It's been years since I posted anything on here, but I think this little update might offer some hope for people who have been suffering for a long time.
For those who don't know me, I first met the tinnitus monster in 1992, at the tender age of 17. I had attended a rock concert that left me with catastrophic tinnitus and partial deafness. Thankfully, I was treated immediately with cortisone, and most of the damage was reversed. I was left with only very low level tinnitus, which I could hear only in complete silence.
In the years that followed, my ears would often ring louder after attending gigs and raves (while using hearing protection, of course), but this always went away after a night's sleep.
In 2018, a series of unfortunate events, including acoustic trauma, barotrauma, and other factors, changed everything. I was left with terrible tinnitus again, along with hyperacusis, or more accurately, noxacusis. I experienced multiple tones, reactivity, and a horrible hissing sound whenever I walked. It was truly a disaster. I was desperate and believed my life was over. Even though doctors said otherwise, I was convinced the tinnitus would never get better. My life came to a stop, and I could no longer function.
In 2019, I tried Lenire. It brought a small amount of relief, but not enough. I stopped using it after two years. I was very close to contacting Dignitas or Pegasus, absolutely convinced that the tinnitus and hyperacusis would never improve.
At that point, in June 2022, I started taking Duloxetine together with Mirtazapine, following my neurologist's recommendation. Very slowly, things began to change. The hyperacusis nearly disappeared, but more importantly, I started having long stretches of quiet hours at a time, during which the tinnitus was barely there. This was not just habituation. It was a real drop in volume, along with a shift from chaotic multiple tones to a soft and, I would even say, gentle humming.
I do not know whether this improvement came from the medication or from time and natural healing, but the improvement is real. My life is nearly back to normal. Of course, I still get spikes, and not every day is good, but I now feel confident that I am heading in the right direction and that things will keep getting better.
I waited a full year before writing this, because I wanted to be sure the change was not just a false impression. Now I am certain that the progress is real.
I hope these words bring some hope to those who think their tinnitus will never improve. Mine did, even after four years of it being at a catastrophic level, and with ears that were far from healthy.
Let's see what the future holds, but for now, I have every reason to be hopeful.
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