Hello everyone,
I developed tinnitus after firing a few rounds from a rifle on January 11.
Early on, I had muffled hearing, slight hyperacusis, and very loud tinnitus. Over time, the tinnitus in my right ear went away, but it remained in my left ear. It was quite loud, and I could hear it over everything, even outside.
After waiting for about a week, I decided to see an ENT, who diagnosed me with acoustic trauma.
I received five cortisone injections in my left ear, which helped me recover about 70 percent of my hearing and relieved the muffled feeling. I currently have mild hearing loss between 4 to 8 kHz (10 to 20 dB). My tinnitus also improved quite a bit, but it was still loud enough to be bothersome.
I went on for two more weeks, but I was very depressed and sad. After doing some research, I found that another round of cortisone injections between weeks four and five could be beneficial. So I got them during that time and also started TRT.
Now, seven weeks since the onset, my tinnitus has been improving. I used to have multiple tones, but now it has reduced to just one. Some days, I can barely hear it, especially when I am outside. I have even experienced a few hours of total silence, which reminded me how nice it was! However, there are still times when it spikes again.
At this point, I am just waiting to see if it will continue to improve. I am quite young (21), so this has been hard on me, but being young also gives me hope for recovery.
I wanted to share my story and hear your opinions—do you think there is a chance for a full recovery?
I developed tinnitus after firing a few rounds from a rifle on January 11.
Early on, I had muffled hearing, slight hyperacusis, and very loud tinnitus. Over time, the tinnitus in my right ear went away, but it remained in my left ear. It was quite loud, and I could hear it over everything, even outside.
After waiting for about a week, I decided to see an ENT, who diagnosed me with acoustic trauma.
I received five cortisone injections in my left ear, which helped me recover about 70 percent of my hearing and relieved the muffled feeling. I currently have mild hearing loss between 4 to 8 kHz (10 to 20 dB). My tinnitus also improved quite a bit, but it was still loud enough to be bothersome.
I went on for two more weeks, but I was very depressed and sad. After doing some research, I found that another round of cortisone injections between weeks four and five could be beneficial. So I got them during that time and also started TRT.
Now, seven weeks since the onset, my tinnitus has been improving. I used to have multiple tones, but now it has reduced to just one. Some days, I can barely hear it, especially when I am outside. I have even experienced a few hours of total silence, which reminded me how nice it was! However, there are still times when it spikes again.
At this point, I am just waiting to see if it will continue to improve. I am quite young (21), so this has been hard on me, but being young also gives me hope for recovery.
I wanted to share my story and hear your opinions—do you think there is a chance for a full recovery?
