4.5 Noise Induced Success Stories and 4 Habitations

[realdougconnolly]

Hi folks, my name is Doug and I am from North Eastern United States. I have been putting up with tinnitus symptoms now for approximately four and a half months (volume has decreased 85-90%) due to a combination of a loud concert compounded with wax buildup. It is no exaggeration to say that I am currently living in the hardest time of my life right now.

However, I have received some outpouring of support and some personal stories that I'd like to share with you.

RECOVERIES:

1. Back in the early seventies when he was quite popular, an uncle on my Dad's side attended a live Elvis Costello rock act. The guy sat in the front row with no earplugs, in a seat directly next to the amp. For the next three months, he was tormented by a merciless electrical buzzing sound in his ears, which disappeared one day when he woke up.

2. The lady my uncle went to see the gig with suffered from the same symptoms, but hers took about four months to go away.

3. In the summer of 2018, my younger brother went with a friend to see a live performance of a smaller known rock band called Parquet Courts. He ended up with a high pitched squealing sound in his eardrums that ended with a pop and a click approximately six months later (around new years or Christmas) During this period of his life, he played drums every single day four four hours or more, and slept with headphones on in order to mask the noise at night. He actually hid his tinnitus symptoms from the whole family out of fear that we would take the drums away so that he might heal up quicker. His symptoms might have gone away even sooner had they also not been complicated with a sinus infection. It's fair to say that if the story had come out I would not have attended the concert that I went to.

4. My psychiatrist said that he attended (at least one) rock concert growing up as a kid, and endured some level of tinnitus symptoms himself (he did not say how long they lasted, but I will assume it was at least a couple months).

4.5 Ironically, in his carrier, he now prescribes anti-anxiety drugs to multiple individuals suffering from anxiety related to tinnitus, hyperacusis, and in some cases both. He has also informed me that Most (but again not all) of his short term tinnitus patients eventually achieved full recovery. (long term noise exposure is another story). His patients have ranged from CONCERT GOERS to AIRLINE GROUND CREW, to a whole list of people.

5. My counseling psychologist told me the story of a previous patient that he council-ed for anxiety relating to his noise induced tinnitus. The man, who worked for a long time in the construction industry got his noise induced tinnitus from his day job. Anyways, five months after the onset of his symptoms 'construction man' heard a pop and click in his ears very similarly to my brother. He is now tinnitus free as well.

An Unrelated Case (My grandmother): A few years ago my grandmother began losing her hearing and thought that she was going deaf due to the death of her inner ear hearing cells in her old age. She suffered symptoms of tinnitus and hearing loss. When she went into see the ENT, he pumped all of the wax out of her ears, and ALL of her symptoms went away just like that! She is now well into her eighties, and has COMPLETELY PERFECT HEARING, WITH NO TINNITUS!

ON TO THE HABITATIONS:

5. A cousin on my Dad's side of the family has suffered from an acoustic trauma for many years now due to multiple explosions that she was in the proximity of during multiple tours of duty to Iraq and Afghanistan. She seems to be enjoying life (a lot more than I am right now), watches hockey, likes country music, and is successfully raising a son (my younger cousin).

6. A classmate I went to high school with was BORN WITH TINNITUS (don't ask me how in the world that happened). She is generally happy on a regular basis, so long as she falls asleep watching re-runs of Friends or with the air conditioning in the background. She loves READING, generally received good grades growing up, and is currently attending college in Florida with the goal of becoming A LAWYER (she will probably need a lot of reading ability for that.)

7. An EMT I know has suffered from noise induced tinnitus for a little while now (he did not say how long) but when I talked casually to him, he seemed to be in a good mood and he was certainly functioning well enough in society to hold down his job and be a productive member of society.

8. Another counseling psychologist that I knew from a mindfulness group has suffered from some degree of tinnitus symptoms himself. When I asked him about the onset of his symptoms, he described his cause as being completely unknown. Anyways, as a prerequisite for his counseling job, he holds a PSYCHE DEGREE, (very prestigious), and in addition to being able to cope with his symptoms, is actually able to offer counseling to OTHER PEOPLE (imagine that)!

9. A friend of mine from high school attended an Indoor FOUR DAY LONG, LOUD rap concert. His naked ears took in over ONE MILLION WATTS OF BASS, with NO EARPLUGS! I'm going to go out a SMALL limb and assume that he has some tinnitus symptoms. Anyway, the guy seemed pretty happy when I last spoke to him, and he also informed me that he suffers from ZERO PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE!!! He loves, concerts, gigs, and music festivals with all his life, just took a selfie of himself at a Red Hot Chili Peppers Concert, and is planning to see THE MOTLE CRUE, and DEF LEOPARD, live at FENWAY PARK in a couple of months.

10. A fellow that my father went to high school with has had chronic tinnitus for many years now. My dad says he lives a generally happy life.

 

[Hotspur2931]

Thanks for these.

I'll add a few habituation stories:

1) My acupuncturist has tinnitus so loud she can hear it clearly in a noisy bar. She says she barely remembers she has it (she usually remembers about it once a fortnight when I visit her). Says it "can be a bit annoying" but "really doesn't bother me at all".

2) Colleague who sits near me at work has loud, high pitched "screaming" in both ears. Has had it for about 5 years and it has worsened in that time. Says she was very busy with things in her life when it came on, and so never gave it much attention. "It just doesn't bother me."

3) Guy I dated has had tinnitus since he was 13. Puts on the radio occasionally when it bugs him, but says he also goes days without noticing it. His has worsened as well but he seems unphased.

4) Old housemate of mine has it from the military. Found me crying about mine one day and seemed a bit non plussed. I think he can hear his much of the time (like in the car and stuff) and he just shrugged and said "you get used to it".

5) My craniosacral therapist told me she has some ringing. She sits in a dead silent room all day treating people. Doesn't seem bothered.

6) My counsellor has it. Can hear it clearly over our conversation. Isn't that bothered and can't be bothered to wear the hearing aids she was given.

I don't understand how these people are so nonchalant. But they are, and most of them were nonchalant pretty much from onset. On this forum it's easy to think that tinnitus MUST lead to psychological issues and distress. And if you believe that thought then it's very hard to break free of the fear and anguish caused by tinnitus. I try to remind myself of these positive stories often, to remind myself that tinnitus doesn't HAVE to be a life sentence. It really is about our perception.

 

[Autumnly]

I try to remind myself of these positive stories often, to remind myself that tinnitus doesn't HAVE to be a life sentence. It really is about our perception.

But it's also important to keep severe sufferers in mind where this doesn't apply and where mind over matter isn't enough. For many people tinnitus loudness matters and their brain isn't tuning it out no matter what they do. Hope and support are important but we shouldn't use 'success stories' to downplay the suffering tinnitus can cause.

 

[Hotspur2931]

But it's also important to keep severe sufferers in mind where this doesn't apply and where mind over matter isn't enough. For many people tinnitus loudness matters and their brain isn't tuning it out no matter what they do. Hope and support are important but we shouldn't use 'success stories' to downplay the suffering tinnitus can cause.

I feel for you and everyone who is suffering. I am also suffering. But this is literally a "Success Stories" sub-forum. Positivity is really important for a lot of people with tinnitus, and it's quite damaging for people who come on here looking specifically for success stories to see negative comments right underneath them.

There are several sections of this forum dedicated to support and medical advancements. Having one section that's specifically for success stories doesn't seem too much to ask, does it?

 

[Hotspur2931]

Btw, I Who Love Music (of the Back to Silence method) had his tinnitus for 40 years before he found a method that enabled him to habituate. I also saw a lady on another forum who had success with the same method after 16 years of suffering. I take these stories as evidence that we have no right to say that some people "just can't habituate". After 40 years I'm sure most people wrote Terry off, and yet he still succeeded. I'm sorry, but I think it's wrong to tell newbies, or people at the 1 or 2 or 5 year mark that "maybe you're someone who just can't habituate".

I am someone who hasn't been able to habituate YET. I hope a cure comes along so I don't have to, but until that happens I am going to keep believing and trying. And honestly the stories of others who have done it successfully are often the only thing that keep me going, so please don't try to take that away from me.

 

[Autumnly]

I take these stories as evidence that we have no right to say that some people "just can't habituate". After 40 years I'm sure most people wrote Terry off, and yet he still succeeded. I'm sorry, but I think it's wrong to tell newbies, or people at the 1 or 2 or 5 year mark that "maybe you're someone who just can't habituate".

No one is talking about telling other people they can't habituate. Obviously that's something no one should say or can know for sure. It's about severe sufferers themselves saying they've tried everything and can't habituate, meaning their brain won't tune it out. Oftentimes success stories of people with loud tinnitus are being used to say "See, it's just a matter of perception" but for many people, it's simply not and they feel left out and ignored.

While there are people who can't achieve this type of habituation and will continue to struggle, no one is trying to take success stories away from you or tell you that you will inevitably fall into a certain category. Many people eventually get better and your chances are good that you will learn to cope well.

 

[Rb86]

I just find it odd, two of the success stories literally ended with a pop and a click, like somebody flicked a switch.

I have never heard of it ending like that.

 

[mrbrightside614]

I just find it odd, two of the success stories literally ended with a pop and a click, like somebody flicked a switch.

I have never heard of it ending like that.

I saw one story where a woman had the exact same symptom before remission. It sounds like this particular tinnitus would be ETD- or TMJ-related, most likely the latter.