Anyone Else Noticed That Their Tinnitus Suffering Has Actually Enhanced the Lives of Others?

I made a slightly dark joke whilst drunk that was removed for being inappropriate. It basically touted inflicting simulated tinnitus on depressives as a cure. A glimpse in to true permanent suffering to effectively rid one of a curable malaise of the spirit. A grass is greener effect. I do think this has genuine grounds for research. But on reflection I have realised the point I was trying to make is as follows.....

I've noticed particularly in regards to my older brother that my tinnitus has given him a significant boost in terms of happiness and taking care of his health. He obviously 'pities' me but my observation is that as my spirit, health and soul succumb to this dreadful affliction, his life by comparison now suddenly seems so much better. The sheer relief that it's not him and i was the one that got tinnitus has given him a new lease of life. Similarly my best friend seems to be perkier to say the least and although again 'pitying' me, his small woes now seem minuscule to say the least. I have effectively been like some sort of pick me up or tonic to them.

Sadly this makes me even more depressed. Not because I want them to be miserable but because it's hard to watch them being given this incredible life affirming boost by something that is dragging me to hell in a handcart.

 

@Bam ,
Life can be problematic and others could have problems people can not see and we have to make life better for ourselves and try not dwell on our problems and use protection when needed.
love glynis

 

I have one word: APPRECIATION. We take many things for granted in life (this is all of us). When we are aware that others could be suffering or are having it worst than we are...It can make us appreciate our lives and blessings way more. This can make people more humble and kinder to people & the world as well.

 

Fishbone you have bad hearing loss. Do you feel like your ears are stuffed all the time? I have mid-moderate hearing loss on my L ear and feel like my ear is stuffed up.

 

I always feel pressure in my ears. I use to be bothered by it, now it has become just another daily thing, that I don't think about. It's a mild pressure, But i feel it for sure.

PS-My ears have always been bad, even as a kid, so i grew up with bad ears...

 

Ok that makes sense. I have moderate hearing loss so no wonder why I have high tinnitus and this pressure.

 

There is no 100% relations between hearing loss and tinnitus. So many things can affect that ears and cause pressures and possibly tinnitus. Allergies is a HUGE culprit. I never had my ear pressures and head pressures till i got my first ever sinus infection/allergies in 2009. Now it's a part of life that I embrace and don't fight. I use to, but now its just another part of life that I accept and move forward with...

PS-Even with these jacked up ears, I'm gonna go and see star wars in 1 hour, very excited

 

That is nice of you. I wish I can go have fun. I have Severe Hyperacusis and it sucks.

 

I had severe Hyperacussis for 3-4 years before I knew what it was. I had that headache resolved and now I have brutal/intrusive tinnitus but no longer the hyperacusis.

 

How did it resolve?

 

it was close to 30 years ago, that I tried and had success with TRT. I careless who flames it or put it down. It saved my life and my ears from the horrible pain i use to have 24-7.

 

I dont have pain but I feel discomfort strange sensation when I talk, other people talk, or when objects clank. I had this since Jan 29, with severe tinnitus. I saw no improvement whasoever. I withdrew from all social activities and I cant even hold a job. Simple tasks like reading a book are very hard for me. I cant focus nor concentrate, and flipping the pages of the book causes discomfort to my ears.

 

As an example, at the end of our martial arts class...our teacher says that we need to clap for everyone's efforts. back in the days, there was no way I could be in a room with people clapping. Even If i was at the exit door and far away from the clapping. Now I have fellow classmates standing next to me clapping and it doesn't bother me.

The pain i use to get in these ears was brutal and thank good ness, I stuck with my plan to get rid of this issue. We may not 100% be able to always get rid of an issue, but if we stay with it, NOT FIGHT IT and actually be motivated/positive. Things can slowly get better, maybe not 100% but at least a little better

 

but I am so young to be suffering with this. I just graduated college last year and BAM, life pissed away completely. What the hell was the point of all that?

 

I got tinnitus in my teens. My life is the way it is right now, because I never gave up on what I wanted in my life. Nothing came easy for me, it has never been easy for me. But I do have the willpower/courage and I will never quit and will crush my obstacles...... I just think like this and take action to complete my objectives

Im off to the movies, be blessed....

 

@dpdx If i was you my friend i wouldn't dwell on the point of all of it. You're young, and in a way i pity you like hell for that but like Fishbone who was it sounds dealt a bum deal at a young age you have a better chance of adapting and accepting to this bull****.

I'm middle aged, set in my ways, and have basically had a blessed life that makes this even more of a bitter pill. My brain simply doesn't have the 'plasticity' to accept that my new life companion is a constant high pitch buzzing that requires me to sleep alone save for a ****ing sound machine next to my head and my first thought of every day will be whether or not i can resist killing myself.

Please don't think you'll be like me. By comparison to you I'm just old and grumpy. By the time you're my age you could be cured of this crap and you'll still be young enough to enjoy that isolated rock you live on in blissful silence. Whereas if i do live through this nightmare by the time the cure comes i won't even be able to take a crap without someone else wiping my ass.

 

@dpdx One other thing of note.....Not sure if this will work for you but i had a bit of hyperacusis when all this started. Dishes, knives in the drawer clattering, the vacuum cleaner where all 'painfully' loud. But do you know what? I was so pissed and irate about having insane T that i was damned if i was going to start changing my life to avoid stupid little noises on top of it. I've never been an anxious person in my life and i wasn't going to start now. So i just ignored it completely. I wear plugs to ride my motorbike now but other than that i just say f*** it. I don't give it a second thought. And do you know what the hyperacusis went away real quick. Zero change to T from noise and now no hyperacusis at all. All sounds are normal. To be honest i was so hellbent on killing myself that as a last hurrah with some friends i even got plastered and went to a nightclub with no ear plugs in month 4 or 5 of having T and was in there for about 5 hours with zero breaks and it was crazy loud. Again no change to T because i didnt give two f***s. In fact the only thing that made my T worse was the anxiety in the early days which literally doubled it and sent it across my brain to my other ear.

Don't get me wrong I'm now f***ing depressed as s**t but i'm not anxious at all. I'm beyond caring. I'm numb to the whole experience now. Just a thought but maybe everything sounds loud because you have a strong will to survive this - which is good - BUT it's making you an anxious mess whose giving every little sound way too much thought in case it hinders your chances of survival.

 

Well at leas you had the chance to make some nice memories. For me life ended too fast. ABout the cure..I dont know it can work or it might not. But one thing is for sure my life sucks now.

 

You will never know whether or not your T would have faded had you tried to protect your ears.

 

@dpdx i feel you bud. It's a horrible sh**ty thing to carry around with you.

@Bill Bauer I guess it is what it is my friend. I know you're a big noise avoider and hey probably no bad thing if you want to avoid being deaf. But interestingly my brother who has spent years around loud cars and motorbikes with no ear plugs cannot hear a bloody thing above 10,000khz and has to listen to the TV and stereo at practically full volume and yep you guessed it....zero ringing in his ears. And he's not alone. In fact in his extensive circle of people that have been exposed to loud racing cars for decades without protection not one person he has spoken to knows of anyone with tinnitus. Fact. And yet there's people on here that are so traumatised by tinnitus that they're freaking out about using a f****ing blender. I get it completely, this hell f***s your brain up and basically ensures the world becomes a terrifying place. But sadly there's way more to tinnitus than just protecting your ears.

 

Interestingly this observation about my brothers circle of friends/colleagues who are supposedly in the biggest 'noise' risk category for T and my own experience of not having ONE SINGLE friend with tinnitus leads me to strongly believe that despite being told millions of people have this - very few have it loud and constant 24/7. In that respect some of us are uniquely lucky.

 

The explanation for this paradox is that once you have T, you know that your ears have been compromised. For some people, relatively minor noises cause T to get louder. For others, these noises Might be what is preventing T from fading.

 

Protecting your ears might be the only thing that you can actually do to help promote healing.