As some of you might know, I've had tinnitus for a year and a half now, and I've been overprotecting for at least a year. At first, wearing hearing protection most of the time really helped me, and my tinnitus improved a lot. But now I feel like I should start removing them gradually. I miss not being homebound, I miss being able to listen to digital audio, and I want to at least try to bring those things back into my life.
So that's what I've been doing lately. I've been trying to wear hearing protection less and less, and so far, my hyperacusis has improved greatly. On the other hand, my tinnitus is slightly louder and more annoying. It still changes a lot and reacts strongly to even low-level sounds and to some very specific frequencies. Sometimes I even get new tones on top of certain noises, which disappear as soon as the sound stops. I believe this might be either dysacusis or reactive tinnitus, but I'm not entirely sure which one.
An example of my tinnitus getting louder is when I have conversations. I get a very loud and deep hum that disappears within ten minutes to an hour after the conversation ends. Overall, my tinnitus has also become slightly more high-pitched.
I'm not sure if I should continue to reduce my use of hearing protection or go back to using it for a while. I really don't want my tinnitus to worsen permanently. It has been a bit more bothersome lately, but I'm still not at the point where it is significantly worse, a point I really don't want to reach. I've actually been doing really well recently. I'm no longer depressed, I sleep well, and my spikes last at most two days compared to one and a half months before. Even though it makes my tinnitus a little higher-pitched, I can call my friends again without struggling to understand them through hearing protection. I've calmed my phonophobia a lot, and I'd be devastated to fall back into it because of one bad decision.
So, Tinnitus Talk community, what are your thoughts? Should I protect or not protect?
So that's what I've been doing lately. I've been trying to wear hearing protection less and less, and so far, my hyperacusis has improved greatly. On the other hand, my tinnitus is slightly louder and more annoying. It still changes a lot and reacts strongly to even low-level sounds and to some very specific frequencies. Sometimes I even get new tones on top of certain noises, which disappear as soon as the sound stops. I believe this might be either dysacusis or reactive tinnitus, but I'm not entirely sure which one.
An example of my tinnitus getting louder is when I have conversations. I get a very loud and deep hum that disappears within ten minutes to an hour after the conversation ends. Overall, my tinnitus has also become slightly more high-pitched.
I'm not sure if I should continue to reduce my use of hearing protection or go back to using it for a while. I really don't want my tinnitus to worsen permanently. It has been a bit more bothersome lately, but I'm still not at the point where it is significantly worse, a point I really don't want to reach. I've actually been doing really well recently. I'm no longer depressed, I sleep well, and my spikes last at most two days compared to one and a half months before. Even though it makes my tinnitus a little higher-pitched, I can call my friends again without struggling to understand them through hearing protection. I've calmed my phonophobia a lot, and I'd be devastated to fall back into it because of one bad decision.
So, Tinnitus Talk community, what are your thoughts? Should I protect or not protect?
