18 Months Later — What Does That Feel Like?

[Ma78]

Hi all. I'll keep it brief as its a familiar story.

Happy go lucky, healthy 38 yo guy who got T after one loud noise exposure.

Initial shock to the high pitched ringing ensued and after no food or sleep for a week I was almost hospitalised. Took time off work, retreated from everything and everyone and spent weeks clawing back every inch of my life.

Three months later I was finally off the sleeping tablets and sleeping without masking. I was still very cautious about loud sounds.

Six months in I was on holidays and life had returned to normal on the outside. Life on the inside was still a daily struggle as I questioned whether I would rediscover my joie de vivre.

Nine months in I was surprised I was still very curious about this thing. I had gone to experiment with fasting and ketosis to see if that would change things.

Twelve months in, the fear had completely passed. I stopped all the of the tricks like whistling before walking into a quiet room and that sort of thing. Acceptance was found.

I'm now 18 months down the line. I still check on my T here and there, but it doesn't stop me in any way shape or form from doing whatever I want. I can have a few beers with friends in a loud pub. I can use the vacuum cleaner without fear of spikes. The only thing I won't do is stand in front of a huge speaker stack without the big protective headphones.

If I look back over my journey, the key moments are the conversations I had.

The times I really made a step change in handling this condition was immediately after I had conversations with people who have lived with T for a long time. My cousin has had it since his early 20s, and listening to his honest account of how it means absolutely ZERO to him helped me make a huge leap forward. If you are struggling, have those conversations early and often. Find people like you and talk to them. The forums are good, but you need to hear the words. Look into someone's eyes who has lived with T for a long time and see a complete absence of fear and worry - that's when it lands. You'll be OK and you'll come through.

 

[AuntSally]

Thank you for your story. I'm still suffering nine months in and need to read success stories like yours. I've only managed to actually speak to two other people who had tinnitus though. One got a lot better after 8 months and the other still has it but like you said doesn't care about it. I want to get to that place.
You sound good. Thumbs up to you. How are you sleeping now?

 

[Blackneq]

Yea i had that moment with my dad, he was like "Oh yea i've had that for 3 years"

 

[Lyra Belacqua]

thank you for sharing your Story! Right now I also really need to read stories like that, it really does help!

All the best to you,
Lyra

 

[John Meyers]

Nice post. Thanks.

I have yet to meet someone with T besides this forum probably because I try not to talk about it with others unless they already know and ask me..

 

[Ma78]

I clued into this when I received some bad news about a friend who has cancer. That day, the T bothered me much less than usual. Now I don't suggest looking to other people's misfortune, but you should seek out other people who have had T for a long time and can give you some perspective. Find three people so you satisfy your confirmation bias otherwise you might not quite believe it.

Sleep: I have always been very mindful of how well I sleep, something that was in place before T began. I was overly anxious about losing so much sleep in the early days. For the first three months I was only sleeping 2-3 hours a night. I trained hard at the gym to try and exhaust my body and sometimes even that wasn't enough. You can't outrun an anxious mind.

So now I work diligently to sleep well. By that I mean I am fit, eat well and get to bed at a reasonable time (somewhere between 9 -11pm). It takes me about 20 minutes to get to sleep I would say. I lie there, hear the T, and immediately my mind is focused on something else. Usually it wanders to a problem I am trying to solve as that's my nature. I direct my mind to focus on my breath, and then the magic happens. Sometimes I will wake up once or twice during the night to have a glass of water because I have an old habit of mouth breathing. I used to have a habit of going to pee also, but I fixed that when I stopped drinking water during the day and shifted to warm tea only. (highly recommended)

I'm up on average around 6am. I start my day with a cold shower.

Note: I experienced a step change in my general wellbeing (and hence greater fortitude against fretting over my T) when I started with the cold showers. It is uncomfortable and hard. It has given me a 5-10% improvement in every area of my life. I step out knowing whatever discomfort comes my way is probably not going to compare to 7 minutes of stone cold water pouring over my head.

T becomes insignificant naturally, but doing these sorts of hard things give you the edge that makes it happen more quickly.

 

[Ma78]

John - I dont talk about my T unless I am asked.

Before T I had no major psychological issues. Clean bill of health in that respect. A "love life" sort of guy. So it was a surprise for friends to see me go downhill so quickly. I bounced back of course, and the fun guy has come back. People still do ask me though "So....how are your ears?"

I tell them I'm well. The sound is still there but it has no impact. Then I move onto other topics.

What I'm advocating here however is different. You need a seperate conversation with someone who has had T and knows what you have been through. They need to be a positive person and someone you respect.

There are people like that on this forum. There are also people here who have history of anxiety, depression etc and now have the misfortune of dealing with T on top. They will give a biased view of their experience.

Find someone in real life. Find someone old and happy. Accomplished. Then ask them whether T stops them from doing anything in their life.

 

[Jackson11]

Hi Ma78,

Have been going through some success posts and yours resonated with me as I feel I've had a similar experience and am on a similar path. "Love life" guy with a goofy sense of humour before T, trying hard to stay positive and give myself time. High pitched, hear it all day, in month 4 currently, and in the process of putting life back together (on the outside).

I know everyone is different, but hoping my timeline will mirror yours. Wondering how you're doing now even further on. I've been told by a few people that they have T and it doesn't bother them (my father being one). However I've yet to find someone who has had it acute onset where it completely disrupted their life and have since recovered. Looking to not lose my old self in the process.

Thanks,
Jackson11

 

[all to gain]

Hi Ma78,
However I've yet to find someone who has had it acute onset where it completely disrupted their life and have since recovered. 1

Does this mean that they have all recovered, even the bad cases?

 

[Bobby Sinatra]

Thank you for your story. I'm still suffering nine months in and need to read success stories like yours. I've only managed to actually speak to two other people who had tinnitus though. One got a lot better after 8 months and the other still has it but like you said doesn't care about it. I want to get to that place.
You sound good. Thumbs up to you. How are you sleeping now?

what s the source of your t. i know you read "unsure" but what are your suspects