What I Learned About Tinnitus Thus Far. If You Got Tinnitus Recently, This Info Will Be Useful.

[Bill Bauer]

Yesterday was 2 weeks since it happened.

I read somewhere that it is most effective if given within 48 hours, but that it is still effective when taken within two weeks... I remember using this fact when trying to get doctors to prescribe prednisone to me a year ago. I was showing printouts to my doctors saying that I am running out of time.

It might be a good idea for you to hold on to those pills. You are bound to be exposed to more noise in the coming months. It will be good to be able to take those pills for 1-3 days after each of those exposures.

Your case reminds me of the soldiers who got acoustic trauma in the study linked to in the first post on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441
Most of those soldiers ended up recovering. They were given HBOT treatments (which may or may not have contributed to their recovery). You might consider those treatments. It is better to do those treatments as soon as possible.

 

[Frankie Nazzaro]

I read somewhere that it is most effective if given within 48 hours, but that it is still effective when taken within two weeks... I remember using this fact when trying to get doctors to prescribe prednisone to me a year ago. I was showing printouts to my doctors saying that I am running out of time.

It might be a good idea for you to hold on to those pills. You are bound to be exposed to more noise in the coming months. It will be good to be able to take those pills for 1-3 days after each of those exposures.

Your case reminds me of the soldiers who got acoustic trauma in the study linked to in the first post on
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-many-recover-3-studies.21441
Most of those soldiers ended up recovering. They were given HBOT treatments (which may or may not have contributed to their recovery). You might consider those treatments. It is better to do those treatments as soon as possible.

Thanks friend, reading those stats made me feel a lot better. I noticed the ringing has gone down in the last 2 days, spikes don't seem as bad, and the H has maybe gotten a little bit better as well. I supposed if a soldier can withstand an explosion or repeated machine gun fire right into their ears and still recover, so can we!
I'm going to attribute the right ear popping/very slight full feeling to a sinus or other head-cold related problem, since I haven't been eating and I've been waking up in cold sweats 5 or 6 times a night. I'm sure I'm making myself physically ill in some way. I can't start making myself nervous about possibly losing hearing or getting T and H in my "good" ear.

I've been reading that many treatments can in fact make the problem worse, so if i were to look into these HBOT treatments, what are the odds of that happening? I haven't done much research into them but from what I gather it seems like they put you in some sort of pressurized chamber. Any chance that will increase the problem?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I noticed the ringing has gone down in the last 2 days, spikes don't seem as bad, and the H has maybe gotten a little bit better as well.

This proves that your T is not the "relentlessly at the same level for months" kind. That's a good sign!

I'm going to attribute the right ear popping/very slight full feeling

I had this ear fullness following my acoustic trauma. I had experienced it for months. It is my understanding that it normally eventually goes away. So don't worry about it.

if i were to look into these HBOT treatments, what are the odds of that happening?

One of the worst things about T is that most T treatments are known to cause T getting louder in some people. Even though this group is much smaller than the group which find the treatment helpful, it is still very disturbing. I believe HBOT is not an exception to that rule.

It can get somewhat loud inside of the chamber. Ask the operator to use the lowest "air flow-through rate" (this will make the sound quieter). Also insist on being allowed to bring ear plugs into the chamber and then use them once the chamber gets pressurized.

 

[Frankie Nazzaro]

This proves that your T is not the "relentlessly at the same level for months" kind. That's a good sign!


I had this ear fullness following my acoustic trauma. I had experienced it for months. It is my understanding that it normally eventually goes away. So don't worry about it.

One of the worst things about T is that most T treatments are known to cause T getting louder in some people. Even though this group is much smaller than the group which find the treatment helpful, it is still very disturbing. I believe HBOT is not an exception to that rule.

It can get somewhat loud inside of the chamber. Ask the operator to use the lowest "air flow-through rate" (this will make the sound quieter). Also insist on being allowed to bring ear plugs into the chamber and then use them once the chamber gets pressurized.

Thanks so much, this gives me hope! One last question, the stats involving the soldiers that have recovered, is that all just related to T? I would imagine some of those soldiers had to suffer H as well, I'm wondering if those stats took that into account or if there are other stats from that research which do.

Oh and about my right ear popping/slight fullness, just wanted to be clear that's technically my good ear since my left is the one with T and H. Is that also what you experienced? Nothing to worry about?

Thanks again!

 

[Bill Bauer]

Oh and about my right ear popping/slight fullness

This ear fullness is a possible sing of some damage.

I know of a number of cases where T spread to the other ear. In my case, I know for a fact that my acoustic trauma was limited only to one ear, and yet after about 10 months T spread to the formerly good ear. In any case, in all of those cases, the T in the good ear eventually settled down to a volume that is much quieter than the volume in the bad ear, so it is not a big deal. The fact that you haven't had T in your good ear weeks after your trauma is probably a sign that you will not get T in that ear (but unfortunately it is always a possibility).

"Of conscripts exposed to a single shot, tinnitus was initially present in 96% and hearing
loss in 52% (I). At discharge, 23% had tinnitus, 23% had hearing loss, and 39% had
either symptom still at discharge from the military service, indicating a long-lasting
effect after exposure to only a single shot. {Note: The figures above and the law for unions and intersections from probability theory imply that 7% had both tinnitus and hearing loss. This means that 70% out of 96%, or almost 73% had recovered from tinnitus.}

Although tinnitus was present in 97% of conscripts after AAT, the majority had resolved
by the end of the military service, at which time tinnitus was still present in 32%, and
68% had resolved. Hearing loss was present in 48% after AAT and 23% persisted at the
end of service. Thus, at the last visit before discharge, tinnitus, hearing loss or both were
present in 45%, and 55% were cured. Most of the conscripts received hyperbaric oxygen
treatment, so it is not known, what the spontaneous recovery rate of symptoms was, and
how many were cured due to treatment."

 

[Frankie Nazzaro]

This ear fullness is a possible sing of some damage.

I know of a number of cases where T spread to the other ear. In my case, I know for a fact that my acoustic trauma was limited only to one ear, and yet after about 10 months T spread to the formerly good ear. In any case, in all of those cases, the T in the good ear eventually settled down to a volume that is much quieter than the volume in the bad ear, so it is not a big deal. The fact that you haven't had T in your good ear weeks after your trauma is probably a sign that you will not get T in that ear (but unfortunately it is always a possibility).

interesting, I sure hope that's not the case because I definitely didn't notice any fullness in the right ear until today. Then again, the weather here went from 80 to 48 overnight and I've been waking up in cold sweats out of nervousness so i'm hoping its just something to do with sinuses or a head cold. Btw my ears make the pop sound when I swallow, though I'm not sure if that always happened or if that's new...

I live near the city, I think I'm just going to spend the money and go see people who really specialize in this stuff rather than these nearly useless ENTs. I read about Dr. Darius Kohan and called to find out it would cost $1,000 just for the first appointment. From www.hyperacusis.net I found Susan Adams, MS, CCC-A from the Tinnitus and Hyperacusis center. I may call them up tomorrow. Whatever the cost, i'm going for it, even if they probably can't tell me anything new. hell I'll see them both - after all, I am a musician and this is my livelihood!

 

[Bill Bauer]

I definitely didn't notice any fullness in the right ear until today.

Now that we have this condition, we pay attention. We haven't been paying attention before. It is very likely that we have been experiencing those little symptoms all along.

Btw my ears make the pop sound when I swallow

Same here - my ears make a cracking sound when I swallow. But I have been asking people who are T-free, and they say they have this too.

Whatever the cost, i'm going for it, even if they probably can't tell me anything new. hell I'll see them both - after all, I am a musician and this is my livelihood!

I have the same attitude. In the future, I don't want to regret not doing everything I could.

 

[Gman]

Maybe you could add a point on this thread about how some people advocate caution, whilst some others suggest extra caution and it's up to one to decide what's right for their own situation.

 

[Bill Bauer]

#28. Tips #3, 4, and 5 are controversial. Some people on this forum believe that it makes sense to "not let T win." They think the psychological benefit one gets when one carries on as if one doesn't have T is worth the increased risk of a life-changing increase in the volume of T. They tend to advocate attending loud events and places as long as one is wearing earplugs. This, despite the evidence in tip #5 that earplugs could provide a false sense of security. Below is the summary of my position as far as this issue is concerned.

People should listen to the signals given by their bodies. Initially, I would be getting spikes, and feel uncomfortable upon hearing sounds like the rattle of metal shopping carts. Despite that, it hasn't occurred to me to do anything about it. After all - those are just Shopping Carts! After I read this forum, I learned that it is a good idea to protect my ears when I expect to encounter sounds that might cause a spike or even just my H complaining. When I started to do that, I got better. My H is now gone. Now I protect my ears in fewer places.

So, it seems to me, the takeaway is that if you don't have H and if your T is not reactive, then you don't need to change anything. You might consider staying away from moderately loud places [whenever you can easily do it] (in case you are like those people who don't feel pain, and who end up hurting themselves as a result) but that is probably an overkill. If, on the other hand, you have H and/or if your T is reactive, I believe it is a good idea for you to try to attempt to avoid those spikes and to avoid noises that make you feel discomfort as a result of H. Try it for three months and then decide whether you want to continue.

My plan is to gradually reintroduce myself to moderate sounds. Having said this, I won't be around any loud/live music ever again.

 

[Gman]

#28. Tips #3, 4, and 5 are controversial. Some people on this forum believe that it makes sense to "not let T win." They think the psychological benefit one gets when one carries on as if one doesn't have T is worth the increased risk of a life-changing increase in the volume of T. They tend to advocate attending loud events and places as long as one is wearing earplugs. This, despite the evidence in tip #5 that earplugs could provide a false sense of security. Below is the summary of my position as far as this issue is concerned.

Which is interesting because others (like us) also believe in not letting T win, but by trying to be as careful as possible. In my case as much as my luck will allow, which by the way is fact based on experience - not because of negative thinking.

My mindset is that I do envisage a time when my T will either resolve or be able to be treated or cured one day. I accept fully that I have this hideous condition and in this day and age accept that it can't be treated effectively. But I will NOT roll over and surrender to it like others advocate - this to me is negative thinking. Call it naive or idealistic, but I call it being positive.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The post below supports tip #12 about the dangers of microsuction...

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-aging-ear-cleaning-microsuction-caution.27456/

 

[Bill Bauer]

Yesterday was 2 weeks since it happened.

Most of the sources that I am aware of say that it is only effective if you begin taking it within 48 hours of the incident. All of the sources that I can remember stated that it is not effective after two weeks. Then again, the only thing you would be losing is that should you have another acoustic trauma, you would not have easily accessible prednisone pills for you to take right away.

The standard dose is 1 mg per 1 kg of body weight per day, not to exceed 60 mg per day. How large are the pills that you have? Sometimes doctors just prescribe 10 mg per day, to get the patient to leave them alone...

 

[Rajin]

Once the plane reaches the cruising altitute, you can insert earplugs, and switch from earmuffs to headphones (headphones are a lot more comfortable, and in an airplane headphones seem to be more effective than muffs. Don't forget to take out the earplugs before the plane begins its descent.

@Bill Bauer you said to remove earplugs, so do you mean also to put the ear muffs during descent. Or nothing on?

 

[Bill Bauer]

you said to remove earplugs, so do you mean also to put the ear muffs during descent. Or nothing on?

I wear either ear muffs or noise cancelling headphones throughout the flight. When the plane is not ascending or descending, I use double protection and wear earplugs too.

 

[JohnJohnJohn]

Bill this is a wealth of information, thank you so much!

 

[coffee_girl]

I agree with most of the OP except for some such as "slamming door" and "hair dryer"...honestly I have never had issues with both and never suffered a spike from anything that happens in my home (i do disable the fire alarm too). But once again, i feel like the list is mostly positive and more on the "safe than sorry" side, which is good.

This isn't to say go and slam doors like a mad man or drop dishes whenever you can...just that if it happens once in a while it is really not that big of a deal.

Just don't create an atmosphere of paranoia in your home! Live a meaningful life but just be more graceful and careful in everything that you do

 

[Bill Bauer]

When it comes to ototoxic drugs, please use
http://hearinglosshelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/tinnitusdruglist2013.pdf
in addition to
http://hlaa-sbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ototoxic_Brochure.pdf

 

[ACJ]

How are you doing?

 

[RishRamsey]

Bill, you mentioned that you suffered major setbacks in your tinnitus. Also that the general trend is that it continues to fade, given one doesn't have more acoustic traumas. I however am certainly guilty of having more acoustic traumas. I am around 10 months in and my tinnitus has not started to fade, but has instead got slightly worse (from mild) in the beginning.

Do you think is there any hope for mine to fade? Given I am 10 months in and never gave my ears a proper chance to rest and heal?

 

[Eric N]

Bill, you mentioned that you suffered major setbacks in your tinnitus. Also that the general trend is that it continues to fade, given one doesn't have more acoustic traumas. I however am certainly guilty of having more acoustic traumas. I am around 10 months in and my tinnitus has not started to fade, but has instead got slightly worse (from mild) in the beginning.

Do you think is there any hope for mine to fade? Given I am 10 months in and never gave my ears a proper chance to rest and heal?

There are all kinds of possibilities when it comes to tinnitus. Sometimes tinnitus from noise trauma will fade slightly with time sometimes it won't, sometimes it will fade to only resurface at some later time. This has been my experience over the last seven years.

But sadly for me after making some mistakes my tinnitus is much worse than it was at the start. So be very careful with noise and meds.

 

[Digital Doc]

Bill, you mentioned that you suffered major setbacks in your tinnitus. Also that the general trend is that it continues to fade, given one doesn't have more acoustic traumas. I however am certainly guilty of having more acoustic traumas. I am around 10 months in and my tinnitus has not started to fade, but has instead got slightly worse (from mild) in the beginning.

Do you think is there any hope for mine to fade? Given I am 10 months in and never gave my ears a proper chance to rest and heal?

Yes, there is always hope that tinnitus can fade, and I say that as a veteran of this problem, on and off, since 1985. Last year my formerly mild tinnitus had gotten out of control and was waking me up every few minutes, and had inserted itself into everything else I was hearing. I did not know if it would ever improve.

With continued noise exposure, the problem will most certainly worsen. While it is labor intensive, avoidance and protection from loud and moderately loud noises is critical, while maintaining common sense and not wearing protection continuously.

It took my tinnitus about 6 to 8 months to lessen, and at a year it is mostly gone some days, and low the other days.

It is work to think before every task if hearing protection is needed. I wear earplugs for the electric razor, and ear muffs for my paper shredder, vacuum, and hammering a paint can closed. I also had to experiment to figure out that earplugs while driving had no benefit for me, but while sleeping was quite beneficial. I also have several different types of earplugs to fit different situations, but can do whatever I need to in life, although I don't do rock concerts, and avoid restaurants at busy times, and just go when less congested.

I hope others can get some relief from the horrible beast of tinnitus.

 

[RishRamsey]

There are all kinds of possibilities when it comes to tinnitus. Sometimes tinnitus from noise trauma will fade slightly with time sometimes it won't, sometimes it will fade to only resurface at some later time. This has been my experience over the last seven years.

But sadly for me after making some mistakes my tinnitus is much worse than it was at the start. So be very careful with noise and meds.

But have you seen any improvement after it got much worse by all the events? I have not been to super loud event, but moderately loud like vaccum, or traffic noises, door slammings etc. I think all these moderately loud noises are accumulating and making it worse.

 

[RishRamsey]

Yes, there is always hope that tinnitus can fade, and I say that as a veteran of this problem, on and off, since 1985. Last year my formerly mild tinnitus had gotten out of control and was waking me up every few minutes, and had inserted itself into everything else I was hearing. I did not know if it would ever improve.

With continued noise exposure, the problem will most certainly worsen. While it is labor intensive, avoidance and protection from loud and moderately loud noises is critical, while maintaining common sense and not wearing protection continuously.

It took my tinnitus about 6 to 8 months to lessen, and at a year it is mostly gone some days, and low the other days.

It is work to think before every task if hearing protection is needed. I wear earplugs for the electric razor, and ear muffs for my paper shredder, vacuum, and hammering a paint can closed. I also had to experiment to figure out that earplugs while driving had no benefit for me, but while sleeping was quite beneficial. I also have several different types of earplugs to fit different situations, but can do whatever I need to in life, although I don't do rock concerts, and avoid restaurants at busy times, and just go when less congested.

I hope others can get some relief from the horrible beast of tinnitus.

Thanks for giving me such hope. Do you wear earplugs at restaurants as well, or if walking in a park? I do sometimes wear them in restaurants but don't know if it's a good idea to eat in those. I try not to wear earplugs while driving, as I need to travel 1 hour one way from home to work (and then 1 hour back) - do you think I should wear them on such drives? My car isn't noisy as such, but bad roads and stuff can allow certain low frequencies to get in.
Do you have a specific approach I should keep in mind about when to use/ not use protection for the next 6-8 months? Or if I should make any other adjustments to my lifestyle (diet/ exercise/ supplements)?
Sorry for flooding you with so many questions - it's just so overwhelming, even after 10 months with it and when it is only getting worse.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Do you think is there any hope for mine to fade?

If there hasn't been any fading in 10 months, then (based on what happened to the other people that I know of whose tinnitus hasn't faded after many months) it is unlikely (but not impossible, as I recall reading about several miracles of tinnitus getting better out of the blue, years after the onset for no reason) that it would fade. However, you can still hope that Lenire or Susan Shore's device (which will be available in several years) will end up being effective for you.

Check out the post below to see a testimonial from a sufferer who have had tinnitus for years, was a participant in a trial of one of the new treatments that are in the pipeline, and whose T is now very quiet (and months later he has confirmed that it remains quiet).
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/mutebutton.124/page-81#post-416875

 

[RishRamsey]

If there hasn't been any fading in 10 months, then (based on what happened to the other people that I know of whose tinnitus hasn't faded after many months) it is unlikely (but not impossible, as I recall reading about several miracles of tinnitus getting better out of the blue, years after the onset for no reason) that it would fade. However, you can still hope that Lenire or Susan Shore's device (which will be available in several years) will end up being effective for you.

Check out the post below to see a testimonial from a sufferer who have had tinnitus for years, was a participant in a trial of one of the new treatments that are in the pipeline, and whose T is now very quiet (and months later he has confirmed that it remains quiet).
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/mutebutton.124/page-81#post-416875

This does not give me much hope. I'll peacefully wait though (will try at least). You said that you also suffered major setbacks in your tinnitus. Did yours get any better, after those setbacks? If yes, after how much time did you start to see any improvement?

 

[Bill Bauer]

This does not give me much hope. I'll peacefully wait though (will try at least). You said that you also suffered major setbacks in your tinnitus. Did yours get any better, after those setbacks? If yes, after how much time did you start to see any improvement?

Normally it takes 3 months or less to see improvement.

This does not give me much hope.

Even @kelpiemsp's testimony?!

I try not to wear earplugs while driving, as I need to travel 1 hour one way from home to work (and then 1 hour back) - do you think I should wear them on such drives?

I think it would be a good idea to do so.

Given I am 10 months in and never gave my ears a proper chance to rest and heal?

You could try protecting your ears for 6 months or so. Who knows, perhaps this could get you to slowly begin healing and experiencing fading.

 

[Digital Doc]

Thanks for giving me such hope. Do you wear earplugs at restaurants as well, or if walking in a park? I do sometimes wear them in restaurants but don't know if it's a good idea to eat in those. I try not to wear earplugs while driving, as I need to travel 1 hour one way from home to work (and then 1 hour back) - do you think I should wear them on such drives? My car isn't noisy as such, but bad roads and stuff can allow certain low frequencies to get in.
Do you have a specific approach I should keep in mind about when to use/ not use protection for the next 6-8 months? Or if I should make any other adjustments to my lifestyle (diet/ exercise/ supplements)?
Sorry for flooding you with so many questions - it's just so overwhelming, even after 10 months with it and when it is only getting worse.

No, I do not wear earplugs at a restaurant, but I go to quieter ones. The park I go to is the beach, and quiet as well. Up to you on driving; do you spike after?

I would suggest to protect from moderately loud sounds, and try to eat healthy, including omega-3.

 

[RishRamsey]

Normally it takes 3 months or less to see improvement.


Even @kelpiemsp's testimony?!

I think it would be a good idea to do so.

You could try protecting your ears for 6 months or so. Who knows, perhaps this could get you to slowly begin healing and experiencing fading.

Thanks Bill. Let's see what the future has in store for me.

 

[RishRamsey]

No, I do not wear earplugs at a restaurant, but I go to quieter ones. The park I go to is the beach, and quiet as well. Up to you on driving; do you spike after?

I would suggest to protect from moderately loud sounds, and try to eat healthy, including omega-3.

Thanks man! Really appreciate it. I'll wear earplugs while driving and will see where that takes me. Do you know which one's will work best? Currently I use the foam ones for my daily task, but can invest in a better pair if there is one available.

 

[Digital Doc]

Thanks man! Really appreciate it. I'll wear earplugs while driving and will see where that takes me. Do you know which one's will work best? Currently I use the foam ones for my daily task, but can invest in a better pair if there is one available.

Foam are the best if you get the NRR 33 ones. I also like silicone ones, that are NRR 25 as you don't need the most protection for everything, like driving a modern car that tend to be quiet.

Over time, I found my ears got less reactive to every sound. 6 months ago a loud truck passing would spike me for a day or two, and now a similar exposure does not effect me as much.