My Tinnitus Is Almost Gone After 3 Years: It's Now a Faint Ringing — No Longer Hyperacusis Either

[twa]

I have 5 children. Four of which are a lot older 21,19,18 and 14. My youngest is now 5. As you can imagine my house is anything but quiet!

S x

How are you doing? I bookmarked your story for inspiration on low days. Hope you are continuing to do well.

twa

 

[twa]

After reading lots of stories I was hopeful my tinnitus would be gone after 6 weeks... then 2 months, then 6 months, then 1 year, then 2years...

Well it took 3 years, it's still lingering but finally down to a tolerable level.

I still have faint ringing but nothing compared to the first 24 months. I had it BAD. 11 out 10 BAD. So bad I heard it over busy traffic noise and ocean waves crashing. I must have been in the 1% of BAD.

The hyperacusis was horrific, luckily that subsided after 18 months... every sound made me angry... I had to wear ear muffs to do dishes and walk outside.

All due to sitting in front of a loud rock band accidentally during a ski trip. I knew better, I've had it before and always made sure to wear plugs after my first bout of tinnitus when I was younger. This time I forgot them and stuffed tissue paper to no avail. Tinnitus + hyperacusis appeared 2 days after the noise exposure and stayed for 2 years.

I hated life. I hated sounds. I hated traveling in cars and planes. I wanted to die but I couldn't go there... drugs (weed, Kratom, etc) didn't help so I quit drugs, sobriety didn't help, but it made me feel healthier which allowed me to cope better. Exercised a lot which helped me sleep over the roaring noise.

Anyone who just had onset should know that it can take much longer than what most experts mention.

Especially if you are older... it will take MUCH longer. When I was in my 20s the tinnitus would vanish after 2 days. This time it was 3 years because of my age (40s). I will never allow myself to be exposed to loud sounds again ever... not even with earplugs.

I don't know if it will completely disappear, but it's faint enough now where I can forget about it... but I will never forget the experience. 3 years is scarring.

I'm incredibly sorry for those that have it for life... it is a challenging ailment to deal with.

How are you doing?

 

[Uklawyer]

@twa, what meds did you take that you think could have had an impact on your tinnitus if I may ask?

 

[Fields]

@Fields, are you able to listen to music and watch TV?

Yes I am, at low volumes. Sorry for the late response.

 

[Athens]

During your road to recovery, did exposure fo normal, everyday sounds without wearing earplugs worsen your hyperacusis and tinnitus? I have had hyperacusis and tinnitus for a little over a year, and I seem to be getting worse rather than experiencing any improvement.

 

[Vii]

During your road to recovery, did exposure fo normal, everyday sounds without wearing earplugs worsen your hyperacusis and tinnitus? I have had hyperacusis and tinnitus for a little over a year, and I seem to be getting worse rather than experiencing any improvement.

It did make it worse in the first year. But that would subside within hours of having no exposure to any sounds.

My first year was the worst. The second year was just frustrating. The third year was demoralizing. The fourth year was hope. I'm almost down to a very faint ringing. I rarely wear any hearing protection now unless it's a large gathering or sound event (movie theater, ceremony, music event).

 

[Vii]

How are you doing?

Sorry for the delayed response. Year 4 has been a wonderful year. Every month seems to bring even more improvements. It's a miracle I've come this far without completely losing my grip on reality.

It's now at the phase where it's mostly forgettable. The ringing continues to diminish each month and has stabilized to a much less harsh set of frequencies.

Hyperacusis is 100% gone. I can see the light at the end of tunnel.

How many people do you know have seen 100% recovery after 5+ years? That's my hope.

 

[Vii]

@twa, what meds did you take that you think could have had an impact on your tinnitus if I may ask?

None. Because they don't exist.

If you allow your doctor to convince you to take benzos to help sleep, find a new doctor.

The only thing that works is to exercise like hell and eat well. No more junk food. Eventually your body will naturally heal itself the best it can. Exercise will naturally put you to sleep.

 

[Athens]

This gives me some hope.

The noise generators that I wear and the exposure to everyday sounds without earplugs seem to have caused a worsening of the hyperacusis and tinnitus but maybe it will take several years before I see any significant improvement. I am concerned that I continue to reach a new level of worsening with each day/week/month. I do still work out, take long walks, and work at my own business. I have found that talking on the phone is a problem. Habituation to the tinnitus would seem difficult to reach when the target keeps moving.

It sounds like your tinnitus actually decreased in severity/volume.

 

[Travis Henry]

Any updates @Vii, @Fields?

 

[Fields]

Any updates @Vii, @Fields?

Compared to September, I'd say my hyperacusis has improved quite a bit. Since onset, I feel it has improved by 85~90%.

Loud, low-tone sounds (such as a pile driver) don't bother me at all anymore. Not that I've been actively seeking them out, mind you. It's just loud, high-pitched sounds that still bother me.

A fire broke out while I was in the subway last week, and the door-override alarm gave me a bit of bother, but I could pretty much go on with my day. 2 years ago I would be writhing in pain.

So, the actual pain from loud, high-pitched noise has subsided tremendously. The pain has also become much more fleeting. Perhaps it might even be more of a mental thing now, rather than actual pain.

All in all, I feel like I'll probably fully recover from hyperacusis this year.

To give you an idea where my mind is at: I've been invited to the cinema next week, and I'm currently contemplating on whether I should go or not. However, if I decide to go, I'll definitely wear earplugs.

As for my tinnitus - no improvement whatsoever. It's a pretty constant 7/10. Perhaps a 6/10 on good days, and 8.5/10 on bad ones.

 

[FearsforEars]

@Vii, I don't think it is fair to pin everything on age. Your unique situation is your unique situation. Some people are young and recover slow and some who are old recover fast. Age might have an impact on healing lots of things, but probably much less than you suggest and surely you experience is not proof.

 

[Travis Henry]

Ugh I hope I can improve like people here. My tinnitus reacts to everything. I've been pretty much homebound worried about going out and doing anything to make it worse. I have stopped working and pretty worried about the state I am in. I've stopped wearing earplugs at home because I just can't take listening to the screaming tinnitus. I have loudness hyperacusis also.

I had intrusive tinnitus in January. It got worse in April with another noise exposure and then again worse late April from dog barking, loud tractor, LLLT and then a TMJ clinic putting CBD oil and hitting my jaw area with a laser also all in the same week and bam I had highly reactive tinnitus and hyperacusis. That was the day my nightmare began.

Hoping somehow I can get my normal life back again. Praying in a couple years I can have improvement. Because right now it's 24/7 hell and I hardly leave my room. I dunno how to treat it because it's so reactive.

 

[JPGL]

@Travis Henry, LLLT worsened your tinnitus?

 

[twa]

@twa, what meds did you take that you think could have had an impact on your tinnitus if I may ask?

@Uklawyer, I'm sorry this has taken so long to reply. I started teaching and going to graduate school this year. I don't think any meds helped me much. I've taken supplements throughout this last 15 months. The one I have taken consistently is Turmeric with Curcumin gummies for inflammation, also Tart Cherry called Cherryflex. I did an anti-inflammatory diet for 10 months. I think lately, I've been resting a lot and taking time for me. I'm also swimming every day or every other day. I think rest and sleep help me most.

Best to you in your recovery~

 

[Don Tinny]

I will never allow myself to be exposed to loud sounds again ever... not even with earplugs.

This is very important. People can ruin improvements when they get more confidence. I'm living proof. The damage is cumulative and each time your tinnitus needs less and less sound to reborn, and it gets worse each time.

 

[Aaron91]

Sorry for the delayed response. Year 4 has been a wonderful year. Every month seems to bring even more improvements. It's a miracle I've come this far without completely losing my grip on reality.

It's now at the phase where it's mostly forgettable. The ringing continues to diminish each month and has stabilized to a much less harsh set of frequencies.

Hyperacusis is 100% gone. I can see the light at the end of tunnel.

How many people do you know have seen 100% recovery after 5+ years? That's my hope.

Hey Vii, was just wondering if you could share any lifestyle behaviours or changes you made that you think may have helped you healing from hyperacusis? I'm also curious to know whether you had any sound-induced neuralgia in your jaw/cheeks/neck/face?

 

[Lane]

Hey Vii, was just wondering if you could share any lifestyle behaviours or changes you made that you think may have helped you healing from hyperacusis?

Hey @Aaron91 -- When I got tinnitus in 2018 from a single dose of an anti-nausea medication, my fairly difficult hyperacusis went into overdrive. It was pretty unbelievable how even peeing was too much for my fragile ears (had to start peeing like a girl lol). It was very difficult for the next 2 years or so before it started to noticeably improve. In the past couple years, I'd say it's not only returned to baseline, but seems to have improved even more from that baseline.

I credit that to some kind of combination of a wide variety of things I've done to try to get my tinnitus to calm down. Which includes a variety of things I do to calm down my entire system. That ranges from stretching my ears every day, massaging them in a variety of ways, doing self-acupuncture in my ear areas, besides using DMSO (though I've been fairly negligent on that recently).

Most recently I discovered a supplement that seems to calm down my nervous system and my tinnitus. I'm guessing it probably helps my hyperacusis as well. I took some with me when I went to see my chiropractor last week, and he tried it while he worked on me. Before I left, he said that he definitely noticed a calming effect. The way I see it, anything that can calm things down is likely to (at least marginally) help with our overall hyperacusis/tinnitus situation.

Source Naturals Serene Science, GABA Calm - Supports A Calming Mood, Quick Dissolving Orange Flavor - 120 Lozenges

I also take the following supplement, which I think complements the above one really well.

Source Naturals Coenzymate B Complex - Orange Flavor That Melts in Mouth - B Vitamins - 120 Lozenges

 

[Fields]

Small update to those interested:

My hyperacusis has improved by more than 90%. I'm bit hesitant to say I've fully recovered from it, as I'm still really scared of loud noises. This is mostly a mental thing, though.

Whenever I'm faced with loud (high-pitched) noises, I still wince, but I don't think there's any real pain anymore. However, it does still affect my tinnitus.

Not sure if I've posted this earlier, but in September they're going to try to realign my jaw with help of a custom-made mouth guard. They're also going to check for a cyste/tumor on my temporomandibular joint.

 

[Fields]

Since I've been chronicling my hyperacusis woes here, I'll share another small update:

The mouth-guard has helped my TMJ, but hasn't done much for my tinnitus.

My hyperacusis is still 90% (+) gone. It might even be fully gone, but I think I'm still struggling a bit with the mental component. Loud sounds don't physically hurt anymore, but they do still trigger a sort of mental fear response.

Additionally, I have noticed that I can 'feel' sound physically hitting my right eardrum (my bad ear). The sensation is distinctly different from hyperacusis, and might be in part due to a hypermobile eardrum.

Moreover, it turns out I have multiple painful knots/lumps – all along the front right side of my neck, going down from my ear to my shoulder. Touching/massaging these all directly impact my right ear as well: ranging from relaxing my eardrum to altering the pitch of my tinnitus.

I'll be seeing my doctor this week to further discuss this, and hopefully proceed with getting some form of CAT or MRI scans sorted.

 

[makeyourownluck]

I have noticed that I can 'feel' sound physically hitting my right eardrum (my bad ear).

I get this in my right ear too, like I can feel the vibration of the soundwaves. Certain sounds are worse than others. My daughter's voice provokes this response. I'm habituated because it happens so regularly, and it has gotten easier, but I still hope it goes away.

 

[gameover]

Yes it was extremely constant for 24 months. Barely any changes outside the first 3 months of absolute torture.

Month 30 was where it started to hit a turning point. Then it started to improve gradually. I was at "11" for 24 months, "8" at month 30 and "5" at month 36. My hope is I head towards a "2" as my lifetime baseline.

Oh, this is not quite the success story the first post would suggest. Well, it's a huge improvement from "11" to "5" after 3 years, but that's not what most would describe as "almost gone".

Wish we knew how @Vii is doing these days...

 

[Nick47]

Oh, this is not quite the success story the first post would suggest. Well, it's a huge improvement from "11" to "5" after 3 years, but that's not what most would describe as "almost gone".

@gameover, surely you would be happy with a steady 5 (40-50 dB) over an 11?

 

[gameover]

@gameover, surely you would be happy with a steady 5 (40-50 dB) over an 11?

Maybe, maybe not. Who knows. I am not really sure what is 5. And then I am quite sure I'd not be able to live with 11 for three years anyway.

I am happy for @Vii, don't get me wrong, I just felt disappointed in this story as it gave me a false hope. The success stories are scarce overall. Most are about habituation. Fewer about tinnitus disappearing to gone or "almost gone" state. And when you read some of these carefully, you find out they aren't really true. Or that folks relapsed some time after.

@Jason C's is the one freak amazing story of a bad tinnitus disappearing.

It's a damned condition. I can't believe I did it to myself. So easily avoidable. All it would have taken to avoid was being warned

 

[crescentsky]

@Vii, thank you for sharing this. It gives me hope. I hope mine fades to silence soon too. Even though I'm just 12 months in.

 

[Jupiterman]

@Jason C's is the one freak amazing story of a bad tinnitus disappearing.

I've had a read of his account.

He had hyperacusis, distortions, tinnitus and mild partial hearing loss.

Though I think he believed his hearing loss around the 4 kHz notch was due to his loud tinnitus diminishing/overwhelming the external sounds. As his tinnitus faded, his 4 kHz notch and overall hearing improved.

Why did he heal so well in that 18 to 24 month margin?

Firstly; nerves, if they are going to heal, it usually takes at least 18 months to do so and they are never are as good/robust as they once were despite being near fully functional again.

Secondly; some people are just better healers than others.

If your body generally heals quickly and well, I believe this bodes well for increased chances of good ear recovery.

@Jupiterman, tell me something, it seems you are relatively new into this yourself. Like barely over 1 year. How has this been for you? Have you noticed improvements?

Terrible with no improvement. I know I am a slow healer though.

 

[gameover]

I've had a read of his account.

He had hyperacusis, distortions, tinnitus and mild partial hearing loss.

Though I think he believed his hearing loss around the 4 kHz notch was due to his loud tinnitus diminishing/overwhelming the external sounds. As his tinnitus faded, his 4 kHz notch and overall hearing improved.

Why did he heal so well in that 18 to 24 month margin?

Firstly; nerves, if they are going to heal, it usually takes at least 18 months to do so and they are never are as good/robust as they once were despite being near fully functional again.

Secondly; some people are just better healers than others.

I have always healed from anything quickly. Like any cut, bruise, reattached finger. Super quick healing with hardly any scars, always. I think my luck run out here, but maybe? If only my mind was positive enough, maybe that could help...

If your body generally heals quickly and well, I believe this bodes well for increased chances of good ear recovery.

Terrible with no improvement. I know I am a slow healer though.

Sorry to hear that, but hopefully we'll indeed improve.

 

[Fields]

My appointment got pushed back to July, but on the upside: I went on a 1-week holiday to Italy and experienced 0 discomfort.

• The flight back and forth went fine
• Noises in crowded areas (including ambulance/police sirens) didn't bother me
• My sister accidentally putting the car radio on blast wasn't an issue
• Etc

Save for my tinnitus, I had an excellent holiday that wasn't soured by hyperacusis. I actually had a really good time for the first time in a while

 

[ErikaS]

I've had a read of his account.

He had hyperacusis, distortions, tinnitus and mild partial hearing loss.

Though I think he believed his hearing loss around the 4 kHz notch was due to his loud tinnitus diminishing/overwhelming the external sounds. As his tinnitus faded, his 4 kHz notch and overall hearing improved.

Why did he heal so well in that 18 to 24 month margin?

Firstly; nerves, if they are going to heal, it usually takes at least 18 months to do so and they are never are as good/robust as they once were despite being near fully functional again.

Secondly; some people are just better healers than others.

If your body generally heals quickly and well, I believe this bodes well for increased chances of good ear recovery.

Terrible with no improvement. I know I am a slow healer though.

What is even more remarkable about Jason's recovery story, is he never hunkered down at home. I specifically remember him saying in one of his posts "I never stopped working and sat at home. I have business to run and a family to support". He literally just figured out ear protection that worked for him when he went to work, left the house, went to social things, etc. And this was all AFTER worsening from going on 1-2 holiday vacations and not protecting. I think he had 1-2 main tinnitus sounds but he did recount reactivity as he said his tinnitus would be notably louder after sound exposure. Also, he did all of that with no meds. Very, very mentally strong person.

But a huge takeaway with his story is he said he still was not feeling great at all at 11 months post onset. It wasn't until a little after the year mark when gradual but notable improvements were heard/seen. This is very important for me and others to remember. This awful shit can take time, but it CAN improve. I compare it to my taste and smell recovery from COVID-19. It took at least a little over a year to feel 60-70% recovered, then at the 2 year mark (this past December) I considered myself 90% recovered and not bothered at all by any lingering smell/taste distortions.

 

[gameover]

What is even more remarkable about Jason's recovery story, is he never hunkered down at home. I specifically remember him saying in one of his posts "I never stopped working and sat at home. I have business to run and a family to support". He literally just figured out ear protection that worked for him when he went to work, left the house, went to social things, etc. And this was all AFTER worsening from going on 1-2 holiday vacations and not protecting. I think he had 1-2 main tinnitus sounds but he did recount reactivity as he said his tinnitus would be notably louder after sound exposure. Also, he did all of that with no meds. Very, very mentally strong person.

But a huge takeaway with his story is he said he still was not feeling great at all at 11 months post onset. It wasn't until a little after the year mark when gradual but notable improvements were heard/seen. This is very important for me and others to remember. This awful shit can take time, but it CAN improve. I compare it to my taste and smell recovery from COVID-19. It took at least a little over a year to feel 60-70% recovered, then at the 2 year mark (this past December) I considered myself 90% recovered and not bothered at all by any lingering smell/taste distortions.

Indeed, Jason was incredibly strong. Not only he kept pushing, but he hid his struggles from most others. Makes me despise myself, as I turned out to be so extrovertly weak. It is also interesting his worst wasn't right away, but like 4-6 months into it when it hit him hard. His tinnitus was mild as he described, but reactive, plus he had distortions and hyperacusis (took a year for the latter to go away). For me my worst came 2-3 months after trauma and gripped me pretty much until recently with some setbacks. I am exactly at 5 months mark and finally seeing some improvements in volume and maybe in reactivity as well as hyperacusis. It is still very fragile state, but I guess I should be happy - improvements are seen earlier than for many.

But the recovery of @Jason C is my favorite success story, btw. Well, except the 2-year part. 2 years is damn long, which it took for @jjflyman as well (who never wrote proper success story, but you can read it in his comments).