I'm Tom — I Have Had Tinnitus for 6+ Years from Acoustic Trauma

My name is Tom and I've had tinnitus for 6+ years and it's from Acoustic Trauma. For 30+ years, I was the guy you'd see in front of the bands at the bar, watching, or dancing very close to the PA systems. Ya know the stacks of amps. I would play music loud in the car, and eventually I got me some ear buds to jam out with, which was the final real episode of rocking out with very loud tunes. I also worked as a CNC Machinist, which I did without hearing protection while the machine cut steel at high RPMs as well as being very very noisy. I thought I was invincible.

My days of silence came to a screeching halt when I got those ear bud speakers. Tinnitus invaded my brain in the Audio Cortex. The cilia hairs died in my ears as well.
I've had many days of sirens going off in my head, and many nights of being awakened by my tinnitus. I wear hearing aids in both ears which help lose the constant screeching I hear daily by amplifying the sounds around me. No, I don't wear them in bed.

I have cut down salt intake, sugar intake, avoiding noisy places and people. I listen to music very low, and watch TV with no sound, using the close captioning because the TV sounds make my tinnitus spike. My refrigerator drives me to put on my sound proof head phones, as well as the TV at times. My social life is dead.

I've tried many so called cures for tinnitus, which all turned out to be BS for me.

Turmeric powder pills, I must say did NOT work for me, they spiked my tinnitus to suicidal levels!!

I'm ok if I manage my tinnitus and stay away from NOISE and more NOISE, but, there are days when the tinnitus rules my life, and I just suffer through the episode without my hearing aids because they can't beat the noise in my head.

Keep on Rocking in the Free World!

 

Help is on the way Tom,

I can relate to your anguish.

Hold on buddy, there are lots of treatments that are gonna help.
Just protect your ears now, and hang tight, honestly we are getting really close.

Stay strong
Daniel

 

Welcome @TomK,

Although I was probably a little bit more careful, I still ended up with permanent tinnitus. I do remember one night though, was in a nightclub for 2-3 hours, being in the taxi and having severe tinnitus. Although, I don’t have severe tinnitus now, I applaud the warriors who have it 24/7. Still, I have it enough to affect my quality of life and it’s led me to some dark places.

I can hear mine 24/7 and it’s unmaskable but as Daniel has said, if you keep on top of the research and treatments section, there are reasons to be hopeful we won’t have this malady for the rest of our lives.

 

“Lots of treatments”. Like what? AM-101. Lol.

 

So sorry, and for that high volume T. I'd say keep on doing what you are doing because you've made it a long way, champ!

 

Hi fellow Neil Young Fan,

Welcomed to the forum. Keep on doing what you are doing and as others have said, help is on the way. I have had tinnitus for a year and a half and how I got it was similar to yours. I am still waiting for the day I can habituate but I hope the day will come soon.

Do you have days where the tinnitus is less intrusive and manageable?

 

Lenire by Neuromod
Susan Shore's device
The Device from the university of Minnesota.
FX-322
OTO-413

 

Well number 1 on the list is Lenire which has no evidence as yet that it's going to help, so let's hope Dr. Shore's device appears soon and saves us.

 

I was thinking more towards FX-322 or REGAIN for starters, but there are more in the pipe line in 5 to ten years. I suffer a lot and remain optimistic and am reconciled to no help as well... but, for me the glass is half full for the future, not empty. So... there you go... if you want more examples like Stefan Heller is finally jumping into the game, as well as Liberman from Massachusetts... who’s looking at a drug to help ototoxic sufferers, like you. Don’t shit all over the place... Tinnitus is hard enough.

Peace out and good luck Racehorse.

 

Don’t mean to be so negative Daniel, just keeping it real. Think about it, there is no cure for people paralyzed because of ‘nerve damage’, yet some think there will be a cure for tinnitus. Stefan and Liberman (never heard of them) are giving you pipe dreams my friend. I’m hoping I’m wrong, however, being in denial is no way to go through life. Just saying.