Massive Improvement from Acoustic Trauma

Cause of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: Acoustic trauma + Extreme anxiety

Age: 23

Date of trauma: June 3rd, 2019

Hi!

Just wanted to share what made me better.

Well, the first week my tinnitus was kind of loud but not loud enough to make me crazy or keep me awake so I guess my hearing wasn't too badly damaged.

My darkest moment came during the second week, when a mild hyperacusis appeared, surely because I didn't stop using headphones for gaming (not at a loud volume tho). In my case, it was the most annoying sh*t. Since that day, and thanks to Michael Leigh, I totally stopped using headphones and I'm sure that my hearing is very grateful. In the meanwhile, my tinnitus was fading slowly.

The third week, I learned that vitamins could help with healing process. So I began to take vitamin D, C and also magnesium. Also I bought pills made of plants for blood circulation, and it truly helped a lot! My hyperacusis has faded and now it has been gone for 3 days. My tinnitus is around 1 to 3/10 at its worst. It spikes when I wake up at night but instantly goes back to 2/10 when I step out of the bed. I don't know why. However, my ears still hurt sometimes, but tinnitus or hyperacusis aren't affected.

Today, It looked like my tinnitus was gone because I couldn't hear it in a silent room, it happened once but came back. A sign of remission? Who can tell... But at least I can live much better!

So if you're new and your tinnitus/hyperacusis is noise-induced, don't hesitate to give your body the power to heal itself.

Didn't see an ENT yet. No steroids, only rest.

 

HI @Blodorn

Thank you for your kind words. I am pleased that you are making progress and your tinnitus and hyperacusis has reduced. I hope it stays this way and you continue to make improvements. I would like to give you some advice. I hope you listen and put my words into practice; this way you will give yourself the best chance of preventing your tinnitus getting worse and your hyperacusis hopefully be completely cured in time.

I do understand that you are pleased and rightly so, especially what you are been through within a short period of time. However, please don't think your tinnitus cannot return with a vengeance and ferocity that you wouldn't believe is possible because it can and your hyperacusis too. I do not want to be a killjoy and burst your bubble but your tinnitus is still there, waiting in the background for you to do something "stupid". By this I mean using headphones even at low volume or going to places where loud music is played.

Your ears will take time to fully recover: 12 to 18 months, so take things slowly and don't rock the boat.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

Not even with earplugs? What about the cinema. I want to go to watch a movie.

 

I have not been to a cinema since 2009

 

Hi Michael I have a question for you. If you are saying using earphones is bad even at low volumes - which I agree with - how does this translate to using ear muffs?

Since some sounds make it through the earmuffs, isn't it the same as listening to earphones at low volumes?

Surprisingly I'm going through a bad spike / new tone after driving 2 hours with earmuffs + foam ear plugs.

 

My advice is for @Blodorn who is new to tinnitus and isn't quite sure what to do. He has followed my previous suggestions and thanked me, because his tinnitus and hyperacusis has reduced.

You have had tinnitus and hyperacusis for quite some time. I have corresponded with you on numerous occasions when you have asked for my help, in the forum and also by PM. I have written many posts and articles on going to clubs, concerts and the cinema which I believe you have read. Therefore you know my opinions, that is quite fine to go to these places providing a person takes precaution and is aware of noisy environments.

I hope your tinnitus and hyperacusis is becoming more manageable.
All the best

Michael

 

HI @Eric N

I am sorry to know you are having a difficult time with a spike at the moment. I have replied to you on more than one occasion, as to what I think you need to do to enable your tinnitus to become better managed. Spikes happen mainly for two reasons. A person has an overly sensitive auditory system which usually indicates hyperacusis is present. This needs to be treated by self help which I have covered in many of my posts, in particular: Hyperacusis, As I see it. The second reason is exposure to loud noise. If this keeps reoccurring there is a risk, of the tinnitus increasing to a new and permanent level, so a person needs to be careful.

The overuse of hearing protection be it earmuffs, ear defenders or earplugs is not the answer. This practice will usually lower the loudness threshold of the auditory system and can cause, the tinnitus to become worse and if hyperacusis is present that will get worse too. The answer is to reduce the overuse of hearing protection and try my self help, as I've advised in my post above or seek professional help with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, who's trained in tinnitus and hyperacusis management. In addition to having tinnitus and hyperacusis, overusing hearing protection a person risks developing phonophobia and misophonia. I have covered these conditions in my post: The complexities of tinnitus and hyperacusis. The post is available on my "started threads".

Someone that has "noise induced" tinnitus risks making it worse by using headphones even at low volume. It is true some people with NIT are not affected by headphone use. However, please be aware the tinnitus only needs to spike once using headphones, and it's likely the tinnitus will increase to a new and permanent level.

Using earmuffs and external sound starts to filter through and spiking the tinnitus, is a different matter entirely and has nothing to do with headphones. This I believe is a result of an overly sensitive auditory system which needs treatment as I have described above.

Hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

 

It is probably temporary tinnitus that usually goes away on its own. Good luck.

 

Update: Well, this night and this morning, my tinnitus didn't spike as it usually does. Most of the time it is just a "hiss"...
Not gone yet!

Meanwhile, I will take good care of my ear!

 

Thank you for your kind reply. My T and H are manageable. I have moderate T and Moderate H. I cant endure dogs barking, brakes screeching, or women talking loudly or laughing. T is pretty loud but I cant explain it, it dosent bother me like it used to. On good days its a 5/10 which is really nice, other days it is 7/10 like today. On rare days it can be a 3/10 or 1/10. I fully accepted my disease(s), the black eye floaters, tinnitus, and hyperacusis, this is a part of me and who I am...even the grey hair hahahaa. I am happier than I was before

 

Wow @dpdx, this sounds much better than just a few months ago. I remember well how difficult things were for you, and am happy to hear you're in a much better place. -- Thanks for the update; it's encouraging.

 

HI @dpdx

I know you have been through a very difficult time and I'm pleased that you feel in a much better place now. It is clear to me that you are a more positive person and this is key to coping and managing tinnitus. I believe more improvement can be gained. Take things slowly and each day as it comes. Try to engage in the things you like to do as this helps to take the focus away from the tinnitus and push it further into the background. Regarding the hyperacusis, this can also improve so please don't think it can't.

If you are using hearing protection so the sounds you mention above don't irritate you then I have a few suggestions that I advise you to try. For now experiment using "high attenuation" noise reducing earplugs that will allow you to hear screeching brakes, dogs barking and people talking loudly. After a while change to "noise reducing" earplugs of lower attenuation that allows more sound to your auditory system. This is a gradual process. Use sound enrichment whenever possible during the day and at night. If you don't use sound enrichment at night then I advise you start, even if you find it difficult to do so at the moment. The idea here is train your brain and auditory system to adapt and accept more sound. Keeping away from sound or suppressing it is not the solution as this only prolongs the problem.

You could if funds allow, buy one or two white noise generators and use them as I have described in my TRT posts which I will paste below. Although I have advised WNGs should be used under the guidance of a Hearing Therapist/Audiologist, I don't think you need this now. Someone recently told me after seeing a Hearing Therapist that specialises in treating hyperacusis, that only one white noise generator is needed not two, so I'm not going to argue with that. The reason being, the brain only has one process centre for hearing.

This Therapist is adamant that only one WNG needs to be worn and goes on to say, that all forms of hyperacusis can be completely cured! The only people that do not respond to the treatment are the one's that don't follow her programme, which is very similar to what I have documented in many of my posts on using white noise generators. My hyperacusis has been completely cured for 21 years after wearing white noise generators for 2 years.

For now try self help as I've indicated above. However, if I were in your situation now that I'm a more positive person, then I would by "one" white noise generator and use that. I am fairly confident it will improve the hyperacusis and more likely cure it. At the same time it will help treat the tinnitus.

I wish you the best of luck and hope you continue to make progress.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-is-trt-and-when-should-it-be-started.19024/

 

Hi. I'm glad for you. But you need to take care always. You have already damaged your ears and T can come back even after years. I was nearly recovered (only audible in quiet rooms) and after almost 3 years of "silence" it came back worse.

Keep reading some sites about tinnitus from time to time or read this forum to remember how ugly this problem was.

 

Hi Eric N, you said that you got a tinnitus spike while driving even with double protection. Did the spike settle down after that and how long that spike lasted? I was driving with double protection on Friday but it looks like I have a permanent increase from that. Today my tinnitus is still loud.

 

It's calmed down the first time, but then I drove again for 2 hours and got another spike. I'm not panicking this time.

 

How long did it take to calm down the first time? I am on my 3rd day but it's still not going down.

 

I'm not sure. My tinnitus has been so bad lately that I'm not sure what's causing what.

 

Hi Eric, just found why we are having worsening of our tinnitus even with double protection. Check this https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...uffs-stihl-weed-whacker-tinnitus-spike.35536/. We are not protected. I am not driving anymore but it is too late.

 

Update:

Hi,
So as I approach the 2 month mark (03/08), I can say that my tinnitus is very mild most of the times. It didn't stabilize yet however. It do not bother me that much! I begin to understand how you can habituate to this despite the fluctuations.

So let's make a recap of what happened and what I noticed in my 2nd month.

-I still have ear pain/pressure in my right ear but it comes and goes.

-Distortions seems to fade, it comes back sometimes.

-Still didn't find anything that could spike my tinnitus. Cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, food, noise, sleep... Even stress and anxiety... I'm and was exposed to the most common causes of spikes but nothing has happened.

-My right ear makes *click* *crack* noises sometimes when I speak, yawn, move my jaw forward.

-Also have had tinnitus in my left ear for the past month but it comes and goes.

-I went to an ENT, they told me it was ETD, he didn't found anything else. I don't believe him actually, I will have an audiogram to find more evidence of my trauma/noise exposure.

-I have trouble making my right ear pop, so I think I must have ETD but it can't be the main cause in my opinion.

No signs of hyperacusis. Still have a bit of sensitivity to metallic noises but I can live normally.

Despite the mildness of my tinnitus, I still struggle to begin habituating. It fluctuates too often. I can live and sleep normally. But I miss my headphones so much haha.
I must have one of the mildest tinnitus of the community and yet it's bothering me. So I can't imagine what you all are going through. I send you a lot of support guys... Hang on!

I will make a 3 month update.
Take care everyone!

(Sorry for my English!)

 

Congrats man. I wish I had very mild tinnitus. I'm at 5 months and it's still severe at about 8/10. Today it seems much worse for some reason. Mine wasn't even acoustical trauma. Just started one day while watching TV. No hearing loss either. I don't use headphones or go to concerts or clubs. I don't understand why it's so severe. It's also very somatic. Moving my head or opening my jaw increases the sound a lot more. Even pressing on my face or fore head causes it to increase. It's definitely very tough.

 

Stay away from the headphones at all cost! Toss them!

 

Do whatever you want but I own $1200 in headphones, have been to the movies several times in the past couple years as well as two or three concerts, and my tinnitus and hearing thresholds are the same as they were following my trauma in 2010.

We're all different; there are no absolutes. If something feels like it is straining your ears, it probably is, heed that.

 

HI @Blodorn

I am pleased that you are making a good recovery. As time moves on this should improve. You have experienced what severe tinnitus can be like and you know it isn't pleasant. @linearb makes a valid point when saying do whatever you want. I advise you to tread carefully and think seriously on what I and others in this forum have told you about using headphones. I know how much you miss them but that will pass with time. I am an Audiophile and used to listen to music through high-quality headphones and eventually got tinnitus due to my own fault. I haven't used them in 23 years and don't even think about headphones now.

It is true some people that have "noise induced" tinnitus are not affected by headphone use but many are. The tinnitus only needs to spike once using headphones and your tinnitus can return with a vengeance and increase to a new permanent level. Just remember, if you decide to use headphones and your tinnitus increases which is quite possible, the same people that are telling you to do whatever you want, will not be able to help you when you're suffering late at night and can't sleep because of the distress of tinnitus or not able to go to work! Trust me I know what I'm talking about.

In December last year just before Christmas, a member of this forum told she had "noise induced" tinnitus. She had habituated and the tinnitus was very low. She hadn't used headphones in 6 years. She decided to use them keeping the volume low. Within one week the tinnitus returned and increased to such a level that she was unable to return to work. She regretted using headphones like so many people do that have " Noise induced" tinnitus.

My advice to you is get along with your life leave headphones and this forum alone. Sail off into the sunset and count yourself lucky. I wouldn't like to see you return here in in 6 months or a year from now regretting using headphones or attending loud clubs and concerts. You can go out and have a nice time but just be careful of overly loud sounds.

Best of luck and I wish you well.

Michael

 

how ya doing?

 

4 month update:

Well, these last 2 months have been quite good. I still have not experienced noise or anxiety induced spike. I've begun to wonder if my tinnitus was noise induced. It is probably not in my opinion, but can't be 100% sure, maybe an anxiety state can weaken hair cells? The noise exposure was very short (1 second) and was quieter than a dog bark, It just scared me and my ears as I was in a very anxious state when it happened.

The volume and the tone of the tinnitus still keeps changing, It does not want to stabilise itself, still waiting.

What happened these last 2 months:

-Went to a 2nd ENT, the hearing test was perfect, no hearing loss. He didn't find anything else neither.

-Went to a dentist to check my teeth and occlusion, she found out I have a malocclusion but told me to meet an orthodontist because she wasn't able to help me.

-Did a sinus scan, they found out that I have sinus infection, so I took prednisolone for 5 days and antibiotic for 10 days, my tinnitus was almost silent theses days! Even after I stopped prednisolone. It slowly came back to its initial state after the end of the treatment. Maybe my sinus infection is not cured yet?

-I actually take anti-allergic meds, until 2020, no noticeable changes in tinnitus but I can breath! I hope my ETD will fade now that I don't have much mucus.

-Still have trouble to chew, a click when I move my jaw forward, but haven't seen an orthodontist yet.

-Totally anxiety free for 1 month+, my tinnitus does not scare me anymore. It is still an intruder but I do not let it rule my life anymore, except for not letting me use the headphones, the universal fear haha.

I have been quite silent on the forum these times, I try to slowly forget about tinnitus. But I still come often to read you all, and to update this thread.

Take care everyone!

 

How do you know his hearing will recover between 12 and 18 months?

Thanks

 

Hello @Lulu187

I have had noise induced tinnitus for 23 years and like others in this forum have a lot of experience with it. I have also counselled people with noise induced tinnitus. On average, most people with tinnitus particularly noise induced tinnitus, will recover within 12 to 18 months. Specialist treatment with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist may not be necessary. However, in some cases it is. The reason being tinnitus affects each person differently, and it also depends on what is going on in a person's life?

Please click on the links below and read my articles on tinnitus, which cover it and the habituation process in more detail.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

 

I will definitely have a look at those links.

Just another question, did your tinnitus onset within 24 hours of noise exposure or was it delayed by days to weeks?

I am trying to figure out of i have pt or t only. At this stage im leaning toward pt, due to the symptoms of worsening when I lay flat, and lowering in volume after exercise or a long walk

 

Looking back I now know my tinnitus onset came on gradually but I didn't realize it at the time. The most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noise. If you listen to music regularly through headphones, or go to clubs concerts. Working in a noise environment, then your tinnitus could be "noise induced". Read my post: New to tinnitus what to do? In the links I have sent you.

Best of luck
Michael