporary, and resolves itself in time (usually within 2 years) Your T will most likely fade away over time. I've had T from acoustic trauma 2 times in my life, once 12 years ago (screaming loud) it faded to ZERO in just under 2 years. I am 14 months in a second bout with screaming loud T from a concert, it has faded over 80% so far.
      FYI I'm in my late 50's so it might take longer, but even at my age my ears can heal. Time is your ally. protect your ears from now on
       
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    19. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      @Bill Bauer Thanks for the kind words. It makes sense to read those stories to learn from others mistakes. You said it yourself tho. Some drugs are know to worsen tinnitus but it's rare.
      Therefore it's important imo to check with the doctor you trust and then with the pharmacist too (they're the true experts on drugs).

      I did suffer from depression and sleep deprivivation before, had a couple of bad panic attacks too. Let's just say it was a little too much for me to handle at that time (gang stabbings where I lived, rent, mortgage, other bills, putting food on the table, heavy lifting type of job - shait pay ofc lol, uni assignments, dissertation + can't really miss classes, constantly worried about my old grandparents - I ain't got no one else... etc.) Then you get this tinnitus and your world is in shambles. I feel like a magnet to problems. Again, I can handle a lot but you get the idea, when you can't focus on anything anymore, are in pain and can't sleep... for how long can one keep going like that.

      So reading internet horror stories is a big no no for me. I see a problem I want to attack it and solve it.

      Just so you get a better picture this is what I was hearing that got me to the mental house: It's at 0:34 (lower the volume a little)
      Tinnitus - What does Tinnitus sound like?...


      On the bright side of thing, the drugs I'm now on seemed to have helped. I am a lot calmer now and so is my T. I'm taking the drugs prescribed from both the ENT & Psychiatrist, and hoping for the best.

      @Bill Bauer @Greg Sacramento
      On that note, guys I trully trust your opinion now. Just give me the hard truth what are the odds that things will get better with me and that I'll eventually beat this condition, and maybe, one beautiful day get rid of t. completely. I'm in my second month now. Cumulative d. I know everybody would like this, I just want to know your honest opinion.

      .........................................
      @jjflyman You have no idea how much reading your post lifted my mood just now. Just no idea. I have to congratulate you on the success and am sincerely happy for you that you beat that torture 2x. It goes to show that nerves do have the capabilty of recovering themselves, it may just take a little longer. Or perhaps the brain is just trying to override certain protocols so that it can function normally again. Big thumbs for you JJ

       
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    20. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      My guess is that of those whose T does not go away, at least two thirds have their T fade (compared to what they heard during the initial months).

      According to studies about seniors in that Stats thread, about a quarter of seniors (median age of around 65) report not having T (when followed up between a year and five years after filling out the initial survey). Recall that one's odds of recovery diminish with age. I believe for younger people over 50% recovered after a year (it might have been closer to 70%, which was reflected in the title of the thread). Thus, I think the chance of recovering is between 25% and 50% (or 70%).

      Have you experienced any improvement compared to how you felt during the first two weeks after onset?
       
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    21. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      Please ignore my question regarding you improving. Try to match your current level of T to some sound that you will be able to reproduce later on. Then see whether there is any improvements after a month or two. If there you notice an improvement, it will be a really good sign.
       
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    22. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      Isn't that 'fading away' thing just getting habituated to it? Or does it really fade away? If mine doesn't go away completely I'd just like to be able to get in under control so it doesn't bother me anymore and I can get back to living a normal life. I wish this was my case since I had multiple trauma in a short p. of time: judo injury, loud club & cinema.

      I'm now also on a course of two antidepressants (at least I can sleep now) Brintellix 5mg (vortioxetinum) and Rivotril (Clonazepamum). Checked them both in the brochure and they shouldn't be ototoxic or known to worsen the t.

      What concerns me now is this video, and in particulare @ 2:00 mark
      Tinnitus Treatment - Causes and treatment of...


      If what they say is true, then it's the brain responsible for the t. activity and not so much the damaged hairs inside cochlea. Which in words of private Hudson means: "Game over, man. Game over."
       
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    23. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      No.

      As for the video, I agree that if one's T is relentlessly at the same volume level and pitch for a year or two, then it is likely that it is permanent at that point. Otherwise, there is still some hope. Keep in mind the concept of "brain plasticity"...
       
      • Optimistic Optimistic x 1
    24. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      Ok, one more thing. I went to see the orthopedist today. He checked my x-ray and saw that I have a narrower cervical spine canal. Anamnesis: after c. spine distortion. After all these weeks I'll have to start wearing a c. collar now.

      At uni I learned we lose our brain plasticity at the age of 9, at least when it comes to learning foreign languages. Then the learning changes from implicit to explicit. More on Steven Crashen's theory: The comprehensible input.
       
      • Hug Hug x 1
    25. Greg Sacramento

      Greg Sacramento Member Benefactor Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2011
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Syringing + Somatic tinnitus from dental work
      @Jiri You appear to be young under 40, so you probably don't have any progressive degenerative diseases or conditions in your your spine from waist to the stem cell of your head.

      That's a plus.

      Not sure it you were somewhat inactive before you decided to do judo on that day. Either you had tensed or tight neck and back muscles before your judo that included rolls with a downward fall or the fall itself caused head, neck and shoulder trauma. 80% of the time, without degenerative conditions, any physical problems will heal.

      That will also help with T resolving.

      Loud noise is a problem because of your judo injury. Very likely nothing hurts, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a connection. This gets involved, but bundles of nerves near your DCN are on alert. The brain is watching closely.

      Be careful of loud noise until reactions that took place from your judo injury heals.
       
      • Agree Agree x 2
    26. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      I got my tinnitus right for my 31th Bday. What a present, right?

      @Greg Sacramento I hear you. There is definitelly a connection between my Judo injury and the t. Like I mentioned before, I had really rough past year and just wanted to kick myself back into shape.

      Because it progressed so badly from the 21st of Oct (viz previous posts) I now fear that there's a damage in the auditory processing pathways of the brain (viz the previous vid). That may be irreversible - my worst nightmare.

      With regards to martial arts, I'd probably say go with Brazillian Jiu Jitsu anyone. There's a saying, in Judo you get hurt because of gravity and it's a lot more taxing on your body. In Jiu you get hurt because of your ego.
       
      • Informative Informative x 1
    27. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      In general, though, neuroplasticity is supposed to be surprisingly high for older people too.
      http://www.cobar.org/portals/cobar/repository/SLH/chap32.pdf
      "The brain grows new neurons.
      The old notion that growing new brain cells was
      impossible has been proven wrong. In a landmark study in 1998, scientists proved conclusively that the human brain grows new brain cells. Even 70-year-old (and older) brains produce new neurons and new neural pathways. Important factors in brain cell growth are exercise and mental stimulation.

      Brain regions are flexible.
      Studies have demonstrated that while regions do tend
      to specialize in dedicated ways, this is
      not absolute. The human brain is capable of
      rewiring and reallocating its “real estate” in ways that the old paradigm believed were impossible.

      As the brain ages, functionality may decline, maintain, or even improve.
      While it is true that processing speed generally slows with age, one-third of older brains in one study had functioning characteristics that closely resembled those of younger brains. Furthermore, certain types of functioning (integrated thinking, flexible problem solving) appear to improve with age.

      We can have an impact on how our brain ages.
      Perhaps the most profound conclusion in recent years is the notion that there are things we can do to maintain our brain and potentially protect it from certain types of cognitive decline."
       
      • Informative Informative x 2
      • Helpful Helpful x 1
    28. AUTHOR
      AUTHOR
      Jiri
      No Mood

      Jiri Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      noise + injury
      So to sum this up, you're saying there is a good probability that with time the brain will perhaps override some protocols, find new pathways etc. and will restore itself back to its normal state?

      Cause the random firing of neurons in the auditory part of brain as shown in the vid was very upseting.
       
    29. Bill Bauer
      No Mood

      Bill Bauer Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      February, 2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Acoustic Trauma
      The above is what I hope might happen. If T were to be exclusively a problem of the inner ear, then I doubt anyone would ever recover, as inner ear hairs are said to die off for good...
       
      • Like Like x 2
    30. Sonic17
      Wishful

      Sonic17 Member Benefactor

      Tinnitus Since:
      04/2017
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      ? neck injury/unknown
      @Jiri I listened to the video sample of your T....ugh that sounds awful. By all means take your meds until it settles and fades a little. Take care Jiri, you are young and I am sure much of this will improve for you.
       
      • Agree Agree x 1
      • Hug Hug x 1
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