My Tinnitus — Final Chapter

It's been a long time coming. I mean to write a story here for some time but like most tinnitus sufferers who get better I didn't come back to the site for a while. And this brings us to lesson #1

PEOPLE WITH TINNITUS WHO GOT BETTER OR MOVED ON ARE NOT HERE!

This is important to understand. When you are suffering you seek help and come to site like this full of other people who are suffering. You ask if anyone was cured or got better and get very little feedback. This creates more anxiety and stress, and you feel like you will have this forever, AND that it may get worse. Here's lesson #2

STRESS AND ANXIETY MAKES TINNITUS WORSE!

And I know how you will respond. "Easy for you to say if you don't have ringing in your ears that is slowly ruining your life" But I have been where you are, I really was. Ringing, clogged ears, vertigo, nausea, static, pulsatile tinnitus. I also felt that my life is over. And the worst part - I did this to myself by shooting guns and not protecting my ears properly. Here you are with your life ahead of you and then BANG - everything changed in an instant. I felt so pissed at myself.

By the way, do you realize that you may be going through very standard 7 stages of grief (https://www.recover-from-grief.com/7-stages-of-grief.html). What stage are you on?

In addition to stress and anxiety my biggest trigger was lack or bad quality of sleep. Sleep is important. I completely changed my schedule back then and stuck to it. You must get those 8 hours of sleep, and sleep in when you can. This will also help with stress and anxiety.

So let's talk about lesson #3, and it's a big one

TINNITUS IS NOT CURABLE, BUT IT'S NOT ALL BLACK AND WHITE!

You cannot regrow your hearing cells. At least for now the modern medicine cannot help you. But you mind does "rewire" to the difference in your hearing and to other changes that are causing your tinnitus. This is what happened to me. VERY SLOWLY but surely my ears were clogging less and less, until they were clogging only once a week, and then maybe few times a month, and then stopped clogging altogether. My vertigo got better and went away. I don't even know why I had it because I didn't rupture my drums. Nausea went away. Finally, the ringing was getting weaker and weaker. Now I don't have ringing at all. Pulsatile tinnitus (that was a scary one) stopped occurring but can still happen once in a while when I am under stress.

So am I back to my perfect self? No. Still have static, especially in quite rooms. But I can live with it. For sure. And that brings us to our final lesson

LIFE GOES ON SO GET GOING WITH IT!

Once I accepted what happened to me I continued with my life. Exercise helps mind and body, although you will find plenty of posts here says that stress you put on your body can make tinnitus worse. In my case it only has positive effect. I continue to work and learn new things. I spend more time with my family. I play video games. I play poker with friends. I actually started to socialize more although I am an introvert.

Since I got tinnitus I hiked and camped at Smoky Mountains and Glacier National Park. I sang karaoke in Nashville bars (ear protection a must for everyone). I climbed to see Machu Picchu. I skied the Alps in France and Switzerland. I visited castles at Newport and swam in Lake George. Life really goes on and you have to accept that tinnitus is not the end of the world. Give tinnitus time and give yourself your life back.

 

Glad for you that you have your life back-that's great.

Did your tinnitus reduce in volume or did you just get used to it?

 

Good for you. I hope all of us can find that level of acceptance.

 

@Dmitriy

Did you go back to the Smoky Mountains after the forest fire? I am from East Tennessee and the mountains are a part of my heart even though I have since moved out of state. How is the national park doing?

 

It actually reduced in volume to almost non-existant. It happened very slowly over many month until one day I realized that I don't hear it. Like I said in my post - we don't regrow hearing cells but your brain might make an adjustment.

 

I was there summer of 2017, about a week after I got my tinnitus. I don't recall when the forest fire was but when I was there it looked really good. It was raining all week but otherwise had a great time.

 

My friend, you dont know that.there are 16 people that have been given a breakthrough drug and we dont know if it restored their hearing and also tinnitus if they had it. We wont know for some time either. But just because they havent told us doesnt mean it hasnt happened.

A better statement is,
"There is no officially recognized or publically available cure for tinnitus."

 

I've said that much in my post. Right now modern medicine does not have a cure but there are studies, trials, and new drugs being tested.

 

You dont know that bro
Not having it is not the same as it not being on the market.

 

That's why i dont want to read success stories. Because I feel that I suffer from a totally different condition and I feel even more alone, drifted and cursed. Mine is only growing and growing. 2 years now. So I feel desperate. . I also perceive weird whistle-like sounds over various frequencies. My hearing has gone haywire. I pray sometimes to die in my sleep. I know that I will kill myself at some point. I don't know when. It depends from how much longer I can take it. Why was it impossible at my case for tinnitus to reduce? Why that curse? Why?

 

Many thanks for the positive post Dmitriy. When did you notice it started to fade? Also I wonder how old you are? At a younger age it seems it can get better more quickly than when one is older.

 

I dont think age has to do anything with it. I am 28 and still dealing with terrible tinnitus and hyperacusis. It has to do with the extent of damage. @Dmitry is very lucky to have his fade. Sadly not many of us will see that

 

Which earplugs do you use? And do you still go to the cinema? I am so terrified of going anywhere where there is loud sound, and I miss going to the movies..

I am really wondering if for example by wearing custom fitted earplugs, you can be 100% sure that the sound wont make your T worse.

I have had it for 4,5 months now, and really hope that it will go away some time in the future. But it gets better every day, and it's not that loud and it also has become quieter. So yeah.

I am very happy for you!

 

I am not a big cinema guy so I cannot even comment if I had worn earplugs last time I went. In general I avoid all places with loud sound. I was on tour once in a party bus and it started so loud I asked them to stop and let me off. It was a little embarrassing but who cares, it's my hearing.

I am glad that you see yourself on path to recovery. Like I said - it is very slow. Just need to have patience and let it work it's magic.

 

So it went away? What’s the bottom line of the story?

 

Lmaooo the party bus, shit I would've hopped out the window! Congratulations on your improvement

 

Lol I know you weren't asking me, but after the onset of my T i've frequently gone to the movies, and I wear those cheap foam earplugs from chain pharmacies. I have never had a problem with spikes afterwards; in fact, going to the movies is one of the last kind of public events I can actually attend since having to sacrifice concerts, clubs, and bars.

Only do what you are comfortable with doing, but I'd say going to the movies with some ear protection is one of the best things you can do while you're cursed with this stupid EEEEEEEEE (or whatever it sounds like for you), and i highly recommend it.

 

Thank you for answering Dmitriy!

And grime, I am so happy that you can still enjoy going to the movies. One day I will go there to (just don't think it will be before I get form fitted earplugs)