I first got Tinnitus and Hyperacusis about 10 years ago (at the age of 28) when I was standing next to a quiet speaker at a bar. The singer then suddenly screamed into the mic for absolutely no reason and wham!... immediate ear pain, dizziness, followed by a few months of T and H. That was 10 years ago. I had a hearing test done and have no hearing loss. It took about 1-2 months for my H died down away and I fully habituated to my mild T about 3-4 months after the initial trauma. The T became so low and less intrusive as time went on, and it's possible that it completely went away because I never noticed it anymore. I did a great job for years by wearing ear plugs at loud events, eating well, and exercising. Ever since the night of, I've been hyper-sensitive to loud sounds and have TTTS reflexes (aural fullness, muffled hearing) whenever someone drops something loud or a siren drives by. Not sure if this was still H or just my brain trying to protect me, but it never bothered me that much mentally. The only thing that I still experienced was fleeting T but I think I always did.
Now, fast fast forward 10 years and it came back with a vengeance (now I'm 38). I had a pretty "loud" summer and did a bad job protecting my hearing and health. Within a 1 month span I experienced the following in this order:
Panic Attack due to stress
Disney World Trip with daily fireworks and screaming children on roller coasters
Increase in partying and Alcohol Consumption
Rock Concert without earplugs
That last item really pissed me off because I forgot my ear plugs that night, however, it wasn't' that loud at all! I was sitting in the upper tier of an outdoor stadium, very far from the speakers. I recall being able to easily have conversations with friends around me and I didn't have any TTTS reactions that worried me about staying for the whole show. But a few days later. The T and H returned.
That was 2.5 months ago so here's where I am now... I went to the ENT again with no hearing loss. It took about a month again but the constant/daily H has died down. Those first couple of weeks were rough!! Especially when I was sensitive to the sound of my own voice which scared me. My T has fluctuated but it's 50% better now. Some days I don't hear it all (even in quiet rooms) but other days it comes back louder and at a different frequency. My biggest issue is that I keep searching for it. BIG MISTAKE, BUT I CAN'T HELP IT! I know that I habituated before so I keep waiting for the day that I get back to complete silence again. My biggest problem is my stress level. I started taking this B Vitamin mixture and it seems to help and even quiets my T when I'm taking it consistently:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017B2N86C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've read that any B Vitamin mixture works with some people but this one really calms me down. I'm trying to do the same things I did before like eat right, exercise and live my life without thinking about my T. It worked before and I hope it will work again!
Now, fast fast forward 10 years and it came back with a vengeance (now I'm 38). I had a pretty "loud" summer and did a bad job protecting my hearing and health. Within a 1 month span I experienced the following in this order:
Panic Attack due to stress
Disney World Trip with daily fireworks and screaming children on roller coasters
Increase in partying and Alcohol Consumption
Rock Concert without earplugs
That last item really pissed me off because I forgot my ear plugs that night, however, it wasn't' that loud at all! I was sitting in the upper tier of an outdoor stadium, very far from the speakers. I recall being able to easily have conversations with friends around me and I didn't have any TTTS reactions that worried me about staying for the whole show. But a few days later. The T and H returned.
That was 2.5 months ago so here's where I am now... I went to the ENT again with no hearing loss. It took about a month again but the constant/daily H has died down. Those first couple of weeks were rough!! Especially when I was sensitive to the sound of my own voice which scared me. My T has fluctuated but it's 50% better now. Some days I don't hear it all (even in quiet rooms) but other days it comes back louder and at a different frequency. My biggest issue is that I keep searching for it. BIG MISTAKE, BUT I CAN'T HELP IT! I know that I habituated before so I keep waiting for the day that I get back to complete silence again. My biggest problem is my stress level. I started taking this B Vitamin mixture and it seems to help and even quiets my T when I'm taking it consistently:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017B2N86C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've read that any B Vitamin mixture works with some people but this one really calms me down. I'm trying to do the same things I did before like eat right, exercise and live my life without thinking about my T. It worked before and I hope it will work again!
