It's been 3 months since I developed tinnitus from exposure to fighter jets, and I need to start Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). My first appointment is coming up soon.
What are some good questions to ask my audiologist? Also, what ear devices do you use for masking (not sure if "masking" is the right term, but hopefully, you know what I mean)?
I've come across a lot of different hearing aids and sound generators for tinnitus management, and I'll need to buy something. There seem to be a lot of options, and cost isn't a concern—I'm just looking for whatever will help the most.
Thank you!
To answer your question, as
@Michael Leigh suggested, it's worth asking how soon after the onset of tinnitus TRT is appropriate. However, you should know that TRT is well-documented as not being significantly more effective than many other forms of care. Additionally, it is both expensive and time-consuming, which is why it has largely been phased out as a standard treatment around the world. That doesn't mean it won't work for some, but it's important to manage your expectations regarding its effectiveness as a solution.
The hard truth is that tinnitus remains a bit of a medical mystery. Aside from a few cases where tinnitus is caused by anxiety (which can potentially be addressed by treating the anxiety), or when there's a mechanical cause (such as blood pressure issues, tumors, or TMJ), which might be resolved by correcting the underlying physical problem, there's no guaranteed solution. For most people, tinnitus either goes away on its own or persists, and we don't have much control over it.
From my understanding, the most important and potentially beneficial thing you can do at this stage for both your well-being and the possibility of tinnitus subsiding is to focus on calming yourself down. Tinnitus can be highly traumatic, and most treatments, including TRT, are based on the theory that we can train the brain to disregard the noise, treating it as unimportant. The goal is for the brain to eventually ignore the sound, much like how it filters out other bodily noises (for example, do you constantly hear yourself breathe or notice your blood flowing through your body?).
At your early stage, I would recommend talking to audiologists about strategies to help you calm your involuntary limbic system response to the trauma of tinnitus. This could include noise generators, medication, TRT, CBT, or even talk therapy.
Hang in there.
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