Noise-Induced Tinnitus — Positive Success Stories

It sounds like vacuuming was the cause of that short spike. I would stay away from vacuuming until the time when my body no longer reacts to vacuuming with earplugs this way.

 

I would tend to agree. Shows your brain is plastic and changeable. The variation I see is day to day and also within a day. Even minute to minute. All of it is I believe is the brain audio circuit getting used to the faulty inputs and internal-pathing and and remapping how the brain wants to present it to me as 'audio.'

Glad you did some vacuuming. Here's to better todays!

 

7 Months

I don't know what to say. Pretty much the same as last month.

Physical t

Same as last month, same as 4 months ago. Crickets in the morning under a tone turning to a more steady tone as the day progresses. The crickets may be lasting later in the day as time passes.

The level of the t does fluctuate, quieter when I wake up and then for whatever reason the tone alternates from a sharper level to a softer level. I've noticed a couple times it got really loud before getting quieter which I noticed 4 months ago too.

I'm noticing fleeting t almost daily now. I think more than last month.

The volume is equal to or possible a little louder than the second and third month depending on where the t is in the cycle. Outdoors almost completely masks and indoors in quiet rooms it's definitely there and I can mask some of it. It's not as bothersome as it was so even though I hear it the reaction isn't the same.

I was at the grocery store and the beeper bothered me last week. I didn't put muffs on but it felt loud. I wonder if some beepers are louder than others at the store.

The h is pretty much gone though I still protect when loud planes, motorcycles, trucks, sirens, beepers are nearby. No ear fullness over the last month. No papery feel, not even a little bit.

Mental t

The reason I'm writing this post now is that I just read a post by someone who just came back from an ENT.

Based on the fact that most of the physical signs of t are gone; no fullness, no hyperacusis, I have to wonder if my ears have 'healed' and now my t is in my brain and it will move on or it won't and I can't do a thing about it besides do my best to ignore it.

Don't get me wrong I still protect when driving my diesel truck, my wife's Honda if going over 30-40, and if a helicopter, airplane etc comes by.

It hit me again that what I have may be what I have. I know I've got a hearing loss from a lifetime of noise exposure but it feels like my time working on my truck with the die grinder is what started the t and now I'll have to deal with it (forever). My stomach doesn't drop like it did in the first month but I still want to curse when I think that.

Like everyone here the moment I went to the ENT and was told, "You have T, deal with it." Life changed. Before that visit I thought there would be a magic pill or time would heal. Hopefully time will still heal.

I know I was wearing hearing protection and I didn't think the noise was too loud. There's nothing I can do.

I'm in a bit of limbo with work since I finished a job I was on for a while. I have small jobs to do but I'm not excited about them. That may not be the t, that may be my baseline motivation level.

I spent some time working on my truck last week and really enjoyed it. I spent about 4 hours vacuuming, washing, Armouralling my wife's car last week too. I had those rims shining like the sun! I raked leaves for a while over the weekend and today because I don't want to use a leaf blower. It's not as big a deal as I thought but I have to pace myself.

I think about using my lawn mower to shred the leaves of leaf blower but I don't want to set myself back. I don't really know when my ears will be hardened off to loud noises, with hearing protection, but I don't want to push it.

I split some firewood with an axe for about 10 minutes over the weekend with ear muffs and ear plugs. I didn't want to overdo it in case the t amped up. Splitting firewood by hand used to be my way to burn off anxiety and stress, now I do it for 10 minutes at a time and cautiously. I have some pieces that have too many knots to split but I don't want to think about starting the log splitter or chainsaw. Well, I want to think about it but I don't want to act on it.

I just got fleeting t in my left ear that's lasted about a minute. It's cricket fleeting t. That may be a new one. Yeah!

That's where I am. I've slipped back into a bit of a funk possibly because of gloomy October weather, possibly because I finished the big job, possibly because it's a habit I'll have to break after 7 months.

Thanks again to everyone who's commented or given me an emoticon on the thread. It validates my thoughts and feelings.

Still not sure if the monthly updates will continue. I fear they are going to all start sounding the same.

 

I don't have h, but I do have t. Periodically my left ear drum will bang from TTTS. That should go away over time. I spoke with my former supervisor today. He has t and hearing loss and had these for over 15 years. He mentioned that it has been stable over that time though at times his t is perceived louder, though that goes back to normal. He doesn't over protect and in fact, does nothing to protect his ears. He and his wife enjoy music and routinely go to small venues to hear live music. He's done this for decades.

I can live with t. I realize it's harmless and just a part of who I am now. I will be protective of my hearing and listen to things at the lowest volume needed to hear them. I wear ear protection when doing things that are loud and even in church during worship (hi-fi ear plugs). I wish I realized this years ago and kick myself because all these years I could have simply popped in earplugs and avoided all this! I will tell others of the dangers of ear damage and how fragile it really is!

 

I had the TTTS too, it's gone now. My ears are almost back to normal except for the noise.

I had an episode where the t got louder and it scared the heck out of me. I don't want to risk an increase plus I had h so I've been going easy on noise.

I never used ear plugs, only ear muffs, because plugs are a pain to put in and I never seemed to get them right. I wish I had used ear plugs more, I wish I had doubled up my hearing protection, earlier on. After 7 months I'm just getting comfortable putting ear plugs in the right way.

I've give two people I know Peltor X5A earmuffs and I do my best to spread the word too.

 

I was driving today with muffs on and noticed for a few minutes the t turned to a hiss with hissing crickets. I hope the trend continues. I still don't know if the trend is improving or variations of t.

Visited a store and while checking out someone fired up a leaf blower just outside (They weren't wearing muffs or ear plugs, I always check now). I had my muffs with me and put them on to be safe. Another thing that wouldn't have concerned me before t.

I often teeter between give it more time and you've got t deal with it. Like everyone else here I never expected to be in this place in my life. At some point I have to accept and stop giving it more time.

I feel like I've come a long way since the first month but often wonder where I'll end up. What will my new life look like? When will I not think about it so much? When will I stop coming here searching for hope? Why do I make such a big deal out of a little noise? Am I using t as an excuse not to engage in life?

 

I was going through some files and found this list I made of my symptoms when I saw the ENT. This is what I thought of t before I started doing a ton of research about it.

Symptoms:

1. High pitched ringing noticeable unless adequate background noise.

2. Ears feel clogged/full. I hear noises when I swallow like ear has fluid.

3. Sensitive to loud noise since started and getting more sensitive.

 

In the last week my wife has walked in my office and told me twice I'm listening to music on my computer loud. She's surprised how loud. I changed my 3 piece speaker system to a usb speaker but I guess I'm letting it get louder little by little. The h seems to be gone for the most part I with the t would start leaving.

 

It is nice to see progress of any kind. Hopefully you will start to notice changes with your tinnitus, also.

 

@emmalee

I hope that's the next step, for the t to get quieter. Only time will tell.

How are you doing?

 

I am doing well, John.

Like you, I am seven months into this tinnitus journey. The volume rarely decreases, instead I will have days when the tea kettle whistle switches over to an all over "head buzzing" which is much less annoying for me. I don't dream of a day when a cure will be found, instead I approach each day individually. Tomorrow I could wake up and the tinnitus may be gone, so I don't let myself think about the long term in a negative or fearful matter. Some days really are better than others. I have reached a place of acceptance.

This quote from one of your previous posts is how I think......

Wishing you peaceful days, John.

 

@emmalee

Hopefully you'll get more head buzzing and then move to something else. I swear there are times it feels like it's getting quieter, and times it feels like it's getting louder, both in the same day.

I'm glad you came back and visited. I feel like every 6 months there's a new class of people on TT. There are names I will always associate with my time here and it's like visiting old friends. Friends who really get me.

Have a wonderful walk today and give the kitty a pet for me.

 

maybe when H starts leaving T doesnt sound as loud and you can habituate a little faster. or better yet, then the T starts fading. Since sound seems normal again T can fade into the background. Also you dont have as an extreme reaction to it since H is gone.

 

I surely will, thank-you, John.

 

8 Months

After 8 months the level of the t is the same. Sometimes it's harsher, sometimes it's softer but if I think back to the first month or two the level is pretty much the same. My reaction has changed but when in a quiet room it's still there and very noticeable.

I thought things were getting quieter, and perhaps they have, but I think it's more a case of me getting used to the noise.

I have to accept what I've got is what I've got. I'll keep hoping for a decrease, protecting my ears from loud sounds while not overprotecting and do my best to be positive.

I've learned a ton about t over the spring and summer from reading this forum and made some great friends. All I can do now is take what I've learned and put it into practice.

I'm not going to wait for research to find a cure. I don't think there's a magic pill. All I can do is try to move forward as I have been. Accept I'll have some bad days and some good days but in time things will level out.

The h has gotten much better, it's just about gone. The fullness is pretty much gone though sometimes my ears feel a little full. I'm not sure if it's from wearing ear muffs 2-3 hrs a day or not. I have fleeting t every day or two, that's what convinces me most that something is messed up with my ears. I would have fleeting t once every 6 months before t.

At 4000 hz my hearing is around -40 db in both ears. That didn't happen one day, it was from a lifetime of using power equipment and listening to my radio loud even with hearing protection. No earbuds though.

I want to assert to people in the panic phase, the first month or two, it gets better. You're going to have to give it time. Ears take a long time to heal and the initial hyperacusis, fullness and anxiety will go down. Protect your ears from loud noises, especially when you're new to t and it will help things settle down.

May peace be with you.

 

@New Guy
Hey! Haven't been on for a while and hoped there'd be a new post from you. Wonderful news on the "h." I hope things continue to improve for you all across the board.

Mystery Reader

 

@Mystery Reader

How have you been doing?

 

did you do an audiogram?

 

I'm going to take a week off. We'll see how that goes. I hope things get quieter for you.

 

Sitting in the dark in a quiet house. It's moments like these that I realize how much life has changed.

It's there and there's no way to avoid it. I should have masking on. If the dishwasher was on in the next room it would be the same level.

I'm not freaked out. Saddened, yes. Freaked out, no. I guess that's progress.

This is one of those moments called reality.

 

Hey there.. I read through some of your journey from the beginning and your fear has definitely subsided which is good. When I got my T, I also went through the typical stages. fear, denial, depression, anxiety, back to fear etc... My T was caused by an inner ear infection that lasted for several weeks. I had ear fullness after getting the cold/flu one morning and thought nothing of it. The cold/flu went away but ear remained full and I also felt numbness on that side of my face. I eventually went to the ENT but that was when my hearing had already returned but I had gotten T. He concluded that I had labyrinths which had caused some damage... I wish I had gone sooner as maybe a dose of antibiotics and steroids could have prevented the damage. My hearing in my "damaged" ear is "normal" according to hearing tests they gave me at the ENT. I've also done many self experiments using sounds and frequencies to see if I could detect the loss and I've determined that I have lost some super high frequencies in the upper 15 KHz range and even then, I can still hear those frequencies but they need to be at a slight higher volume. Anything below 13 Khz is identical to my good ear. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the symptom of this is high pitch T which comes and goes and a constant low pitch hum that's always there.

When I mentioned that I had T to my ENT, he said "so what? I have patients coming here who are dying of cancer on a daily basis". I was at a loss of words and quite upset that a doctor would respond to a patient in such a way. I came home that day and thought about what he had said and it put things into perspective. Someone with cancer would gladly trade it for T and someone with T would most likely trade it for something less debilitating and the list goes on...

It's all a learning experience. You look back and realize that all that fear, anxiety, stress, depression you went through really reduced your quality of life and for what exactly? The best cure for tinnitus is no cure. The problem is that once you start looking for cures, the result is that T is ALWAYS on your mind. Even when you listen to masking sounds, you know why you're listening to those sounds and this feeds the cycle that prevents you from habituation. We've all been through it or going through it now...

The best technique I have comes up with is to first REALLY focus on your T when you are in a quiet place. What I mean by this is to listen to all the details of the sounds and absorb them as if you are listening to someone speak. If you do this correctly, the T should get louder at first. Don't try to suppress listening to it by distracting yourself as this causes anxiety and despair. LISTEN to it and tell yourself that WOW, IT'S REALLY LOUD BUT INTERESTING. Listen to your T as if your T is speaking to you and telling you something important. What happened when I started doing this was the T got so loud that it sort of morphed into silence by becoming the background noise. It's difficult to explain this in words but the best way I can describe it is you not hearing the constant noise of a fan or air blowing through a vent even though it's there. Do you ever say "that AC vent noise is so annoying and giving me anxiety"? most likely not. You essentially establish your T as the normal background of a quiet room. Your T becomes the NEW silence. And since you are no longer doing any masking, research (including this forum), you eventually forget about it until the topic comes up and you explicitly listen to for. This has been my experience for the most part and I hope it helps anyone who wants to give it a try

Good luck.

 

I just found this video on YouTube. I wish I saw this before I used that tool. I say again, to calm myself, I was wearing hearing protection. It was too much noise for too long. A lot of the comments below the video from people with noise induced t talk about having crickets.

ONLY SISSIES WEAR MUFFS! Tested Shop Vac, Circ...

 

Did you ever do an audiogram?

 

In the late 60’s and early 70’s I worked at a large textile plant. I ran a large set of looms, making bath towels. The noise was so loud that you could not hear someone yelling in your ear! The ringing started a short time after being there. I noticed that, after work, my ears would ring for several hours, then stop entirely. After moving on to other work my ears were fine for a number of years. Then I became aware that I could hear a slight ringing in both ears. This went on for a while and then seemed to get louder as time went on. My left ear rings at 8 khz and right ear is at 9.5 kHz. (I measured it with an audio generator and a good set of headphones)......I am a broadcast engineer and deal with audio. The positive news, for me at least, is that I can go for days without noticing my problem. If someone mentions ear ring or something else to remind me of it, my ears will let me know that the ringing was there all along, but somehow I had tuned it out. If I can stop thinking about it, I won’t notice it. This being said, last night I took two Advil’s and about an hour later my ears started screaming. It is now 7:30 AM and still my ringing is very loud. I believe that it will stop after awhile, I certainly hope so.

 

@Winston HAwkins

Thank you for sharing your story. It's encouraging that you can work as a broadcast engineer with t. I'm not reacting to it the way I was initially but it's definitely still there.

 

9 Months

The h has gone down a ton over the last month. I'm not cringing at loud noises like I did before. The t is staying about the same. I try not to focus on the t because I'll get upset if I do. I acknowledge it but try not focus on it.

I've been doing my best to start moving forward. I've been able to stay focused on things a little longer than before though I haven't been dealing with true or hard deadlines. I've simply been trying to stay active more through the day.

I spoke with someone on the site who said the h going down is healing and to hope the trend continues. I didn't think of it that way.

Over the summer I've been going to a shelter and looking for a cat to adopt. I came home with two 10 week old kittens a couple weeks ago and they're doing a wonderful job distracting me. As I write this post I have a kitten purring, rubbing my hands and my face. Life is good!

 

Couple stories about t.

Visited a new Dr. this week, not hearing related, and she said she had t for a week or two from a medication. Lucky for her the t stopped, and stayed stopped, when she got off the med.

Went to a store today and the clerk spotted my ear plugs and said she needs some. She has had h for most of her life, now in her 40's, and is very sensitive to high pitched sounds. She carries cotton around with her to plug her ears when things get too noisy.

 

There were two times in my life, a year or two before t, that I couldn't sleep and listened for sounds to distract me. Both times I heard a ringing that was there all the time. I could tune into it, notice it, then just forget it.

The eee noise was so low that the second my mind wandered I forgot to listen for it. The eee was a steady ring. I remember thinking to myself, "I have tinnitus." though my thoughts didn't go beyond that.

I don't know how else to describe it besides a very quiet solid ring. So quiet I literally had to listen for it in my head.

Perhaps this is a sign that the ring can get quieter. Perhaps it's a sign that I already had t and my noise exposure cranked it up. I don't know.

I've read articles that say in a quiet room almost everyone hears some noise. Perhaps my experience was normal based on that assumption.

 

@New Guy
Good to catch up with your thread and your progress, @New Guy. You always give me something to think about, and I look at this post before signing off when I check in, because there is so much positivity in it. It's a good "mind settler" in some ways! Hope things continue moving in the right direction for you.

Mystery Reader

 

@Mystery Reader

Thanks for checking in. I was feeling very introspective last night and came here for come camaraderie. I hope you're doing well.