Day 12 of Tinnitus After a Concern: Any Hope and What Else to Try Now?

[Reno]

Hi everyone,

I'm on day 12 of meeting my new "friend" Tinnitus, which appeared after the 3rd concert I attended in the same week, and hasn't left so far. I'm in my late 30s and have always worn protection at loud concerts (I even have custom earplugs), but in the past few months I've been a bit sloppy and forgot to take them with me a few times... and boom ! That last concert I attended was too much for my ears apparently.

When I noticed this wasn't the usual after-concert ringing I've had before (that goes away after a good night's sleep), I went to A&E and was immediately put (within 12 hours) on a high dose (80mg daily) of oral prednisolone for 7 days, which didn't really do much.
I've also tried Gingko Biloba, between 60-180mg depending on the day, no change either. Plus vitamins / magnesium / Omega 3 every day.

My T is 2 different things : 1) one permanent loud, high-pitched (around 14khz) tone in the left ear which is difficult to mask (it takes quite loud music, or sometimes a shower, but street noises aren't enough) 2) There's also a baseline mix of sounds in both ears, which is softer and much more manageable (it's possibly something I had before but never really noticed, and that this event just made louder, hopefully temporarily)
After a good night's sleep, it's happened that I woke up with only 1) and not 2)

I've seen a few ENTs by now, my first audiometry test on day 5 wasn't very good, but I did a second one in a different place with an actual sound proofed room the day after, and this one was normal. So, no hearing loss apparently, phew ! Well, except that having "just" tinnitus doesn't get you taken as seriously, it seems...

The last doctor I've seen was very understanding and seems to be one of the best ENTs in the UK, very knowledgeable about Tinnitus.
I've asked him about my options in the acute stage, told him I wanted to focus on possible cures while it's still early, and only move to management / TRT / etc later on, if it becomes chronic. I'm up for trying anything that is reasonably safe and has few side effects, even if it has a low quality of evidence around it.

So I talked about HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen), and also a few medications I've read about (Caroverine / Trimetazidine / acamprosate / piracetam). He was not really convinced and advised to go for TRT asap.

Then of course there is AM-101... but it seems that they are only taking people with only one affected ear at the moment. We'll see.

I'm really really tempted to go for HBOT, it seems relatively safe (except for the risk of barotrauma which could make things worse ... what's the consensus on this?), and there are a few studies showing it worked for some people. It seems to be a popular option in the military, and more generally in Germany.

Is there still any chance of T going away completely with rest only ? It has not lessened at all in 12 days now.

Also, I don't know if I should be trying to mask with noise all the time or on the contrary, stay in silence to rest my ears as much as possible to improve the chance of healing.

What do you guys think ?

 

[GregCA]

I'm really really tempted to go for HBOT, it seems relatively safe (except for the risk of barotrauma which could make things worse ... what's the consensus on this?)

I suggest you get your facts from clinical/scientific studies where you have statistically significant data.

Is there still any chance of T going away completely with rest only ?

Yes, but I wouldn't count on it.

If you have a history of concert listening, there is a chance that your hearing was already somewhat "worn" by it, and your last concert could have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Some hearing damage is not visible on an audiogram, so don't rejoice too much on "acing the test". It's not a bad thing, but it's a bit irrelevant when it comes to T.

Give your ears a rest (away from loud noise) in the near future. HBOT is something I'd consider if I were in your shoes.

I'd avoid trying to mask T with loud music.

Good luck.

 

[Bill Bauer]

There is a good chance it will go away on its own (or at least the volume would get quieter,
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

but it may take many months before that happens. Also, as you can see, HBOT might help.

When it improves, it improves very gradually, so that you can notice progress only on a monthly bases (and not on a weekly basis).

Search this site using keywords "masking night sleep white noise", and you will see many threads about this.

Some people think that T will get Worse if you DON'T mask T at night, see p.s. part of the first post on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...rs-for-the-tinnitus-newbie.18130/#post-210527

Some people think that it is a good idea to rest your ears as much as possible, and that just because someone with healthy ears can take listening to sound enrichment the whole night, doesn't mean it is a good idea for you to do this with your compromised ears.

Personally, I use sound enrichment when T gets bad, but I try to not use it when I can fall asleep without it. Many of these white noise machines can be programmed to shut off after one hour.

I recommend that you protect your ears for the next 6-12 months. You may want to not use the vacuum, mow the lawn, etc. I wear earplugs whenever I step out of my home. All it takes is one siren from an emergency vehicle, or one loud truck to accelerate near you, or one lightning bolt, for you to end up with a spike that could end up being permanent. I bought a pair of 3M Peltor X5A ear muffs. I am very happy with them, and wear them when I drive. Note, that there are people on this site believe that when you try to protect your ears, you are interfering with the process of habituation. They argue that one ought to focus on trying to not think about T. Others are on the same wavelength as me, they believe that it is worth while to protect their ears.