Johan

I am new to the forum, so please excuse my questions/comments as they most probably have already featured somewhere on the forum. I am also not sure who I should direct the conversation to?

I have not been diagnosed with Tinnitus, but I am sure that I have the condition. I have had a constant ringing in my ears over the past 4- 5 years, every day. This ringing is unbearable most of the days and I am becoming an unpleasant person to live with.

I am always irritated and the weird issue is that I hear everything 10 x louder than what I should. I can hear everyone eating as if they are sitting really close to me, so I started wearing earphones during dinner. Furthermore, when the dogs bark, it sounds as if someone is hitting me on my ear with a cupped hand (if that makes sense).

The ringing is loudest when everything goes quiet especially when I go to bed. Currently I make use of sleeping tablets to be able to sleep at night. Previously I used soft natural sounds on my i-pad, which helped a bit. The sounds have however become louder and I have to set my tablet too loud such that my wife cannot sleep. The ringing sound is there when I go to bed and when I wake up in the mornings. The only time I hear it at a lower frequency is when the daily activities starts (Background noise).

I am so frustrated at the moment and I do not really know what to do. All I know is that I will have to do something as I am becoming increasingly irritated and unpleasant to live with.

It is also as though no-one understands what I am going through and I can see they think I am over-reacting.

I will appreciate any assistance and guidance during this process.