Will My Tinnitus Get Better With Time?

Hey guys I am new to these forums after a kind perosn referred me here from that patient website. I got tinnitus on halloween night last year after loud sound exposure. The doctor said it should go away but could take up to a year and that it depended totally on myself and how I went about recovering. I had a very good first 2 months and by xmas I flew out to San fran to see family for xmas. I had no issue as the T was barely audible. I came back on new years eve and was foolish enough to go out. I did not go anywhere loud so sound exposure can be cancelled out as a reason for the spike. I did however smoke half a joint of cannabis and some fags. I had a few wreckless nights where I couldnt sleep and still am having issues sleeping. I think this may be a result of a cold I may be coming down with. I am over tired as of now. I am wondering if this is what caused the spike in the T and will it get better with time. I have not being around loud sound above 85db since last Oct when it happened. I am eating well and starting to get back into sports. I am 18 years old also. Thanks for the support. My T at xmas was not effecting me in my daily routines but this spike is. Also I was told I did no damage to my hearing that is permanent.

 

Hi Aeryes,
You're doing the right things. Eating well and exercising will help your body repair itself and keep you healthy and happy to boot. Protecting your ears is very sensible too.

Being tired or stressed can aggravate T and colds are notorious for making you feel worse.

Hang in there, the spike will subside. Do the same things you did in the first 2 months - your doctor was right, it's all about your mindset.

You're young as well so I'd expect you to habituate quickly.

I also saw on chat you're intending to study it and help find a cure - I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we're all rooting for you!

 

Hi @Aeryes,

Firstly, welcome to Tinnitus Talk. You've come to the right place for support. I got Tinnitus on November 2nd, so you and I both acquired it at around the same time. This is a journey that has many twists and turns, largely because Tinnitus is very poorly understood, even by medical professionals, and those who do understand it widely disagree about what is actually happening.

There are various types of Tinnitus, each with their different causes. Since you attribute your Tinnitus to loud sound exposure, with potential spikes caused by chemical or stress factors, it's safe to say that you're ahead of the game. For many, how they acquired Tinnitus is a mystery -- though stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition are all typically common denominators.

I'm afraid I can't speak to Tinnitus caused by sudden acute noise exposure, but if you got prompt medical attention and it resolved itself, the "spike" you are experiencing now should resolve with time. Given that you are young and hopefully otherwise healthy, this shouldn't pose any challenges for you. In the meantime, I would avoid drugs (prescription medications or recreational), make sure you're getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night, getting proper exercise, and in general taking good care of yourself. You recovered before from the temporary damage that was caused to your ears, and it is likely that you will recover once again.

For what it's worth, I have read that there is no set time-table for all T spikes to always resolve. For some people, they resolve in days; other people take several weeks. But eventually, in most cases, spikes tend to resolve if the underlying factors that aggravated them are removed. In your case, I would probably remove any of the stressing factors that caused your spike to occur in the first place and then see if you notice any improvement over the course of a week or two.

I will be keeping you in my thoughts!

 

Thanks both of you for the advice and support. My mother had a very bad bout of T a few years back but recovered. Hers took around 3 months to go and was also from noise exposure at a weeding. It has been established that I have her sensitive ears and eyes. Not a sensitivity where everything is louder but a sensitivity where everything to do with sound and sight seems to effect my mother and I more than normal folks. I made my new years resolutions and I plan to not give in to the peer pressure that made me begin smoking and using cannabis along with the aim to get myself back to the sporting way I once was in life. Its only when you get this condition that you understand its pains and annoyance. All I can say is that I believe that a cure is out there we just have not found it yet. God being good it will be found soon.

 

Tinnitus is ways louder when ill tired or. Or stressed out for that matter. Not that i've really been ill since T. But that's what i've been told by everyone who has it.

 

@Aeryes
Welcome to TT You have found a great bunch of people here; lots of good info and some friend-making on top of that.

Many 'high-fives' to you for doing all the right things (food, sound exposure, sports, etc.). I wished I had done that well in my first few months -- rock on!

Your doc is right, the T can subside after a time. A buddy of mine contracted T from a head-cold complicated by an ear infection. Though it lasted five months, it went away.

Your T-spike (gee, gotta love em'). You may already know that sleeplessness (fatigue) are taboo when it comes to T; just catch up on your rest and you will be back on track (me and sleep get along really well ). The only advice I would have for you is to avoid pot (I know, not what you wanted to hear); THC enhances all your senses -- it makes T go up .

Keep on keepin' on!

Mark

 

Thank you Mark. If there is one thing I have noticed its that the spike happened shortly after new years eve. I am glad I came here and I hope that my research into tinnitus in the future might help all who suffer from this. Thank you for your support and all I can do is learn from all the mistakes I have made and apply what I have gone through into my research.