Update on My Tinnitus/Hearing

Hello to all and I hope everyone is having a great day!

It has been about a month and a week since my tinnitus onset. I am about 85% back to my old self. The first week was the worst but once I started accepting the T it started to fade into the background and I no longer hear it as much. Day by day I am making improvements. I use to sleep with the TV and fan on and I actually don't use anything anymore, I still hear the T quite loud but I have learned to accept it. I have my good and bad moments still. It might be funny but when I feel down I think about my dad (who has tinnitus and hearing loss as well), Gerard Butler (tinnitus and hearing loss), Halle Barry (hearing loss), Ronald Reagan, Chris Martin, and all the people I have talked to that live their life each day with this condition. I tell myself, "If they can be great at what they do so can I." and this actually helps me instantly.

Although the tinnitus is bothersome what bothers me more is the hearing loss. I took online screening tests for hearing loss and they all say that my hearing is normal and the online audiograms self tests (performed as accurately as possible) show about equal hearing in both ears (250-0db, 500-odb, 1 kHz-5db, 2 kHz-10db, 4 kHz-10db to 15db, 8 kHz-5db). I have mild tinnitus in my right ear and moderate in my left. My tinnitus was noise induced after going to an indoor shooting range. Now I know my hearing is somewhat normal but I do feel the hearing loss. I hear normal conversation perfectly but whispers are a little harder to hear. I also feel as though I don't hear everything as loud as I use to. I have that clogged feeling from time to time.

Questions:

1) As for the hearing loss which is very small but I can tell the difference, do you think getting a hearing aid would be worth it?
2) Will my hearing get worse quicker than others? ( I am only 25, about to be 26 in August)
3) I sent my contact info for the AM-101 trials located close to where I live online. All i can do is wait now?
4) Any advice for a newbie? I want to protect my hearing.

My heart goes out to each and everyone of you on this forum. I now some have it much worse than others and those people are inspirations to me being able to deal with this. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a GREAT day!

 

1) If it's only a little hearing loss I wouldn't bother. If it gets worse when you're older you should get it.
2) Probably not, but it's not something you should worry about. You're still young so you shouldn't have to worry about that till you're over 60 years old. That's usually when your hearing begins to go.
3) Yep, and I'm going sign up for those trials if my T isn't gone by September or October.
4) Bring earplugs, but to stay safe avoid loud noise completely. I heard earplugs don't always offer enough protection.

 

Enrique, learning to accept T definitely helps. You have hit the right button with T living. It is futile to resist something we can't control. If the alternative treatments can help, for sure go for them. But the baseline is acceptance. It removes the negative emotions related to T and life becomes much easier to deal with. I also think that you are too young to be worry about a little hearing loss. Just be prudent to protect your hearing in the future.

 

Yeah it is only a little hearing loss and it is not so bad but since i lost about 10db in 2 frequencies I notice it immensly but luckily I still hear normal conversation perfectly. Guess I'll just have to get use to it. As far as the AM-101 trials there are specific guidelines to who can and can't participate. make sure you read them for yours because for the one I want to prticipate in there is a 3 month max time limit from time of exposure. Best of luck!

 

Thanks billie48. I know, the T as bad as it was but since I am now over the T the hearing loss kicked in and it is something else to worry about. It is not too bad, it just feels I can't hear whispers distinctly, normal conversations are fine even with background noise. Thanks for the reply!

 

I was in the exact situation you are in Enrique getting used to and accepting my T until a few days ago when I started to get a cold and my T has been off the scale since, i'm just hoping my T returns to the normal level and I can continue habituation.. Also it's great that you are becoming less bothered by your T i hope it stays that way!

 

And I definitely have noticed a slight decrease in my hearing due to the fact I have asked my friends to repeat themselves a few times when they are speaking but other than that there is no noticable change to my hearing which I take as a good sign

 

I sure hope so. Yeah it seems to be normal. I also ask my friends to repeat themselves so hopefully it doesn't get worse than what it is now.

 

250-0db, 500-odb, 1 kHz-5db, 2 kHz-10db, 4 kHz-10db to 15db, 8 kHz-5db

If this is what your hearing test indicates, why do you say you have hearing loss?

Just because of the 10db at 2kHz and 4kHz?? This is still totally within the acceptable hearing range (20db)......???

 

I know it is but I still feel the difference. I do have a harder time hearing somethings that I use to be able to hear with ease. I guess it is more of a shock because the loss was sudden.

 

Just read this and I want to update everyone in case someone reads this post for future reference. I took an official hearing test and found out I have conductive hearing loss that was not detected when I self performed a hearing test online using headphones. I have low frequency conductive hearing loss coupled with noise induced hearing loss that goes from -30db in the 250hz and -15db in the 500hz and 0db at 1000 hz, about then falls to about -35 in the 4hz and -30 in the 6000hz in the left ear and the right ear is the same except i only dip to about -15db in the 4000 to 6000 range which is why I feel the hearing loss. Does anyone know if the low frequency hearing loss in both ears (of about -20db conductive loss) is an automatic assumption for otosclerosis? my father also has a -20db hearing loss in the same frequency but his hearing is much worse. he is at about -55db in the 250hz range but has an AC score of about 35db. I know this is not much help and confusing but if anyone has any idea or can give me advice please let me know. I wish stregth and happiness to all. Thank you.

 

-Don't get a hearing aid unless you really need it.
-No, well at least I don't think so, either way by the time you're 40 probably sooner there will be treatments and eventually methods to promote hearing cell regeneration in humans, it's already been proven possible they're just in the process of finding out the chemicals that will enable the regeneration.
-Personally I wouldn't fiddle with it just because I'm still paranoid about my ears and getting syringed is to me way too scary.
-Buy a good pair of earplugs and whenever you feel uncomfortable in a loud situation use them, generally unless it's really loud there isn't a need for them.
There's a good rule of thumb where in if you have to speak loudly for someone to hear you from 5ft? then it's loud.
But even if it's not that loud the best advice I can give is the moment you're feeling uncomfortable with the loudness just put the earplugs in.
If you really want to know, go to an audiologist and have him perform a thorough test, he'll tell you what's what.
As for your feeling of a clogged ear not that I want to give out any empty hope or anything but it might just be ear wax that shifted during the acoustic trauma, I think you have to have severe hearing loss in order to feel pressure.

 

TO MR. Floyd Mayweather, my names is Ron Robles a fan of yours , so if I understand you correctly you also have tinnitus, if so since when and how I'd you get it and how do you cope with it, my problem started sept 4 ,2015 got a sinus infection and ringing is still hanging around , doc says some hearing lost but I can hear everything fine , I hope infection is still hanging around in there and go away one day p. Would appreciate your respond I know you have a busy life style, but would like to here your story.

 

I doubt it is the actual @Floyd Mayweather

 

You can have hearing loss in the upper ranges, where there are no natural everyday sounds so you wouldn't even know you have the loss. I have fine hearing too but my tinnitus is in the 12KHZ-14KHZ so I could very well have the hearing loss there and never know it. That's how it was explained to me by an audiologist.