RLS: Mr R S. Tinnitus

Real life story and success with tinnitus management

Quick Stats:

Male, 35-39 yo

Audiology results: clear and healthy pathways to hearing organ, hearing within normal limits from 250 Hz to 20k Hz (no hearing loss, note extended high frequency range testing).

Job: cyber security specialist

Hobby: walking dog and keeping fit.

Health: healthy overall, actively rides bike to work and gyms

Hates: constant, annoying tinnitus, stress in life.

Thanks and disclaimer

Thank you for sharing your story. I've asked this person to share their story in hopes it can shed light and provide you some insight into the help that is available for tinnitus management and tinnitus treatment. I am deeply grateful for the client's that are referred to me, find me and share their time with me. This story is not medical advice and does not provide recommendations. It has been shared to provide real life insights from real life people from my clinic, to provide insights and hope. If you experience tinnitus symptoms please seek medical advice or audiological advice.

Tinnitus help - ain't nothing to it, but to seek it

From client: "I think even the hope that you can get relief from tinnitus helps and wasn't in my thoughts as much (before starting therapy with you). Your appointments were really good, would recommend. I didn't realise there was something I could do before coming to you. Thank you."

I've been meaning to post this write up since Dec 2024 and here we are in April 2025. To say it's been a whirlwind end and start to the year/s is an understatement. Thanks for your patience and taking the time to read this powerful story. You may not know this but I have a certificate in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) in addition to my Masters in Clinical Audiology. This is important to understand as not all audiologists (or audiometrists) hold this level of knowledge or practice. This can be key to your success when it comes to managing tinnitus (or hyperacusis and or misophonia). And this story is important to read and I hope you find some solace and comfort if you are experiencing troublesome tinnitus, and someone tells you to "just live with it." You don't have to "just live with it" and there is something you can do.

This young person came to me through a friend of a friend. They had seen another audiologist, whom their GP gave them a referral too. They were not satisfied with the outcome and sought a second opinion, which is how they came to me.

The interesting thing you should note are their audiology results. These all fell within the normal limits range, meaning there was no peripheral damages (no hearing loss, no sites of tumours, no middle ear pathologies etc). We know that tinnitus is not a disease, and whilst it may have an identifiable (etiology or cause), in some cases there are no sites of lesions. So why, then, was this person experiencing tinnitus that bothered them?

This is where understanding the underlying causes or tinnitus and how to manage it are key. Symptoms of tinnitus largely have no etiology, however we often hear that tinnitus is a sign of hearing loss. This isn't entirely accurate (or inaccurate), as tinnitus should not be looked at in isolation.

There is not always a straight forward answer to tinnitus. Tinnitus can be a symptom of an underlying issue that may require medical intervention. If your history and audiological results identify medical care involvement, your audiologist will inform you and write a report to your medical doctor. In this person's case, his GP had referred him to me, subsequently, and I wrote back to his GP with our agreed upon rehabilitation.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

"I feel like the tinnitus symptoms after gotten a lot better but is still noticeable when in quiet areas, before treatment it was noticeable all the time, so understanding tinnitus and doing something about it with (your recommended) treatment) has helped."

It was evident to me that this client was really surprised that the symptoms of tinnitus could reduce and become less noticeable. Through Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and audiology appointments, this client has reduced and habituated well to managing their tinnitus. We took an non-standard approach to their TRT (read this as not using a sound generator or hearing aid or ear buds).

"The (recommended piece of technology) has been really good and easy to use. I am still using it mostly everyday when I can."

Tinnitus technology

Not all tinnitus treatment requires a piece of technology, however when possible and if I can identify a good fit for the client, I will incorporate technology that will work with you and your lifestyle. Using data driven insights to support your tinnitus rehabilitation journey is evidence based and powerful. It's not that I won't believe your verbal feedback, rather, by leveraging any biometric data worn devices, like a smart watch or smart ring, understanding your tinnitus triggers and working to reduce or stop these, managing tinnitus can be quite a robust and relatively incorporated process to ones current lifestyle habits. What we don't track, we don't fully understand and can't measure.

"I found it was pretty easy to get in a routine with it (tinnitus technology), didn't really have to do anything different to what I was already doing and didn't get in the way of doing anything. Once I got into the habit of using it, the routine sort of just happened."

To be fair, the TRT process wasn't all smooth sailing, with the client reporting some challenges throughout.

"I think one thing that was annoying was using the app and not being able to use another app at the same time, for example like Spotify allows."

Take home message

This client found success because of the process or routine and being anchored to a specific technology and app. This won't be the case for every tinnitus client, however it's important to understand how and why a piece of technology has been recommended for rehabilitation purposes. TRT is a continual process and many client's find success within a few weeks to months. Tinnitus can fluctuate and it's important to ensure the strategies recommended to you are going to be accessible to you during periods of change and stress. What I want people to understand is there are evidence based methods and great pieces of technology that can support your tinnitus habitation. Whilst there is no pill or quick fix to treating or getting rid of tinnitus, there are certainly ways to reduce it's intrusive nature and improve your quality of life.

Do something about my tinnitus