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

 

[gracepixie]

I also suffered from sudden sensorineural hearing loss in October. I am getting along and improving slowly.

I am using Lenire, and it helps mask my tinnitus really well. I also notice that my tinnitus fades from my awareness a few times a day, which never happened before I started using Lenire.

I started taking Paxil to help with the daily panic attacks I was experiencing. I am still hoping for more improvement ahead.

 

[keepthefaith]

I also suffered from sudden sensorineural hearing loss in October. I am getting along and improving slowly.

I am using Lenire, and it helps mask my tinnitus really well. I also notice that my tinnitus fades from my awareness a few times a day, which never happened before I started using Lenire.

I started taking Paxil to help with the daily panic attacks I was experiencing. I am still hoping for more improvement ahead.

@gracepixie, great to hear that you are improving!

I am trying to begin habituation by treating the tones as background noise or personal songs, but it is still a daily struggle. I still track the tones about 90 percent of the time, even when I am outdoors.

The high pitched ringing and static have improved a lot, now resembling a soft static or hissing sound throughout the day. However, about three weeks after my sudden hearing loss started, I developed multiple tones that kept changing and have been bothersome.

How about you? Is your tinnitus a pure tone?

 

[gracepixie]

It's definitely not a pure tone. Sometimes, a pure tone comes through for a few seconds, and it sounds about two octaves (maybe just one) above high C. But for the most part, it's a high-pitched white noise. In the first month, it sounded like a fire alarm. By the second month, it had changed to a twinkly sound. In the third month, it became more like a glass-cutting noise with laser beeps. Now, after using Lenire and starting Paxil, it has taken on a more metallic quality, which is an improvement. The beeping and zapping have also calmed down a bit, though they still flare up occasionally.

It's easier to ignore—although it's still in my awareness most of the time—while I'm at work because of the many background noises (I work in a molecular biology lab). At home, it now sounds lower-pitched, so it's not as bothersome. It's also less reactive to kitchen noises than it used to be, which is a relief.

I'm doing so much better than I was in the beginning, and I think a lot of that comes from accepting that I have tinnitus and will likely always have some degree of it. Paxil has helped a lot (Effexor was awful for me, it made me really jittery). And despite the criticism it receives, I genuinely believe Lenire has improved the actual sound of my tinnitus.

 

[keepthefaith]

@gracepixie, it sounds like you are making good progress! Lenire is not available in my country. I manage by keeping myself busy with work and trying hard to ignore it, though sometimes I just give up and lean into the beeps, buzzing, and strange "melodies." I find that podcasts through headphones help as a coping mechanism, though I limit my headphone use to 90 minutes a day.

Are all your tones maskable with white noise when using hearing aids? Unfortunately, mine aren't—only the high-pitched ones are—so I turned off the masking. Music or white noise in the background doesn't really help with masking, though I sometimes play them at night for sound enrichment.