Hello Jemina
I too am new to tinnitus, just over a month in. I am glad you found this forum as it gave me the hope and the support I needed from a lot of different people who are united by one element, tinnitus. From what I have read and experienced, the first couple of months are very stressful. You find yourself asking what is this, why me, what is next. As I am new to the world of T. I can only give you insight into the stuff I had to learn right at the start. There are others on this forum who can, and already have such as Glynis or DPDX and others who have shared their knowledge about hearing and tinnitus. Mine can get so loud I hear it over a car engine on the highway, I hear it when I wake up. What gets me through it is the support and wisdom I have received on this forum telling me, after patiently listening to me, as to what was happening to me and what to expect. For me it was that I had some hopeful signs. So far, their advice has been pretty good, and what I needed.
My ENT had faint interest in my case, tinnitus, nothing to do here, goodbye. It was the first time I have ever felt like a piece of meat with a number and my name was next. However, for me and others, I found that my audiologist came through big time. She was the first to check my hearing. I have since purchased moulded ear plugs from her operation, and she is always open to answering some questions. Have you seen one yet?
I also would like you to realize something that I think is very important. YOU ARE NOT WEAK. You are human, and this is a huge and tramatic change to one's life. It comes out of nowhere and leaves you breathless. It is hard to catch your breadth let alone your bearings. You are allowed to be this upset, and it is better that you share how you feel with people who can understand what you are going through. No one should have to, and no one wants to be living in the World of T., as I call it. But here we find each other, and here is where we support each other if not with medical advice, with support, understanding and compassion. We do this because this is what humans need, and you are human. You are not weak, you are human, and everyone on this site is here to support you.
One thing that I have found that has helped me, as I sit here with a very angry right ear (I went past a store and the alarm went off directly into my ear by a customer who just happened to put something near the front, she wasn't even leaving, and yup 10 sec. later up goes my ear - fortuantely it went down in volume, and then back up) is the thought of hope that down the line it will heal. My T. fluctuates, so there is hope. I have read, and if you haven't I would strongly recommend it, the success stories section and thought 'that can be me'. It does give you hope, and you can start to see that it takes time to heal, and that other people were like you, and it got better for them, so to for you. Hope is a good thing, especially as we start down this road. We are both still in early days, so as hard as it is, try not to see all the darkness, but a light down the road.
It is important, and much easier to say than do, learn to focus your attention from the screeming in your ear. Have you tried meditation? I know that seems like an oxymoron, do something that is quiet when this is so loud. But start with small steps, work with someone who knows how to meditate. Meditation is a way to control the focus of your mind, something that is very important right now. It is just something to think about. From what I have learned in a number of cases it does get better, but that is where others can share their greater wisdon on this. As I said I am new myself so I focus on the importance of support and hope at this important entry time to the world of T. as I call it. Coffee Girl, Bill B., Fishbone, Micheal L., Glnyis, Greg among others who have a lot of good ideas, and more experience than I do.
Best of luck, my support and compassion for you is always there for you. I hope this helps.
John CC
Member
.
