Just a Theory (for Those Who Suffer From Acoustic Trauma Related Tinnitus Without Hearing Loss)

[Lisa123]

Let's start with what kind of T I have.
My T was induced by an acoustic trauma, my ENT assured me it was only temporary as no hair cells were damaged, they were only bent and were working their way back up. Which they eventually did after 2 months of the onset. But the T stayed. Basically I have tinnitus without any hair cells being damaged. Now here is my theory. I strayed away from music and any loud noise, I spent most of my time in quiet environments. What I believe is that the neurons that were supposed to pick up the signal from my bent hair cells those 2 months were malfunctioning and creating the T sound. Now because I spent so much time in silence the past months (I have T for 5 months now), could it be possible that the hair cells that were bent (and now not anymore) are not being stimulated enough through noise anymore in which the corresponding neuron will create the tinnitus signal? If I'd listen to more noises, could this be resolved? My tinnitus is quite mild, I only hear it when I'm somewhere quiet or if I'm trying to study.

 

[Kevin08]

I too have T as well as H with minimal hearing loss, I had no choice but to stay in a noisy environment (my job) for the first 3 months. I'm pretty sure this made it worse. I think the noise may have helped with the H a bit though.

 

[Twitch]

Hey @Lisa123 I'm interested to find out how your ENT was able to tell that your hair cells weren't damaged and how they returned to their normal state after a few months. Did you undergo scans? If so, what type were they?

 

[Valentin]

Your ENT blatantly lied to you, there's no way to see haircells in a living organism without extracting the cochlea or coloring the haircells thus rendering them dead.

 

[Samoo]

I think haircells can be seen on MRI scan nicely. (scroll for image https://www.entuk.org/ent_patients/ear_conditions/tinnitus)