Initial Healing Time?

[John CC]

Hello I have realized that there are a number of different '$64,000 questions' out there regarding the world of tinnitus. So I thought I would post one out there to, as far as I am concerned, one of the best group of people to ask, those on this forum.

Ok, your tinnitus starts, it is loud and in both ears, it varies in intensity and sometimes is undetectable, so with any luck it should start to diminish.

Is there an average length of time where people's tinnitus begins to become noticeably lighter, or becomes undetectable after it starts? One month, 2, 3? Is one month or 2 considered usually quick?

I know everyone is different, and so is everyone's healing, if one is so fortunate, and I have read 3 to 12 months. So is one or two fast, 10 to 12 months longer?

Just curious what the tinnitus world thinks, or has experienced.

 

[john paul]

It depends on what has happened mainly. 3 months of hell, 3 months of struggle, 3 months of managing it. Then who knows after that 1.5 - 2 years if its going to go away, after that id strap in indefinitely. But thats not saying it cant still go away for some after 2 years, its just the odds are against you.

 

[John CC]

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Is there an average length of time where people's tinnitus begins to become noticeably lighter ...? One month, 2, 3?

I got the impression that fading often begins after 1-3 months. Here fading that is noticed before the 1-month mark is unusually early, and fading around 3 month mark or later is kinda late.

becomes undetectable after it starts?

I got the impression that this is 9-18 months, where "undetectable" is defined as "can hear only in quiet rooms".

 

[John CC]

As always, Bill, thanks. I was wondering as these are important bench marks to know.

 

[racerfish]

The only thing that's changed since I first got T was my attitude towards it. Volume has never gone down.

 

[John CC]

Thanks for reminding me about the importance of attitude. It is easy to forget the mind over matter outlook. Appreciate it.

 

[dpdx]

3-5 months fading, mine faded to mild T after three weeks. now I am dealing with Severe T which never got better and it has been since January (end).
Once you pass the 6 month mark your T wont fade anymore. T mainly fades in the beginning after that its pretty much permanent.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Once you pass the 6 month mark your T wont fade anymore.

There are countless examples on this forum that demonstrate that the above is false.

 

[dpdx]

There are countless examples on this forum that demonstrate that the above is false.

show me

 

[Bill Bauer]

show me

There was a post about it yesterday. I am not sure why the author (Nonna) had deleted the post. @Nonna may I ask you to confirm that your experience contradicts the notion that T stops improving after 6 months.

Of course we also have jjflyman's experiences (both times, he experienced improvement after 6 months). I don't have a habit of making a copy of those success stories (like I sometimes do for the horror stories), and I don't have time to search for them now, so I am just going to paste

8. You might hear that if your T doesn't go away in 6 months, it is permanent. That is a myth. "Six months" is just a time interval that insurance companies use to classify a condition as being chronic. It has no medical basis.

Multiple sources seem to use "2 years" as their rule of thumb. See, for example
https://www.ncrar.research.va.gov/Education/Documents/TinnitusDocuments/01_HenryPTM-HB_1-10.pdf
"A general guideline is that tinnitus of at least 12 months duration has a high likelihood of being a permanent condition (Dobie, 2004b). However, it also has been suggested that a person must have experienced tinnitus for at least two years before it should be considered permanent (Vernon, 1996)."
Link to Dobie 2004: https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en...AfBTNxz1AY#v=onepage&q=dobie tinnitus&f=false

If your T keeps fading but is still audible 2 years after onset, there is no reason to think that it will stop fading after 2 years.
It will most likely continue fading. A number of members of this forum had stated that the first time they got tinnitus, they eventually got to hear silence after 12-18 months. This is evidence contradicting the statement above from that Dobbie 2004 study.

here.

 

[dpdx]

There was a post about it yesterday. I am not sure why the author (Nonna) had deleted the post. @Nonna may I ask you to confirm that your experience contradicts the notion that T stops improving after 6 months.

Of course we also have jjflyman's experiences (both times, he experienced improvement after 6 months). I don't have a habit of making a copy of those success stories (like I sometimes do for the horror stories), and I don't have time to search for them now, so I am just going to paste

here.

@Jiffyman is one hell of a lucky guy so is @coffee_girl. I envy them hahaaha.

 

[Nonna]

If I deleted it sorry, I think it's still posted in another thread. My T improved drastically in the Third Year.

There was a post about it yesterday. I am not sure why the author (Nonna) had deleted the post. @Nonna may I ask you to confirm that your experience contradicts the notion that T stops improving after 6 months.

Of course we also have jjflyman's experiences (both times, he experienced improvement after 6 months). I don't have a habit of making a copy of those success stories (like I sometimes do for the horror stories), and I don't have time to search for them now, so I am just going to paste

here.

 

[Honky]

As I recall, I've had T two, three or more times before this current time for me. They all faded completely and silence returned, but now I'm older and so as I understand, it may take more time than before for silence to come back. I have known of T since the second time it happened to me and I was terrified, but that was 15 years ago. It went away after several months. At that time about the only thing I could find about it that I would permit myself to have happen to me (yes, I was God) was that it would eventually go away, um, usually.

As you age your hearing gets worse naturally. The modern world is loud enough to push that normal aging into T. Beethoven had T. Though they never seemed to describe this in past histories, it is clear he blew out his ears directing orchestras, and is now documented in many of his later writings/journals.

First time for me was in high school after using lawn mowers with a Walkman. Second/third time was after rock shows/playing in bands in my 30s. After that I wore ear plugs every time around high dBs until this one dumb day this year when a truck with an illegal air horn (140dB?) honked right across from my open car window. It must have been a two second blast at most. But I felt heat and vibration in my left ear. This latest T lost its edge after 3 months, but sometimes it goes back to a piercing shriek(?) which is really awesome. Although, what you describe your T's sound as DOES make a difference...

I went through the typical phases: disbelief, can't happen to me, elation (when it seemed to be gone), depression (when it reappears), and now 'who cares'. Specifically the last emotion works the best. At times having that attitude makes the difference between a bad day and one where there seems to be an annoying fly nearby.

Imagination can help too. If you categorize your T as a shriek, then that's what you'll be listening to and for. If however you tell yourself it's crickets or sounds of the heavens or something similarly divine then that is what you will hear.

If like me you ignore it and focus on life and having a good time, the T begins to get lost. Sure, it's there, but who cares.

There are different grades of T, and I can understand that as well, and I sympathize with those that have multiple tones, loudness etc. But T can also take different volumes/personalities based on the environment you're in. I've been overwhelmed by classical violins at very low volumes on the radio. Most sane Jazz is fine (sane = NO HORN FREAK OUTS).

 

[PDodge]

As I recall, I've had T two, three or more times before this current time for me. They all faded completely and silence returned, but now I'm older and so as I understand, it may take more time than before for silence to come back. I have known of T since the second time it happened to me and I was terrified, but that was 15 years ago. It went away after several months. At that time about the only thing I could find about it that I would permit myself to have happen to me (yes, I was God) was that it would eventually go away, um, usually.

As you age your hearing gets worse naturally. The modern world is loud enough to push that normal aging into T. Beethoven had T. Though they never seemed to describe this in past histories, it is clear he blew out his ears directing orchestras, and is now documented in many of his later writings/journals.

First time for me was in high school after using lawn mowers with a Walkman. Second/third time was after rock shows/playing in bands in my 30s. After that I wore ear plugs every time around high dBs until this one dumb day this year when a truck with an illegal air horn (140dB?) honked right across from my open car window. It must have been a two second blast at most. But I felt heat and vibration in my left ear. This latest T lost its edge after 3 months, but sometimes it goes back to a piercing shriek(?) which is really awesome. Although, what you describe your T's sound as DOES make a difference...

I went through the typical phases: disbelief, can't happen to me, elation (when it seemed to be gone), depression (when it reappears), and now 'who cares'. Specifically the last emotion works the best. At times having that attitude makes the difference between a bad day and one where there seems to be an annoying fly nearby.

Imagination can help too. If you categorize your T as a shriek, then that's what you'll be listening to and for. If however you tell yourself it's crickets or sounds of the heavens or something similarly divine then that is what you will hear.

If like me you ignore it and focus on life and having a good time, the T begins to get lost. Sure, it's there, but who cares.

There are different grades of T, and I can understand that as well, and I sympathize with those that have multiple tones, loudness etc. But T can also take different volumes/personalities based on the environment you're in. I've been overwhelmed by classical violins at very low volumes on the radio. Most sane Jazz is fine (sane = NO HORN FREAK OUTS).

Damn you've had to go away twice? Lucky

 

[Honky]

I think I'm in for it now. I also have other health issues which are super fun and similarly bogus like tinnitus. Oh yay. Life was good.

 

[PDodge]

I think I'm in for it now. I also have other health issues which are super fun and similarly bogus like tinnitus. Oh yay. Life was good.

Anyway we all are. Dig your post though makes me feel better haha

 

[Emperor-Drax]

Two and a half months after a loud noise incident for me. Well, the noise wasn't as loud as the reverberating shockwave felt so destructive. But the pain in that ear didn't go away until the ENT manually pulled 33 years worth of hardened wax from the ear at the three-and-a-half month mark. I wonder if the vibration caused the wax to sink down and impact on my eardrum, causing the persistent pain? I've never heard of it happening before, but it's possible.

 

[JohnAdams]

Mine goes away sometimes. What a wild beast this is.