For Those with Tinnitus After Sudden Hearing Loss, How Are You Coping?

[keepthefaith]

I developed noise-induced sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) in late October and only partially recovered, leaving me with mild to moderate hearing loss across all frequencies.

Three months in, I've accumulated multiple tinnitus tones. It started as a high-pitched ringing/static but has since expanded to include strange rhythmic chimes that vary in beat and pitch, a lawnmower-like sound, and a low, echoey hum. I believe I have four simultaneous tones.

December was a chaotic month—these tones took turns cycling throughout the day, sometimes dominating over each other. Early January felt better, but just this week, the low hum suddenly became much more prominent, which has sent me into a tailspin. Previously, low tones only appeared randomly at night. On the bright side, I no longer experience random loud high-pitched spikes, and the ringing bothers me less compared to my other tones.

I'm still in a dark place and struggling daily. I don't see many forum members discussing tinnitus after sudden hearing loss, so I'm looking for some community support.

• How does your tinnitus sound? Is it multi-tone or a pure tone?
• Do tones ever disappear permanently? Do they come and go randomly? Do they get softer over time?
• How much ear protection do you use?

Thanks