Tinnitus So Long Ago — Forgot I Had It

[CRT2017]

My Story In Brief:
Had tinnitus bad enough to go see Audiologists at Hospital and doctors a few times way back early 2000s.

At University and in a bad place with poor diet, depressed and tired.

I guess the Tinnitus was a way for the body to excrete out issues.

Cure - none that I can remember.

Eventually found a job early 20s by which the Tinnitus was every so often.

For me looking back it was all about Me, my Tinnitus must have been Neurological or Physiological. The body changes as it gets older. I started to exercise, started to take on new job commitments and it subsided gradually over time.

As the days and weeks past, there was OTHER THINGS to think about and worry about. Such as getting married, planning holidays, being a slave to a semi career. What really eradicated it was a spiritual epiphany that brought into the fore a new shift in thinking and being.

Now mid 30s and happier than ever before to the point I even forgot I had it for a few years. Until a colleague at work pointed out he had it!

Change you life, your mind, your ways and habits and it may free you from this meance.

Sod the doctors!

 

[Fabrikat]

Change you life, your mind, your ways and habits and it may free you from this meance.

Well you've got my attention, but you might need to be a lot more specific if you want us to buy into your spiritual epiphany too.

 

[Bill Bauer]

It sounds like your body had gradually healed. This should give hope to everyone whose T is not very loud right now - it may take years, but eventually you might realize that you are finally T-free.

 

[maltese]

It sounds like your body had gradually healed. This should give hope to everyone whose T is not very loud right now - it may take years, but eventually you might realize that you are finally T-free.

I don't believe any healing is possible past hours/days after the damage was done. I think it's all down to neuroplasticity... Our brain learns the sound is so unimportant that it is ignored more and more and finally disappears.

Have you noticed Bill that no success story goes like "I was sitting in silence and it suddenly went away"?

Would you agree that those stories are *always* about someone who did many 'things', never payed any attention to it and eventually they stopped hearing it?

 

[calmond]

I recently heard it only once on a 2 day business trip and only then because i received a notification that reminded me of it. Once home it was back strong. I do believe that you can push it into silence once the mind gets bored, even in silence you can be distracted from the T and not hear it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Our brain learns the sound is so unimportant that it is ignored more and more and finally disappears.

In certain light the above can be considered healing.

Have you noticed Bill that no success story goes like "I was sitting in silence and it suddenly went away"?

It seem to always be a gradual process. I think some people wrote about waking up one day to the sound of silence.

never payed any attention to it and eventually they stopped hearing it?

What about the people who get over their T in something like 2 months (or 3 weeks)? I believe what someone who gets over it over a period of a year or two experiences mirrors what someone who gets over it in 2 months experiences, only in slow motion. The average volume is being turned down every day, but it is happening so slowly that takes a year for it to reach the point of "off".

 

[CaRd]

I don't believe any healing is possible past hours/days after the damage was done. I think it's all down to neuroplasticity... Our brain learns the sound is so unimportant that it is ignored more and more and finally disappears.

Have you noticed Bill that no success story goes like "I was sitting in silence and it suddenly went away"?

Would you agree that those stories are *always* about someone who did many 'things', never payed any attention to it and eventually they stopped hearing it?

Totally wrong way of thinking. And yes, healing is possible, though very slow. There are certain things you can do to help it also. Learn about the process Autophagy. There are no remedies yet, that is true. But even today, modern medicine is far away from fully understanding all that's happening within our body.

Making yourself believe that something is not possible, only gives your body certain impulses which might indeed make it so.

 

[maltese]

In certain light the above can be considered healing.

Fair point.

It seem to always be a gradual process. I think some people wrote about waking up one day to the sound of silence.

My point is that they teach their nervous system that T is not important by 'living their lives'. The speed of recovery is irrelevant. Sorry for not being clear enough.

What about the people who get over their T in something like 2 months (or 3 weeks)? I believe what someone who gets over it over a period of a year or two experiences mirrors what someone who gets over it in 2 months experiences, only in slow motion. The average volume is being turned down every day, but it is happening so slowly that takes a year for it to reach the point of "off".

I believe they, from the very beginning, managed to remain in control of their lives, giving the brain a chance to adapt. Avoiding (typical for chronic sufferers) brain changes caused by tinnitus too.

 

[maltese]

Totally wrong way of thinking. And yes, healing is possible, though very slow. There are certain things you can do to help it also. Learn about the process Autophagy. There are no remedies yet, that is true. But even today, modern medicine is far away from fully understanding all that's happening within our body.

Hey, sorry, I wasn't clear.

Healing as in "your ears will heal" is impossible and that's a proven fact.
Healing as in "brain adapting to synapses loss/cochlear damage" is absolutely possible and you're completely right.

Healing as in "tinnitus reducing" is possible too.

It is indeed possible to get better, most people do. Healthy lifestyle, diet and limiting stress can go a long way

 

[Bill Bauer]

My point is that they teach their nervous system that T is not important by 'living their lives'. The speed of recovery is irrelevant. Sorry for not being clear enough.

I guess it comes down to definition of "living your life."

If one pretends that one is healthy and doesn't change anything, then one is likely to expose oneself to noises that will cause temporary or permanent spikes. I am not talking about going to concerts and clubs, I am talking about visiting a pub with a TV on, or walking into a repair shop where someone is using power tools, or not using hearing protection when a neighbour is mowing the lawn. I am talking about regular sounds that people with healthy ears hardly notice. I am sure that these spikes will make it harder for the brain to ignore the sound.

If one protects one's ears, and even eliminates sources of stress (maybe going as far as quitting your job, if you can afford to [if you think you can find a similar job in X months]), it would seem to me that one's brain will have better chances of healing.

 

[Sam Bridge]

How is a tv damaging? @Bill Bauer , also are you saying if you are indoors and your neighbour is mowing the lawn you put plugs in?

 

[maltese]

I guess it comes down to definition of "living your life."

If one pretends that one is healthy and doesn't change anything, then one is likely to expose oneself to noises that will cause temporary or permanent spikes. I am not talking about going to concerts and clubs, I am talking about visiting a pub with a TV on, or walking into a repair shop where someone is using power tools, or not using hearing protection when a neighbour is mowing the lawn. I am talking about regular sounds that people with healthy ears hardly notice. I am sure that these spikes will make it harder for the brain to ignore the sound.

If one protects one's ears, and even eliminates sources of stress (maybe going as far as quitting your job, if you can afford to [if you think you can find a similar job in X months]), it would seem to me that one's brain will have better chances of healing.

When I read your posts I see myself but 6 months ago

Is your tinnitus mild, moderate or severe?

 

[Bill Bauer]

When I read your posts I see myself but 6 months ago

Is your tinnitus mild, moderate or severe?

I can handle it now during the day. My biggest problem with it is when I am trying to fall asleep in the evening and if I wake up during the night.

How did you change during these 6 months?

How is a tv damaging? @Bill Bauer , also are you saying if you are indoors and your neighbour is mowing the lawn you put plugs in?

I read posts on this forum written by people who got severe spikes (most likely temporary, but one can't be sure) after visiting a pub with a loud TV (and people talking in loud voices), and after being surprised by a neighbour turning on power tools not far from their open window.

I absolutely insert ear plugs and put on my Peltor muffs (and go to a room in my house furthest away from my neighbour's home) when my neighbour mows his lawn. As luck would have it, my neighbour believes it is important to mow his lawn twice a week. (In contrast, used to do it twice a year - in the middle and at the end of the summer.)

 

[Sam Bridge]

I can handle it now during the day. My biggest problem with it is when I am trying to fall asleep in the evening and if I wake up during the night.

How did you change during these 6 months?


I read posts on this forum written by people who got severe spikes (most likely temporary, but one can't be sure) after visiting a pub with a loud TV (and people talking in loud voices), and after being surprised by a neighbour turning on power tools not far from their open window.

I absolutely insert ear plugs and put on my Peltor muffs (and go to a room in my house furthest away from my neighbour's home) when my neighbour mows his lawn. As luck would have it, my neighbour believes it is important to mow his lawn twice a week. (In contrast, used to do it twice a year - in the middle and at the end of the summer.)

Each to their own i guess. In my opinion you are a bit paranoid but if that works for you then carry on.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Each to their own i guess. In my opinion you are a bit paranoid but if that works for you then carry on.

What about the experiences of those people? Why not learn from their mistakes?

 

[Sam Bridge]

What about the experiences of those people? Why not learn from their mistakes?

Going into a pub has never spiked my t. In fact the only spikes i get are fleeting t which is over in less than a minute. I never go to nightclubs either. As has been mentioned on this forum, you have to find your own tolerance levels. Now, if your neighbours mower has spiked your t then I understand why you you are being protective.

 

[Bill Bauer]

What about the experiences of those people? Why not learn from their mistakes?

I did a quick search for these horror stories of people not protecting their ears and then regretting it. These are just the tip of the enormous iceberg:

What made it worse was dental work 4.5 months ago - but it then was at least the same sound but louder and I still could cope. Then there was a really inadvertent night out where I neglected earplugs in a few pubs which were not too rowdy but which I've never exposed myself to without earplugs. But I didn't have earplugs in. It went mental after that. It came on in my other 'good ear' after that and changed completely.

Bar without earplugs for about two hours. Also in the months before that massive permanent spike I went to similar places but never had even a short spike.

I wish I was more anxious, then I'd read this forum with my lower T and it would have never happened. So yes, its true that even people with pretty loud T are unaware of noise danger, I was one of them!

I mentioned my "Mega T" in a response in a post and feel that member "Mark" got some good preventative info. I want everyone to know there is T beyond T. It's big, it's horrible and scary and you don't want it.
I'm talking about folks like me who diddle with loud music and should know better.

After about an hour of loud music a few years ago, I had to walk out and leave my musician friends on their own. I was sitting at the organ and just couldn't take it anymore. Marshall stacks, miked drums and LOTS of monitors were eating through my plugs and protective headset. I thought I was doubly protected. I tried to lie to myself that night and thought I could get away with it. I should have known better. One thing I've learned for sure, if my T settles down, It can come right back where it left off, even years later. I KNEW this, but playing music at this place sounded like too much fun. I'd been living with T already for a couple decades, trying to be careful.

It was just too damn loud. I waved goodbye, and took off with my headgear still on.
When I left, I stood outside hearing my ears ringing like never before. It was way worse than any after-concert damage I ever had. I knew I was in trouble. I drove home, quiet and spooky and my wife knew something was wrong. I could hardly hear her talk. I woke up to the worst morning of my life. I was half dizzy, my usual high pitched T had sunk down in frequencies to an annoying whistle or trumpet like sound and LOUD as hell in each ear, BUT the two separate sounds were NOT in tune. It was maddening and LOUD. So loud. I wanted to run or scream or cry... a 35 year old man. Then the worst part, my girl and wife were talking, and I started talking and all sounds were distorted as if I'd truly blown my eardrums out. Now I'm thinking, "Was it worth it, for a few loud songs?"

I thought it would settle down during the day. It didn't. I was scared, real scared. I'd NEVER heard anything like this. For the first time I was also experiencing the throbbing that comes with this kind of damage and found that stuffing cotton in my ears took away some of the throbbing. People at work noticed this change in my personality. I was quiet and scared and anxious. I had hope that it would settle down, though. So for months I wore my cotton and continued to hear the 'evil horns' in my head and everyone's voice sounded like a monster movie. And my ears throbbed. It went on for two years. Very slowly it all went back down to my normal hiss and squeal. Voices sounded clear again, but I still can't sit in an acoustic music setting without my cotton. And sometimes now just pulling masking tape off a spool it too much!!

If you want to experience a taste of Mega T (and I don't think you do), go in a music store, talk into a mike going through a distortion pedal, then have a guy with a trumpet on your left and a bugle on the right and tell them to blow different out of tune notes and not stop, then have a guy poke your eardrums with the tips of drumsticks.
That's MEGA T.

Bad day 48 hours ago. Tinnitus and hyperacusis louder... (it seems... h for sure, t hard to say...)

Stayed in pub 15 minutes, no protection, music 60-75 dB

Hollow door slam near my ear, but not strong, no gust of win, slam distance 1 foot.

To be continued

 

[Bill Bauer]

I feel like I've screwed up... restaurant last eve had a lot of noise from music and talking but at the time I didn't think it was that bad (stupid!) We measured the decibels after being there approx 2 hours and it measured at 70-80 decibels.

Last eve and today my ear hurts and the T is louder.... wow, I feel like I've f'd up. At the time, it didn't seem that loud, just like there was a lot of sound, but 70-80 seems like too much. I'm so worried that the T will stay louder.

My attempt to protect my ears at work w earplugs hasn't worked. The loudness there - a gym full of clapping at school concert and loud students - has caused increases just 2 days ago and last week. Now I'm off today and I'm so unbelievable scared. I just can't believe how much louder it is.

Sorry I keep posting the same kind of thing here I'm just feel like I'm having a serious crisis. It's so frightening having it this loud. I don't know what to do. I just want it to desperately go back down again. How can it keep getting louder upon louder? Can these just be spikes if it's doing this? I'm so frightened that it's not going to go down at all. Help. I'm almost 2 months into this nightmare. How do you cope because I'm finding it so hard.

So last night i went out to a small pub for the first time in 2 months
for a friends birthday, the music was not loud, i checked out with my app
and it was about 83-89 db
i wear my ear foam plugs the whole night, just in case.
i know i was protecting my ears because i couldnt even hear with the plugs in, lol
then we get in my friends car, and well... she was drunk.
and she turned her radio up a few times, and i had to remain her a few times to put the volumen down.
music was at 90db, i was still wearing my earplugs.
anyways when i got home, i took my earplugs off and i think my t was a little bit louder.
but i dont think the volume was really that loud, maybe it was the food? (bbq ribs)
its not that bothersome just a little higher...than usual.
what you guys think?

I was sitting in my house and my next door neighbor decided to cut his entire lawn with a gas powered weed wacker. She did that for about little over an hour on and off, I guess stopping to refuel and moving around to different parts of the house and driveway. I was so deep into a movie with my girlfriend that I was just not paying attention, and did not notice the high pitched sound of the weed wacker outside at first.

But later that afternoon I got a very bad spike and my tinnitus went through the roof. You would think that a person is safe in his own home from something like this, but it seems that I was not. Even with all of my double pane windows and heavy cloth blinds closed I guess that high pitched noise from the weed wacker just went right through it and nailed my ears.

So I have been suffering the past 3 days with increased tinnitus. It started on sat after noon around 12, and here it is today Tues and I'm a little better, but not back to my baseline again yet.

I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea.

Innocent things can cause huge spikes, even when you wear hearing protection.

Our ears have been compromised. We need to act accordingly...

 

[Tinker Bell]

I did a quick search for these horror stories of people not protecting their ears and then regretting it. These are just the tip of the enormous iceberg:





To be continued

And for every one of those negative stories on TT there are countless more positive stories not shared here by people living life with tinnitus. Stories backed by audiologist recommendations to not over protect and statistics that show tinnitus improves over time. If the recommendation was wrong, the statistics would show an opposite trend.

People rarely go to TT and start posts talking about all the things they've recently done that did not long term spike their tinnitus. If we actually did that, I think we'd be surprised.

I have a few of my own: I have been to several restaurants, been outside while a neighbor mowed his lawn, had MRIs, sat in a room with people talking loudly, attended school parties, sat in loud vehicles, one of my kids plays a musical instrument, had loud dishes dropped on the floor near me, had my child scream, actually even screamed myself, had car doors slam, had a bullhorn used near my car (yay for school pick up lines), had ambulances with sirens blaring drive by my vehicle, been in a room with the TV volume too loud . . . oh and a door just slammed again because my kids keep going in and out the front door.

None of these caused a tangible long term spike. But I have had spikes. Know what caused them? My own anxiety, worry, stress, and panic. Poor sleeping. And sitting in my quiet house obsessing over whether or not my tinnitus was louder.

 

[Sam Bridge]

@Bill Bauer that weed wacker one sure is worrying although i am not sure i have ever come across such a device :/. Thanks for the quotes also, tinnitus seems to vary so much. On this forum i see people getting spikes from things you wouldnt Think would cause it. I also visit a few music forums where the perception of tinnitus is way different to here, for example people on them
FOrums continue doing musical activities with ear protection and are fine.

Tinnitus sure is a mine field, you never know what might cause an increase. I have started using my ear defenders a bit more though, hoovering and when i put my glass bottles in the glass bin for example.

 

[Tinker Bell]

And along those lines, my tinnitus temporarily spikes louder to water, paper, plastic, and a whole host of other things. But I'm not going to tell other tinnitus sufferers that they should wear earplugs to turn the pages of a book.

 

[Flamingo]

@Bill Bauer, you're referring to a lot of posters who are new to T and H - early days are horrible and T can spike just by breathing. Have you read @CDNThailand's last post...? He's fine nowadays. I agree that one should be careful and always use earplugs when needed, but living a life being anxious about every single sound will work against you.

 

[Bill Bauer]

tinnitus improves over time

It does tend to improve over time (and goes away for many people). However, I believe this is not inconsistent with the idea that we have to take into account that our ears are no longer healthy.

Of course, after one hasn't had T for a year or longer, perhaps one could risk going to a restaurant while wearing ear protection.

You might not be getting spikes, but are you sure those shocks are not prolonging the time it will take to recover?

In any case, you are right - T experience is different for different people. Personally, I don't want to do something that I know (as a result of others sharing their experiences with me and other sufferers) is risky, and living to regret it. Of course the degree to which one is risk averse is also different for different people.

 

[Rubenslash]

@Bill Bauer I was not talking about innocent noise, I was talking about loud nightclubs etc..Seriously, get on with life and stop wearing muffs for 50 db sounds or you will be miserable forever.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Louise and "I who love music said" are long time sufferers.

Of course the closer one is to the onset of one's T, the more vulnerable one is. As time goes on, I guess it will be ok to begin taking more risks.

I don't think these spikes are good as far as those people's recovery from T is concerned.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer I was not talking about innocent noise, I was talking about loud nightclubs etc..Seriously, get on with life and stop wearing muffs for 50 db sounds or you will be miserable forever.

In your post you mentioned "Bar without earplugs for about two hours." That sounded innocent to me (noise that a healthy person would not really notice, but nevertheless noise that can have bad consequences for one of us).

 

[Rubenslash]

In your post you mentioned "Bar without earplugs for about two hours." That sounded innocent to me (noise that a healthy person would not really notice, but nevertheless noise that can have bad consequences for one of us).

No it was a loud bar, more than 90 db I think. You had to talk very loud in order to hear speech.

 

[Bill Bauer]

weed wacker one sure is worrying although i am not sure i have ever come across such a device :/.

I wouldn't say that it is particularly louder than a lawn mower.

 

[Tinker Bell]

I wouldn't say that it is particularly louder than a lawn mower.

I thought it was the frequency and not the volume that was the concern to the poster.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I thought it was the frequency and not the volume that was the concern to the poster.

Is it the case that certain frequencies are more damaging than other frequencies played at the same volume? I think it was a shock to his ears, and this shock depends on the volume (and possibly on the frequency) - so we don't know the exact cause of his spike.