As a young man, Walt Tarpley had been exposed to a very loud working environment—noise levels of around 104dB—for 10 years. In addition, he had been near some gunfire and had ear infections as a child.
He didn’t think much about it until he hit 50. Then he received the birthday gift that wouldn't go away. Walt, a resident of Aurora, Colorado, suddenly found himself with a brand new companion – a constant ringing in the ears that just didn't quit. He couldn't sleep well; he was fatigued and his slight hearing loss compounded the situation.
I talked to several audiologists, not one of them had any good advice for me. They told me I could spend tens of thousands of dollars and still get no results. It wasn't a good situation.
The Internet served as a resource as Walt began searching through web pages for all types of products and medicines promising tinnitus cures. He says he found plenty of "snake oil" treatments that promised to cure the tinnitus. He also found plenty of audiologists, medical device manufacturers and other physicians who promised nothing and offered much less hope for any relief.
While he initially resigned himself to living with the constant ringing, he couldn't live with the hearing loss. So he pursued hearing aids to help him communicate better at work and with his family.
Through a referral, he came across Sarah Smith, AuD., an audiologist in Colorado, whom provided Neuromonics. As she helped Walt with his hearing loss, she also began working to reduce the effects of his tinnitus. She told him about Neuromonics and emphasized that while Neuromonics wasn't a cure, it could help him. "I was ready to try anything," says Tarpley.
Dr Smith worked with Walt twice a week in her office for six months. They first tackled his hearing loss and then moved on to the Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment.
The secret to my success is that I used Neuromonics as recommended and dealt with my hearing loss as well. Many people have both hearing loss and tinnitus, so you really have to deal with all the components.
Walt's quality of life has improved tremendously with the use of Neuromonics. When he first saw Dr Smith, he was an "emotional wreck" as Walt describes it. Neuromonics allowed him to resume a normal life without the runaway emotions that overloaded him.
"There are days, weeks, sometimes even a month that I hardly even notice I have tinnitus," he says. When the tinnitus symptoms come back and are annoying enough, Walt explains, he uses Neuromonics for a short period. Currently, Walt needs Neuromonics only 4-6 hours per month versus, initially, using it 3-4 hours or more per day. "Now, with Neuromonics, my brain gets reset and I'm good to go again."