Hey everyone,
I've not posted here or visited in a very long time, but Tinnitus Talk was essential for me coping for the first year of tinnitus I thought it would be good to post an update.
The first year was very bad for me, crippling depression caused by tinnitus, the failure of a relationship, drifting from friends - its all well documented in my post history. I didn't think I was going to get out of this alive. Dropping the S word is a serious statement, but for the first year it was a concurrent thought.
3 years on and life is good folks!
My tinnitus has stayed roughly the same for the past2 years and I can go weeks and weeks without thinking about it. I think I'm fairly lucky in the fact that attention to my tinnitus can decreased by a fan (although not completely masked) , although the first 6 months it was so debilitatingly loud couldn't sleep, study or concentrate. I would hear it over driving and in the shower and now I hardly hear it over a fan and TV in a quiet room,only if I put my attention to it! Over this journey there have been some awful spikes caused by things like, visiting loud bars, car horns, and fire alarms, but I try to remain calm and it usually settles down after 1-2 weeks.
My hyperacusis was so severe at the start that I couldn't have a normal conversation with people without my ears feel like they were being stabbed. Turning on light switches, running water, cutlery clanking, listening to music were all things that were unbearable. At the start I couldn't even mask my tinnitus as it would react and create aloud whistling noise in my ears. Fortunately the hyperacusis has reduced to a 1/10, sometimes clanking plates etc causes a stabbing sensation in my ear but normal sounds like the TV, people talking, passing cars etc do not cause any pain or sensation unless I am experiencing a spike where it will go up to a 3-4/10 for a week but nowhere near the 10/10 it was before. Hyperacusis is by far the worst part of this journey, but it seems to reduce n severity for the majority of people in the first 2 years if sound enrichment and avoiding loud places is adhered to.
I've returned to the normal activities I enjoyed before, working out 4-5 days a week, listening to music through speakers, socialising with friends, going to pubs & bars, eating out at restaurants etc. I've also picked up some new hobbies such as MMA and playing the electric guitar (with musicians earplugs and the amp on a very low volume and never going above the volume of a normal TV). I also went on holiday with my friends this year, where we spent the 3 nights in pubs and bars playing fairly loud music (with earplugs of course), and although I experienced a spike after it settled back down to baseline. Although some people on this forum would discourage some of these activates, with precautions in place I believe even one with tinnitus can enjoy them, just make sure you wear earplugs and take frequent breaks. Although I visit bars and pubs with music, I don't think I would ever step foot in a club again as the noise in there is astronomical and the risk far outweighs the reward.
The only thing I'm missing in comparison to pre tinnitus is going to clubs and listening to music through headphones, but I'm thankful for my progress over the years.
To anybody in the first stages of tinnitus who are scared and pessimistic - although it takes along time, along s you protect your ears it will get better. Even if the sound doesn't decrease, your reaction to the noise and the effect it has on your life will gradually decrease.
To the people who are struggling years on, I'm still praying for you guys.
Thanks.
I've not posted here or visited in a very long time, but Tinnitus Talk was essential for me coping for the first year of tinnitus I thought it would be good to post an update.
The first year was very bad for me, crippling depression caused by tinnitus, the failure of a relationship, drifting from friends - its all well documented in my post history. I didn't think I was going to get out of this alive. Dropping the S word is a serious statement, but for the first year it was a concurrent thought.
3 years on and life is good folks!
My tinnitus has stayed roughly the same for the past2 years and I can go weeks and weeks without thinking about it. I think I'm fairly lucky in the fact that attention to my tinnitus can decreased by a fan (although not completely masked) , although the first 6 months it was so debilitatingly loud couldn't sleep, study or concentrate. I would hear it over driving and in the shower and now I hardly hear it over a fan and TV in a quiet room,only if I put my attention to it! Over this journey there have been some awful spikes caused by things like, visiting loud bars, car horns, and fire alarms, but I try to remain calm and it usually settles down after 1-2 weeks.
My hyperacusis was so severe at the start that I couldn't have a normal conversation with people without my ears feel like they were being stabbed. Turning on light switches, running water, cutlery clanking, listening to music were all things that were unbearable. At the start I couldn't even mask my tinnitus as it would react and create aloud whistling noise in my ears. Fortunately the hyperacusis has reduced to a 1/10, sometimes clanking plates etc causes a stabbing sensation in my ear but normal sounds like the TV, people talking, passing cars etc do not cause any pain or sensation unless I am experiencing a spike where it will go up to a 3-4/10 for a week but nowhere near the 10/10 it was before. Hyperacusis is by far the worst part of this journey, but it seems to reduce n severity for the majority of people in the first 2 years if sound enrichment and avoiding loud places is adhered to.
I've returned to the normal activities I enjoyed before, working out 4-5 days a week, listening to music through speakers, socialising with friends, going to pubs & bars, eating out at restaurants etc. I've also picked up some new hobbies such as MMA and playing the electric guitar (with musicians earplugs and the amp on a very low volume and never going above the volume of a normal TV). I also went on holiday with my friends this year, where we spent the 3 nights in pubs and bars playing fairly loud music (with earplugs of course), and although I experienced a spike after it settled back down to baseline. Although some people on this forum would discourage some of these activates, with precautions in place I believe even one with tinnitus can enjoy them, just make sure you wear earplugs and take frequent breaks. Although I visit bars and pubs with music, I don't think I would ever step foot in a club again as the noise in there is astronomical and the risk far outweighs the reward.
The only thing I'm missing in comparison to pre tinnitus is going to clubs and listening to music through headphones, but I'm thankful for my progress over the years.
To anybody in the first stages of tinnitus who are scared and pessimistic - although it takes along time, along s you protect your ears it will get better. Even if the sound doesn't decrease, your reaction to the noise and the effect it has on your life will gradually decrease.
To the people who are struggling years on, I'm still praying for you guys.
Thanks.
Member
no idea what caused it to go or to come back!
