Almost 100% Cured of Hyperacusis and Tinnitus

[HighleyTall]

What are the symptoms exclusive to tinnitus that make it severe?

When tinnitus is so loud that the sound level to mask it is intolerable and damaging. Doing so would make it worse (reactive tinnitus). And when tinnitus isn't just a sound anymore; when it has become a constant pain. When you experience tinglings on your skull all day, sensations in your face, burning ears, and headaches.

 

[Juliane]

Hey guys,

I'm going to post this and then leave this forum for good because there are too many people here with too much negativity, and I don't want to see it. I hope everyone gets well.

On March 31st, I blew too much pressure into my ears during a Valsalva maneuver, setting off my tinnitus. It also caused hyperacusis and slightly dulled and distorted hearing in my left ear. I'm a musician, so the thought of never playing music again scared me. Like most of us, I went online and saw all the same things: no cure, fasting advice, and all that stuff. Although there's no medical intervention that has cured me, I am about 80-85% better in just over two months.

Here's how I did it; this may not work for everyone, but I can only speak about what's worked for me.

First of all, remove anything unhelpful to tinnitus from your awareness. Clear your YouTube history if needed, get off the forum, and stay away from anyone who tells you it is forever. IT IS NOT FOREVER, AND YOU WILL GET BETTER. Not to throw shade, but a couple of people here made comments that made me extremely depressed and anxious when I was going through it at the start.

Secondly, for anyone with hyperacusis, stop wearing earplugs in environments where your ears are safe (doing dishes, watching TV, shopping centers). I hate to think how much time I spent negatively reinforcing my brain that my ears needed to be protected from everyday sounds. THEY DON'T! If you go to a concert, a shooting range, or use power tools, sure, use earplugs. That's sensible. But not around the house. Though I understand it won't be helpful in the long run.

Thirdly, I saw a lot of negative reviews of Julian Cowan Hill on here that kept me away from him for a while until I finally listened to him. I don't know him, I haven't paid for anything, all I've done is download his app, do the meditations, and take his advice. It's been extremely beneficial and probably saved my sanity and kickstarted my recovery. Try Craniosacral Therapy. The way I look at it, you can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars at audiologists, doctors, and ENTs, and they're all going to say the same old thing: "Learn to live with it." Or you could spend equal or less than that, in my situation, and actually get results. Give it a try; I urge you!

Fourthly, see your friends, go for walks, and enjoy nature. Live your life as if you never had tinnitus to begin with! Your brain will forget about it over time. I know it's easier said than done, but you're not going to get anywhere sitting in your house thinking.

Fifth, take Magnesium and hot baths, do neural tapping, and stretch. Make a habit of setting aside time for yourself to relax every day. It takes practice, but it can be done.

Sixth and maybe the most important one: STOP CHECKING ON YOUR EARS. Don't touch them, block them to see if it's gone away, and don't think about them. Tinnitus is not in the ears anyway; it's in the brain. It's like a rash; the more you scratch it, the more it will itch. The best thing I did was stop checking my ears and comparing my left ear to my right. It's not helpful.

Finally, you will get better. I promise. Everything gets better. But at some point, you have to make the choice that you are going to beat it, overcome it, and not let it invade your life anymore. For me, tinnitus put me in the psych ward. I had it badly. I felt like my life had been robbed of me. Not anymore. I'm 22; my life has just begun. You can reset it whenever you want, no matter how long you've had it or what the "professionals" have told you. You can and will get better. It's a matter of mindset. Right now, as I'm writing this, my tinnitus is so low I actually don't care about it at all. As for the distorted hearing, it's getting a bit better and clearer day by day, and the hyperacusis is pretty much gone altogether.

Don't give up hope. Now get out and enjoy your life again.

Lots of love to you all!

This is a chapter of my life I am now closing. Best wishes, you will get better!

Congratulations! I mean that. Now, go protect your ears.

I am able to forgive all your toxic positivity because you are young. Being young is probably the only reason you healed—not positivity, Magnesium, or other nonsense.

I was so happy, too, when I healed from tinnitus years ago (I was young). Now, here I am, years and a few acoustic assaults later, investigating whether I would qualify for VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying).

So here is what I think about your ramblings: take it elsewhere. If I had stopped all exposure to music the first time I healed, I might have a life today.

Your "advice" is stupid at best and dangerous at worst. TAKE CARE.

 

[2049v]

If you have severe tinnitus, it is impossible to relax. You have to keep yourself busy from the minute you wake up, and go to sleep once exhausted.

I absolutely agree. What I'm trying to do is exactly that, but it can't be said that I've been successful because, due to hyperacusis, I often have to wear earplugs, and unfortunately, in that state, my ears scream even more.

How long have you had severe tinnitus?

 

[HighleyTall]

I absolutely agree. What I'm trying to do is exactly that, but it can't be said that I've been successful because, due to hyperacusis, I often have to wear earplugs, and unfortunately, in that state, my ears scream even more.

How long have you had severe tinnitus?

Since 2018, my tinnitus has been getting worse every year. Wearing earplugs blocks all ambient noise, making it impossible to ignore the tinnitus. I've reached a point where my tinnitus causes me burning ears, headaches, and sensations in my skull all day long.

 

[vilebubbles]

Since 2018, my tinnitus has been getting worse every year. Wearing earplugs blocks all ambient noise, making it impossible to ignore the tinnitus. I've reached a point where my tinnitus causes me burning ears, headaches, and sensations in my skull all day long

This is so similar to my situation. I went from mild tinnitus with headaches to being homebound.

 

[iwillsurvive]

Congratulations! I mean that. Now, go protect your ears.

I am able to forgive all your toxic positivity because you are young. Being young is probably the only reason you healed—not positivity, Magnesium, or other nonsense.

I was so happy, too, when I healed from tinnitus years ago (I was young). Now, here I am, years and a few acoustic assaults later, investigating whether I would qualify for VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying).

So here is what I think about your ramblings: take it elsewhere. If I had stopped all exposure to music the first time I healed, I might have a life today.

Your "advice" is stupid at best and dangerous at worst. TAKE CARE.

Why do you even bother coming to the Success Stories section if you're just going to sh*t on someone else's progress? Why not go to the other sections, where everyone is struggling, and join the conversations there?

I really don't understand some of these comments, both on this post and on other success stories. Why come to this section only to discredit someone's experience? Why show up here just to shout that because your tinnitus feels so severe, there's no possible way anyone else could improve? It makes absolutely no sense to enter a space meant to offer hope and encouragement, only to spread doom, gloom, and negativity. There are plenty of other places on this forum for that kind of discussion.

Anyway, I appreciate reading every single success story, whether or not it directly resonates with me. I send my well wishes and good health to everyone who takes the time to share their journey.

 

[trevl]

How do you define severe tinnitus?

When tinnitus occurs at a frequency where you also have profound hearing loss, it cannot be masked. That is severe.

When tinnitus is at a very high frequency, such as 11,433 Hz, and no readily accessible external sound can mask it unless those sounds are also debilitating, that is severe.

When tinnitus is so loud, around 40 dB, that you hear it all day and every day, throughout both the day and night… when you hear it while watching TV, walking in nature, riding your bicycle, exercising, or talking to people, that is severe.

I have been living with it for three years now.

 

[MindOverMatter]

When tinnitus occurs at a frequency where you also have profound hearing loss, it cannot be masked. That is severe.

When tinnitus is at a very high frequency, such as 11,433 Hz, and no readily accessible external sound can mask it unless those sounds are also debilitating, that is severe.

When tinnitus is so loud, around 40 dB, that you hear it all day and every day, throughout both the day and night… when you hear it while watching TV, walking in nature, riding your bicycle, exercising, or talking to people, that is severe.

I have been living with it for three years now.

Yes, one could call it that, @trevl. But in the end, labeling tinnitus is very much relative and subjective.

Personally, I never label it, and I especially try to avoid words like "severe" (I know you were just answering a question about this). To me, "severe" is such a negatively loaded word in this context.

We can call it whatever we want, but after 20 years with tinnitus, I've come to terms with the fact that it all boils down to how I deal with it, my perception of it, and whether the brain reacts to it in a negative way that triggers fear or a fight-or-flight response. That reaction, in turn, reinforces everything and makes it worse.

This mindset is key to living a good life with tinnitus. But it took me a lot of effort, time, despair, and struggle to get there. It might not be good every day, but then again, no one's life is good every day.

By your definition, I have highly severe tinnitus. I can even hear it over the shower while I'm in the shower. But to me, it's not severe or debilitating most days. Putting myself into a category doesn't help.

Even though I hear it 24/7, even though I have hearing loss, even though it's reactive, and even though there are numerous fluctuating sounds in addition to steady ones, I still choose not to label it.

This discussion about what is or isn't severe is pretty much a hopeless one. I know people who find it severe even when they can only hear it in an almost completely silent room.

 

[kingsfan]

When tinnitus occurs at a frequency where you also have profound hearing loss, it cannot be masked. That is severe.

When tinnitus is at a very high frequency, such as 11,433 Hz, and no readily accessible external sound can mask it unless those sounds are also debilitating, that is severe.

When tinnitus is so loud, around 40 dB, that you hear it all day and every day, throughout both the day and night… when you hear it while watching TV, walking in nature, riding your bicycle, exercising, or talking to people, that is severe.

I have been living with it for three years now.

Yeah here is how I rate it:

• Mild - heard at night in silence in bed only. Doesn't affect daily life.
• Moderate - heard in quiet rooms during the day, but not outside. Other moderate sounds, such as fans, refrigerators, or TVs, completely mask it.
• Severe - not masked by ordinary sounds. Can hear it everywhere but the shower and extremely loud environments
• Catastrophic - cannot be masked at all, or the volume required to mask would cause permanent hearing damage

 

[trevl]

How do you define severe tinnitus?

Also, when the tinnitus at night reaches a volume or frequency that prevents you from falling asleep, or keeps you from getting back to sleep after waking up to change position, that qualifies as a definition of severe. The only solution is to take sleeping tablets. Someone has suggested that the brain activity responsible for this type of tinnitus interferes with, or overwhelms, the part of the brain that induces sleep. In other words, your tinnitus is severe.