4 Months into Tinnitus

[DanAustin]

Hi All,

New to the forum but have been reading various posts since my problems first started back in October.

I kind of feel a bit of a fraud posting here as my tinnitus is nowhere near as bad as a lot of people's.

It started when I went clay pigeon shooting. I had spongey ear plugs in and didn't notice anything at the time but in the proceeding days I began to notice a slight noise in my ear as I was trying to get to sleep.

At first I thought it was a noise from my bedroom somewhere but it soon became clear that wasn't the case.

I only hear it when it's very quiet and it's not really loud, however the fact that it's there has caused me quite a bit of anxiety, resulting in me attending CBT therapy.

If I wake up in the middle of the night it tends not to be there which is strange. Similarly when I wake up first thing in the morning. I also notice a fullness in my right ear and first thing in the morning it is a bit sensitive to noise. For example if a light switch is flicked I can feel the vibration slightly in my ear.

In fact the anxiety is worse than the noise itself. I keep looking back and thinking if only I hadn't gone shooting none of this would have ever happened, which obviously makes my anxiety worse.

I know it's impossible to say, but is there a chance that it will go away?

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[john paul]

Like you say its impossible to say, and i know what you mean about the feeling of regret and the anxiety being worse than the actual noise. Mine continues to dim down and it sounds like its probably about the same level as yours. I think if you really dont ever go near any loud noise for the rest of your life there is a good chance that in a few years it will disappear altogether. I think the key is in protecting them now. Ive read it can take anything up to 2 years to go and in some instances it will go away completely after 1.5 years or less. Sometimes it can take longer nobody knows. Realise that your hearing is now compromised and you can't really stress your ears at all from now on, even things you might not consider to be loud. blenders, long car journeys, vacumb cleaners all these things have potential to aggravate your hearing. invest in ear plugs carry them everywhere, wear them in the street etc it will all help your chances of recovery i think. good luck and keep the faith.

 

[DanAustin]

The feeling of regret is definitely the worst thing about it all. The fact I could have permanent caused damage which could have been avoided torments me every day.

The noise I can now actually cope with. I only hear it in my bedroom when it's silent so It doesn't impact my everyday life, however when it first started I stressed myself out so much about it that it's made me ill.

The feelings of anxiety have taken over my life pretty much, hence the CBT therapy. Hopefully I can let go of this.

The fact that it's not there at certain times like when I wake up at night or first thing in the morning gives me hope that it will eventually fade away.

 

[john paul]

i totally understand man, its exactly the same for me. Im trying to make some positive out of it in what ever way i can. The worst part for me was having to isolate myself from everyone because i just couldn't relax around anyone. It helps to distract yourself but it just felt so draining when its constantly on your mind. I gave up to it because i just felt like i was setting myself up for more sadness when it was always still there when trying to ignore it by doing something. Your still new to it and there is a real good chance it will go away completely. After a while you just get over things emotionally. Time is a great healer.

 

[DanAustin]

I just keep telling myself that I'm not going to let a small noise ruin my life. I still have all the great things I had before. I just need to stop focusing on it and let it go. Easier said than done but I know things will improve.

Like you I'm just so drained having thought about it for pretty much every waking moment for the last 4 months. I'm annoyed for allowing myself to get in such a state about it. One of my friends has really bad tinnitus and he isn't like this about it so why am i.

You're right, time is a great healer.

 

[john paul]

The reason your friend is able to cope with it ok is probably because he is over the emotional aspect of it. Which again is the great thing about time. The other thing is that i believe that the intensity of what your hearing if you can allow your ears the rest they need will eventually fade into a noise that is not that sharp or intense. It might even be that those people who never recover from T are those who continue to live the life they think is not going to harm their ears during the recovery phase. Im lucky to be able to live a quiet life now but i know from experience if i think F it I'm going out what harm is it going to do, i suffer for it.

Ive actually had it for a while i think but it was always so mild and i was so unaware of it not being normal it was actually sort of soothing. I aggravated it to the point of making the pitch and intensity really horrible but over the past 2 months iv pretty much stayed home and its allowing it to fade away back to its base line again. I can totallly cope with the base line its just now i know its not meant to be that way thats going to be the problem. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

As much as it sucks i think you should realise that your ears need to rest in a big way and they will need a lot of time, maybe up to a year or 2. If you can do this it might be the thing that really makes the difference between acute and chronic T.

Im taking some magnesium, B complex tablets which are high in b12, Zinc and getting good sleep. Good Sleep seems to help a lot i always have a good day if i get decent sleep. Something is working i was able to sleep without masking last night for the first time in months but its probably a good idea to have something playing at night to distract your brain. I hope you feel better soon, T is one certainly up there in terms of life changers.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I know it's impossible to say, but is there a chance that it will go away?

Yes, there is a very good chance that your T will go away. I am basing it on the fact that your initial trauma must not have been as bad as that of many people here (based on how non-intrusive your T is). You seem to already be at a point where some of us end up after a year of healing. The fact that you have already been getting to hear silence again is also an amazingly good sign.
Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (27 tips) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past year.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...eone-else-who-has-tinnitus.26850/#post-307822

The first tip is a link to published research that looks at the fraction of people who experience spontaneous recovery. Another tip there talks about how there is still hope during the first two years following the onset of T.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The feeling of regret is definitely the worst thing about it all.

I had that feeling for a long time. It was intense and bad. However, just like a joke eventually stops being funny, the memory of what I did to cause my T is no longer causing an emotional reaction for me...

 

[DanAustin]

Appreciate the responses guys. It's great to know I'm not alone on this journey.

I'm not putting my ears at any unnecessary risk now. I don't go clubbing or listen to loud music or anything like. I am around noise at work but wear ear plugs to protect myself.

I can sleep without masking so my Tinitus is not even on the same scale as some people's, which like I say makes me feel a fraud for coming on here to talk about it.

Thanks Bill, I'll check out those tips. The fact I have been getting to hear silence is encouraging but to be honest it's been like this from the beginning and has not really changed since.