Does Tinnitus Volume Decrease of Just the Perception of It?

[tiniturtle]

My tinnitus seems less intrusive lately. It's not causing me as much distress. I'm about 60 days into aminoglycoside induced tinnitus.

It definitely hasn't gone away. I can't tell if it's improving, or I'm just adjusting to hearing it all the time.

Any thoughts?

 

[Nikopol]

Actually this is the thing I was going through for a couple of months.

The fact is that T, unless it leaves quickly, can take its sweet time to go away or to lower baseline to much, much lower level. Majority of T cases go away. Majority of those that stay baseline eventually decrease to mild tinnitus at some 10-15dB. Process that can take many months and unless you are keeping regular diary where you are trying to measure your T scale on frequency and dB level, its possible that you will notice only a bit and will be unsure if you just got used to it more or if it got better.

At the end of the day, what does it matter? You got better. Maybe its because you got used to it. Maybe its because it got quiter. At the end of the day, you got better. That is a good thing. Who knows, perhaps some day, perhaps just few weeks from now, you will go to sleep and suddenly notice that you cannot hear T anymore. Fingers crossed, but even if not any improvement is good thing.

 

[NimQ]

This is actually something I have thought a lot of lately. Not just if T changes, but also what it means to us.

Even if it feels more important to actually have T decibels reduced, I think the most important thing is adaptation and how we perceive it. I realized that by measuring T and being relieved when it is milder kind of gives all the power to T. That is exactly when T controls us: if it is loud, we feel horrible - if it is milder, we are allowed to feel better.

I do believe that tinnitus volume actually changes and not just the feeling of it. For me the easiest way to confirm this is by comparing the volume to surrounding noises. Like if my T is at its absolute mildest, the hum & whir from the fridge will mask it. And when it's at its worst, well - nothing covers it but running water (=shower).

What I do not (want to) believe is that the volume of T defines our well-being and that's the end of it - us measuring whether it allows us to have a nice day. I have felt the strongest when I have had such a good day that even the loud T did not drag me down. And I have felt weak when I am happy because T finally allows me a quieter moment, because then I just fear its comeback. One can't deny it makes life so much easier when T steps a bit aside and gives us quieter ears, but what is more important is to have control over it: to be able to push it back even when it's screaming and adapt to it, since there's no guarantee we'll ever go back to silence. Easier said than done, but important nevertheless, I think.

 

[Nikopol]

Also, funny thing - like one month after I got T I talked to my Latvian colleague about it. He never even heard of the term so I had to explain.

And here comes to fun part: When I finished he said "so, you get either that pitched sound or that white noise"
"Yes" I said
"Well, everyone has that bit of a white sound."
Dazzled I looked at him and asked him what he means
"Well, when there is no music and I go to sleep I also hear white sound."

That guy is in his early 30s and simply thought that this is utterly common as he had it his whole life and never spared a thought on it. Says it soothes him to sleep and he actually likes it.

Point is, research has proven that everyone of us has tinnitus at very, very mild levels at least. They put people into sound-proof room and 95 percent reported T once outer noise was negated. We just dont even think about it. My colleague never did either. He lives a happy life despite it and doesnt care one bit. And sure, you can say that its because his is so low, but at the end of the day its a lot about perception too. Though I dont want to lecture someone with roaring tinnitus, that must be hell.