Coming Into New Awareness
- Thread starter PortalNaut
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@linearb I appreciate the reflection on my post. T really forces us to change our views, our conceptions of the preferable life and what we desire in life, or as you point out what to detach from. I know generally that Buddhism holds that desire is (or leads to) suffering, but it seems to me we can suffer without desiring too. I'd like to point out from my Biblical studies a different slant on suffering read in the Bible. Whereas most people read suffering as a bad event, the Greek word mainly means "to undergo"." And while most contexts do seem imply something negative, like suffering a wound, sicknesses etc, that other meaning "to undergo" really gets me thinking. I mean, I would want to "suffer" (undergo) being handed a million dollar check. 
I had my annual physical and spoke to my doc about the T, which I had also done the prior year, and he said it takes a while to get used to. And I had to pick my jaw up off the floor, because I guess that sounds like habituation, and it struck me that what level of T I (or anyone) is at, can, if not the most extreme kind, can conceivably get minimized/filtered by the brain. For myself, it opened myself to not fight what the day presents too much. Maybe that is a bit of the letting go.
No doubt though, I prefer the quieter days!
Although...there seems to be something to some posture of acceptance. But when T is noisy, I have to be very busy with other things so I don't focus on it. And I have yet to put my finger on the perfect stance. I think it must involve a dynamic accommodation, and different days need different accommodation stances.
I had my annual physical and spoke to my doc about the T, which I had also done the prior year, and he said it takes a while to get used to. And I had to pick my jaw up off the floor, because I guess that sounds like habituation, and it struck me that what level of T I (or anyone) is at, can, if not the most extreme kind, can conceivably get minimized/filtered by the brain. For myself, it opened myself to not fight what the day presents too much. Maybe that is a bit of the letting go.
No doubt though, I prefer the quieter days!
Although...there seems to be something to some posture of acceptance. But when T is noisy, I have to be very busy with other things so I don't focus on it. And I have yet to put my finger on the perfect stance. I think it must involve a dynamic accommodation, and different days need different accommodation stances.
This is so good to hear, PortalNaut.
Glad you are still posting your story and helping others, Emmalee. Sorry to hear of your spikes, but I am sure you will make your way through.
Thank-you, PortalNaut. I will most certainly make my way through.
The only way out is through~
Kind of an end of year update. I've lately been having up and down varying T, and I think it goes back to an event in November.
Back in 2019 I wound up flying twice, in the Summer and October and think I did fine through those events, despite my fears and misgivings. I prepared for the flying and did lots of popping, etc. see above.
But in early November I went to a special church gathering, which principally was going to be a big meeting, but they of course did lots of live church (rock) music. I was hoping to sit on the end of an aisle and duck in or out but it wasn't possible, so I put in ear plugs and sat through the music. I measured 105 decibels for the music, but with earplugs it amazingly didn't seem bad, like 80 something. With my frequency analyzer app I saw, as is usual, there was a tremendous amount (the majority) of the power below 200Hz, in fact peaks were at about 80Hz. I call that range subsonic. And I think I'm especially affected by those low frequencies. Fortunately the music only lasted for about 15 minutes.
Prior to that church event I had had 3 weeks or so of really quiet T. And since then, it has definitely gotten louder and more variable. I decided to treat it as a "trauma" event, and started taking NAC, and then along the way also Curcumin/Tumeric. Also upped or continued with Flonase (steroid).
Since then, I had a month or more of "trying" times with T, but if I had to say I would say it's is slowly getting quieter again. It is confusing to me with the varying levels. Through the day and day to day. Even despite the issues, I had a quiet T day about a week ago, in bed in the morning I had fleeting T for about a minute in my left ear, and after it dissipated then the rest of the day was virtually silent. Followed by the next day by a kind of a back-to-normal T hiss or eeeee sound. It just gets me hopeful then confused, and wondering what I can do to assist the lowering. Also the loudness variation through the day is more than I remember having. Overall I know I need to take it as it comes.
But if it gets loud then I usually do the following:
....For audio therapy, for the last few weeks I've played as background some youtube sounds which seemed to quiet the T. Right now my go-to's, playing two at the same time:
Acoustic Neuromodulation - Musical
Bacon Sizzling for Ten Hours of Frying Food Noise Ambience
Hope everyone suffering gets relief and that we don't run into accidents in life that give us setbacks.
Happy New Year.
Back in 2019 I wound up flying twice, in the Summer and October and think I did fine through those events, despite my fears and misgivings. I prepared for the flying and did lots of popping, etc. see above.
But in early November I went to a special church gathering, which principally was going to be a big meeting, but they of course did lots of live church (rock) music. I was hoping to sit on the end of an aisle and duck in or out but it wasn't possible, so I put in ear plugs and sat through the music. I measured 105 decibels for the music, but with earplugs it amazingly didn't seem bad, like 80 something. With my frequency analyzer app I saw, as is usual, there was a tremendous amount (the majority) of the power below 200Hz, in fact peaks were at about 80Hz. I call that range subsonic. And I think I'm especially affected by those low frequencies. Fortunately the music only lasted for about 15 minutes.
Prior to that church event I had had 3 weeks or so of really quiet T. And since then, it has definitely gotten louder and more variable. I decided to treat it as a "trauma" event, and started taking NAC, and then along the way also Curcumin/Tumeric. Also upped or continued with Flonase (steroid).
Since then, I had a month or more of "trying" times with T, but if I had to say I would say it's is slowly getting quieter again. It is confusing to me with the varying levels. Through the day and day to day. Even despite the issues, I had a quiet T day about a week ago, in bed in the morning I had fleeting T for about a minute in my left ear, and after it dissipated then the rest of the day was virtually silent. Followed by the next day by a kind of a back-to-normal T hiss or eeeee sound. It just gets me hopeful then confused, and wondering what I can do to assist the lowering. Also the loudness variation through the day is more than I remember having. Overall I know I need to take it as it comes.
But if it gets loud then I usually do the following:
....For audio therapy, for the last few weeks I've played as background some youtube sounds which seemed to quiet the T. Right now my go-to's, playing two at the same time:
Acoustic Neuromodulation - Musical
Bacon Sizzling for Ten Hours of Frying Food Noise Ambience
Hope everyone suffering gets relief and that we don't run into accidents in life that give us setbacks.
Happy New Year.
Earlier in the month of January, my wife and I headed to our church for a kids education celebration event. It was really quite fun and one of the best, funniest things I've seen. But wouldn't you know, in the first half hour they provided a very loud song (most other things were skits or jokes), and I put in my earplugs - saw the noise was 105db, and tons of sub 150Hz volume.
And yep for the next two weeks my T has been spiking and quite variable. I decided to double up on NAC and Tumeric, and I think that has helped.
At this point, the T spikage has quieted down, but from one day to the next the T may be moderate or low. When I think this could be the pattern...that 5 minute of loud exposures leads to 2-3 weeks of messy T, I don't know what to think. I get some anxiety, because when T increases I just don't know if it will come down again.
Overall, guess I'm ok.
And yep for the next two weeks my T has been spiking and quite variable. I decided to double up on NAC and Tumeric, and I think that has helped.
At this point, the T spikage has quieted down, but from one day to the next the T may be moderate or low. When I think this could be the pattern...that 5 minute of loud exposures leads to 2-3 weeks of messy T, I don't know what to think. I get some anxiety, because when T increases I just don't know if it will come down again.
Overall, guess I'm ok.
- Apr 30, 2018
- 2,507
- Tinnitus Since
- 02/2018
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Single 25 mg dose of (anticholinergic) drug Promethazine
@PortalNaut -- I would highly encourage you report what happened to you, and perhaps more importantly, to do what you can to make sure these kids are not exposed to that kind of loudness any more.
Yes it is crazy, and I've looked into the process and spoken with some powers that be. Their basic answer is that the ushers provide foam earplugs if requested. My position is that they should not contribute to hearing loss, damage being a cumulative thing. When you consider the church leaders are supposed to be "shepherds" who care for their flock and yet they are purposefully and willfully harming said sheep......
This is good to know, PortalNaut.Overall, guess I'm ok.
So sorry that such a good time resulted in a spike for you.
So YAY, made the 2 year mark.
Right now, the T is pretty variable day to day, from almost quiet to moderate. In a given week, I might have 2 very quiet days, 2 low volume days and 2-3 moderate high volume.
Yesterday was moderately noisy, this morning woke up and it was low volume, then took a nap in the afternoon, and wokeup and T was practically zero.
Noises:
Since the last loud church event discused above, the T noise is slightly different than it's been the last 1.5 years. It used to be a plain single frequency, around 10.5kHz. But now my left ear has sound like water pipes or a calliope. The right is more of a single frequency.
Overall, I can often ignore the sounds, but if on the high side of moderate it gets harder
I find I can drive with less problems due to highway noise affecting (and increasing) the T.
Here's to a good year, less reactive and quieter and quieter.
Right now, the T is pretty variable day to day, from almost quiet to moderate. In a given week, I might have 2 very quiet days, 2 low volume days and 2-3 moderate high volume.
Yesterday was moderately noisy, this morning woke up and it was low volume, then took a nap in the afternoon, and wokeup and T was practically zero.
Noises:
Since the last loud church event discused above, the T noise is slightly different than it's been the last 1.5 years. It used to be a plain single frequency, around 10.5kHz. But now my left ear has sound like water pipes or a calliope. The right is more of a single frequency.
Overall, I can often ignore the sounds, but if on the high side of moderate it gets harder
I find I can drive with less problems due to highway noise affecting (and increasing) the T.
Here's to a good year, less reactive and quieter and quieter.
At the 2.5 year mark!
Not much to say. The Pandemic has had me up and down in activity and sometimes also in spirit. Tinnitus has been mostly quiet but a few medium-loud instances that last 2-3 days, then back to it's fairly low level. Had one weekend involved in some very stressful work, and T elevated a bit, and then down again.
One period may be of interest to others. In late April my Honda CR-V needed replacing, and I went car searching, particularly for a quiet car/SUV. In one week I took 19 test drives, and measured noise levels at idle as well as on the road and highway. About half the cars were eliminated due to noise levels. A particular car I knew was very quiet, which is/was the current model of the Toyota Camry. In the two airplane trips I took in the last year, I had rented that vehicle and so I knew it was very quiet, in the 60db's on the freeway. I did test drive one during this search, and it was the quietest. I wound up getting the second quietest vehicle, another Toyota.
Now my ears and T did raise up for about 3 weeks while all this audio scrutiny was undertaken. Plus, another thing was I had drive my CR-V for over 10 years, and even though it rattled and the shocks were worn (so felt and heard every bump) and had noisy door seals...the new car...I think it has taken quite a a few trips (spread out due to not driving much during the pandemic) to get my ears and brain used to the new ambient sound of the new vehicle.
I hope everyone is improving and/or coping, and that T is banished from this world.
Not much to say. The Pandemic has had me up and down in activity and sometimes also in spirit. Tinnitus has been mostly quiet but a few medium-loud instances that last 2-3 days, then back to it's fairly low level. Had one weekend involved in some very stressful work, and T elevated a bit, and then down again.
One period may be of interest to others. In late April my Honda CR-V needed replacing, and I went car searching, particularly for a quiet car/SUV. In one week I took 19 test drives, and measured noise levels at idle as well as on the road and highway. About half the cars were eliminated due to noise levels. A particular car I knew was very quiet, which is/was the current model of the Toyota Camry. In the two airplane trips I took in the last year, I had rented that vehicle and so I knew it was very quiet, in the 60db's on the freeway. I did test drive one during this search, and it was the quietest. I wound up getting the second quietest vehicle, another Toyota.
Now my ears and T did raise up for about 3 weeks while all this audio scrutiny was undertaken. Plus, another thing was I had drive my CR-V for over 10 years, and even though it rattled and the shocks were worn (so felt and heard every bump) and had noisy door seals...the new car...I think it has taken quite a a few trips (spread out due to not driving much during the pandemic) to get my ears and brain used to the new ambient sound of the new vehicle.
I hope everyone is improving and/or coping, and that T is banished from this world.
- Apr 30, 2018
- 2,507
- Tinnitus Since
- 02/2018
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Single 25 mg dose of (anticholinergic) drug Promethazine
Hi @PortalNaut -- Thanks for the update, and congratulations on your new quiet vehicle! -- Regarding quiet rides, I ran across a Youtbue video recently on how to keep tires "treated". Doing so not only makes the tires last much longer, but apparently can reduce the decibels in a moving car by as much as 10% (which I saw in another video). The video linked shows what a regularly treated tire looks like after over 100K miles. There are other products out there, and I think the author of the video says he's found a product he likes even better.
A bit late, but this is the THREE YEAR UPDATE
Surviving, doing pretty well. The T is day to day variable but pretty quiet. Compared to the rumble of our refrigerator, the nose is usually less than 10% of that. Sometimes it's close to zero too, but it never stays totally away for long.
During the pandemic I bought a new car and it is much much quieter than the old one, and even though i haven't driven it much, it is a pleasure to be in compared to my old rattler with bad shocks.
I hope as time passes we all get better or get treatments or at least retain our sanity and adjust to the new normal.
Surviving, doing pretty well. The T is day to day variable but pretty quiet. Compared to the rumble of our refrigerator, the nose is usually less than 10% of that. Sometimes it's close to zero too, but it never stays totally away for long.
During the pandemic I bought a new car and it is much much quieter than the old one, and even though i haven't driven it much, it is a pleasure to be in compared to my old rattler with bad shocks.
I hope as time passes we all get better or get treatments or at least retain our sanity and adjust to the new normal.
It sounds like you are doing quite well. May I ask where you started on a scale out of 10 versus where you are now? Thanks!A bit late, but this is the THREE YEAR UPDATE
Surviving, doing pretty well. The T is day to day variable but pretty quiet. Compared to the rumble of our refrigerator, the nose is usually less than 10% of that. Sometimes it's close to zero too, but it never stays totally away for long.
During the pandemic I bought a new car and it is much much quieter than the old one, and even though i haven't driven it much, it is a pleasure to be in compared to my old rattler with bad shocks.
I hope as time passes we all get better or get treatments or at least retain our sanity and adjust to the new normal.
Using the scale from the below link, it was probably a 6.5 (could hear in a very loud Starbucks but did not need masking to sleep) and has been at 2 for awhile (year +).
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-loudness-scale.6873/
From my own notes, back on page 3, when I first got T it was about 4 times louder than my refrigerator. Also, when I went into loud environments, the T went up proportionally. See my first graph on next link.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/coming-into-new-awareness.27547/page-3#post-371310
Good luck!
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-loudness-scale.6873/
From my own notes, back on page 3, when I first got T it was about 4 times louder than my refrigerator. Also, when I went into loud environments, the T went up proportionally. See my first graph on next link.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/coming-into-new-awareness.27547/page-3#post-371310
Good luck!
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