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What a wonderfully comforting and inspiring site! You are doing a great thing, Thomas! As I said in the 'Subject', I am new to tinnitus, and wanted to share my circumstances, and maybe get your feedback.
I went to a presentation for my workplace that was held in a cinema. The sound mustn't have been mixed properly, because one portion of it was VERY much louder than the rest. The loud part went for about 4 minutes, and I was seated right under a speaker. I've had tinnitus in my ears ever since. That was one week ago. It seems to be mainly in my left ear. I don't notice it that much unless I'm in a really quiet environment. I'm really aggravated with myself, because I'm normally SO CAREFUL with my ears, and I'm hoping that I won't have this forever. I've really scared the heck out of myself reading heaps of "There Is No Cure" articles on the internet, but your site has made me feel so much better and hopeful. Do you have any idea if I may be looking at months or years to heal?
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Hi Clint,
Welcome to the forum.
First of all, you shouldn't blame yourself. It is really to a large degree unpredictable what causes tinnitus for a given person and what not. And in your case the noise exposure was more a kind of an accident anyway.
Tinnitus is largely a nervous condition, so contrary to what some sources say, there is actually no damage to your ears (although to be on the safe side, you should have this checked by your doctor if you haven't done so yet (note that when your doctor diagnoses a reduced hearing, this is in most cases only an apparent reduction due to the tinnitus noise)).
However, nervous conditions can be quite persistent, so it is difficult to say for how long it will last. For some it may be just a couple of weeks, for others months or years. But it is definitely incorrect to say that there is no cure. You just have to take care a bit and avoid further aggravation, not just due to noise but also by avoiding unnecessary nerve stimulation through substances like caffeine and alcohol. On the other hand, all nerve calming measures should be beneficial. If the tinnitus causes you too much problems at times, you might want to try if a simple painkiller (Paracetamol or Aspirin) can bring some relief and improvement (at least this always worked for me).
However, you shouldn't try to enforce an improvement in a given time. This can backfire because of the stress involved (which will only further aggravate the tinnitus). Try to stay as relaxed as possible about the whole thing and take it on a day to day basis.
Thomas
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Thanks for your response, Thomas!
The thing that I have been fearing the most from what I've been told about Tinnitus, is that my ears may have been irreversibly damaged, and I may slowly lose hearing for the rest of my life. But what you say actually makes much more sense, and I feel so much better about everything now. I really appreciate your advice!
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Clint,
For further information regarding the nature of tinnitus, you may also want to have a look at http://www.tinnitus.org/ . This doesn't give you any practical tips, and I don't agree in all respects with their approach to a therapy (I think in fact that an organized therapy is not necessary at all or could even be counter-productive), but it helps to overcome some myths about tinnitus which are often even propagated by medical circles.
Thomas
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It really is quite frightening how so-called "professionals" are so ignorant about tinnitus, and how much fear they generate through their "qualified opinions", which are just plain wrong.
Thanks heaps for the link, Thomas!
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