About to "Celebrate" My Tenth Tinnitus Anniversary

[Peter Bainbridge]

Ten years with Tinnitus. Happy anniversary you noisy freakin' ear condition that ruined my life and sleep. Meh, it's still good to be alive.

I really struggle with this, but not as much as the utter hell I endured in the first few months. Woke up one morning to the sound of cicadas and thought they were unusually loud. I asked my then wife if she heard them too because they were just not stopping even through the night. She said she heard nothing.

I immediately went into a desperate spiral and spent every waking hour researching the Internet, and making appointments with every witchdoctor or normal doctor I could fine. I was Christian at the time to so we got into some serious prayer and fasting. Surely Jesus would fix it all up soon.

I wasted time chasing the Tinnitus Dragon tail cure, but there was no magic bullet to set it right. There was the sleeping pill, Stilnox, which was a godsend, and I truly don't know if I'd be alive with its ability to send me to sleep nearly 4000 times now.

I was a grumpy tinnitus sufferer and I did EVERYTHING the wrong and long way round. Years go by and the habituation process does its job, but when I'm tired, or sick... it jumps on me and... it's hell in here. It's hell right now in fact. I quite enjoy life for the family, the chocolate, and the superhero movies. I'll bear with it.

Catch me on Twitter @mothpete

 

[Jim]

Welcome Peter,
Your story sounds a lot like mine. I have only been in this for about 4 years though. My father has had it since he was 50. He is now 86. I too have to thank Stilnox/Ambien for getting me through. I have to take it most every night.

Woke up one morning to the sound of cicadas and thought they were unusually loud.

Sounds familiar, I was complaining to my son about the machine that was running for days and days up the street. He couldn't hear it. That's when I knew I had a problem.
Anyway, welcome aboard.
Jim

 

[Allevous]

Re: the poll.. I think especially my ringing is louder after napping and esp. right after waking up in the morning.

Someone explained this is normal and happens to many?

 

[Svein]

Hi Peter!
12 and a half years now. It was not a big thing at first, but after struggling for some years with re-education and getting a steady job in my new profession, plus cancer in 2002 and a heart attack in 2009 (and bills always coming in faster than money, and our son in Afghanistan, and..... well) it got gradually worse. After the heart attack it became a bit too much, due to medication or worrying or both, so now I've been 50% off work for six months.
But I still enjoy life a lot: Family, friends, music and walking. I've become quite a walking freak, and being basically a fat and lazy guy, I'm quite proud of that.
We'll bear with it indeed! We're tougher than the rest!