Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

[Mathieulh]

Another update, Oxygenotherapy is definitely NOT placebo, I went to my 5th session yesterday, today I can almost hear silence, in fact I can only hear my tinnitus when using earmuffs or earplugs right now. I don't even hear it in a silent room. I hope this improvement is permanent, I still have 2 mHBOT sessions booked and paid for.

 

[Juan]

I did 10 or 20 (I think, been a while) HBOT sessions two weeks after developing tinnitus (triggered by acute acoustic trauma - accidental gun shot w/ no ear pro). One week after the event (happened over the weekend and then New Year's holidays), I saw an ENT and he prescribed a week's worth of prednisone - but it didn't help (but did increase ear fullness, as the ENT said it would). Prior to the trauma, I had never had an ear problem in my life (e.g., no popping in flights, etc.).

During the HBOT, which spanned a month or so, I had a lot of pressure, clicking, popping… but never any pain. HBOT doc advised those symptoms should resolve within a week or two after I conclude my HBOT sessions. That was three months ago. The popping and clicking has gotten worse and worse, and is essentially constant. It has somehow developed into an audible phenomenon – meaning my wife can even hear it at night when things get a little quieter in the house… or while sitting next to me at church. It's quite maddening. ENT is stumped – didn't notice any tears or ruptures in the drum in initial visits (and didn't bother to look the last time or two). He was concerned with it potentially being something related to vessels initially given the recording I played him was somewhat rhythmic (e.g., potentially pulsatile), even though it's generally random, and had me get an MRA. The MRA showed no anomalies.

None of this is intended to dissuade anyone from HBOT, and I don't have any evidence my ear pressure/popping challenges are directly from the HBOT. Simply providing as a data point. My quality of life went from a 9 to a 5 when the tinnitus came on and rocked my world, and now probably a 3 with the constant pressure/popping/clicking on top of the tinnitus.

Like most of you I'd do just about anything to relieve these symptoms. I've tried tons of supplements, intermittent fasting, 2 month ketogenic diet, 2 week carnivore diet, 5 day water fasting, even one of those cranial therapy sessions – nothing has done much for the tinnitus or clicking. Praying for a cure!

Is the HBOT loud? Someone told me there is sound, but maybe there are different kinds of chambers.

 

[Mathieulh]

Is the HBOT loud? Someone told me there is sound, but maybe there are different kinds of chambers.

It's not as loud as an airplane, but it's loud nonetheless, I use either earplugs, earmuffs or both while I am in the chamber, outside of the compression/decompression phases.

It's a mHBOT chamber, so it is/can be used for home use, it goes up to 1.3ATA.
I would like to think it is helping somehow, but after having 2 consecutive days of mild, almost inaudible tinnitus, it went back to moderate, above background level last night, so I truly don't know if it's having any effect or if it's a good day/bad day issue.

 

[Juan]

It's not as loud as an airplane, but it's loud nonetheless, I use either earplugs, earmuffs or both while I am in the chamber, outside of the compression/decompression phases.

It's a mHBOT chamber, so it is/can be used for home use, it goes up to 1.3ATA.
I would like to think it is helping somehow, but after having 2 consecutive days of mild, almost inaudible tinnitus, it went back to moderate, above background level last night, so I truly don't know if it's having any effect or if it's a good day/bad day issue.

Thanks for your answer! I will try to see what's the HBOT landscape in my area. Is it prescribed by an ENT?

I am close to giving up searching for potential solutions. After suffering from very severe hyperacusis now I have hearing loss plus noise sensitivity, we can call it still hyperacusis. Tried different meds, corticoids, diet, had CAT scan, audiometric tests, LDLs, TRT, tympanograms, an attempt at evoked potentials (I had to stop it), etc etc and nothing is solved.

 

[Mathieulh]

Thanks for your answer! I will try to see what's the HBOT landscape in my area. Is it prescribed by an ENT?

I am close to giving up searching for potential solutions. After suffering from very severe hyperacusis now I have hearing loss plus noise sensitivity, we can call it still hyperacusis. Tried different meds, corticoids, diet, had CAT scan, audiometric tests, LDLs, TRT, tympanograms, an attempt at evoked potentials (I had to stop it), etc etc and nothing is solved.

It wasn't prescribed by anyone, I had to pay for the sessions from my own pocket.

 

[Juan]

It wasn't prescribed by anyone, I had to pay for the sessions from my own pocket.

What I really meant was, why did you decide to go for HBOT? It was your idea, suggested by doctors etc?

 

[Mathieulh]

What I really meant was, why did you decide to go for HBOT? It was your idea, suggested by doctors etc?

It was my idea, I decided after reading research about it.

 

[Allan Mcmillan]

So, my tinnitus started around the 1st of May and initially it was alright but about a month ago I began to experience slight hearing distortions which has only been getting worse since last week. My sensitivity to sound is also increasing which I think might be early stage hyperacusis.

I'm barely 3 months in but I feel like HBOT might stop the progression of the distortion.

Should I go for it?

 

[Lane]

Should I go for it?

@Allan Mcmillan -- I have a bias toward HBOT, so I would encourage you to go for it if you have the opportunity. I have a home mHBOT, and use it 5-6x/week. My tinnitus/hyperacusis have only improved slightly in the past 6 months since starting it, but my ability to sleep and relax has improved significantly.

I feel the better sleep and relaxation made my $7,000 investment more than worthwhile, as it feels like it's given an overall greater resiliency to my entire neurological system. Whether in the short or long term, that can only be good for our auditory system. -- BTW, some areas have small businesses that rent out mHBOT units for about $600/month or so.

Whether or not it's too late: I would say it varies with each individual, but I'm inclined to believe that for most cases, 3 months is probably not too late. Though I've heard there's a "60-day window" in which HBOT should be started after tinnitus onset, I don't believe there's anything scientific data to back that up.

 

[Allan Mcmillan]

@Allan Mcmillan -- I have a bias toward HBOT, so I would encourage you to go for it if you have the opportunity. I have a home mHBOT, and use it 5-6x/week. My tinnitus/hyperacusis have only improved slightly in the past 6 months since starting it, but my ability to sleep and relax has improved significantly.

I feel the better sleep and relaxation made my $7,000 investment more than worthwhile, as it feels like it's given an overall greater resiliency to my entire neurological system. Whether in the short or long term, that can only be good for our auditory system. -- BTW, some areas have small businesses that rent out mHBOT units for about $600/month or so.

Whether or not it's too late: I would say it varies with each individual, but I'm inclined to believe that for most cases, 3 months is probably not too late. Though I've heard there's a "60-day window" in which HBOT should be started after tinnitus onset, I don't believe there's anything scientific data to back that up.

Thanks for the response. I heard that LLLT doesn't yield too many results here but there are anecdotal reports of it improving hyperacusis and 'reactive' tinnitus. I might consider doing that as well as HBOT. Hopefully it'll yield results.

 

[Lane]

I might consider doing that as well as HBOT.

@Allan Mcmillan -- From what I've read, LLLT would probably have been a good therapy for me to try in the very beginning, and I'm keeping it in mind as I move forward. Since it's already (clearly) been very helpful for some, why not give it a try and see if would be helpful for us? From what I've read, I'd say there actually might be more potential with LLLT than HBOT, but I'm sure it's a very individual thing.

 

[JohnAdams]

Interesting on HBOT:

 

[vttbx]

Hi All,

For those who have tried hyperbaric oxygen therapy for tinnitus, I'm concerned giving it try after reading some of the risks. Especially those related to the ear. Is this therapy worth the risks? FYI, the center I'm looking at is state of the art. Thank you.

https://uihc.org/health-topics/medical-risks-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy

Complications of hyperbaric oxygen therapy
While it's generally very safe, as with all medical treatments, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy carries with it the risk of complications that in rare instances can be life threatening and/or result in permanent or long-term disability.

Barotrauma of the ear
Barotrauma is a term that refers to injury due to increased pressure. Barotrauma of the ear is the most frequent complication of HBO. The middle-ear is an air-filled cavity behind the ear drum that connects to the throat through a slit-like passage called the eustachian tube. During compression, if the air pressure in the middle-ear cannot be equalized with the external pressure, the eardrum will bow inward, leading to pain and possibly rupture, leading to hearing loss.
Round or oval window rupture
Round and/or oval window rupture is a phenomenon related to ear barotruama. The round and oval windows are membranes separating the air-filled middle ear from the fluid-filled inner ear. Rarely, over-vigorous attempts to equalize the pressure in the middle ear can lead to increased pressure in the inner-ear and can rupture these membranes. Deafness is the result. So, while rupture of these windows is not related to pressure change per-se, it is related to maneuverers used to prevent another complication.

 

[vttbx]

@Allan Mcmillan -- I have a bias toward HBOT, so I would encourage you to go for it if you have the opportunity. I have a home mHBOT, and use it 5-6x/week. My tinnitus/hyperacusis have only improved slightly in the past 6 months since starting it, but my ability to sleep and relax has improved significantly.

I feel the better sleep and relaxation made my $7,000 investment more than worthwhile, as it feels like it's given an overall greater resiliency to my entire neurological system. Whether in the short or long term, that can only be good for our auditory system. -- BTW, some areas have small businesses that rent out mHBOT units for about $600/month or so.

Whether or not it's too late: I would say it varies with each individual, but I'm inclined to believe that for most cases, 3 months is probably not too late. Though I've heard there's a "60-day window" in which HBOT should be started after tinnitus onset, I don't believe there's anything scientific data to back that up.

You seem to be an expert on HBOT. What do you think of the risks in my above post? Thanks.

https://uihc.org/health-topics/medical-risks-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy

 

[Lane]

You seem to be an expert on HBOT. What do you think of the risks in my above post? Thanks.

Though I feel I know a fair amount about HBOT, and have fairly extensive experience, I wouldn't consider myself an expert. That said, I'll mention I did have some concerns about the potential for barotrauma of the ear, which as they mention, is the most frequent complication (though still rare). In the article, they mention that it's related to the "relatively ... rapid changes in pressure...

When I did a bit of research on it however, it soon became clear that any kind of bartrauma is generally very painful. In using my own mHBOT unit at home, I have complete control over the pressurization and depressurization of the pressure from inside the chamber. And I do it very, very gradually. I've always felt that if there was any kind of barotrauma pain that was beginning to occur, I would notice it immediately, and could take corrective action immediately. Given--as they say--that this is actually pretty rare, I was able to move forward without any undue concern.

One slight problem I do occasionally have is with pain in my sinuses. I've had varying problems with them over the years, and sometimes during pressurization, I can notice some pain building. I suspect this could actually be a minor form of barotrauma. Whenever that happens, I immediately stop the pressurization, and it usually begins to back off immediately. If it doesn't, I then release a bit of pressure, and it then always backs off right away. I then begin to re-pressurize, and I think only once did I need to back off a second time. In other words, the sinuses somehow regulated themselves to handle the pressure.

Hope this helps!

 

[vttbx]

Though I feel I know a fair amount about HBOT, and have fairly extensive experience, I wouldn't consider myself an expert. That said, I'll mention I did have some concerns about the potential for barotrauma of the ear, which as they mention, is the most frequent complication (though still rare). In the article, they mention that it's related to the "relatively ... rapid changes in pressure...

When I did a bit of research on it however, it soon became clear that any kind of bartrauma is generally very painful. In using my own mHBOT unit at home, I have complete control over the pressurization and depressurization of the pressure from inside the chamber. And I do it very, very gradually. I've always felt that if there was any kind of barotrauma pain that was beginning to occur, I would notice it immediately, and could take corrective action immediately. Given--as they say--that this is actually pretty rare, I was able to move forward without any undue concern.

One slight problem I do occasionally have is with pain in my sinuses. I've had varying problems with them over the years, and sometimes during pressurization, I can notice some pain building. I suspect this could actually be a minor form of barotrauma. Whenever that happens, I immediately stop the pressurization, and it usually begins to back off immediately. If it doesn't, I then release a bit of pressure, and it then always backs off right away. I then begin to re-pressurize, and I think only once did I need to back off a second time. In other words, the sinuses somehow regulated themselves to handle the pressure.

Hope this helps!

So safe to say, professional HBOT centers with skilled technicians should know how to avoid rapid changes in pressure and reduce the risks of barotrama? Thanks!

 

[laddie16]

Hello, Tinnitus Talk.

I am a man who has had tinnitus for over 40 years originally caused by extreme work place noise exposure. I have dealt with bad tinnitus and hearing loss all my adult life.

I built my own HBOT dive chamber (2 person) capacity with the hope of tinnitus relief. Then I started searching online and found Tinnitus Talk.

That all said, I have done 12, 60 min dives at 1.8 ATA and 100 percent O2 delivered via a 10 lpm at 20 PSI 02 concentrator, with a non rebreather mask.

As far as results go so far my tinnitus has increased in volume, by best guess around 25-30 percent, which I hope with more dives will lessen????

BUT the other reason I am continuing is for many, many head trauma events throughout my life (in fact I run out of fingers if I count all the times I should be dead) and yes I do have all my digits.

Anyway with the 12 dives so far I can say my sleep has improved greatly and I no longer snore when sleeping. Also my brain is clearer. And my hand arthritis and joints have zero stiffness. And my overall balance is improved very much.

Another reason I am ongoing with the dives is my mother (83) has early onset of dementia and I hope to be able to help her with her memory with the dives. I want to get her to go on like 30-40 dives. She has three so far...

Can anyone give advice on the tinnitus getting worse (before better hopefully)? I only have so much hearing left....

P.S. This is the first time I have ever posted online...

 

[Lane]

Can anyone give advice on the tinnitus getting worse (before better hopefully)? I only have so much hearing left....

P.S. This is the first time I have ever posted online...

Hi @laddie16 -- I too would generally notice a modest+ spike in tinnitus after doing a chamber session, although about 10%-20% I didn't. The spikes seemed less when I reduced my ATA from 2.0 to 1.75. And then went to 1.3 ATA when I bought my home mHBOT unit. I think time began to heal some of what causes my tinnitus, and it's now rare I get a noticeable spike from doing a chamber session.

Recently, I began doing two different exercises that seem to have helped my tinnitus somewhat. I'm going to leave links for them, as like you, I've had serious head and back injuries in my past. These two techniques address the pelvis area, and the upper back (thoracic) area. They're both pretty simple, and one or both just may help your tinnitus spikes.

Here's a link to a 5-min. video: -- The Simplest and Most Effective Exercise For Thoracic Extension

Another 5-Min. video: -- Natural Pelvis Reset

P.S. This is the first time I have ever posted online...

Congratulations on your first online post; you did great!

P.S. You didn't by any chance make a YouTube video on how you made your HBOT unit, did you? I'd be most interested in hearing how you did that. It's something I considered doing myself, but couldn't find any good instructions how I might do that. Are you a natural kind of handyman?

 

[laddie16]

Lane, i looked on the internet as to how and what HBOT dive chambers were and how they were built then i just made one in my shop like i took a 500 gal fuel tank cut a door into it cut and welded fittings and put a plexi-glass window in the top .

The thing that was the most challenging well two things getting the door design right ( i blew three doors off before getting the one now in place. And then pressure control, what i came up with was using a manometer filled with mercury to have super good control of internal PSI


as for being a handy man not like you think of one but i can build anything out of iron or steel (wood not so much)
i did not make any videos constructing my chamber.It can seat 2 people and my top pressure to dive to works out to 1.8 ata so not getting too the 2 plus ATA range but the research i have seen indicates that mHBOT can and is effective for lots of things. Also i live at 7000 feet elevation. so i start with less psi at my elevation.

The most expensive component of my chamber would be the 02 concentrator at around 1000$ so time will tell as i rack up the dives my plan is 40 plus and then see if i can just do maintenance dives...I am fearful of the loosing my noodle. (Alzheimer,dementia) also like i said before i am hoping hbot does not make my T much louder because it is a pain in the a** to live with......

I would like to hear what you have experianced so far with your soft side chamber.... Thank you.... and have a great Labor Day Weekend..... Laddie..

 

[Lane]

I would like to hear what you have experianced so far with your soft side chamber....

@laddie16 -- I'd say the most noticeable effects have been improved sleep, improved ability to relax, and a sense of deeper healing occuring. I feel I've had brain traumas from head injury/whiplash, other concussions, and Lyme. Not to mention being on a benzodiazapine for several years. It's slow going, but the steady improvement is encouraging.

I never thought I'd get the benefits I was looking for in a few sessions, or even 30-40 sessions. I always thought in terms of 300-400 sessions, or even a thousand or more. I'd say I've done about 200 sessions so far, and the immediate effects I feel upon finishing a session have changed over the past several months.

In the beginning, even though I felt very relaxed, I could also feel somewhat nauseous, or sickly for a while. Even to the point where I had to skip days occasionally. I think this is because the sessions were causing Lyme dieoff, and it takes a while for the body to detoxify that. Plus, just the process of healing doesn't always mean immediately feeling energized. I think it can actually send us into a cycle where we just want to rest and let the healing happen.

 

[vttbx]

I had my first HBOT session last week. It was a test to see how I would tolerate it. I found one of the top HBOT centers in my area and paid $300 for one hour. They recommend 10 treatments and stress that daily is best. It was 12 minutes of compression at the start and about 8 minutes to decompress at the end. I was fine with the compression stage defaulting to swallows and noise pinches. During the decompression, I was told to not do the noise pinch otherwise I would blow out my eardrums. Great.

I had one panic moment during the decompression when I couldn't swallow. I opened my mouth wide probably just in time. Afterward, I felt fine and went back to work. I woke up in the middle of the night and my ears felt clogged. In the morning, I had to do the noise pitch again and the clearing sound was unusual. I saw a doctor the next day and he said everything looks fine and gave some decongestants. I was back to normal in two days.

I'm trying everything to get rid of this recent spike and am in a two-week window of onset. But I'm not sure if I'm the best candidate for HBOT. I'm going to an ENT to discuss this option. The HBOT tech told me going once a week is a waste of money. He said 3x a week is minimal. I'm undecided at this point.

 

[Lane]

The HBOT tech told me going once a week is a waste of money. He said 3x a week is minimal. I'm undecided at this point.

@vttbx -- Just a few random thoughts: $300 / session seems like a lot of money, though I've heard of sessions that are even more expensive. If you think about 10 sessions costing $3,000, that same amount of money would be about half of what you could a home mHBOT unit for. If you were strongly inclined to go forward with HBOT, it seems purchasing a home unit might be a viable option.

I've heard they hold their value well, so if you didn't want to keep it long-term, you could probably sell it for $1K or so less than you paid for it. Another possible option: I've also seen that some areas offer monthly leases on mHBOT units for around $600/month. -- I've done both 2.0 ATA clinical setting HBOT sessions, and 1.3 ATA mHBOT sessions. I think the lower pressure is easier on the ears, and likely as beneficial, if not more so.

 

[vttbx]

@vttbx -- Just a few random thoughts: $300 / session seems like a lot of money, though I've heard of sessions that are even more expensive. If you think about 10 sessions costing $3,000, that same amount of money would be about half of what you could a home mHBOT unit for. If you were strongly inclined to go forward with HBOT, it seems purchasing a home unit might be a viable option.

I've heard they hold their value well, so if you didn't want to keep it long-term, you could probably sell it for $1K or so less than you paid for it. Another possible option: I've also seen that some areas offer monthly leases on mHBOT units for around $600/month. -- I've done both 2.0 ATA clinical setting HBOT sessions, and 1.3 ATA mHBOT sessions. I think the lower pressure is easier on the ears, and likely as beneficial, if not more so.

I don't see myself making large commitment to HBOT even though a home unit would save some money. The results of most of the studies I read are inconclusive and I'm worried about the long terms side effects. The first treatment was at 2 ATM and the next would be at 2.4 ATM. I may try another test at 2.4 ATM but won't go past 10 sessions regardless of any improvement.

 

[vttbx]

I had my second HBOT session about a week ago. As with the first session, the day after was a problem for me. I woke up with clogged ears and dulled hearing. The dulled hearing is something that stresses me out even if it's short term. I saw an ENT a few days ago as I'm getting a crunching sound in my ears whenever I swallow. I'm on Flonase and Afrin but have seen little improvement. I'm concerned that it won't go away. I was hoping to do 10 sessions but the side effects are too problematic so I'm stopping after two.

 

[Daniel Lion]

I had my second HBOT session about a week ago. As with the first session, the day after was a problem for me. I woke up with clogged ears and dulled hearing. The dulled hearing is something that stresses me out even if it's short term. I saw an ENT a few days ago as I'm getting a crunching sound in my ears whenever I swallow. I'm on Flonase and Afrin but have seen little improvement. I'm concerned that it won't go away. I was hoping to do 10 sessions but the side effects are too problematic so I'm stopping after two.

Good idea to stop, at least for now. I have read that HBOT puts a lot of pressure on the ears. Give your ears a rest and see if the unpleasant feeling fades... Good luck.

 

[Paul38]

why hasn't my ENT ever suggested this? they had to have heard of it.

 

[ManyLeavesLeft]

I would like to introduce myself and document my HBOT.

Hello all, and thank you all for contributing to this hugely helpful resource about this life-changing condition. A special shoutout to @RoyZ for his detailed documentation and information about HBOT from several years ago. Thank you for providing so much information about how to best take advantage of HBOT, such as the taking of NAC soon before procedure, as well as your own experiences with it.

I experienced an acute acoustic trauma (AAT) of roughly 140 decibels, and a second one minutes later of roughly 120 decibels, on 09/09/2019. This AAT was caused by my own mistake while using highly sensitive audiophile headphones and signal processing software.

I suffered from aural fullness and unilateral otalgia for several days, with bilateral tinnitus emerging on the second day. In the roughly 10 days since onset, I have experienced several different tones, most annoying being one which is at about 15.5 kHz, and less intrusive ones ranging from 1.5-7 kHz.

My audiogram is technically "normal," although I have a dip at 2 kHz and 8 kHz in the right ear at 20 dB as of last Tuesday the 16th.

I started taking prednisone (40 mg) about 4 days after the AAT, and have been taking a variety of supplements, including magnesium, NAC, turmeric, vitamins C,E, and B12. I am now tapering off of the prednisone.

I started HBOT on my 10th day after the AAT, which was two days ago. I received my second session today, but will not have another until Monday morning. I am going to 2.4 ATM for roughly 60 minutes.

So far, there are no significant changes in the tinnitus, although it has been changing somewhat from day to day, perhaps because it is still quite early in the healing process. A couple mornings I have woken up and not heard much in the way of the high frequency tinnitus for an hour or so. It has always come back and whistles at me during the day, making paying attention in class and studying difficult.

The ENT I saw suggested that most people recover from similar AAT's over time. Given how steady is has been, I doubt I will have a full recovery, as in total remission of tinnitus, but I am hopeful for a reduction in tinnitus in the weeks and months to come. I will update as I continue the HBOT therapy. I have so far paid for a total of 10 sessions, at a cost north of $3k.

 

[Gwyndion]

The waiting time for an ENT is over a month....seems the benefits of HBO might be past by then as my tinnitus started 1,5 weeks ago...

 

[ManyLeavesLeft]

The waiting time for an ENT is over a month....seems the benefits of HBO might be past by then as my tinnitus started 1,5 weeks ago...

An ENT is not required for HBOT.

 

[Gwyndion]

How would you go about getting use of one then? Ent have them so would seem they would need to do an examination first.