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    Why Is There Such a Stigma About Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

    John...ok, now I understand why you believe CBT is not helpful for tinnitus sufferers. If my psychologist thought that model, I certainly would not continue seeing him. I think the difference between most of the people here and some of us here is that I am being treated by the VA (Veterans...
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    Poll: Rainforest Masks My Tinnitus — Does It Yours?

    I have learned that masker sounds around the 2 frequencies of my tinnitus is helpful. Because my hearing aids are programmed with “notch therapy”, the actual frequency of the masker is “notched” out. Rainforest sounds are good maskers for me and the variation of the higher pitched sounds is...
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    Poll: Do You Mask Your Tinnitus When You Sleep?

    I use a Marsona masker machine that feeds pillow speakers. I found that using this pillow from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/PureComfort-Sleeping-Adjustable-Prevention-CertiPUR-US/dp/B07CQ9468V/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 helps because I sleep on my side and the holes in the pillow keep...
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    Why Is There Such a Stigma About Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

    @JohnAdams Exactly yes!!!!! This is precisely what my psychologist is helping me with. For some of us who have suffered with tinnitus for a lot of years, anxiety and depression becomes the fallout for all those years of struggling. Depression tends to keep me from wanting to be busy or focus on...
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    Why Is There Such a Stigma About Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

    I haven’t been here in a while however I just got an email telling me about the TinnitusPlay app so I downloaded it and read the thread about it on here. Just before I closed the thread, I saw this thread. I thought I’d share my story and thoughts on this topic. I have severe tinnitus and a...
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    Why CBT Hurts Our Cause

    I don’t see a psychologist that treats me with CBT because I thought he could do anything about my tinnitus. I see the psychologist to stay alive. My tinnitus has driven me to the point that I arrived at that place where I was looking for a way to end it permanently. Am I still suffering with...
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    My Posting Place

    Tinnitus is a disability awarded by the Department of Veteran Affairs to veterans who incurred Tinnitus because of their service. When a veteran applies to the VA, they are sent to a C&P exam. The requirements are a current diagnosis of tinnitus, the event or events in service that caused it...
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    Just Home from a Flight and Ears So Blocked

    Generally speaking, the blocked sensation you’re feeling is because the pressure on both sides of your eardrum aren’t equalized. This happens during takeoff and landing as the cockpit crew adjusts the cabin pressure up to 8,000 feet during takeoff and drop it down to airport elevation during...
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    CO2 and Smoke Alarms

    For me, the benefit of the smoke alarm outweighs the risk of spiking my tinnitus. The benefit isn’t for me, the benefit is for my wife, daughter, and the cat. I’m sure I’d feel worse if I saved myself from suffering spikes but lost a person or pet due to a disabled smoke alarm. Please know I’m...
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    Can We Sue Concert Organizers for Noise-Induced Hearing Damage? Has Anyone Won a Trial?

    It’s possible. Don’t know if he won. http://www.mtv.com/news/820622/teen-sues-black-crowes-for-alleged-hearing-damage/
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    Positive or Negative Stories Regarding the Usage of Benzodiazepines for Tinnitus Relief?

    Since you asked, I’ll share my story. I’ve taken Lorazepam for going on 10 years now. At one time I was switched over to Clonazapam. Same family but the longer half life of Lorazapam. I have since been switched back to Lorazapam and am presently prescribed it PRN. Those that warn you that is is...
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    From Active Sufferance to Passive Sufferance

    @Jazzer I tried to quote a specific line from your post but my iPad wouldn’t let me do it. The line was where you wrote that “coping” is all you have. I needed to hear that because I think we all come here for various reasons. Some for information, some to commiserate, some to find a soapbox...
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    Two Kinds of Hearing Tests? A Regular Hearing Test and a Tinnitus Hearing Test?

    @GregCA Maybe her audiologist meant the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory “test”. @myrottndog Since tinnitus is subjective, there really isn’t a test to verify it or quantify its severity to you. They figure that out by giving you a questionnaire where you indicate how it affects your life. Anyway...
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    Two Kinds of Hearing Tests? A Regular Hearing Test and a Tinnitus Hearing Test?

    In my experience, it wasn’t so much that there are separate tests for people with hearing loss only or people with tinnitus, as it was having an audiologist who conducts the test knowing you have tinnitus and the knowledge to help you with both your hearing, if necessary, and your tinnitus. My...
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    Coming off Clonazepam

    @bigerjim I can’t tell you what to do about the benzo withdrawel but I can offer a suggestion. From your past post, you said you’re a Marine so I will assume your Clonazapam use may be related to your service. Generally speaking, the VA prescribes Clonazapam for PTSD and/or other mental health...
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    Anyone Have Experience Using a Hearing Aid with Built-In Notched Therapy?

    Michael, I’ve had them for 7 weeks now. They take a while to get used to with respect to the tinnitus. Signia says in its literature that it takes about 3 weeks to perceive improvement and they are right. I did revisit my audiologist in 4 weeks and we both agreed she had found the correct...
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    Tinnitus Awareness and the Sad Reality

    Ed, I say this with the utmost respect for all. As a person who has suffered a lifetime of tinnitus but only been here at Tinnitus Talk for a very short time, the word “apathy” didn’t cross my mind but rather a severe lack of cohesiveness. All successful causes are driven by a cohesive mindset...
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    Can Antibiotics (Nitrofurantoin) Worsen Tinnitus? I Have a UTI

    @stacey I know....easier said than done.....but try your best to not stress over it. Stress does exacerbate our tinnitus. Perhaps hanging out with some close friends or a quiet drive to see nature. I understand what you’re going through and hope you’re feeling better soon. Take care. Bobby
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    I Went to the ENT, and He Told Me That My Ears Were Fine and That I Should Just Live with It

    I came back to you because, while we told you to find another ENT, we didn’t tell you why. @Wolfears recommended you get tested beyond the standard hearing test and I wholeheartedly agree. While my post may seem like my ENT did nothing, I did not describe what was done the first time. When I...
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    I Went to the ENT, and He Told Me That My Ears Were Fine and That I Should Just Live with It

    Others here will give you a lot of help and suggestions to help you cope. My suggestion would be to find another ENT. While my ENT wasn’t able to do anything for my tinnitus, he agreed that the hearing aids with maskers from my audiologist are helpful, that the meds prescribed by my doctor for...
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    Can Antibiotics (Nitrofurantoin) Worsen Tinnitus? I Have a UTI

    You have an infection and are in pain. Your doctor prescribed an antibiotic to help you. Did you tell your doctor you have tinnitus so that he/she could prescribe an antibiotic that is not ototoxic? Sometimes we have to decide whether the risk of a side effect outweighs the benefit. I might...
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    Do Computer Monitors Spike Your Tinnitus?

    It’s possible your monitor is creating an electrical “hum” or similar noise that you can’t hear. It’s either out of the frequency range you are able to hear or the volume of your tinnitus is overriding it so you don’t hear it. In either case, I’d probably relocate the cables attached to it to...
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    Socialising in Noisy Environments?

    I use hearing aids that has a profile for crowds and/or loud noises. My audiologist and therapist tells me not to limit myself because of my tinnitus, to just use ear protection if I know I’ll be in an excessively loud environment. I do have an app that keeps a log of noise intensity; it’s built...
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    Anyone Have Experience Using a Hearing Aid with Built-In Notched Therapy?

    Jason, I might suggest you find another free trial that lasts at least a month and do have the notch set and programmed in. My audiologist told me to report back in 30 days to fine tune the program. In the clinical trials that Signia ran, they noted changes in perception at around the 3 week...
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    Anyone Have Experience Using a Hearing Aid with Built-In Notched Therapy?

    @JasonP Rather than start my own thread, I thought I’d continue yours. I have had tonal tinnitus for almost 50 years due to acoustical trauma from my war. It is severe and has driven me into a deep depression which meds and CBT is trying to pull me out of. For my tinnitus, I have great...
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    What Causes Tinnitus — Conference Attendees' Responses

    I think noise causes the injury. I was told that the excessively loud and long duration exposure to noise caused the permanent injury to my middle ear. So I think his answer is accurate. Somethings have to cause those 5 things to occur. Among other things, noise can cause a physiological injury.
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    Mobile App to Keep Track of My Tinnitus?

    @Jake007 You may be very correct; however, the OP didn’t give the reason why he wanted it. If it were just for the heck of it, I suspect you’re correct. As evidenced by many posts here at TT, our tinnitus can, and does, cause severe emotional distress. The way it has been explained to me (who...
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    Mobile App to Keep Track of My Tinnitus?

    https://www.trackyourtinnitus.org/
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    Tinnitus and Valium (Diazepam)

    Here is one study, see page 8 regarding Valium. In my experience, anxiety and the related stress exacerbates tinnitus. Benzodiazepines such as Valium reduces your anxiety which tends to help those bothered by tinnitus. Benzodiazepines do not cure nor reduce tinnitus but rather reduces your...
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    How to Ask My Audiologist About Hearing Aids

    Quebec Province has some pretty direct requirements for students to get hearing aids. If your hearing loss causes you to have difficulty in school, that certainly qualifies you but an audiologist or ENT must provide the documentation. Perhaps your school can assist you. See page 7 in this...
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    Crippled by Sound... Uncensored Truth About Tinnitus

    No worries.....my advice was based on your original post where you said you never wrote a book before and didn’t know how to do it. In my past, I have written 5 books and self-published 1. My experience was in teaching creative writing. So my advice wasn’t on your subject but rather how to begin...
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    Crippled by Sound... Uncensored Truth About Tinnitus

    I write this with kindness and respect. What you wrote there is true but it doesn’t accomplish anything. People write about mass shootings, domestic violence, suicides of famous people, just about anything....it sells and people are shocked but never shocked enough to do anything about it. The...
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    Can Atorvastatin (Lipitor etc) Cause Tinnitus?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22392429 However, side effects, by definition, means that different people react differently to meds side effects. My doctor and my audiologist do not believe my daily 20 mg Atorvastatin is ototoxic to me and I agree with them. Others may get a different...
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    Crippled by Sound... Uncensored Truth About Tinnitus

    Writing a book can be a huge undertaking if you haven’t done it before. What you can start doing today is begin an online blog. You can use a free site such as Wordpress or you can have your own domain that accomplishes both your desires at the same time.....getting the word out and documenting...
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    Flying in 36 Hours and I'm Sick

    You’re exactly right. You as a frequent flyer and me as an air crew member most likely use filtered earplugs while flying. I was thinking that the average non-frequent flyer may use the solid ones that don’t allow the pressure difference to slowly equalize. There is a difference in earplug types...
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    Owning a Dog When You Have Tinnitus?

    I agree with you 100% and hope this isn’t a response to my post about training a dog to communicate differently. Actually, when training dogs for veterans with PTSD, they are trained as a team. The dog is never shocked or otherwise abused. At any rate, if you didn’t mean me, all is good. And...
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    Owning a Dog When You Have Tinnitus?

    I have learned from a lot of veterans with dogs, mostly service dogs for their PTSD, that they can be trained to be predictable. Dogs can communicate in a lot of ways that does not involve obnoxious loud barking. It’s not being cruel to them, no more than it is not cruel to teach a child not to...
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    Flying in 36 Hours and I'm Sick

    In my past I was an air crew member who flew with colds. First of all, the tinnitus will get louder from the inability of your ears to equalize pressure due to ETD and/or plugged ears due to a cold. This is normal and should go away when pressure eventually equalizes. Your flight day plan is...
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    My Little Niece Diagnosed with Scoliosis and Having a Big Operation

    @glynis It absolutely breaks my heart to know a child is suffering. It’s at times like this that puts life in perspective. By that, I mean, the next time I start to feel sorry for myself, I will pray for your niece rather than worry about what’s bothering me. Take care, Bobby
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    The Power of Accepting

    @fishbone More than you’ll ever know, I needed your post today. You made a difference in my life today. Thank you
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    Massage Made My Tinnitus Calm — Does It Mean If I Do It Regularly It Could Go Away?

    I think that stress exacerbates tinnitus. The tinnitus then causes more stress, this creates a vicious cycle of tinnitus that causes anxiety that causes tinnitus. From your description, I think the massage relieved your stress which broke that vicious circle temporarily. I would say, continue...
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    Mobile Tinnitus Apps (for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc.)

    I haven’t used the app but next month I’ll be getting new Signia hearing aids that have “notch therapy” integrated into them. It will take my audiologist a little time to correctly program the frequency in....something I wasn’t to sure I could correctly do myself in the app. I’ll post how it...
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    See How They Treat Their Veterans

    @Contrast I do not wish to debate habituation or research. I’m happy that you’re passionate about your beliefs and I support anything that helps you or others. I also do not wish to get into a debate about what any group, including the VA, may or may not be doing to help our cause. And it is our...
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    See How They Treat Their Veterans

    Did your tinnitus occur because of your service? If it did, file a claim for service connection. The VA will then provide all kinds of support for your tinnitus and any fallout that occurs from it. If you are a veteran that is service connected for anything, then the VA will give you hearing...
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    See How They Treat Their Veterans

    Your profile shows tinnitus since 2018 but Alprazolam prescribed for 10 years. What was the Alprazolam prescribed for? Another thing to keep in mind is, due to opioid concerns, the VA is now testing (without telling you) during your annual physical for opioids, benzodiazepines, and marijuana in...
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    A Constant Tone Machine?

    I think you could download a “Tone Generator” app for your phone. There are so many different ones, I’m sure you would find one you want. The only issue might be the ability for the small speaker to push out such a low frequency tone loud enough. I downloaded one for my iPad. I couldn’t hear it...
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    Why Doesn't Someone Make a Cheap Over the Ear White Noise Generator?

    You can also download apps designed to be used with hearing aids but will also push through headphones as @GregCA suggests. The one I use alongside my built in masker program is from Resound. They have an app for iPhone and Android. Just hit + for a new profile, go to 3rd tab called...
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    Nausea from Mild Anxiety (Which Comes with Some Depression)... Any Solutions?

    I can’t answer your other questions but I can answer this one. I’m not a doctor so this is only my experience with Propranolol, which is a beta-blocker. Beta-blockers are old school blood pressure drugs, they lower your BP by lowering your heart rate. If you’re not used to them, they can...
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    Going to Be without Meds for a Few Days — Is This Going to Mess Me Up?

    If your pharmacist has the prescription on file and you don’t have refills left and that’s what you’re waiting for your doctor to do, you might ask the pharmacist to extend you a few days till they can contact the doctor...
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    Benzos — It's More About Proper Use

    This ^^^ is precisely why I take the meds that I do. I don’t tell others to take these meds and my greatest hope is that someday I won’t need them. But, in spite of the risks of these meds, I know in my heart that they keep me from permanently curing my own condition. Thank you @Michael Leigh...
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    Benzos — It's More About Proper Use

    Dave, It’s a way in a forum post to give the reader a “heads up” that they might not want to read it. People will do that if they’re discussing a movie and someone will put the ending of the movie under a “spoiler alert” for those who haven’t seen the movie yet. Or in the case of Autumnly did...
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    Aging Process & Tinnitus

    My tinnitus started when I was 18-22 from acoustical trauma. I’ve always had it and at around age 50 it became worse (louder) enough that I couldn’t pass hearing tests to maintain my medical certs for my job. It wasn’t so much I couldn’t hear, it was that I was having trouble hearing through...
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    Benzos — It's More About Proper Use

    I can see both sides of the debate because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I am also presently in a place very similar to @TracyJS where I can’t seem to climb out of the rabbit hole. My tinnitus has driven me into a severe depression and state of anxiety. It is difficult to battle 2...
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    Poll: Are You Ashamed to Tell People That You Have Tinnitus?

    No more ashamed of my tinnitus than my bad back. I don’t feel a need to say anything unless it affects an interaction. Most everyone I know personally knows they need to be facing me when they speak to me since I have tinnitus and don’t hear well over the noise so I use facial,expressions and...
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    Tinnitus Volume Lowers Drastically or Disappears When Traveling to Higher Altitude

    There is a connection. The ear drum separates the air pressure between yourself and the outside environment. Air pressure decreases as your altitude increases and vice-versa. This is precisely why people’s ears “pop” when going up and down in an airplane. The airplane is pressurized up to 8,000...
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    Why Does Anybody Get Involved with Drug Therapy for This Wretched Condition?

    Here lies the issue. Depression/anxiety and tinnitus can be inextricably linked. Medication and/or psychological therapy may the way to begin breaking that link. This is what I’m going through now. What @TracyJS has now, that I don’t think I have is fear and fear begets stress that will...
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    Why Does Anybody Get Involved with Drug Therapy for This Wretched Condition?

    Over time this has driven me to a deep depression. Taking drugs to help me deal with this depression has most likely saved my life. As others have said, what works for one may not work for another. I’m still suffering and not getting better so am working with a psychologist and doctor will be...
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    Suggestions for a Hospital / Doctor / University Specialized in Tinnitus Requested

    I totally agree with @fishbone . My ENT’s have been able to rule out any physical causes that they could fix but my audiologist has a very good understanding of what I’m going through and does everything she can to provide relief. My psychologist helps me cope with the mental fallout from the...
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    Don’t Know If I Can Keep Going

    @TracyJS I just saw your thread. I’m sorry you are suffering. More than you know, I truly empathize with what you’re going through. This isn’t easy....trying to climb out of the hole towards the light. What @dayma wrote is important. I’m am presently in the same place you are. I am on...
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    Still Recovering from the MRI

    Thank you for saying that. It is helpful to learn from the experiences of others while understanding the outcomes can differ among us. I appreciate your advice and hope you recover soon. Take care. Bobby