Three Months Later

Hi everyone,

I was a long-time lurker on the site after developing tinnitus (or noticing it for the first time) on 7th April 2017. I stopped visiting the site in early June after spending around an hour or two daily exploring the same posts over and over! I thought I'd give my experiences in the hope of reassuring those that are in the early stages of T.

Firstly I should set out how I think I developed tinnitus. There was a comedy of errors that took place in the month running up to the unending ringing in my head:

• I fell over pretty badly on the beach in late March playing football, banging the back of my head and 'blacking out' for maybe a second or two
• I went to a concert in late March, stood next to the speaker and my ears hurt the next few days. They began rining for maybe a day or two then stopped
• I flew long-haul with a cold on 4th April - the ringing starting two days after. I had previously flown with a cold around two eyars ago and burst my left ear drum.
• On this flight I woke up from sleep feeling like I would faint, unable to move my legs and arms - both becoming floppy for ~20 minutes. My ears were ringing during this 'episode' but I recovered after drinking high-sugar drinks. My GP thinks this could be from having low blood pressure and sleeping sitting down for >6 hours.
• I syringed my own ears for no reason other than my partner had a build up of wax and I wanted to test the syringe so as not to hurt her ears. D'oh!

Once I noticed the ringing the usual abject fear and panic set in. I read about causes, treatments, research, success stories, all of it - and guess what - none of it reassured me!

It lasted a full two months, of constantly checking my ears, popping them by swallowing and plugging them unnecessarily (causing hyperacusis) in both quiet and loud scenarios. I became massively sensitive of any noises and noticied the ringing move from my right ears, to my left, to the centre of my head and I also noticed a new rattling noise (like a saucepan boiling over with the lid on).

I wanted each day to pass as quickly as possible in the hope that I'd wake up and hey bingo! the ringing would be gone. I couldn't concentrate at work, I had constant panic attacks and I barely slept and ate. Early stages of depression set in. I stopped seeing friends and stopped doing what I enjoy with the idea that my life had been 'paused' and could only resume when I get silence back again.

I felt like I had a broken body and I wished I could go back in time to not play football on the beach, not syringe my ears, not go to the concert and not fly.

The hyperacusis made me panic even more. I remember going into a relatively noisy pub with earplugs on. On taking them out in a quieter area the low noise-level still physically hurt and the ringing intensified. Voices also became distorted/robotic and intensified the anxiety.

I got to see a GP who gave me some decongestants and told me not to worry - both of which did not work!

I then saw an ENT who gave me the once over, said I looked fine, scheduled an MRI and hearing test and similarly told me it would go away.

The MRI came back clear and the hearing test showed no hearing loss. That was the good news - the bad news was that, according to my ENT, 'bad luck - I have T'.

This sent me further into a downward spiral. I couldn't believe my ears were broken aged 26! I would have paid anything to stop the ringing.

Looking back this new low was the beginning of my recovery.

It's now three months later and the ringing is as loud as ever (5-6/10) - nothing has changed. However I haved relaxed and become used to the sound. Reading success stories about habituation I always thought I'd never be able to get used to the ringing but it gradually happened without actively doing anything but this:

• Seeing friends & family - talking to them about T so they understand
• Doing what I enjoyed before the ringing started
• Using a fan at night to distract me
• Listening to music quietly during work
• Staying distracted (TV, reading, work etc)

The key thing for me was giving up on seeking a magic formula for a cure/habituation. I couldn't press a button and habituation would happen, nor could I do anything to stop the ringing.

I'm posting this to success stories in the hope that people new to T can relate to my experience and get some comfort from my habituation. By all means you should see a doctor, an ENT and use earplugs at loud events. However you need to take their doctors' advice on disengaging with T as a mortal enemy and realise it's an annoying neighbour. Of course for those with >7/10 tinnitus this isn't so easy. Don't feel bad about spending time on TT, or checking your ears, just realise you must stop when you're ready.

We also naturally might fear a worsening of the ringing but getting a balance of protection & living your life is the most important thing.

Happy to answer any questions or give advice where I'm able to!

 

Thank you for your post!

I absolutely agree on what has helped you - I'm 4 months in and I've been reconnecting with friends and even scheduling trips/movie nights/etc. I even have time set up in the future to visit distant ones - something I always meant to get around to but never did. Another big help is regular excercise if you don't get it - even just a 30 minute walk a day can reduce your stress considerably.

How is your hyperacusis? I still have a slight reactive part to my T like you (overtone noise over fans/running water). I believe its slightly better but it may take a long time to recover completely.

And on the topic of flying - I also got my T maybe a week or so after a 8 hour flight. I don't recall any issue with pressure though but maybe it was the last straw.

 

Hey Abbadem,

The hyperacusis and distorted hearing settled down within around two weeks of me noticing it. My partner really pushed me to not just stop focusing on the ringing but also not to become overprotective of my hearing. This allowed me to disengage with the hyperacusis/tinnitus and before I knew it my hearing was back to normal with the exception of the ringing. The tricky thing is we are all different and whilst I put my hyperacusis going away down to me putting it to the back of my mind, it could have been anything - so don't worry if it's been longer than the two weeks I experienced.

I definitely agree on your point around exercise - I now regularly cycle to work and it helps with stress and keeps energy levels up.

 

@Vegan_Warrior

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story. No doubt it will help many who struggle with habituation.

Best wishes,
Barbara