Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

@Shblatt Who really knows if the chamber would have helped anyhow. I'm really sorry your T went up. Hopefully it settles back down soon. It's crazy how delicate we all become after the first offense of T.

 

Hi all,

I sustained acoustic trauma 16 days ago. I started taking Prednisone 40 mg taper at 10 days and Nature's Way Ginkgold Ginkgo 60mg 2 times a day at 14 days.

I am starting my second HBOT treatment today. My question is about loudness in the HBOT chamber. This chamber utilizes a helmet of sorts. If you don't already know, the chamber pressurizes, I put on the helmet, and oxygen is pumped directly into the helmet rather than the entire chamber. Supposedly this minimizes the risk of fire. The inlet for the oxygen on the helmet makes a loud hissing noise. I was worried about listening to this hissing noise for an hour straight yesterday so I put on earplugs during the procedure. Now I'm wondering if I was depriving my inner ear of extra oxygen.

I know that the cochlea receives oxygen via diffusion, but is this via the ear canal, blood vessels in the inner ear , or both?

Should I just take the chance and not wear earplugs to maximize oxygen to the ear?

 

I wouldn't wear earplugs. The hissing can't be so loud?

 

It's loud. The inlet is right next to my face.
Is it above 100db? Probably not.
It's definitely near 80db though.

Edit: I'm actually in it right now. Did a software db test. It averages at 81 db.

Edit 2: I do also want to note that for the pressurization/depressurization process I am not wearing ear plugs.

 

I would be concerned that earplugs would prevent normal pressurization from happening. For instance most people advise against wearing foam plugs in an airplane during descent.

If this is a concern, they make vented earplugs called "earplanes" which you could explore.

 

Who are most people? I have heard varying opinions on this even among pilots. Earplanes are designed to vent slowly assuming they fit properly (which they don't for me), but they don't provide that much noise reduction.

 

I got the read that this was the general consensus in a couple airplane threads here, and I found references elsewhere online.

That said, I wear orange foam plugs on planes, takeoff to touchdown, haven't had any problems. My e-tubes clear easily, and I will pop the plugs in and out a couple times on the ride up to 10K and the ride down from 10K.

 

I'd like to see the references. It's something I've been wondering about.

 

Hello -- just stumbled upon this thread and forum and thought I'd make a contribution. I've had mild to moderate tinnitus for the last couple years since a couple of traumatic events in late 2013 and mid 2014, and a series of HBOT treatments that I'm currently going through seem to have resolved the tinnitus.

In late 2013, I had a barotrauma event while flying with sinus congestion. The night after the flight I had sharp stabbing pains in my head that lasted most of the night, and then ongoing vertigo, tinnitus, and the sensation of fluid in my ears. I'm not sure how loud the tinnitus has been, but I'd guess at times maybe 50 db -- not really loud, but definitely there and noticeable.

Then in 2014 I experienced two traumatic brain injury events. The first, in June, resulted from blacking out while jogging and hitting my head likely on a curb. The second, several months later in August, was from riding a roller coaster with tight twists and turns.

The tinnitus has essentially continued since the barotrauma event, along with some degree of vertigo and other issues. I'm sure the TBIs exacerbated the tinnitus and vertigo.

So a week or so ago I began an HBOT treatment that is roughly 4 times a week for what will eventually be 20 dives. I'm 5 dives in and I understand we'll be at 1.75 Atmospheres for the whole series of treatments.

I've had a number of health benefits already, but the first one I noticed was the tinnitus decreasing dramatically. It essentially happened immediately after the first dive. Note that I hadn't been aware that tinnitus could be potentially treated by HBOT, I had been doing the HBOT for other post-concussion related issues, but the tinnitus improving was the first thing I noticed when finishing my first session. The other thing I immediately noticed was some vision related issues improving.

 

After the shock/panic of getting tinnitus three weeks ago, I stared to get to grips with it. A wide range of supplements, herbs and prednisolone (self prescribed as doc wasn't interested - he gave me all of 5 mins, dismissing it as being something in my head), plus no alcohol, coffee, even TV - whatever the reason, the level went down to a "manageable" level after a couple of weeks. I felt I was getting on top of it. Then I went to have hyperbaric oxygen therapy...and now level is much higher than even at beginning of T. Spent half the night in the bath with earphones on white nose. Damn!

In the chamber my left ear hurt as the pressure increased. They hadn't told me about equalising pressure by holding nose and swallowing. Just stuck an oxygen mask on which stopped me getting to my face. As I'm a bit of the "stiff upper lip" tradition, I didn't call a halt to the proceedings and stayed the full hour. The pain stopped at full pressure. The T went away during the dive, but after it the T came back with full force.

I don't want to condemn hyperbaric treatment; in fact, I hate that what I say may take hope from some desperate people or put them off this option which could help, but I feel I've should put the feedback out there . If I'd really worked on equalising I might not have had such a problem. But my own feelings is that it's (for me) a too severe process for soon after an ear trauma (mine was standing like a dummy next to the speaker stack at the Stranglers concert in Lincoln 7/3/17).

I've concluded that T treatment is very much what feels right for you. For me, that's trying to help the body heal itself. That said, I'd be the first to grab a proven treatment if one came along, but I realise the desperation of having full blown T can push you to reach for the quick fix. Any fix. Now it's back to trying to get on top of this Devil in the head and quieten him down.

One aside. This adverse experience is putting me off joining the AM101 trail starting in my area. I'm worried it may worsen symptoms like the hyberbaric. Once bitten, twice shy.

Sympathies to all of you who still suffering from T. The last few weeks have sure made me understand what you're going through.

 

If you do the therapy at a facility where you are placed in an individual tank, ask them to use the lowest flow-through setting possible. This way the inside of the tank will not be as noise (as it gets at a higher setting). If your tinnitus is a result of an acoustic trauma, it is a good idea to protect your ears from more exposure to noise. You may also want to insist on wearing ear plugs during the treatment.

 

Hello and sorry I haven't replied to many of you. I did this treatment a long time ago, and got some relief from my tinnitus. Today I still have T. I couldn't honestly say if its louder or if its a lot lower. The only long term method that's worked for me is habituation. You can read all the research and what little there is out there but my advice would be this!!! until a proper cure is found learn to habituate. good luck

 

Anyone else with a longer term update on HBOT? Please?

 

Hi, do we know if HBOT could give some relief to chronic tinnitus that has lasted more than 1 year? I thought it's working only for acute T?

 

I've been reading through this thread and I am wondering whether HBOT would still be of help to me. I have tinnitus for over a year, but roughly 6 weeks ago I had some acoustic trauma and it got a lot worse.

Is there a chance it could still help?

I don't want to be negative, but it has also been mentioned that it can make things worse and I am already having trouble coping as it is.

Thank you in advance!

 

If anyone has an update or advice please let me know, I feel like I'm running out of time with this. I am almost at the 2 month mark since my permanent spike from noise. I am considering the treatment but I am worried that it could make things worse.

My ENT was skeptical about it helping me but he hasn't offered any treatment options aside from "you'll learn to live with it."

 

So would this treatment benefit those who suffered from a head injury?

 

I am not sure.

The problem with this treatment is that it is supposed to be effective when done within something like only 2 months of T onset. The sooner one does it, the more effective it is supposed to be. In Canada, it is something like $100-250 per session, and you need something like 10 or 15 or even 30 sessions.

I had 5 sessions done, but then I had a huge T spike. It is possible that the spike was the result of the oxygen chamber being too noisy, and it turns out that my T is reactive. In any case, I stopped after 5 treatments, and now I am feeling bad about stopping so soon.

 

I just stumbled onto
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/8677379

 

I'm 4 weeks out from my acoustic trauma and could potentially start HBOT in a few days after my present head congestion goes away. I've read published studies and some personal accounts here on the forums but wanted to throw the idea out to see about opinions on getting the treatment...

Seems like it is more popular and accepted in parts of Europe and not so much in the US. Here it is deemed experimental. Could anyone relate a personal experience with HBOT? Or know anyone who had success with it? Or just have any information that may help me in making a decision...

I'm shocked and frightened at how much my life has changed in the past 4 weeks and think maybe I should take a chance in trying it. I know the sooner the treatment, the better.

Thank you for any input.

 

I think it is worth a try. In the studies of conscripts from Finland, over 70% of them had recovered, and they all had HBOT
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

Keep in mind that oxygen is not all good. Rusting and cut apples changing color when left exposed to air are all the result of exposure to oxygen. So should you choose to do this, make sure you take antioxidant supplements, as well as eat lots of berries like blueberries (that are supposed to be high in antioxidants).

I got 5 treatments. During the 5th treatment I figured out that it is possible to get less noise in the tank I got my HBOT treatment in, by reducing the rate of the gas flow. Initially I was told that earplugs were not allowed inside of the tank. During my fifth treatment I learned that as long as the earplug is brand new it is ok. I was allowed to bring a pair of earplugs in, and I inserted them after I reached the right pressure inside of the chamber.

My T had spiked after the 4th and 5th treatments. I freaked out and discontinued the treatment. Later on, I realized that my T is reactive T and that it must have spiked because of the noise inside of the chamber. I wish I had finished the therapy...

 

Thanks for the info. I've been taking antioxidants since this happened and I'll continue with that... Blueberries, right! Funny I've meant to buy them but haven't, thanks for the mention.

Sorry you feel you stopped treatments early. Who knows what would have happened if you continued. From what I've read, people here weren't always helped by it with the full course. I don't know. It's so hard having regret. We just have to be hopeful and positive for the future.

 

During my HBOT, they told me that it's normal for your Tinnitus to spike after treatment sessions, and it's a sign that the treatment has had an effect. Mine also spiked after it but returned to normal levels in a week or two I think. I wouldn't be too concerned over the momentary loud noise of the chamber pressurizing unless you have hyperacousis and you find it too uncomfortable.

Thing is, even if you've gotten T due to NIHL, it still doesn't make your hearing more vulnerable to damage due to loud noise. After my 5 sessions, they told me to continue as is, take no special actions in trying to protect my hearing more than usual, and listen to music like I always have to cover the noise up (as long as it's not way too loud).

 

Did you have only 5 sessions? If that's the case, why didn't you have more?

 

Does this treatment work better for certain kinds of tinnitus?..thanks.

 

It is supposed to work best when done very soon after an acoustic trauma. It is supposed to help restore freshly injured tissues.

 

Thanks for the response Bill!!...I am a little over 4 years into this tinnitus battle so I will cross this treatment off the list and keep searching.

 

On this forum, there is a lot of information about Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS).

Check out
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...atments-rtms-tdcs-tacs.326/page-7#post-249326

 

Hello, how did the treatments go for you? Did you have improvement?

 

I've been reading about Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy and I am wondering whether HBOT would still be of help to me. I have tinnitus for over a year, but roughly 60 days ago I had some acoustic trauma and it got a lot worse. I have hearing loss in both ears of roughly 20dB in the 4k hz range.

Is there a chance it could still help?

I don't want to be negative, but it has also been mentioned that it can make things worse and I am already having trouble coping as it is. I am unable to decide whether to go do it. I am scared that it can make things worse and its already quite bad as is.

Please let me know, I feel like I'm running out of time on this decision. I looked at the HBOT thread but I was unable to come to a solid conclusion.