I am very interested in the details of your story and healing process. Did you habituate, or did the noise actually decrease? Could you elaborate further?
Noise level with my tinnitus did decrease. I'd say that since 2023, I stopped paying attention to it entirely, and even in the bedroom, I really had to focus to hear it.
My hyperacusis also improved. It was in 2024 when I noticed that fan noise, car brakes screeching, beeps, and high-frequency sounds no longer sounded unpleasant. That was a big shift.
It took me about four years to start feeling normal again. Of course, I still wasn't fully healed. I still had to, and still have to, use earplugs when vacuuming or doing anything similarly noisy. But everyday life became completely manageable—as long as I avoided loud places.
1. How severe were your symptoms initially?
Severe.
I couldn't even tolerate the sound of a plastic bag rustling or the clatter of washing dishes. Walking on a gravel road made my ears feel awful. I couldn't tell which direction birds were singing from. I couldn't even hear grasshoppers during that first summer in 2019.
I couldn't listen to music at all. My life was in complete shambles. It was the hardest time of my life. Honestly, I felt like it would have been better to have my legs cut off. I was completely miserable. It felt like my life was going to end. But somehow, I just kept going.
It was a terrible experience.
2. How long did it take before you noticed the first improvements?
It took me about a year to start noticing improvements. The first 6 months were the worst.
3. What kind of healing have you experienced, and how long did it take?
- My tinnitus was basically gone in 2023. Even in silent rooms, I really had to focus to hear it at all.
- My hyperacusis finally felt "healed" in 2024 when I noticed that high-pitched sounds no longer felt uncomfortable. In 2023, I was still dealing with symptoms.
- I can hear grasshoppers and higher frequencies better again.
- I can listen to music at normal volume once more.
Over the past few years, I've basically felt normal. Of course, I still had to protect my ears from loud places, and they could still become irritated if exposed to certain sounds for too long. But overall, I was living almost like I did before the condition started—with a few exceptions:
- No listening to music with headphones, or only at extremely low volume, and only while vacuuming (using noise-cancelling headphones)
- No in-ear earplugs for music listening at all
- I had to give up making music and learn to enjoy new kinds of music
- Certain frequencies still irritate my ears if I'm exposed to them for too long
- I avoided loud places like nightclubs, bars, and events
But I think you understand—I was living a very good life! Actually, even better than before I got this condition.
Then, two months ago, I went into a nightclub wearing earplugs, and unfortunately, I'm now experiencing the "first year" all over again. It's not as bad as it was back then, but I've fallen back into the rabbit hole.
It took me four to five years to start feeling great again, although I regained most of my ability to do things during the first two years.
