After having a surgery that was completely unrelated to my brain or ears, I developed debilitating tinnitus that was at a level 9 out of 10. In the first two months, I was completely unable to read, drive, and eat - resulting in a 20 pound weight loss. One day, the tinnitus in my left ear stopped out of nowhere, but the right ear was still extremely bothersome.

After a horrible experience with my local ENT and audiologist, I did some research and came across Treble Health. After just a 15 minute appointment, I felt a glimpse of hope for the first time in months.  My audiologist worked with me to create a treatment plan, and my tinnitus is now at a level 2. 

After a career in higher education spanning more than three decades, I retired and opened an online business. My tinnitus journey began in November of 2021 after my father’s sudden death; it was eleven months later that I found Treble Health and started my path toward recovery. During those difficult and dark months, I consulted a variety of doctors, including a general practitioner, ENT, neurologist, neurotologist, psychiatrist and dentist, and underwent audiometric evaluations, CT scans, MRIs, x-rays and other tests searching for answers. In the end, no one offered much hope that my condition could be treated. No one, that is, until I discovered Treble Health.

Now, a brief six months after starting treatment with audiologist Dr. Sarah Mathews, I have seen dramatic improvement in my tinnitus and am closing in on my goal of full habituation.

I was first diagnosed with tinnitus in March 2022 and have been on my journey to habituation ever since. It was an extremely traumatic period at the beginning as it seemingly happened overnight.  After a month I stumbled across Treble Health and learned that I could begin to take control and became determined to fight back. I’m still on my path to habituation and starting to get my life back.

I have experienced tinnitus for approximately 9 years, and it was very mild at first. It never had a base sound, there were always 3 or 4 different sounds at the same time and they were always changing.  I had regular tinnitus in my left ear and pulsatile in the right, and after seeing multiple doctors, they said there was nothing they could do to help me - I just needed to learn to live with it. Since it was mild, I was able to habituate quite easily.

After having the Pfizer Covid booster in February 2021 my tinnitus drastically changed and became very difficult to handle. It became reactive; anything I would hear or do would change the sounds and volume of tinnitus. Two months into my 2021 experience I added anxiety and hyperacusis to my troubles. Again, doctors said there was nothing they could do for tinnitus, so I joined a support group. Someone in the group recommended Treble Health, and Dr. Thompson guided me through the rest of my journey. With his support my hyperacusis became less and less and allowed me to habituate to my tinnitus. My journey is mostly over now. Occasionally I do experience a slight degree of hyperacusis but it doesn’t last more than a minute or two, and I am able to manage it.

One morning in January of 2022 I woke up with a surprising buzz in my head. A week went by and I started becoming concerned as it wasn't going away on its own. I saw an audiologist and ENT, and everything came back normal. No hearing loss was detected, nor any concern after an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test.  I started to panic, and the sound got more pronounced and intrusive. Over the next few weeks, I went into distress - lost weight, couldn't sleep, and was very depressed.

I found Treble Health on Youtube and scheduled an appointment. I was assigned a wonderful audiologist / coach who helped me settle down, and to understand the process of healing that I was going to experience. I soon began using ear-level sound generators for most of the day. Little by little, I noticed that there were periods of times that I did not hear or notice my tinnitus.  Those periods extended as time went on. Today, my tinnitus is much softer than it was when it first started, and I don't notice it most of the time. Some days are better than others, but I am managing it well, no longer need my sound-generators, and am living life as before.

Dr. Thompson is an audiologist and tinnitus expert, and the founder of Treble Health. He is an audiologist and tinnitus expert. He received his Doctor of Audiology (Au.D) degree in 2018 from University of the Pacific in San Francisco, California and completed his residency at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). He received a certificate of competence in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) from Dr. Pawel Jastreboff in 2021.

I developed tinnitus in January of 2021. I believe it was caused by a combination of age related hearing loss, stress, and prior exposure to COVID-19. I was 69 years old, and I had enjoyed almost perfect health until that point. Tinnitus rattled me substantially for about three months, and like everyone, I searched the Internet for solutions. I then met Dr. Thompson at Treble Health and with his guidance was directed towards hearing aids, stress reduction, and techniques for getting good sleep. My tinnitus has always been relatively mild with only periodic fluctuations.

I am not completely habituated but have improved substantially and continue with sound therapy through hearing aids and frequent meditation. I have accepted that tinnitus will be a lifelong condition and feel I have adapted to it well.