I had the worst tinnitus following both of my CI surgeries and it didn't start to improve until 6-8 months following my activation. Even now my tinnitus is very loud (at the moment it sounds like an A/C fan) although it was much worse in the past. Back then, I heard 8 different sounds. Just when I became used to one sound, it would change to another. I can deal with hearing what sounds like an A/C fan or high, medium and low pitched beep tones. The only exception is when the A/C fan I hear overpowers what I'm trying to listen to when my CIs are on. I tend to have more difficulty with this when I am ill, tired or manic.