Catastrophic Tinnitus Worsening After 7 Years — Caused by a Kiss on the Ear

It's as if she didn't read what he is going though and just made a post rubbing salt in an open wound of someone less fortunate.

 

I felt that in her post, she was trying to inspire people. But, each one of our valued members here, deal with a different issue when it comes to their tinnitus. It's not a one size-fits-all situation, we need to consider that.

 

Hi @fishbone -- That's the way I saw it. And I applaud anybody on this forum who does their best to inspire others with their own success. Perhaps sometimes it doesn't come across as they had hoped, but I think it most cases, it behooves us to give them the benefit of the doubt. And if offended nonetheless, perhaps consider we may have misinterpreted it. Confusion and/or misunderstanding is not uncommon with the written word, especially when people are suffering as they are on this forum. -- Best!

 

@Theezy, your story was one of those the first ones I came across when I started reading Tinnitus Talk this January with then still very mild tinnitus. And it terrified me greatly.

I thought this was crazy, that there is no way I would become such a case. Yet, I have, and that's without obvious additional noise traumas. Maybe one, back in early April when I was playing with a tone generator cranking the volume to 90 dB+ probably for a few seconds - I have hearing loss in high frequencies so I could not tell it was so loud. Otherwise I lived a quiet life, protecting myself from any louder things (above 70 dB), I did some (mostly short) car drives, walks in the woods outside, maybe just a few visits to (quiet) restaurants. I took one plane trip to a quiet vacation spot.

Yet, here I am, severe.

How are you doing now? Your last update on your profile does not sound that great, sadly:

 

I am truly sorry to hear about your struggles, and I sincerely hope things are improving for you now. I apologize for not responding sooner. After I began to feel better in the spring of 2023, I avoided these forums. During that time, I enjoyed a period where I felt okay most days, although I had to live a highly adjusted lifestyle. I moved into a quiet apartment with wooded trails to walk on. My tinnitus and hyperacusis were always present, but I have amazing family and friends who would visit me, or I would visit my parents' house, which is only a ten-minute drive away. My life hasn't been normal, but I wasn’t suffering every day; I was living with severe tinnitus and hyperacusis and maintaining a quiet environment.

Unfortunately, I’m back here because I experienced another worsening this past week. It feels like the initial worsening all over again, with a significant tinnitus spike, new sounds, loss of appetite, and physical illness. This made me realize how far I had come; I think my brain had blocked out the memory of these awful feelings and sensations. I was doing much better and had just contacted a tinnitus center to tackle things more aggressively since I had stabilized despite occasional spikes. It terrifies me that this is exactly how the last cycle started, and it took a year to see any signs of improvement.

To anyone reading about my experiences with tinnitus and hyperacusis, please don’t assume this is the norm. As I did, people tend to avoid these sites when they’re feeling better. I personally know plenty of people who have adjusted to even severe forms of these conditions and live normal, happy lives.

 

@Theezy, how are you doing now?

 

@Theezy, I am glad you are doing better. Tinnitus aside, how have your hyperacusis and noxacusis been during this time?