Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

I'm so glad that my posts have been a source of comfort for you! Weaning off earplugs was a long and difficult process. I remember the first setback I had. My symptoms got worse and it took me around 3 weeks just to feel like I was back to where I was before the setback. Setback after setback, the whole process was draining, demoralizing, and I felt there was no end in sight.

But after several months I noticed that when I did experience a setback, it was less severe and it didn't last as long. My ear was healing and getting stronger. It was proof that I was getting better. To answer in short, yes, recovery time from setbacks should improve provided you remain safe.

Anxiety and depression were some of the main drivers in the severity of my symptoms. From the onset of my injury, and especially after I developed T, my anxiety levels were higher than I had ever experienced before in my entire life. I genuinely thought my life was over in the early stages. That level of high anxiety kept my mind fixated on the injury and the T and it created a negative feedback loop, so to speak.

It wasn't until some months had passed that my injury showed signs of healing and I was able to start living life again, albeit quieter. Living life helped take my mind off the healing process, which eased my symptoms, and, in turn, helped me heal faster.

That setback of sensitivity and fullness that I experienced last Summer was definitely tied to the anxiety and depression that I was facing in the aftermath of my painful separation with my ex. The anxiety and depression made me much more susceptible to noise and it triggered those symptoms which I hadn't experienced in months up until then.

Fortunately, I bounced back within a couple weeks. Those were dark times for me. I oftentimes wonder, had I been in the right relationship during that time, that my recovery would have been more swift.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, haha. I appreciate your questions!

Ahahah thanks for sharing your experience! I know what you mean, I've had a 2-3 setbacks and am emotionally drained. It's such a disheartening process. I've had some happy moments since my noise trauma but I'm in the middle of my second setback and feeling incredibly low

My previous setback happened over a few days of me noticing less and less tolerance despite only exposing to noise I would normally tolerate. I was moving house and dealing with some work-related stress so that might have caused it, just like your anxiety related one

My setback from a few days ago was noise induced. The anxiety is definitely not helping. I'm limiting digital noise but exposing myself to natural noise/still seeing friends for mood. My partner is patient but not as supportive as I would like him to be.. Hopefully I will bounce back quickly - and be more careful next time. Thanks again for your story

May I ask how you injured your ears initially? And everything you described matches my experiences. Weaning off earplugs was a battle because, as I'm sure you've noticed, the ears become more sensitive when you constantly use them, so you are more prone to a setback from ordinary sounds

I think I slowly developed mild hyperacusis (no T) over a number of years of live music exposure. Loud clubs and gigs hurt my years even with earplugs on. I went to an audiologist who said it was all anxiety... I sadly went on going to clubs now and then until a very loud one in December started my T and H (the real deal this time).

Did digital sound hurt your years? What did you use to mask the tinnitus? This setback is mostly horrible because T is very loud but all digital sound hurts so I can't quite mask it I also need to do videocalls for work which is inevitable but painful