Did your tinnitus improve with time?

[UnplainJane]

Had it 5 months now and the BTA websites underlying message is that it gets better with time - I understand this means you just adapt to it as the 'norm' at some point so it's not as bothersome. Obviously I hope it'll go but looking very unlikely! I've seen various HCPs and nothing wrong, hearing is good.

Just looking for others experience of it 'getting better with time'...... Don't know if it makes a difference but I've got various noises/pitches going on, not just one tone.

Anyone?

No if I'm being honest it didn't and I'm 7 years in.

However what did improve hugely is my attitude to it. It's been there so long now I'm kind of used to it. It doesn't panic me like it used to. I go whole days now not giving it a second thought.

And I know you're probably shaking your head in disbelief thinking no, that won't be me, I'll never be used to this and I was the same as that too. Maybe other people habituated to their tinnitus, but I NEVER would. But I have.

In ear noise generators were worth their weight in gold and if you are in the UK I strongly recommend contacting an audiologist about them. They're like hearing aids but they just play white noise constantly and they were an absolute life saver to me in the scary early days.

Good luck and don't give up, believe me there is life after tinnitus!

Mine is definitely worse when I am a bit stressed. And it gets worse when my ear is blocked. So those are things which can improve.

Mine kicked off with the peri menopause.
I'm on hrt and a ton of vitamin pills, no idea what helped the most but it's definitely got better.
I no longer have the awesome hearing of my youth, can't hear mumbled speech if the dishwasher & washing machine are both on.

Nope 👎 four years in , however I know what things make it worse , and I always have background noise on . It gets better to cope with , like other PP have said , I too have most days where I don’t really notice it . Other times on notice it but it doesn’t bother me . You will get there !

@Ilovemyhairbeingstroked how long roughly did it take to get used to it?

Yes, mine was very hormonal linked and it turned out I had ovarian failure at 34 (prem menopause) since starting hrt it has pretty much vanished apart from very rare occasions.

Hope it eases for you.

Mine improved - went away, in fact - when I had a root canal in a tooth on the affected side. As did my chronic sinus pain on that side.

@FluffySocks75 Mine seems worse/harder to cope with around ovulation and period so sure hormones have some effect but probably not causing it. I'm 35.

Have you ever had any hormonal blood tests? Any other strange symptoms around that time.

I know its unlikely but I still had periods/was ovulating when diagnosed. Pr could be a diff hormonal issue. Worth checking out if there is a link.

Mine did get better with time but definitely because I've become used to it, not because it's gone away. Reading this thread means I can hear it clear as day when I hadn't noticed it for ages! I've got tmj and when it started drove to me distraction and I even became quite low with it. Around about 5 months in I realised it wasn't going and set about accepting it. I read about habitation and tried lots of different things. Sound distraction worked best for me ... mainly singing out loud . Sounds crazy but I couldn't hear my tinnitus when doing it! It gave my brain enough of a break from the stress of it to accept that it wasn't going to go away. Acceptance was key for me op.

Not improved no, but I live with it. I can really loudly right now because I'm reading this thread and it's on my mind. The times it causes most irritation is when it changes tone but that seems to me usually temporary and it goes back to the usual one. I've had it almost 30 years now since my early twenties.

@MacDuffsMuff Has it affected your life much? I'm so worried/sad that I've got this until the bitter end now and can't imagine enjoying things like I used to any more.

You do learn to sort of tune it out, in my experience, and at times, when I'm completely relaxed I'd say it's a lot less anyway. The only thing I miss after about 15 years is not ever hearing complete silence.

I have a droning noise in my ears, it sounds like machinery working in the distance. I have had it for a couple of years now. This year I mentioned it to my doctor and he said " oh a droning noise, oh yeah" and that was the end of that. He has been very dismissive of a lot of stuff, but I don't like to go back to the doctor about it now :(

I don't notice it in the daytime when I am working, but hear it every evening when watching TV.

DH stopped drinking alcohol and his went away completely. It comes back for a few days if he has even a small glass of anything.

@iwishiwasatcentralperk Nothing the dr can do anyway, probably why he didn't take it any further.

Mine was stable for years and years until I had another ear infection and its worsened. But it changes when push my jaw out - which my chiro says means its linked to my jaw being tight or something.Waiting for the right time to do some more exploratory work. I am thinking of having braces to see if moving my teeth helps as it started after I stopped wearing my teeth brace and my teeth moved plus I had a sinus infection about the same time.

I had it for about two months, I found some videos on youtube explaining some exercise techniques and thankfully after doing those for about a week it went.

I'm 19 years in and I barely notice it now though like a previous poster reading this thread has made it obvious to me again and it's ringing away quite happily. I do miss total peace and quiet but with a disabled DD I never get much of that anyway! It does fade in to the background but if I think too much about it or read about tinnitus it brings it back in to focus.

I wish I could let it fade into the background but it's always there, no matter what I do. It also gives me weird ear sensations sometimes, like zapping almost. I hope it all settles eventually.

I can't imagine having this 19 years down the line! My DH is insistent that it will go at some point, he obviously hasn't read up much about it!

@UnplainJane Honestly? Not really. I have otosclerosis too so I wear hearing aids (not connected to my tinnitus) and that caused me far more problems. It's a pain in the arse sometimes but I have mostly just tuned into it and it's just the way it is really. I was very upset about it in the beginning but a very rude straightforward audiologist said to me 'look, this is not going away so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with it'. I cried so much after that appointment and it was a twatty thing to say, but I

Sorry pressed send too soon. I was going to say that they were probably right but they didn't say it in the nicest way!

I'm not downplaying it OP, it's not a nice thing to have and I don't really think people understand. You do learn to live with it.

I’ve only had it recently so finding it pretty hard at the moment, good day today but was much louder few days ago so loud loud I was shaking,

No idea what I’m doing wrong when the volume goes up, wish I knew think it’s called spiking and I really wish it would settle. Praying they find a cure I find it unbelievable that funding for this is so poor !