Update: Tinnitus Since April 2019, Now Virtually Gone (Female, 25-Year-Old)

Hello everyone! Way back in 2019 when my tinnitus first emerged, I introduced myself in a thread here. I was still deeply shaken at the time and in a state of denial, if I'm honest. The support and welcome I got in response to that post was a lifeline to me, and I'll forever be grateful for it (and for all of you and for this forum in general).

Since then I've been a lurker rather than an active poster/member, but I still check it once in a while to see what the latest research news is.

Because I feel I owe so much to this community, I thought I'd contribute my own success story. Like so many others have said before me, I remember reading the posts in this section obsessively, trying to find some solace and hope for my own situation; however, I couldn't imagine ever getting to that point myself. Here I am 2 and a half years later, finally ready to do just that. I hope that someone out there can glean some comfort from it.

To sum up my current tinnitus status: I still have it, but it is extremely quiet. In fact, I rarely hear it at all anymore. Over the past year I have gone literally months without so much as thinking about it. The only time I ever really hear it is when I'm in an exceptionally quiet room and, occasionally, at certain points throughout my menstrual cycle; even during those moments, it is so faint that I have to really strain to catch it. When I do hear it, I have no more emotional reaction to it than I do to the sound of my own breathing or the million other little sounds I hear every day.

I was never able to determine the cause of my tinnitus, but I assume it was brought on by listening to music too loudly through earbuds. When my tinnitus first started, I stopped listening to music that way immediately and haven't looked back since. I also had (limited) hyperacusis; I remember wincing at everyday sounds which were suddenly almost unbearable. The hyperacusis lasted for maybe a couple of months (I haven't thought about the start of my tinnitus in so long that I'm kinda struggling to remember things).

VERY, VERY gradually, the tinnitus started to become less distressing; there was nothing in particular I did to encourage this, aside from being more sensible about protecting my hearing. I am extremely lucky that the volume (which in the beginning was loud enough to hear over TV/radio and was a deep, almost bass rumbling that gave me headaches) decreased over time in almost imperceptibly small increments, until I reached the point I'm at today.

I truly believed this horrible thing that came out of nowhere (but which I'd brought on myself, which was even worse) was going to ruin my life. I struggled to function at all for the first few months as I tried to adapt to this new reality. I avoided large crowds (a habit I've returned to now, but for a different reason this time lol). I avoided travelling. I wore earplugs anywhere I wasn't able to control the volume of the environment. I didn't go near a cinema or live music events.

Since then, my life has more or less reverted to what it was before. I still don't listen to music through earbuds and I don't think I'll ever go back to a club/rock concert in my life, but I've discovered I don't need to: I am just as happy listening to music via speakers and attending less eardrum-rupturing live music gigs. I have resumed going back to the cinema, I've resumed travelling, I am one more semester away from completing a prestigious multiple Master's degree programme. I can safely say that I am as happy now as I was before April 2019 - in fact, I'm happier.

Having said all this, I want to close by saying that I am fully aware of how lucky I have been to have had a comparatively mild experience. Of course I'm not suggesting that everyone who develops tinnitus will be fortunate enough to have it follow the same trajectory as mine. My eyes have been opened to how truly destructive tinnitus can be; I'll never take chances with my hearing again, and I now constantly hound my friends and family about doing the same. I hope that science and emerging medical technologies pull through for this community and produce some real, effective treatments in the coming years. In the meantime (and finally), I want to say that I think everyone on this forum is extremely brave and I appreciate the work you do so much. I wish all of you the same peace I feel now. Keep going.

Thank you all again!
xxx

 

I am very pleased for you @Clare96 and thank you for the update. Continue not to use any type of headphones even at low volume, keep away from overly loud sounds and I believe you will continue to do well.

Take care,
Michael

 

Exceptional Clare. So happy to hear about your success. May it last a lifetime. Best wishes.

 

Nice to hear your success! What did yours sound like and when did you start noticing some improvements? I am at 13 months and really struggling.

 

Hi @Clare96 -- Congratulations on your improvements, and thank you for coming back and sharing them with us! Your mention of resuming going back to the cinema reminded me of something I read on this forum a couple years ago. A member wrote that their tinnitus started from watching a certain movie, and there was an extremely loud part of that movie, and that's what caused his tinnitus.

Another member wrote in and said the exact same thing happened to him (same spot in same movie!). It sounds like you're being really diligent and responsible in protecting your hearing; you may want to considering wearing musician's earplugs when going to a movie, just to give yourself a little extra protection in case there's a very loud scene. -- Thanks again for coming back and sharing... All the Best...

P.S. And congratulations on completing your prestigious multiple Master's Degree programme!!! -- Also, I don't know if you know it, but you're a very good writer!

 

Michael,
You mention not to use headphones, but what about hearing aid maskers for TRT since they are like a headphone in a way?

 

Thank you, Michael! I remember you well from my time trawling this forum. Whenever someone reached out for help, you were always one of the first to reach back.

Yes, I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable around loud noises again; I'm quite happy to avoid them for the rest of my life if I can manage it.

Thank you again, and I wish you all the best in the new year!

 

Thank you so much! I appreciate your well wishes and I return them wholeheartedly.

May this next year be kinder to you (and to us all) than the past two have been.

 

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling.

At the beginning, mine was a very low bass-sounding rumble. I could *feel* it as well as I could hear it, if you know what I mean. As time went on, that deep rumbling became less disturbing but new tones gradually added to it (faint whistling noises, bell-like tinkling, hissing - not to mention occasional bouts of sudden, louder tones that came on very suddenly and then reduced again over a number of seconds).
I would say my emotional responses to the sounds improved before the actual sounds did. I resumed doing the things I do for fun (minus of course anything that would expose me to very loud noises) and eventually I just learned not to react to it the way I did before. I'd say what I've been describing here happened somewhere between months 7 and 8.

After that, I began to realise that not only was my reaction to the tinnitus improving, but the sound itself was getting lower in volume. This was a very slow process, to the point that it's difficult for me to pinpoint when it began. I just know that somewhere along the line, it hit me one morning that I couldn't hear it very much anymore. And that's where I still am today (also, just to note - I just tested positive for COVID-19 this morning, and am experiencing very mild symptoms so far. My tinnitus is louder, but almost imperceptibly so. As usual, the extremely slight increase in volume does not bother me at all emotionally. When I stop thinking about it, it virtually disappears and I am back to near silence again).

Although I'm obviously not an expert, I would say that 13 months is a very short time. I've read about people who only really started seeing improvements around the 2-year mark.

However, it's important to remember that even then, there is no magic timeframe for tinnitus recovery. Everyone's system is different. Try not to measure your experience against other people's, because no two are exactly the same.

I wish you all the best for the future and will be thinking about you in the coming months. If there's any other way I can help, please feel free to ask me again.

Have hope! I believe you'll get to where I am now, someday.

 

Hello! Thank you so much for your well-wishes, and you're very welcome - coming back to share my improvements was the least I could do, after all the help and hope I received from this forum!

Yeah, the volume in cinemas can be astonishingly loud. In fact, I do indeed wear earplugs whenever I go to the cinema. Thankfully I've never experienced a spike in my tinnitus afterwards, so I trust that the earplugs are doing their job.

Haha, thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it I'm actually not finished my studies just yet - I have one more semester to go, during which I will be almost solely writing my thesis. So I'm going to put these writing skills to the test, lol.

Thank you again, and best wishes for the new year!

 

Thank you for your kind comments @Clare96. Happy New Year to you and wishing you all the best for the future.

Take care,
Michael

 

Interestingly I was thinking about the quality of the writing while reading, so was funny to see you commented about it.

Congratulations on your recovery @Clare96. I bet some would argue your young age might have helped. Wonder how I will fare with my eight months old high-pitched tinnitus that is still debilitating large parts of my day – and I'm turning 44 this year.

But I'll try to keep going and hope for science and progress of research! Off to the bouldering wall now to keep that body going. ‍

 

Thank you so much! I didn't expect to receive compliments like this, you're all too kind.

Yes, I imagine my age certainly helped (for which I'm very grateful!). Maybe being a little older just means the recovery process is slower. I'll have my fingers crossed that you'll see some proper relief soon!

Very best wishes for the new year - may it bring us all some much-needed good news.

PS: Enjoy your bouldering! I've only tried a very standard climbing wall once or twice - my upper arm strength is very poor, haha!

 

@Clare96, that's because we all love you it is thrilling when someone finds relief on here. As we empathise with those through their suffering, so do we rejoice with those that find success. (Plus, you come across as such a nice young lady!)

Thanks for sharing with us and helping us to keep our heads up. You have a bright future ahead of you. Make the most of it - and above all, be happy.

 

Congratulations! This post made me incredibly happy to read, and I am glad you wrote it. Thank you!

Did you have any other symptoms associated with the tinnitus, in your ears or otherwise?

Happy for your relief and hopeful for more to come for this whole community.

 

Thank you, sincerely. See, this is what I meant when I said I relied on this forum for comfort and solace. Everyone here is so compassionate I am also always thrilled whenever I see a new post in the Success Stories section, no matter whether it's someone whose tinnitus as disappeared completely or someone who's reached the point where they've decided they can live with it. It's really inspiring to see.

The very same to you! I hope your future is just as bright, and that you're also happy!

 

No problem! I've very glad you enjoyed reading it, and I hope it gave you some hope for your own situation (if that's what you need right now).

I did have some hyperacusis near the beginning, but it wasn't unbearable and I just sort of grinned and bore it, if you know what I mean. I tried not to completely shield myself from noise. I imagine that's far easier said than done when you have a worse case of hyperacusis, though.

Other than that, I can't remember having any other symptoms. My doctor did prescribe me medication because he believed it could have been an infection initially, but it soon became clear that that wasn't the cause. Or at least if it was, it didn't improve with treatment.

I wish you the very best for this new year, and I hope you will find yourself contributing your own Success Story soon!

 

Congrats! I'm 24 years old, female. I have hope one day I can be like you and feel some healing!

 

Hi @Clare96, I'm so glad you have had so much improvement.

I read that you mentioned the sound of tinkling bells. I've just recently started getting this. It's constant and every 10 seconds or so in one ear.

Can you tell me how long you roughly had this particular sound and has it fully gone away?