A Silver Lining

[Davidmx1]

So I've had mild tinnitus for about four months now due to multiple noise induced factors... guns, powertools, loud music. I just wanted to say how my mild tinnitus actually improved my health and lifestyle. Before I had tinnitus I was always kind of depressed and wouldn't do much but be in the house all day.

After tinnitus I started to decline a lot, obsessing about it and constantly googling stuff and being really really depressed. I always realized though when im outside of the house I don't hear it.

My tinnitus is weird, it is almost like locationally dependent, in my bedroom its the worst, in my house its just annoying, but outside I don't hear it really, even if it's quieter than in my house. So at a point I realized I couldn't keep up my old lifestyle because with tinnitus on top of that I would become suicidal. I forced myself to get out of the house every chance I can now, I've gotten back into skateboarding, started taking up boxing, running, going to movies, volunteering, anything really.

At first I was doing all this stuff to escape tinnitus, but soon just became used to an active lifestyle and forgot about it.

It doesn't bother me at all anymore not even at home. I guess i just have other stuff I'm thinking about now.

Also drinking a lot of water seemed to help lower it or make it less headache inducing, I was mostly hydrated on coffee and beer before.

 

[Bill Bauer]

it is almost like locationally dependent

Same here! Places where I am bothered by T the most (my bedroom and my office), are the places where T is the loudest.

 

[GregK9]

enclosed spaces, especially if quiet, can allow you to hear your "T" more, whereas outside there is a lot more background noise for your ears to retune in to....have you tried some low volume music, or opening a window in these rooms to allow outside noise in for example?

 

[Bill Bauer]

I think my kitchen is as quiet as my bedroom. Having said this, thank you for your suggestion - I will experiment with opening the windows.

 

[light rain]

If you keep busy I think it is a helpful distraction. I adapted before but this current loud noise in one ear has been trying. One of my escapes right now is putting the fan on in the bathroom just to think. That noise seems to to cancel it out but for some reason sound masking machines or actual fans are annoying.
I'm hiking and painting and even disc golfing when I can. It helps with the CFS too. I spent a lot of time focusing on being tired or in pain. Then I figured if you are anyway might as well try and do something. It does help.

 

[Bobby B]

There are a few good apps on smartphones that will give the very high frequncies sound that your brain is longing for and quiet the T so you can still stay home and drink beer if you want ... myNoise is one where the crickets or chimes sound work well for firearms induced high frequncies hearing loss and resulting T.