Flapjack - Recovery log

[Flapjack]

I have PFS induced tinnitus. I got exposed to loud sounds at the dental cleaning, I had a huge spike, but it wasn't permanent. I don't mean that I'm tinnitus free, but it has generally lowered, and I had a handful of days (in the last 8 months) where it was really low.

I was the first one to be scared of tinnitus. I still am, but now that I understand what's going on, I realize that it's a biochemical response, rather than a physical damage. At least for me, it's a nervous system activation issue. If I expose myself to sounds, I will be sensitive to sounds for a few days. This lead me to believe that it's physical damage, but I always get back to baseline, and I recover much quicker with NMDA blocking substances, which tells me it's more a limbic system activation or excitoxicity.

I would recommend taking things that blocks the NMDA receptors (bacopa, magnesium threonate, gotu kola). Taking care of your liver and gut can also help tinnitus and sound sensitivity, as an overloaded liver or gut dysbiosis produces an excess of ammonia which stimulates NMDA receptors.

You got this king

Thanks man, I'm glad guys like you with a deeper understanding of these mechanisms are here on this forum to have our backs.
Really sucks, I've had tinnitus forever and habituated to the point where I literally hadn't thought of it in maybe 2-3 years save for the brief moments in a quiet room where it would resurface.

The fact that I didn't have muffled hearing or any noticeable hearing loss from after the show is encouraging, It is absolutely an issue with an overactive nervous system. I wonder if this has anything to do with the B vitamin debacle I went through a few weeks ago, as both you and turnover's tinnitus seemed to spike around the same time as consuming those supplements.

Unfortunately that night I also had a sugar free red bull (Yeah, I know...) which if I recall correctly, contains B vitamins and of course, gut disrupting artificial sweeteners. I'm rambling at this point but yeah... Hope this goes back to baseline soon. Thanks brother.

[Flapjack]

Thangs haven’t necessarily improved, trying not to freak out. Idk what really was the cause of this as it didn’t onset till three days after noise exposure, and I’ve felt sick the whole time. Possibly covid? I’m not sure. Such an awful distraction though.

[Outlaw]

Tinnitus can spike a few days after the exposure. I read way too much about it back in the days, and sometimes people had spikes that lasted a couple weeks/months. So I think it's still super early, and it can still settle down.

Also, indeed it can be a lot of things. Gut, liver, adrenals/nervous system, heavy metals, infections, TMJ/jaw/neck... any problems with those things can cause it through various mechanisms. PFS gave me baaaad tinnitus, but I have had some days where it was significantly lower, so I know it's a systemic issue rather than any ''damage''.

If you wanna go further, you could also check your B12 levels as a deficiency is a frequent nerve-related cause. If you're deficient, you could always supplement, but I would opt for dietary sources given my historic haha. And fixing your gut will help too, as it impairs B12 absorption.

And finally, you could add foods that repairs the myelin sheath, like omega3/choline/glycine/vitamin D/antioxidants. Think salmon, eggs, avocado, brocoli, blueberries.

Otherwise, how's the recovery going?

[Flapjack]

@Outlaw Thank you man, will do with that advice and report down the line.

I think there is a confluence of a lot of issues that lead to this. As a longtime T sufferer, and having gone through all the precautions with hearing protection at live music, this whole situation really raises some questions, as the overall intensity and length of noise exposure I experienced wasn’t very significant. I feel like there is some invisible factor in all of this, one likely stemming from PFS, perhaps an illness I contracted, the B vitamin yeast, or maybe some drugs/substances I came into contact with that night etc., along with the noise exposure.

In terms of recovery, doing pretty good, plateaued a little bit due to regaining a sense of normalcy and eschewing some of the more strict aspects of the protocol, but this new situation has set me straight. Most of my pfs symptoms had greatly abated, my biggest issues being chronic fatigue/derealization and lack of sexual desire. I’d say for all of those, I was hovering around 70-90% of my pre-fin baseline. Overall, I was really happy with where I was at. Those still hold true but my ears are really getting me down and I’m having a rough time right now, despite landing an awesome new job and other positive developments in my life. Really hoping to feel normal again. I have every reason to celebrate and yet I’m in a hole, I’m 25 and my dreams require me not having blaring ringing in my ears

[Outlaw]

@Outlaw Thank you man, will do with that advice and report down the line.

I think there is a confluence of a lot of issues that lead to this. As a longtime T sufferer, and having gone through all the precautions with hearing protection at live music, this whole situation really raises some questions, as the overall intensity and length of noise exposure I experienced wasn’t very significant. I feel like there is some invisible factor in all of this, one likely stemming from PFS, perhaps an illness I contracted, the B vitamin yeast, or maybe some drugs/substances I came into contact with that night etc., along with the noise exposure.

In terms of recovery, doing pretty good, plateaued a little bit due to regaining a sense of normalcy and eschewing some of the more strict aspects of the protocol, but this new situation has set me straight. Most of my pfs symptoms had greatly abated, my biggest issues being chronic fatigue/derealization and lack of sexual desire. I’d say for all of those, I was hovering around 70-90% of my pre-fin baseline. Overall, I was really happy with where I was at. Those still hold true but my ears are really getting me down and I’m having a rough time right now, despite landing an awesome new job and other positive developments in my life. Really hoping to feel normal again. I have every reason to celebrate and yet I’m in a hole, I’m 25 and my dreams require me not having blaring ringing in my ears

That's possible. The only thing I can tell you is that all those potential explanations you listed can be relieved by taking care of the cause. At first I thought PFS had damaged my ears, because it's known to lower gluthatione, which is the biggest (and most protective) antioxidant in the body. But over the months, I had a handful of days with barely any T, which ruled it out. So what I'm trying to say is, even if it's caused by PFS, I don't think there's any ''damage'', and it's something that can be fixed. Trust me, that's coming from a guy who had blaring tinnitus and spent around 7 months housebound because he couldn't tolerate the sounds of cooking eggs.

And that's awesome for your progress man. I understand the ear frustration and it's probably not what you want to hear, but even if the worst case scenario happens and you get out of PFS only with tinnitus remaining, it's still huge. But if you read my posts, you know I'm the first one to understand your perspective. My career is music and I haven't done any music since that B vitamin/dentist last year.

Given my experiences so far and the windows I had, I don't think this is long-lasting man. Just buckle up, eat a balanced diet and hit the protocol for a couple months to rule out any systemic cause. Sending you good vibes bud

[Flapjack]

That's possible. The only thing I can tell you is that all those potential explanations you listed can be relieved by taking care of the cause. At first I thought PFS had damaged my ears, because it's known to lower gluthatione, which is the biggest (and most protective) antioxidant in the body. But over the months, I had a handful of days with barely any T, which ruled it out. So what I'm trying to say is, even if it's caused by PFS, I don't think there's any ''damage'', and it's something that can be fixed. Trust me, that's coming from a guy who had blaring tinnitus and spent around 7 months housebound because he couldn't tolerate the sounds of cooking eggs.

And that's awesome for your progress man. I understand the ear frustration and it's probably not what you want to hear, but even if the worst case scenario happens and you get out of PFS only with tinnitus remaining, it's still huge. But if you read my posts, you know I'm the first one to understand your perspective. My career is music and I haven't done any music since that B vitamin/dentist last year.

Given my experiences so far and the windows I had, I don't think this is long-lasting man. Just buckle up, eat a balanced diet and hit the protocol for a couple months to rule out any systemic cause. Sending you good vibes bud

With music... same, I haven't gotten into my personal life much on here but music/visual art is pretty much my calling in life and the thought of abandoning those is terrifying, they pretty much drive my existence and my long term goals are all based in those pursuits.

Really happy for your progress, seems like you've come along way with your own hearing issues. Not tolerating cooking eggs is seriously bad. At the moment it's things like dishes clanking and shopping carts that make me cringe, so I do feel lucky in a sense

Appreciate the kind words man, I feel like we've been on a similar trajectory through this whole ordeal. Nice to have someone out there with an experience I can relate to.

[Outlaw]

Don't think about abandoning your passion man! I did in my darkest months, but then I saw that the symptoms could fluctuate, and I realized I could heal them one day. Now every day I write lyrics and I tell myself how glorious it's gonna be when I'll back to recording. Struggle forges character, and I try to see it as beneficial thing in the end art-wise.

Just to show you how it can change... If I take ginger or epsom salt baths for 1 week, my hyperacusis always becomes at least 50% worse. Those things detox the liver, which generates ammonia, and ammonia is toxic for the brain. My bloodtests showed my ammonia was 2x over range. I think the fact that I had a concussion a few years ago predisposes my brain to be more sensitive to this excitotoxicity. And my diagnosed gut issues also generate ammonia: my H is way worse if I'm constipated for a few days, and improves almost instantly when it stops. Just to show it doesn't mean it's permanent!

If I were you, I would try to eat more cruciferous vegetables, a little less protein (to minimize ammonia), more food that heals the myelin sheath (as I wrote earlier), and double down on meditation and visualisation to calm your nervous system. And you could take Magnesium Threonate, which is a form of magnesium that crosses the blood brain barrier and blocks the receptors that are overactivated by ammonia. It's potent stuff so I only take 1/4 of a pill daily, but it's hands down the supplement that helped the most for hyperacusis. It got me from housebound to walking around the city and only worrying about big trucks and sirens. Also, Ornithine is a pretty common amino acids, but it squelches ammonia, and I benefit from it too. I'm not saying your issues are definitely ammonia related like mine, but I think it wouldn't hurt to try given the similarities in our stories.

Anyway, sorry about this novel again. Figured it could help because I remember feeling helpless when at times before better understanding what happens. I'm gonna log off here for a couple weeks to focus on healing, but I'll drop by again. When this is finally all over, we'll PM each other our music/art projects. You got this man, take care

[Flapjack]

Noted on the suggestions. Hopefully we both have something positive to report down the line, good luck out there! Thanks again for the advice.

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