Tinnitus with No Hearing Loss/Only Hear It in Dead Silence

I have had tinnitus for about 2 and a half months, since August 23, 2016. I am so confused because ENT said I had no hearing loss. So I do not know what is causing my tinnitus. My ringing is virtually gone during the day but as soon as my body relaxes and when it is quiet at night I can hear my tinnitus. It is very low hiss sound, which I am grateful for, but dumb founded on what to do. I don't know if it will go away or get worse, God forbid it gets worse. Anyone experiencing the same??

 

Protect your ears in any loud situations-and consider yourself lucky. I'd probably avoid this site too. You'll be fine I guarantee

 

I can't find any hearing loss in the clinically tested frequencies of my own hearing (Only beyond 16kzh can I find issues. Both my ears differ). Yet have had wildly varying T sounds, intensities.

But I also have very bad sinus issues and tmj like issues since the same day my T started.

Currently i'm in a very lucky spot where it's almost 100% maskable most of the time and I only really notice it in low sound environments (<40 dBa). (When in the past it's been totally un maskable and audible over everything)Though I still get somewhat common occurances of fleeting T in one ear or the other.


Honestly, given the ups and downs of my experience so far, (Having not even been able to see a damn doctor in a timely manner about any of my issues because of where I live, income and insurance. I've waited 4 months just to be able to go to an Audiologist, only to have them call and say my insurance wont' cover it now because of a gap period of enrollment atm. So i'm SOL and have to wait until February when I can finally get in to an ENT. ;i've been waiting since May i'd say, if it's 100% maskable. Then I think you shouldn't worry and just go about your life. You'll get used to the sound at night and in silence and or sleeping.
Also, as said above. Avoid loud sounds, protect your ears. If you are going out to a bar or such, wear Plugs, but ones that only block out enough sound so you can still hear conversation.

If my T remains at the level it's been fairly steady at, and been mostly completely maskable. I can mostly forget about it and feel like I can live my life.

 

Thank you both for such great positive feedback. This made me feel more confident about my T. I am so grateful that it is 100% masked by ambient noises during the day and I know that one day I can make a full recovery from T. I do need to set up appointment with an Audiologist. Thank you Mrbonk and Soulstation. I hope you get to see ENt soon Mrbonk.

 

You can have T without hearing loss. There's also "hidden hearing loss".

Don't worry too much. A low T like yours will not be a problem for long. One day you will just forget about it. Just be careful so it never gets worse during your lifetime. It's very possible.

 

There is also profound hearing loss without tinnitus as evidenced by a conversation i had with a girl who had congenital hearing loss and t to begin with. Later in life she experienced a closed head injury, which caused her to develop profound hearing loss and her t vanished mysteriously. Whilst she cant hear, she can no longer hear her tinnitus. silence.

 

Pure silence is enjoyable in a way. Deafness + T must be a nightmare.

 

On the old RNID Tinnitus forum was a guy called Portsmouth he was Totally deaf with T,his posts were heartbreaking I felt for him so much nothing anyone could do for him.

 

Thank you all for the amazing support. I just pray it does not get worse. I am positive that it will get better. I have had spikes with my T but it has been a week since my last spike. I honestly feel that the combination of a healthier life style, which includes protecting our ears, and exercising can reduce if not rid oneself of tinnitus.

 

The onset of my tinnitus began on August 23 2016 and still have minor T.

The good is that during these 3 months, going on 4 months December 24, my T has gone down significantly.

The things that I have done is remain positive, which can be tough with T, and made positive associations with certain situations. The first month was tough. I had fear going to bed because I thought I would not be able to sleep and afraid it would come back worse. I had to retrain my brain to make going to bed a positive experience.

It took me a few days but made progress and sleeping got better over time. I also made a decision to have healthier eating habits and exercise regularly.

I truly believe that the combinations of these things can be beneficial and other calming techniques.

I truly believe in Julian Cowan's theory about T and he is right in what he has to say. You really have to calm your central nervous system. It is not a quick fix and does take time.

There are two types of people which includes: those who do not believe in holistic and natural remedies and those who are too strong willed. There are some who can overcome tinnitus in a few months and there is some that takes years for it to get better.

There are important questions that you need to ask yourself: 1) what can I change to help myself? 2) Am I willing and able to make those changes?? 3) Do I have the support and resources I need to get back on track and to be successful?

These important questions is what helped me get through the most difficult time with T. I feel confident enough in saying, that because of the changes I have made and the willingness to feel better has really brought my T to a tolerable level. I am confident in saying that my T will go away over time. I don't know when or how long it will take for it to go away.

The good thing that I am noticing is that every month I have been making progress. My T is getting better and better as months go by. So I encourage you not to give up hope and we can kick this T in the A

 

Welcome to the forum and thank you for the positive post. Your above quote is what I have been saying all along that being positive and using some helpful strategies will definitely help improve the situation over time. Your story proves that. Thanks again for the nice positive post.