To hope tinnitus might go eventually?

[FeatherySquawkington]

Had it for just over 4 weeks. Think it's being caused by a jaw issue, but just woke up with it and the jaw inflammation came on about a week after. Seeing the dentist next week to see if they can help. Do I just get on with it and accept that I've got it or can I keep holding a bit of hope that it might go one day?

Hi @FeatherySquawkington, sorry to hear you’re struggling. I was diagnosed with tinnitus in my 30s several years ago. Like you, it came on suddenly and without warning. I just woke up with it and it has never gone away since.
There really is no way of knowing whether you will always have it. Sometimes it can just go suddenly never to return, other cases are on and off whilst other people are stuck with it forever.
For the first few months it turned my world upside down and I was devastated, unable to just read a book in peace or sleep or relax at all. I couldn’t imagine things ever improving. But please don’t lose hope, my tinnitus is as loud as ever but it doesn’t disrupt my life in the same way. I would love it to go away but I have accepted things now and have a happy functioning life despite my tinnitus.
I would also advise going back to your GP and getting a referral to your local audiology department. They were really helpful for me and helped with providing equipment and emotional support/ coping techniques

@LionessRoar Thanks for your reply. I must admit I'm struggling with the realisation that this might be it. I'm in my 30s also. Can I ask if you notice it still every day? I've read people can sometimes get so used to it that they don't 'hear' it any more, even though it's still there

A bit more positive from me! I am also in my mid 30s, and I got tinnitus without warning. I hated it, as you do, but I found things like white noise I’m really focusing on the sound of my breath helped a little when I was trying to sleep. I just had to try to avoid silence really. It was getting a bit better but it was still there, so I went to see an ENT surgeon privately (sadly my GP was no help at all about this). He said it was likely stress-related in my case. He also said that most people if they concentrated and tried to listen for noise inside their head would probably find some there, and a lot of it can be to do with perception, where there isn’t an underlying cause such as hearing loss or damage.

Gradually over the weeks after, it seemed to go away. I don’t know whether that’s because it still there and I’m not conscious of it, or whether it simply has gone. But don’t lose hope because it isn’t necessarily forever!

Also is it in one ear or both? I am not medically qualified at all, but seem to remember that I was told if it is in both ears there is unlikely to be a sinister cause, but if it is one ear, There could be something causing it and it is worth seeing a doctor just to check. Good luck!

I still notice mine almost all day every day tbh but I know a lot of people get point where they don’t really notice it. I do have the odd day where I feel fed up with it, like the last couple of days when it seems particularly loud and shrill. But although I hear and definitely notice it most of the time, it doesn’t upset or stress me in the same way as it used to. On good days it is more a background noise, on others it is more disruptive, but I wouldn’t say it affects my mental health really, whereas it massively did so at the beginning. I also used to struggle with concentration eg reading, work and I have adjusted so this isn’t a problem anymore. I have noticed I don’t really like a lot of tv programmes or films anymore though because I struggle to follow plot lines, work out what people are saying etc and phones provide the same problem. SUbtitles are really helpful if you have the same difficulty, the only problem is it’s not much help if you want to multitask/ go on mums etc at the same time!

There are so many reasons for tinnitus, from maxillofacial conditions to vitamin deficiencies - or it may be idiopathic. And once you've treated the cause, if identified, the tinnitus may well go away.

I woke up with unilateral tinnitus in 2013. I was utterly devastated and didn't know how I could have a future with such an awful condition.

It's as loud as ever but I literally don't even notice unless I'm reminded of it - and even then, I forget again with 30 minutes. It honestly has such a minuscule impact on my life now. The brain has an unbelievable capacity to adjust - and if you're struggling, there is treatment available to help you cope. So please, do not panic - it may well disappear, it may stay - either way there is hope.

Oh and yes, I heard to same thing about both ears less likely to be serious! Mine is in both ears, though one ear comes and goes and tends to be quieter

@ChocBeforeCock Thanks for your sharing your experience. I have it in my left ear and a different sound that seems to be coming from the right side but isn't in my ear, more my head. That's the side where my jaw doesn't feel right so maybe what I'm hearing is the inflammation?! I go from feeling ok with it to feeling desperate and frustrated. I suppose I want someone to tell me it will definitely go, I feel I could cope better knowing there were and end in sight but of course, no one can tell me that. GP referred me to ENT but they can't see me until May......!

@LionessRoar It doesn't seem to affect my concentration thankfully, I can't actually hear the noise in my left ear unless I'm in a quiet room. The other noise in the right side is louder and higher pitched so can't be masked out. Still, I can occasionally forget about it for a minute or two if I'm engrossed in a film so I suppose that's a good thing.

Try to ignore it, don't listen for it, and if you do notice it, forcibly drag your brain round to considering something else. That will help get your brain round to the idea that "this is a totally unimportant noise that Feather doesn't need to be bothered with" and eventually, as others have said, even if it doesn't go, you won't notice it.

I'm 47 and I've had it for about 10 years. It started around mid thirties I guess when it would be set off by a high-pitched noise. It has gradually got louder and more prevalent over the years.

However I have got much better in managing it over time, so if anything it bothers me now less than it did initially. White noise is very helpful - my two main triggers now for noticing it are total silence, or after smoking weed (due to heightened perception.) Conversely, I find having the TV, radio, or game volume fairly low helps - if I turn the volume up then it doesn't mask the tinnitus, it seems to worsen it.

I hope in your case it's temporary due to TMJ problems, but rest assured it cannot be cured if permanent, but can be managed and lived with.

BTW in my case I'm pretty sure it's the legacy of spending my teens and twenties standing right next to the amplifiers at gigs, so at least I had fun on the way... (also have a chronically creaky neck from all the moshing. God I miss the NWOBHM scene)

You have my sympathy, it's a horrible condition. I have suffered with it all my life, so I've never known any different, however I've noticed it getting worse over lockdown because I was spending a lot of time alone, in a quiet environment. I don't think mine will ever go away but I hope yours is just temporary.

I've had tinnitus for years but I have learned not to listen to it. Odd, because I'm the sort of person who likes peace and quiet, and who gets bothered by ticking clocks, aeroplanes, traffic noises....

I can even sleep with the tinnitus, I can hear it if I 'listen' and sometimes the sound changes, which I notice. But it is possible to love with it and not be bothered by it.

There was another thread on this exact issue a couple of weeks ago in case you want to search. Maybe there’s a time of year it’s more common to get tinnitus!? Anyway- I suddenly woke up with tinnitus about seven years ago. It lasted about three weeks and then went just as suddenly. The doctor said it was caused by a viral infection. It was miserable and very loud. But it did go. How you’re ok :)

** live with it!!

I have had it for over a year now after a bad sinus infection, I am learning to live with it. I am planning to get it looked at privately though

Another sufferer. It’s always there but never goes away. Occasionally it changes pitch which is annoying but then dies down again. You learn to ignore it. For the most part I don’t think about it or hear it. It’s most noticeable in the evening, if I’m sitting watching TV. But honestly, you really do get used to it. Well, I have anyway.

I only notice it mostly when there is total silence. I found it hard when I was trying to go to sleep. I started listening to audio books when I laid down. I only listen to the first few mins every time but it really helps.

Every so often my hearing goes completely and all I can hear is the ringing really loudly. Feels like my ears have popped.

Had this for years now. Not got any better or worse.
My mum has this and she said her hearing aid has helped with it strangely

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm just really missing being able to sit quietly without being able to hear noise, especially horrible high pitched constant noise. Like most things in life - I used to take it for granted, if this does fade I'll never take it for granted again!

Can I recommend Joey Remenyi - you can find her on YouTube. She is a specialist in Tinnitus, Vestibular Disorders and Vertigo. I’ve found her very helpful.

Haven’t read all the replies so apologise if someone else has said something similar. I read your opening post and just had to comment.

I suffer from tinnitus. I’ve resigned myself to accepting that it will be permanent. It is a constant noise, at one pitch, so I have found that with background (white) noise it does become easier to block out. Accepting that it’s there is the way forward I have found. Not trying to block it out actually works for me. Not in the sense that it goes away, but in the sense that it enables me to stay calm. It is most prevalent at bedtime, but it doesn’t stop me from sleeping thankfully.

There is a remote chance that it can be dealt with medically, so it’s always worth getting it checked out.

@ripples101 I do feel the way forward is to try and accept it rather than waiting/hoping it'll go. Unfortunately DH doesn't feel I should just resign myself to the fact I've got it and it's not going anywhere, but then he isn't the one suffering with it! I do feel I've lost a part of me and life seems very strange now, I'm trying to carry on as normal for the sake of my DC but I definitely know that I've been present physically but absent mentally for the last few weeks. Unfair on them but hard to get out of the self pity mindset. I know there are worse things to happen but right now I'm struggling.

I developed tinnitus in one ear in my early 30s following an ear infection - I’d had it before and it always went away eventually (even after my ear drums perforated a couple of times) but this time it stayed. I’m another one who listened to loud music almost constantly for years, so I partly blame that and partly think my ears are just weak after years of recurring ear infections. I was devastated at first, but a couple of years later I can honestly say I only notice it in total or near silence (which is rare as I have young DC!) It probably reduces my quality of life by about 1-2% as most of the time I’m barely aware of it - the brain does adjust over time. Definitely get an expert opinion though. Really hope it goes away for you but even if it doesn’t, don’t lose heart - it does very often become much less noticeable over time

@Francescat I'm pretty sure there is some sort of inflammation with my jaw joint which is causing it but not sure if anything can be done about it. I never really listened to music as a child/teenager/young adult, only the occasional school disco. Only ever been clubbing a handful of times too so I don't think it's due to noise damage. Never had an ear infection but had ETD a couple of times, always cleared with steroid nasal spray. I think I have to stop trying not figure out what's caused it and try to live with it.

@FeatherySquawkington hi!
How is the tinnutis now?
I have jaw issues too!!! Mine started about 2 weeks ago! I have. A5 month old baby! Its getting me sooooo low :(
Just wondering is it still there and did anything help? Hope your ok x