A Hopeful Note

[Path Maker]

This morning I went to have a free hearing test with a local audiology clinic. They do this periodically so I decided to go and get the test. The test went fine; that's not my reason for posting.

In the intake interview, when discussing tinnitus with the bright, competent audiologist with nearly twenty years experience, some things she said made me want to post here. She's seen a lot of people in her career, and one thing she said was that the famous (or infamous) "once you have it for 3 or 6 months, you have it forever" statement is not true. She said she's seen plenty of folks over the years who have had it for longer, and still had it resolve.

Nothing new came up in the discussion - we both acknowledged that tinnitus has so many manifestations, from deaf people only being able to hear the inner ringing, to people getting it everywhere from mild to severe, to a woman who had it rather severely and then it lessened dramatically when she got hearing aids, to lots of other stuff.

But she did specifically say that she has seen many people struggle with it for longer than six months only to have it ultimately resolve. And we didn't delve into it further, but one thing she repeated, again and again, in a forthright way, is that staying positive and calming the nervous system are very good things to do.

 

[Jomo]

nice to hear that...this condition would be ok to deal with if it didnt constantly change...im hoping down the road i can say i barely here it at night.

 

[Starthrower]

It is nice to have a positive appointment! She sounds like a very good audiologist.

We don't often hear about the positive stories because most of us leave this behind and carry on with life.

Some people write about all the negativity here....well yeah, but sometimes people need to just get the words out. And the negative has so much more weight in all aspects of life for some reason. Some people who are suffering just need to be heard.

But like your audiologist said "staying positive and calming the nervous system are very good things to do."

I remember way back then thinking a lot of cuss words that I wanted to spew out.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Path Maker
I totally agree with what your Audiologist said. Positivity is the key to overcoming tinnitus and not allowing it to rule your life or to prevent you from living it to the full. However, it is true tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. Although your Audiologist never said, I wouldn't be surprised if you asked, she told you, she has tinnitus. Many Audiologists and Hearing Therapists that treat tinnitus patients, were either born with the condition (as my hearing therapist was) or had it at some time in their life. She sounds a very understanding person, and I don't think this came from training alone.

I truly believe that Positivity is the way forward for anyone that has intrusive tinnitus but this doesn't happen overnight. It is for this reason I wrote the post below, titled Positivity and tinnitus, in the hope it may help some people look at their life differently.
Michael

Positivity And Tinnitus

For some people prolonged intrusive tinnitus can be very stressful and at times debilitating. This can sometimes lead to depression and a person may need to go on a course of antidepressants. I have often been asked in tinnitus forums and via email "It is great if you're able to be positive, but simply telling someone to be more positive about tinnitus isn't going to change anything". I want to clarify here and now, that isn't what I mean.

Thinking more positive about tinnitus and bringing positivity into your life takes time it isn't achieved overnight or by simply thinking to yourself "I must be positive about my life".

If a person wants to improve the quality of their life they have to be prepared to try and help themselves, because there is no wonder drug or operation that can cure tinnitus at this time. Unless a person faces these facts they will forever be trawling the Internet going from forum to forum complaining why there is no treatment for tinnitus when actually many of these people want a complete cure.

I once read a newspaper article that mentioned: nineteen out of twenty medical conditions cannot be cured. Someone once told me "I don't want to be positive about tinnitus, I hate it. Being positive wont make it go away". This is true, however, thinking more positive and bringing positivity into your life will reduce the perception on how you relate to tinnitus. CBT and TRT are based on having a positive attitude, without that these treatments aren't effective.

Long before CBT, TRT and the Internet came on the scene Doctors have been telling tinnitus patients, there's no cure you'll have to learn to live with it. Most of us know this is easier said than done.

So how does one start to think more positive about their tinnitus and to bring positivity into their life?

The fact that someone with tinnitus is reading this page suggests to me their tinnitus for today at least isn't so intrusive that they are unable to function, for that I'm pleased because this is something positive, instead of lying in bed on medication doing nothing. If you are able to work that's even better as your tinnitus isn't so severe you're incapacitated. I see this as something positive in a person's life. Being able to earn a living and support yourself. Therefore, you're able to do all the daily tasks one needs to survive in this world. You may have some difficulty granted, but you're still achieving and that's progress.

It is still better than someone that is visually impaired or severely disabled and unable to earn a living. Or, people with severe tinnitus that are depressed and on medication and unable to work. So by looking at our own circumstances and seeing what we're able to do and achieve we can think more positively about ourselves. There is nothing more satisfying than being independent and I suggest you hold onto those thoughts.

If you live by yourself consider getting a cat or a dog so your home environment won't feel so lonely. If you have a partner and family think about spending some quality time with them, as this can help reinforce your sense of belonging, and the love that binds you together, then your T won't make you feel so isolated. Sometimes opening up sharing your thoughts and how you feel can help immensely and keep negativity at bay.

I have just given a synopsis of what I believe can help a person's quality of life improve with positive thinking. It doesn't happen overnight but a lot can be achieved when one is prepared to try. By moving forwards and taking one day at a time you can occasionally look back and see how far you have come.

Michael

 

[SilverSpiral]

I hope mine will still resolve after 6.5mnths. My hearing in both ears beyond tinnitus is not normal, and I would love even more for that to resolve. This is all despite a "normal" audiogram.

 

[coffee_girl]

My dear friend has tinnitus for 2 years until it stopped suddenly so yes it can stop randomly.