My Hearing Has Slightly Improved Since 2019

[Strife_84]

I developed my tinnitus and hyperacusis in 2019. I had a hearing test back then, and my results were good.

Two months ago, I damaged my hearing again after going to a nightclub, even though I was wearing earplugs. But today, on July 3rd, I had another hearing test — and I was amazed. My hearing has basically stayed the same as it was six years ago, and there has even been a slight improvement in the 8 kHz range. That is incredible.

Sure, it took six years, but that is still great news. I remember the nightmare of the first year, back in 2019, when I could not even hear grasshoppers during the summer.

So this is just some good news to share. I beat my tinnitus and hyperacusis once before, and even though they came back two months ago, now I need to beat them again.

 

[DamagedJoe]

I developed my tinnitus and hyperacusis in 2019. I had a hearing test back then, and my results were good.

Two months ago, I damaged my hearing again after going to a nightclub, even though I was wearing earplugs. But today, on July 3rd, I had another hearing test — and I was amazed. My hearing has basically stayed the same as it was six years ago, and there has even been a slight improvement in the 8 kHz range. That is incredible.

Sure, it took six years, but that is still great news. I remember the nightmare of the first year, back in 2019, when I could not even hear grasshoppers during the summer.

So this is just some good news to share. I beat my tinnitus and hyperacusis once before, and even though they came back two months ago, now I need to beat them again.

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?

 

[Furetto]

I developed my tinnitus and hyperacusis in 2019. I had a hearing test back then, and my results were good.

Two months ago, I damaged my hearing again after going to a nightclub, even though I was wearing earplugs. But today, on July 3rd, I had another hearing test — and I was amazed. My hearing has basically stayed the same as it was six years ago, and there has even been a slight improvement in the 8 kHz range. That is incredible.

Sure, it took six years, but that is still great news. I remember the nightmare of the first year, back in 2019, when I could not even hear grasshoppers during the summer.

So this is just some good news to share. I beat my tinnitus and hyperacusis once before, and even though they came back two months ago, now I need to beat them again.

Could you please specify the following:

1. How severe were your symptoms initially?

2. How long did it take before you noticed the first improvements?

3. What kind of healing have you experienced, and how long did it take?

Thank you.

 

[Strife_84]

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.

 

[Hyperacusis]

Hi,

I read your post, and I am dealing with the same issues—hyperacusis (loudness) and tinnitus—after experiencing barotrauma and acoustic trauma in July 2024.

I feel like the problem with hyperacusis is coming from the brain, as if my brain has turned up the volume on every sound. Cars, for example, now sound like airplanes. It feels like my brain is extremely reactive to sound, as if my neurons are on fire.

Have you experienced the same thing, or did your hyperacusis seem to come only from your ears?

What did you do to improve? Did you wear earplugs all day, or did you listen to nature sounds? My brain seems to react strongly even to bird sounds.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Maruashen]

Hi,

I read your post, and I am dealing with the same issues—hyperacusis (loudness) and tinnitus—after experiencing barotrauma and acoustic trauma in July 2024.

I feel like the problem with hyperacusis is coming from the brain, as if my brain has turned up the volume on every sound. Cars, for example, now sound like airplanes. It feels like my brain is extremely reactive to sound, as if my neurons are on fire.

Have you experienced the same thing, or did your hyperacusis seem to come only from your ears?

What did you do to improve? Did you wear earplugs all day, or did you listen to nature sounds? My brain seems to react strongly even to bird sounds.

Thanks in advance.

Just a quick question. Have you been protecting your ears a lot with earplugs or earmuffs since last summer? Speaking from personal experience, I feel that doing so can actually make the condition worse, although it might be different for you.

 

[Yu.3]

What kind of tinnitus did you have? What were the sounds like?

I'm 14 months in, and honestly, I haven't noticed any major changes so far, but I'm hoping things will get better with time. I'm the same age as you. Right now, it's just a mix of good days and bad days — pretty much fifty-fifty each month.

 

[Strife_84]

What kind of tinnitus did you have? What were the sounds like?

I'm 14 months in, and honestly, I haven't noticed any major changes so far, but I'm hoping things will get better with time. I'm the same age as you. Right now, it's just a mix of good days and bad days — pretty much fifty-fifty each month.

I still have tinnitus. It is a very high-pitched sound. It also reacts easily to noise at the moment, as I injured myself again two and a half months ago. The baseline level is higher than before. But I have had a few "silent" days. I call them silent days because I really have to focus to hear the tinnitus. However, as I am writing this, the sound is louder again than it was, for example, yesterday.

It took me years to get better when I first developed this condition.

It is good that you are having some better days. That is very important. Hold on to those days. Write them down. Remember them when you are having a harder time. If you can have one good day, it usually means you can also have more. Maybe two good days in a row, and then more after that.

I hope you start feeling better. This is a tough condition, and unfortunately, we are pretty much on our own.

 

[Yu.3]

I still have tinnitus. It is a very high-pitched sound. It also reacts easily to noise at the moment, as I injured myself again two and a half months ago. The baseline level is higher than before. But I have had a few "silent" days. I call them silent days because I really have to focus to hear the tinnitus. However, as I am writing this, the sound is louder again than it was, for example, yesterday.

It took me years to get better when I first developed this condition.

It is good that you are having some better days. That is very important. Hold on to those days. Write them down. Remember them when you are having a harder time. If you can have one good day, it usually means you can also have more. Maybe two good days in a row, and then more after that.

I hope you start feeling better. This is a tough condition, and unfortunately, we are pretty much on our own.

Your tinnitus sounds similar to mine. I also have a high-pitched noise that is very sharp and annoying, possibly around 11 kHz. When I go through a stretch of bad days, like right now—this is my third difficult day in a row—I tend to forget the good ones. Earlier this month, I actually had a streak of seven decent or good days in a row. I make a point to keep track of everything.

So far, I have not seen any real progress. It all feels pretty random. My hope is that, with time, things will gradually settle. That hope is really the only thing keeping me going. On the good or decent days, I do not notice the sound as much, so I hope that eventually my brain will increase the number of good days—or at least make the bad ones more bearable and the good ones even better.

It has been 14 months now. I have read about people who started seeing improvement after two or three years.

 

[Strife_84]

Your tinnitus sounds similar to mine. I also have a high-pitched noise that is very sharp and annoying, possibly around 11 kHz. When I go through a stretch of bad days, like right now—this is my third difficult day in a row—I tend to forget the good ones. Earlier this month, I actually had a streak of seven decent or good days in a row. I make a point to keep track of everything.

So far, I have not seen any real progress. It all feels pretty random. My hope is that, with time, things will gradually settle. That hope is really the only thing keeping me going. On the good or decent days, I do not notice the sound as much, so I hope that eventually my brain will increase the number of good days—or at least make the bad ones more bearable and the good ones even better.

It has been 14 months now. I have read about people who started seeing improvement after two or three years.

I like your avatar picture! Ryu is my favorite gaming character. I still have Ryu as my avatar on Steam.

Yes, it can take a long time to improve. It took me three to four years to start feeling somewhat normal again. This latest setback has now taken about two and a half months to improve, and it's still not back to how it used to be. But I've noticed that I'm happier, I'm doing more things again, and I don't feel as miserable—so my condition has improved. I also made some life changes. I cut out caffeine and alcohol completely.

I've had four good days this week, and now I'm having a slightly worse one. Maybe I stressed my ears too much during the week. I've been watching a lot of movies at my friend's house. He has a great home theater system. Even though the volume isn't very high, I think it's still too much for my ears.

This is a very difficult condition. It limits our social lives, hobbies, and dreams. Hope is pretty much all we have.