Recent content by David S

@billie48, thanks for the encouraging words! I have seen you around here from my early days with tinnitus and always deeply appreciated your positive attitude. If I could pass on just a fraction of that on to new members, it would mean the world to me!

I did turn this around 2 times with white noise generators and so can you. Unfortunately there is no quick fix. You have to give it time.

My tinnitus high-pitched and very unstable. It is not masked by anything but the shower. Sometimes not even that. My audiogram is fine up to 6000 Hz so it doesn't typically interfere with my hearing. In my early days I could not stand anything like frying pans, vacuums, fans, etc. My tinnitus...

It took me well over a year until I started to see signs of improvement. 2 years until I forgot my 3M Peltor earmuffs every time I went away from my home, and 3 years until I started to forget putting in my white noise generators every morning. The white noise generators saved me. At first it...

There is no magic with the Sound Oasis. It is just a decent speaker with a sound catalog. Any good speaker would do. Pick a sound that you like and do not put the speaker too close. For me sound stimulation during the day was far more important than during the night. Sound stimulation is the key...

To me there is no general rule for benzos. We all seem to be very different. For me they were a lifesaver. Once I got my panic under control, it was ok to slowly taper. I still use a small amount and it is of no concern to me. There are only a handful medications that might work for severe...

I used Ativan and Ambien for many years on and off. It worked well for me and did not affect my tinnitus. When at my lowest point, I popped 3-4 1/2 tablets to get me through the night. Once I got my stress under control, it was not too big of a deal to slowly taper. I tried Remeron as well but...

Hyperacusis and reactive tinnitus can get much better over time. I was so bad that I needed to use 3M Peltor earmuffs inside at home when the neighbor cut his lawn 3 houses away. My life was a complete mess. Now I just use 3M soft earplugs occasionally. I am still extremely careful with loud...

I am here to give hope. I lived more than a decade with severe reactive tinnitus, and for many years endured with bad hyperacusis as well. I live a normal family life now with few limitations. I lost many years to nothing but suffering. If I only then knew what I know now. Life can be as...

No, I did not. But except for that I tried pretty much everything. For me an SSRI and benzo worked fine, but did not do too much for the tinnitus sound itself.

I cut grass for 30 years without any problems and no hearing protection. Most ears can handle this but once your ears are weak, you have to be really careful. I assume you got something like this: Popular Mechanics: The Best Zero-Turn Mowers I changed all my lawns to use Husqvarna robotic...

The goal of treating severe tinnitus should always be that you can learn to live a good life despite your diagnosis. For the ones that suffer the most, that seems to be an illusion and all you can think of is to get your silence back. It takes many years to change that mindset. Trying to sell...

And do not blame yourself too much about that. That is how life can be from time to time. Take it day by day and week by week and improvement will come.

@gameover, I have been exactly where you are now. I am your age, married with 3 grown up kids. I know things can be turned around. You need to get your compulsive orientation out of your system. Once at rock bottom, people kept saying the same thing to me. It was all just an illusion for me...

I will try to explain this better. After 12 months with sound generators: Overall mood: Significantly better. Reactive tinnitus: Much better. Sound sensitivity: Better, I used to use soft earplugs 24/7. Now I only use them in the city and when driving my car. Tinnitus: Same or a small...