Trying to Decide How Worried I Should Be...

[MartinH]

Tomorrow will be my 3 week anniversary with tinnitus.. There were a few days where it seemed to fade quite a bit and was easily masked, but since yesterday it's been screaming pretty good. It's loud enough now where I can hear it above everything else, even with ear buds in. I'm hoping it's just picked up because I had a bit of a cold and was pretty congested. Well, I guess time will tell.

Went to an ENT already. I got the "you'll get used to it" speech. Nothing he could find wrong with my ears except a minor hearing loss.

The Audiologist thought differently I guess and was more focused on that. She did another test or two and said that the hairs in cochlea in my left ear were damaged, right ear too but not as bad. So that explains why my left ear is ringing to high hell and my right, well I don't notice it.

I guess what's distressing me a little is that after the ENT visit I was still hopeful that this might go away. But now that they found something actually wrong with my ears, going away isn't going to happen. She ordered some hearing aids for me that I'll get in a week or two. The resound linix2.

If anyone has any experience with those I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

There were a few days where it seemed to fade quite a bit

I believe that if it had faded during your first three weeks, you are in a very good shape. If it is relentlessly at the same level, the outlook is not as good, but evidently that is not your case. The fact that it got worse later on, is irrelevant. Daily fluctuations are irrelevant - what matters is the monthly and even the annual trend.

If it has been fading, there is no reason for it to not continue to fade. Of course ears heal at a glacial pace. In any case, don't get too depressed. Try to protect your ears from any more harm, and try to ride it out.