Any Christians with Tinnitus on This Board?

#32
Karl_von said:
HI. I'm a Christian who has tinnitus. My T is associated with the onset of Diabetes type 2. There has been some research that proves heightened sugar levels (and ineffective insulin) causes tinnitus, and my experience has corroborated that. However, there are other factors as well. Stimulants such as caffeine, alchohol, sweeteners (especially aspartame, erithrotol and sucralose) exacerbate the T. Only Stevia is Ok. Other factors that exacerbate the T due to congestion include too many dairy products and nuts. But, that's just me. I follow a HFLC diet and it helps. But, T, as you know, never really goes away. We simply have to manage it. I have found that fretting over it makes it worse.
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I'm with you on the Equal and Splenda. Those are major no-nos for me, and I avoid them like the plague.
 
#33
Wojtek Kalka said:
Antichristian :) .. actually anti all religions ... but met some lovely people travelling the world from any religion, still religion is the reason for 80% of shit going on this planet imho ...
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Forgive me, but my whole reason for asking if there were Christians on this board was so that I could get support from a Christian viewpoint. You saw my thread title. If you're not a Christian, then why post on my thread that you're not and that you blame religion for the "s#it" going on in the world. Your post doesn't really help me. I don't want to spend time wading through posts of people who are atheists, don't like 'religion' or blame religion for their troubles or the evil in this world. When I joined here, I was serious about sharing my issues and wanted spiritual support as well. One of the reasons I've not been on posting boards before is because of this kind of thing. I'm not interested in debate about Christianity. I'm clear on where "I" stand on it, and that's where I'm coming from in my posts. Other Christians understand that. It's a given. If you have something that you're doing to help your tinnitus that works and want to share it on this thread, then that's great. If you want to get in a debate regarding religion, perhaps you could find another thread. I'm super vulnerable and fragile right now, and I really would rather not have to justify why I am a Christian and why I want to live my life under the gentle, but powerful leadership and care of Almighty God. Jesus is my friend and savior, and whether someone agrees with that or not is not the issue of my original. Tinnitus is the issue.
 
#35
Dr. Hobbs...when you have a moment, can you shoot me some names of some physicians down here that you feel might be of benefit to me? I was grateful for your post last week about that. Thanks!
 
#41
I read this quote a couple months ago and I saved it to remind myself.

"We often assume God's presence will fix all our problems, but sometimes God's presence is all about fixing your perspective to give you a new way to see your problems." Pastor Steven Furtick
 
#44
Dear @Wojtek Kalka .... With the greatest of respect, it strikes me that you are displaying an extremely destructive spirit, which strives to put down anything that doesn't link in with your point of view, by naming any other opposing views as a 'religion'.

Can you not see, that your global view of 'religion' also happens to be a religion?.... but one which is extremely intollerant of others, who wish to do you no harm.

I can discern quite clearly, that you have not joined these postings in order to contribute to the initial request of TiredOfT, which was 'seeking support on a spiritual level' from Christians.

What is so blatantly obvious to me, is that you cannot see the essential core of what you are propogating ... which is anger and intollerance, when you say that: 'Religion has to be fought everywhere.'

Have you at some point in your life been hurt in some way by so called 'religious' people or cults? .... If so, then we would be only too happy to help. But if you don't wish to take that route, then please start your own postings, because our major concern here is to support sufferers of T, in whatever way we can, as believers in our Saviour, Christ Jesus!

(P.S. Just out of interest regarding your web-link, I could name you literally hundreds if not thousands of disputes, battles, skirmishes, conflicts and wars that originated essentially out man's fallen greed, rather than 'religion', as you suggest.)

 
#45
Not going into that discussion, it is not anger and intolerance, it is the somehow still hopeless attempt to stop this nightmare to do more harm to humanity that it already did ... :) which is constructive not destructive ... a pope telling poor people not to use condoms .. that is destructive .. and killing probably millions
 
#46
PMc said:
Can you not see, that your global view of 'religion' also happens to be a religion?....
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Religion is anything that requires faith. It seems to me that when people stop using their logic and begin relying on faith, bad things are bound to happen. Having said this, the purpose of this thread is clearly to allow Christians to socialize. It should not be hijacked by people making posts that are offensive to Christians. With all due respect, nobody asked for your (or my) opinion on Christianity and religion in general, @Wojtek Kalka .
 
#48
I wanted to tell you something about your Valium usage which you probably already know but just in case you don't: if you take Valium every day it will soon stop working and the only way to get the same effect is to increase the dosage. Like most addicting drugs it goes into a downward spiral of increased dosage to get same effect.




The good news is you can use Valium to help but you cannot take it every day. You have to think of it as a tool that can be used once in a while when you really need it. If you only take it once in a while you do not have to increase the dosage for the same effect. One simple rule to follow is never take it two days in a row. Another simple rule might be give yourself time to dry out once in a while, in other words, week or two without taking it. Meanwhile, only take it two or three times a week at most. Ask yourself this question"do I want Valium to stop working?" If your answer is no then you have to stop taking it every day. Use it, don't let it use you.
 
#49
I'm a Christian too but belief doesn't help solve the problem of how to cure T. To find a cure we must first know what causes it at the microscopic scale. For a reasonable complete answer to the question of what causes T please refer to the following:-
The Pathophysiological Mechanism of Tinnitus. Jae Ho Chung and Seung Hwan. Lee Hamyang Medical Review 2016:36:81-85. This is in English and gives good references. It isn't very technical. You can also find other good reports under "Mechanisms of Tinnitus" on the net. The modern view about causes of T is that they start in the brain. It often follows physical damage to the inner ear and then becomes logically similar to the "phantom limb" pain experienced by amputees. If the stump is anaesthetised and the pain continues then it isn't caused by the nerves in the leg near the end of the stump. It's thought to be similar in T. What God needs to do is help us find a drug that will inhibit the T signals in the brain without affecting other channels adversely. Pray that He will do this.
 
#50
Wojek.. I hope you will re-consider your pat statement about "religion". Please hear (no pun intended ..tinnitus and all that) me out.

Joseph Stalin murdered untold millions...many more that Hitler..who murdered uncountable millions himself...and the Red Chinese (Mao) and the Kahmer Rouge, etc. have killed hundreds of millions of people in the name of godlessness.

There have been religious wars..but nothing to compare to the secular wars of the worst of the worst.

Today, Christians (not "religion"..."religion" is a human invention. Christianity is a personal belief that Christ is Lord and a determination to live as He demonstrated...some don't the sincere ones do") are doing the following...

Paying for and administering hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, food banks, Operation Christmas Child, hungry shelters, building schools, drilling water wells, sending agricultural specialists to third world countries to teach people how to grow food, literally hundreds of medical teams going all over the third world every week, deploying hospital ships (Operation Mobilization), and on and on and on in uncountable acts of love and kindness.

This is all done with money that Christians give and with sacrificed vacations and even lives.

Caring for others..and especially the poor, the weak and the helpless.

Without their work and sacrifice, who would do all of this?

Christians do more good and get less credit than is imaginable.

The work they do is valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars yearly.

So while I may agree with you that Christian's aren't perfect..I can't agree with you that they are "religious", because religion is man's awkward attempt at piety. Christians believe God is gracious and reaches out to us in our unrighteousness
If I could say two things to a non-believer today it would be these

If you don't believe, that's your business, but please don't disparage those that do.
and this..

Everyone has heard John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that the World through Him might be saved"...but most have never read the words that follow that telling statement...please do.

Even as (I hope) you have read this, children in third world countries, and even in the US, have benefited and even lived because of the work of people who "love other's as the love themselves"...Christians.
 
#51
Hi I'm a believer in Jesus, so I'm a Christian. Have been since 6years old.
Think my mastoid infections at 2 years did do some damage. Always get car sick. And always had this buzz. Not always bad.. but annoying.

Jesus' prayer warrior here.
 
#52
fishbone said:
After I posted my post here, the board shows me no love anymore...That's ok

I use to get tons of likes and agrees on my post and after claiming that I live for God and my martial arts and my 3 little dogs, no more love...that's fine....

Do remember that I come here to help people that suffer, if I am not appreciated here, then i won't bother helping anymore.....
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I'm sorry that is your experience @fishbone . I have found your posts helpful and supportive, and as one who would probably be labeled an atheist, I am saddened that you have felt a decline in the "love" shown to you here and that it may be attributed to the declaration of your faith.

PaulBe said:
You also have the deepest fraternal sympathy of, and support from, the many atheists here @TiredOfT
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I agree with @PaulBe and I want to second that thought. While I do not agree with the religious views posted here, that does not prevent me from feeling sympathy or wishing to offer support to a fellow human being who is suffering.

TiredOfT said:
So, here I am...discouraged, disappointed, not sure what is really going on with my body, and have very little hope of ever doing much more than being a lump at home.
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Tinnitus is frustrating. It leads to depression in many people, which can lead to a withdrawal from your normal life.

TiredOfT said:
and what frustrates me even more is that I want so much to be Christ-like, and make a difference
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Sharing your story is making a difference. You have received a number of "likes" and "hugs". Those indicate that your story has affected people, and in a positive way. Your words probably already have been inspirational to your fellow christians suffering from tinnitus, either by showing how you manage to retain your faith during great adversity, showing others that they are not the only ones suffering and trying to understand why their god would allow tinnitus to afflict them, or even just by still striving to be Christ-like and not placing that on the "back burner" because you are too busy trying to handle your tinnitus.

I am not a religious man (for the record, I was born and raised Catholic, and during catachism seriously contemplated entering the priesthood), and even I can see that you are being true to your faith. And that is inspirational to even the non-religious amongst us.

I wish you well, and hope that you find what you need here; advice for coping with tinnitus, emotional support; and the spiritual support you seek. Although I do not pray, I will keep you in my thoughts (I know it is not the same, but it is the best I can offer).


**I apologize if I messed up any capitalizations on certain words, I mean no disrespect, but I am never sure the correct instance to capitalize "God", or even if "Christian" is supposed to be capitalized mid sentence.
 
#53
Kolisar said:
I'm sorry that is your experience @fishbone . I have found your posts helpful and supportive, and as one who would probably be labeled an atheist, I am saddened that you have felt a decline in the "love" shown to you here and that it may be attributed to the declaration of your faith.
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This was an old post. This board appreciates me and i truly appreciate this board and want to help as many people..as possible :)
 
#54
fishbone said:
This was an old post. This board appreciates me and i truly appreciate this board and want to help as many people..as possible
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I probably should look at the dates before I quote and respond. Well, I'm happy that you no longer feel how you did int eh post I quoted. And, you are correct, this board does appreciate you (I certainly do), and I am grateful that you take the time to help others.
 
#55
Hello again. Just thought I'd pop in and update my situation. It's been a while since I've been able to be in front of the computer and do much on it.

I've read the responses to my posts and I have appreciated so many. Thank you, everyone. I had a few good months after I made my original post, and then all heck broke loose in September again. Things are just like they were at the beginning of last year (2017), and I am still feeling exactly as I did when I originally posted, on all levels. Unfortunately, after having had a few decent months last year in the Spring, I've been fighting with issues that have kept me sick and housebound again. In mid-September, I started having the exact same symptoms and issues as I did in the beginning of last year. I had 4 difficult months, then 4 decent months, then 4 difficult months. I'm beginning to think that some of this is really and truly my trying to taper off Valium. I've gone s-u-p-e-r slow on tapering, and spent a few months at the same dose to stabilize, but I tried to start tapering again in January. I actually used a nail file to just shave a little off my dose every week, but I'm thinking I might just be stuck at 4 mgs. a day. I went to the benzobuddies.org site for a while too, but there are some 'interesting' people over there, and it got to be just a tad too much. Since my main issue is the tinnitus, I figured this is where I should be.

As far as my spiritual life, I've decided that churches are not equipped to handle people with chronic illnesses and simply don't know what to do with them. I continue to pray and ask God to guide and direct me, but just when I start to think I might be on the right track, it feels like the rug gets pulled out from underneath me again. I know that God wants me to know His will, and he's not 'teasing' me, but it sure is quiet 'up there'.

I'm tired, worn out, and beat down to my socks. If I could just sleep and get some rest, I know a lot of this would be in better perspective...but nothing helps...meds, noise maskers, hearing aids, etc. I've had so many tests and so many meds...I'm thinking of chucking the whole kit and kaboodle and just suffering through whatever this is without any medical help, because the cost is getting too high and I'm feeling more dejected when I try something that only makes things worse or doesn't help at all. That's probably not the best approach, but I'm out of answers.

If anyone here is going through Valium tapering, I'd love to hear what's working for you.

Nice to see all of you again...
 
#56
Why would god make us suffer. I have been religious for my whole life, now I just don't feel like believing. Why would god make us suffer, i even got my T from a place that should have not made T.
 
#57
My heart goes out to you @Apocalypse77 ... I wish I could sit alongside you and have a long chat with you, because what you say in your last post needs to be taken very seriously indeed ... Why would God make us suffer?

I say that as a totally committed Christian, knowing beyond any shadow of doubt that Christ is my precious Saviour ... but I think that in order to give your question the honesty that it deserves, then I need to be straight with you and say that there are times when I ask myself that very same question, too! .... In fact, I would be very surprised if any dedicated Christian has not, at one time or another, asked themselves that question too. It's very similar to a thought that can pass through our mind also: Why has God let me down?

And this is where I would love to share with you the personal struggles of so many characters in the Scriptures who felt the same way as you do, for a time, after having to endure such harsh times of suffering that challenged their thoughts about God's character .... People like Moses, Job, David, Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, ... and that's just a few amongst the many even in the Old Testament. ... and the New Testament showcases many more, ... including even the disciples, themselves!

But, I think that your question is heard and echoed in the words of Habakkuk, when he complains to God about the unfairness that he sees all around him, and how it seems that God is not coming to his aid. God then answers Habakkuk's complaint and tells him that all will be revealed on the very last day, as to why God has done things that sometimes seem unfair to those who believe in him. (That thread is taken up in the Book of Revelation) ... but God asks us to have faith, even though it might seem like he doesn't care for us, because faith is how God will judge us.............. and after hearing all this, Habakkuk then shows his faith by saying: 'Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olives fails and the fields yield no food; .... yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength....'

So keep your faith alive in Christ, and the promise is that all what we do not understand right now, even though it seems so unfair and even unloving at times, your are still in his care, ... you are still very precious, and you will see, one day, why all this makes sense.

Blessings to you for your honesty... and I will pray for your T that you are presently suffering, as we all are.

Paul



 
#59
I am Christian but even in the hardest of times I ask "why God?". It's not a lack of faith more so in me emotional mind speaking more than my logical mind.
 
#60
TiredOfT said:
Thank you so much, everybody. I appreciate the rope to hang onto right now. I wonder sometimes if it would be better made into a noose, but that won't solve anything. My apologies in advance if this post ends up being long...I'm just going to start writing and see what comes out...

I remember at the beginning of this year, my husband and I sat down and prayed and really asked God to give us peace and direction. Last year was very rough for us on a lot of levels. Not our marriage - thank God - but just things happening to us and outside factors that were (and are always!) beyond our control. Actually, the last few years have been rough. I had some pre-cancerous gynecological issues and had to have surgery 4 years ago. I recovered very well from the surgery, but because of the issues with the Lupus, I could not take replacement hormones to help with hot flashes, etc. I've been on a low dose of Valium for many years, to try to keep the vertigo from Meniere's Disease at bay, but sometimes it would not work, and at the suggestion of my ENT, I started tapering off of it, very slowly. He felt that the Valium would work better for me when I had the Meniere's 'flares' if I wasn't taking it on a regular basis. So I began that, and am thankful that I haven't had any breakthrough withdrawal symptoms. I've been tapering 1/2 a mg per month, and so far, so good. I'm down to 4-1/2 mgs per day...so now I'm '2 for 2'...no complications from a very successful surgery, and no breakthrough withdrawal symptoms from tapering off the Valium...so far, so good...but wait...it doesn't last too long.

Over the last few years, I began having difficulty with sounds and being in certain situations. I've always been somewhat aurally sensitive since the Meniere's started many years ago, but it's gotten much worse in the last 5 years. Going to the Special Olympics bowling tournaments to see my son bowl would trigger problems for me, or going to the grocery store, or being in a loud room. It was as if my brain couldn't process a lot of sensory imput. Sounds hurt my ears, and even felt like they reverberated in my face. Weird... I had to quit working in medicine, which I dearly love, after 30 years. I couldn't play my piano, or guitar, or drums. I couldn't sing. I couldn't play in my little home music studio. People at church didn't understand, and people I thought were my friends began dropping out of my life, one by one. All the things that I enjoyed became nearly impossible to do. Very quickly, it seemed like I was a 'walking seizure'...I don't know any other way to put it. My rheumatologist decided that she wanted to try me on Methotrexate (a low-dose chemotherapy) to try to settle my immune system down. My SED rate was high (a factor in determining inflammation in the body). I was one of the few that got quite sick on the Metho. I had to stop it and go back on Prednisone. Nothing helped me feel better on any level. My doctor thought perhaps I had an acoustic neuroma, so off to the MRI facility I went. The MRI showed a pineal gland cyst, which is a benign condition (although it is weird to think that I have a cyst in my brain. My husband now affectionately calls me 'pea brain'). The MRI did not show anything else that was significant, except for some TMJ damage, which I'd already known about. I have an amazing dentist, and he's worked very hard with me to try to fix this, but we can only try to stop additional damage, and surgery is not an option for the problem that I have with the TMJ. I then saw a neurologist, at the request of my rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with vestibular migraines. I've had migraines since my 20s, but these migraines were starting to be different. I had all the symptoms, so we added another diagnosis to my ever-growing list. I started to feel like I was a professional patient. I had CT scans, more MRIs, blood tests, consultations with new-and-improved doctors (who, by the way, never seemed to be able to agree with each other about what was 'wrong' with me).

After a very difficult extended family Christmas last year, my husband and I decided that we were going to make some changes. In January, we started having worship at home, praying more, and really feeling some hope that by doing this, God would make himself known to us, and we would learn to love Him even more...even in just the little things, like the flowers that bloom outside, or watching some old movie that would make us laugh until our sides ached. We wanted to slow down and appreciate the little stuff and really make time to listen to the Holy Spirit instead of just getting through each day, and not be so focused on all the difficulties around us. Unfortunately, on January 21, all you-know-what broke loose, and I started feeling worse than I ever had in my life. I started having severe vertigo, nystagmus (I could not control my eyes!), and as we like to say in my house, 'two exits, no waiting' (tummy!) As I've had vertigo off and on for many years, I thought that perhaps the Meniere's was just flaring up, but this was different. Over the last 5 years, I've slowly lost about half the hearing in my right ear, and started having constant tinnitus in that ear as well. I started wearing a hearing aid in 2015. Since I had been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease many years ago, so I thought perhaps after it reared its ugly head, it would settle back down after a while. But days and days went by, and I couldn't leave the house. My mom had to come be with me every day so I wasn't alone while my husband went to work. I finally resigned myself to the fact that my life was not going to be the same. I couldn't walk straight. I had to crawl to the bathroom. My husband got me a 'life alert' type of subscription so that I could push a button and get some help if I had to be alone. The Valium didn't help. Meclizine didn't help. I lost some weight. My poor son didn't know what to make of all this, and I know that both he and my husband were scared. I'd never been this bad before. I had to sleep sitting up in a recliner. This went on until May of this year. Finally, I am at a place where things are more chronic rather than acute, but I am not really able to go anywhere or do anything by myself. I have a few days where I feel like maybe I'm heading back to what's 'normal' for me, but then it comes crashing down again.

So, here I am...discouraged, disappointed, not sure what is really going on with my body, and have very little hope of ever doing much more than being a lump at home. I have too many overlapping, convoluted health issues to try to pick apart what's contributing to what, so to speak. I've always been one of those folks who thought, "if I just knew 'why' this was happening, I could deal with it a lot better". Unfortunately, God doesn't always choose to show 'why' in our time, and this frustrates me no end. I have never been good at 'be still and know that I am God'. That's one of the reasons my husband and I wanted to make a change at the beginning of this year...we just wanted to be 'more still'...and what frustrates me even more is that I want so much to be Christ-like, and make a difference...even if it's just for my little family. I don't need glory, I don't need to be on stage leading worship, I don't need to be 'out there' and showy to feel like I'm making a difference...if I do nothing more for the rest of my life but pray for people every day, then that's okay...but I can't even do that...it's too difficult to organize thoughts and to bring them to God...but it's really discouraging that I can't seem to find the rest I need (chronic sleep deprivation with the tinnitus and the Lupus/Fibro symptoms). I'm trying white noise machines, fans, etc...but every day I wake up in the wee hours of the night...and it's dark, and I feel a twinge of sadness knowing that I could actually sleep a few more hours, if my body weren't so 'loud'. I just know that if I could get some sleep, I'd feel better to some degree. But the months and months of no real, refreshing sleep has left me cranky, angry, unsure, feeling unsafe, and not able to enjoy much of anything anymore. I went to the market with my mom yesterday, and a man yelled at me because he didn't like the way I pushed my cart past him. Really? Is this what it's like to be out there now? I can't even venture out anymore without someone telling me I have an attitude in the way I push my cart?

I don't understand why God is allowing sleep to allude me. Surely, if I follow the physical requirements of the body, I'd feel better, no? How can my thoughts be Christ-like, if I can't sleep and can't think. If I had some rest, and my body could recharge a bit every day, I know this wouldn't be so spiritually hard on me either. I have to be responsible for what comes out of my mouth, but it's so very hard when my body is angry that it gets no real rest. No rest means louder tinnitus...and more Lupus/Fibro symptoms. There are days I feel as though I've been beaten with a baseball bat...and that's before I get out of bed in the mornings.

My apologies that this has become a novel, but there you have it...meds don't help, meds that 'do' help create difficult or dangerous side effects, counseling doesn't help....this tinnitus monster noise breaks through any 'forced' sleep. I have pressure in my face and my head. The noise is everywhere. Nothing stops it. Oh, it quiets down once in a while, and I can feel my body relax a bit and take advantage of that...but tinnitus is always lurking around the corner, chasing me and making me feel jealous of people who can just walk through their day without fear of falling, getting dizzy, struggling with sensory overload, and being sensitive to noise. I have a pharmacy full of meds in my hall closet that do nothing for me. Maybe I can make a deal with Walgreens to buy back some of the meds...(jk).

If you're still reading this long post, and haven't been overwhelmed yourself by all the information, I must say 'thank you' very much...it is somewhat comforting to know that there are others out there who understand...

So, all that being said...God is still on His throne, and I am still his child...but I feel more like a lab rat in a maze than a daughter of the king these days...

Bless all of you...
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Hello... I know I'm a couple of years late. Just found your thread and read your story..
I don't really know what to say more than I'll pray for you and I hope things are a bit better these days...

I can't even imagine what you have gone, and going through in life.

Me too am a Believer and struck with tinnitus, 2 different tones, one in each ear / in head. Still trying to learn to cope with it.

God bless you!!!

/C
 

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