Yes, it has slowly decreased in intensity along with my hyperacusis. On my mild days (1 or 2 a week) it's almost like I don't have tinnitus and my hyperacusis just about vanishes. The 2 are definitely linked for me. For me I think tinnitus is truly a malfunction or maladaptation of the brain's auditory system.
It was somewhat difficult for me because I caused my own tinnitus. So I had to sort through all the feelings of regret and guilt associated with it. I never lost hope of recovering from this. I would hold onto to memories of how I used to be, but I vowed not just get better, but better than before. Having tinnitus has given me a new perspective. More of an appreciation for life and things around me. I realize now how quickly everything can be lost. But, as we lose I think we also gain. Even with diabolical tinnitus I continued to work, exercise, and just put one foot in front of the other, and hope for brighter days. My faith in God has also helped to pull me through.You're exactly right! You just have to accept that it is there. So glad you've reached that point
It does start off little by little. First you realise you haven't noticed it for 10 minutes. Then the minutes somehow turn into hours, and so on.
Yes! Totally do not keep trying to measure any changes. It doesn't help. It won't help. For months, I was obsessed with plugging my ears to hear if the sound was different - which of course, it never was.
These sorts of habits are unhealthy, and make it harder to habituate. As soon as I stopped doing this, I started forgetting about my tinnitus.
Sometimes, I still can be a bit annoyed by the sound, but not overly. Right now I'm experiencing a spike which means I can hear my tinnitus over lots of things, Including the tv. But whatever I guess! Like I said before, absolutely nothing I can do about it.
The "no longer feeling devastated by it", is a massive turning point. And like you, that's where I am at. As I mentioned above, I'm experiencing a spike at the moment, but the increase in sound doesn't devastate me now, like it would have, six months ago.
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Thank you for the reply.
I think mine are linked too, the intensity of both fluctuates massively which makes me think it can't be an "ear injury" which would just remain consistent?
May I ask how you were doing after the first year?
After the first year I wasn't doing well. Tinnitus had gotten better but was still pretty intense. Hardly any habituation. Many people on this thread suggest that intensity and loudness do not impact ones ability to habituate. As my tinnitus has mellowed out I feel it's much easier to ignore. It's like pain levels. More intense pain is more debilitating. That being said everyone's tolerance is different. I have a demanding job as a middle school teacher as well. I feel that if I didn't have to work I may have dealt with it better. My tinnitus has never "went away" for a few days. At first it was one day a week of low tinnitus, then mostly severe. Now it's moderate with a couple mild days a week.
Well said.
This a exactly how it works. Because you stop caring, you stop noticing and you start forgetting that it's there, even if it's there 24/7 unchanged.
Same here, nights and mornings are the worst. The feeling of dread and hopelessness is still there for me 6 months in.
In my first 6 months the worst part was not being able to sleep properly or not at all. At some point I thought that if only I could sleep well again, I would be able to deal with everything else.
I am curious about your hyperacusis. You cannot habituate to hyperacusis so what has been the progression in relation to it? Is it the same or has it calmed down to some degree?
It's improved quite a bit I would say. Still there on louder tinnitus days, but better.
What constitutes stable tinnitus? I see that a lot here but is this a medical definition or just a term we use in the community?
Stable usually means you don't have terrible hyperacusis making normal sounds act like noise traumas spiking or worsening you. Just my guess.
I am happy to hear it. I have noticed that I am able to be in certain environments (restaurants) without too much difficulty whereas only a month go, I was very hesitant to even attempt it.
Stable tinnitus is as @Wrfortiscue and @AnthonyMcDonald have described.
Hm, is it possible to have noise induced tinnitus but have it moderately stable?
You make an interesting point. It is quite possible to have noise-induced tinnitus and for it to be moderately stable or completely silent for most of the time and only heard in very quiet surroundings.
Yes it's possible. I lived years with stable tinnitus after blowing up my right ear.
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