A REAL Tinnitus Success Story as Told to Me by a Relative (Not Clickbait!)

[Beep Boop Bop]

Hello fellow sufferers,

I'm here to spread some positivity to those who are struggling.

I was talking to my aunt recently and I told her about the horrifying ringing in my ears that I have unfortunately been experiencing as of late. She replied "Oh, my friend had that once." My ears perked up at the word had. "You mean it went away for him?" I asked. She said "Yep, it took 6 months." She went on to explain that he got it when he was 25, after standing in the front row of an extremely loud heavy metal concert in a small, enclosed venue. Immediately after the show, his ears started screaming and he fell into a deep depression. She said he was so unnerved by the constant noise that he even attempted to take his own life by driving his car into a tree.

Fortunately he survived, because 6 months later the tinnitus vanished over night. I asked if he did anything special to heal, and she said not to her knowledge. He's now in his late 40s, and it hasn't come back since.

I think of this anecdote often, and it keeps me going through the relentless anxiety and depression that this condition thrusts upon us. I hope you find it useful. Seeing as true success stories are so hard to come by online, every single one counts.

 

[valerinaanna]

It happened to me too. 4 months after my acoustic trauma it began to vanish and after 6 months it was gone I'm here 6 years afterwards because of ETD and tinnitus but my first onset was gone

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

@valerinaanna, ugh, that's so beyond frustrating that your tinnitus came back! Has it improved at all since you got it? I'm glad to hear that your first bout went away though, at least there's hope.

 

[DimLeb]

I'm starting to believe that when it comes from an obvious loud noise exposure or an acoustic trauma, it's very likely it will fade away over time or suddenly. I'm not so sure about those other cases that the reason is unknown or "idiopathic".

I guess one can never know, but it's really hopeful reading such stories!

 

[Tau]

My very first (mild, barely audible) tinnitus after a concert in 2019 also went away completely by 2021. I only protected my ears in subsequent concerts.

 

[Lurius]

My tinnitus also completely vanished the first time I got it, in 2016. Although I only had it for 5 weeks or so, it went completely. I'm convinced this is possible for almost everyone.

 

[valerinaanna]

No unfortunately it hasn't improved, however I got a neck massage 2 weeks ago and it was away for 1 night. Next morning it was loud again but I still hope for a full recovery

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

@Tau, did your first tinnitus slowly fade over time, or did you just wake up one day and it was gone? Have you noticed any improvements with your second bout?

 

[999]

Certainly interesting how suicidally loud tinnitus went away. IMHO, we still have a lot to learn about what tinnitus 'actually is.'

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Tau]

@Tau, did your first tinnitus slowly fade over time, or did you just wake up one day and it was gone? Have you noticed any improvements with your second bout?

It slowly went away. All that time I was using headphones for 8+ hours per day at low to moderate volume.

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

It slowly went away. All that time I was using headphones for 8+ hours per day at low to moderate volume.

Oh wow, that makes me feel better then. Wearing headphones (moderate volume) for 8 hours a day at work for a span of 6 months was what (I believe) weakened my ears. But the final straw that caused my tinnitus was an accidental 1-second long blast at max volume.

 

[Tau]

Oh wow, that makes me feel better then. Wearing headphones (moderate volume) for 8 hours a day at work for a span of 6 months was what (I believe) weakened my ears. But the final straw that caused my tinnitus was an accidental 1-second long blast at max volume.

For my current situation, it was loud headphone use (85 dB peaks, a month of use) and then a few seconds of 110 dB sound at 16 kHz.

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

For my current situation, it was loud headphone use (85 dB peaks, a month of use) and then a few seconds of 110 dB sound at 16 kHz.

Have you noticed any improvement since onset?

 

[Tau]

Have you noticed any improvement since onset?

No, it keeps worsening. An MRI really did me in, and now I am getting worse week by week.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

No, it keeps worsening. An MRI really did me in, and now I am getting worse week by week.

Full round of steroids, anti-inflammatory foods, fasting and wear earmuffs 24/7 to see what happens lol.

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

No, it keeps worsening. An MRI really did me in, and now I am getting worse week by week.

That's horrifying. I'm so sorry. Hang in there.

 

[Forever hopeful]

I had noise induced tinnitus that went away after two years. It just resolved. Dr. Nagler, who is well known in this site and is considered an expert on tinnitus, often says that tinnitus can and does resolve for many people.

I also had tinnitus in my left ear for a year following an unexplained drop in hearing. The hearing sort of leveled out a little bit but the tinnitus went away.

It definitely can happen.

 

[Rb86]

Wish mine would go. 2 years and 6 months. Noise induced.

 

[Tony Phylactou]

My son, my brother, my brother in law and a cousin all had tinnitus for years. Now they are all ok.

 

[Tau]

Full round of steroids, anti-inflammatory foods, fasting and wear earmuffs 24/7 to see what happens lol.

I did that, didn't really help, and wearing earmuffs all the time makes my tinnitus roar...

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I did that, didn't really help, and wearing earmuffs all the time makes my tinnitus roar...

So what now?

 

[Tau]

So what now?

I'm staying at home most of the time and am waiting for my stem cell secretome treatment. I am not taking any supplements anymore.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I'm staying at home most of the time and am waiting for my stem cell secretome treatment. I am not taking any supplements anymore.

Good luck man. I wish you the best.

 

[Gb3]

My son, my brother, my brother in law and a cousin all had tinnitus for years. Now they are all ok.

Was it from hearing loss or noise induced?

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

I had noise induced tinnitus that went away after two years. It just resolved. Dr. Nagler, who is well known in this site and is considered an expert on tinnitus, often says that tinnitus can and does resolve for many people.

I also had tinnitus in my left ear for a year following an unexplained drop in hearing. The hearing sort of leveled out a little bit but the tinnitus went away.

It definitely can happen.

That's great to hear, thank you for sharing! Did your first tinnitus slowly fade over the two years, or did it suddenly just drop off?

 

[Forever hopeful]

That's great to hear, thank you for sharing! Did your first tinnitus slowly fade over the two years, or did it suddenly just drop off?

I get asked that question a lot. I think for me what happened is I had habituated. Then I just noticed it wasn't there anymore. I could sit in a completely quiet room and I didn't hear anything. Except the quiet. So if I were to describe it I would say that it probably was progressively improving from when it first started. And the improved to the point it was gone. I recall slowly noticing that I just stopped using my sound machines, my sound pillow it was definitely progressive but it wasn't something that I think I was overly cognizant of until I was like wait a minute I don't need any of these things anymore I don't hear it anymore.

My ENT did confirm for me that noise induced tinnitus can and does often improve or go away, provided no permanent damage was done to the hair cells. She used the best analogy. She said think of your hair cells as reeds in a pond that are bent not broken and they need time to heal. I had an audiologist tell me that it never goes away but of course her goal was to sell me her million dollar maskers.

Anyway, that lasted like a good three years. I've had other tinnitus issues since but they've been related to hearing loss. Some of it resolved. My TMJ and allergy related tinnitus that I acquired last year that I have had on and off seems to be worsening and more steady. But I've been super stressed. I'm sure clenching at night like mad. I have terrible pain in my face and head. Unfortunately the cranial facial specialty clinic near me is not taking any new patients at the moment. Ugh.

 

[Beep Boop Bop]

I get asked that question a lot. I think for me what happened is I had habituated. Then I just noticed it wasn't there anymore. I could sit in a completely quiet room and I didn't hear anything. Except the quiet. So if I were to describe it I would say that it probably was progressively improving from when it first started. And the improved to the point it was gone. I recall slowly noticing that I just stopped using my sound machines, my sound pillow it was definitely progressive but it wasn't something that I think I was overly cognizant of until I was like wait a minute I don't need any of these things anymore I don't hear it anymore.

My ENT did confirm for me that noise induced tinnitus can and does often improve or go away, provided no permanent damage was done to the hair cells. She used the best analogy. She said think of your hair cells as reeds in a pond that are bent not broken and they need time to heal. I had an audiologist tell me that it never goes away but of course her goal was to sell me her million dollar maskers.

Anyway, that lasted like a good three years. I've had other tinnitus issues since but they've been related to hearing loss. Some of it resolved. My TMJ and allergy related tinnitus that I acquired last year that I have had on and off seems to be worsening and more steady. But I've been super stressed. I'm sure clenching at night like mad. I have terrible pain in my face and head. Unfortunately the cranial facial specialty clinic near me is not taking any new patients at the moment. Ugh.

I'm glad to know it improves so gradually. I feel like mine is healing, but at a snail's pace, to the point where I'm starting to second guess myself if anything is really changing. It seems to subtly fluctuate as well so it's hard to tell for sure.

Did you do anything to help out the healing process? Like changing up your diet, taking vitamins and protecting your ears?

 

[Tony Phylactou]

Was it from hearing loss or noise induced?

Not sure. I will ask them.

 

[volsung37]

My tinnitus went away after 2.5 years. By about a year I had habituated I think and from then on it reduced in volume considerably. Lived in peace and quiet for over 3 years

Only here now because the Pfizer vaccine brought me back to the beginning again and then some.

I was talking a few days ago to a friend whose son - a talented professional musician - had contracted tinnitus a few years ago. Obviously he was petrified of losing his livelihood never mind suffering the horrible condition itself.

He saw a local acupuncturist and within a short while the tinnitus went away.

I believe that inflammation is the root cause of a lot of tinnitus. It is exacerbated by stress and lack of sleep.

On Tinnitus Talk we often read about the worst cases. There are millions of success stories out there that we never hear about.

 

[Lurius]

My tinnitus went away after 2.5 years. By about a year I had habituated I think and from then on it reduced in volume considerably. Lived in peace and quiet for over 3 years

Only here now because the Pfizer vaccine brought me back to the beginning again and then some.

I was talking a few days ago to a friend whose son - a talented professional musician - had contracted tinnitus a few years ago. Obviously he was petrified of losing his livelihood never mind suffering the horrible condition itself.

He saw a local acupuncturist and within a short while the tinnitus went away.

I believe that inflammation is the root cause of a lot of tinnitus. It is exacerbated by stress and lack of sleep.

On Tinnitus Talk we often read about the worst cases. There are millions of success stories out there that we never hear about.

I support this so freaking much. That final sentence of your post is the foundation of my belief and why I will never give up. Tinnitus Talk is 0.1% of the big picture.