Don't Listen When They Say "It Won't Go Away"

[Travis Duncan]

A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with "Sound Induced Tinnitus"... this came on during a time when i also had a double ear infection and my ears were super sensitive to noises.
I'm a Pastor/Singer/Evangelist...

I'm exposed to decently loud music at times when going to different Churches.
One night we went to one specifically on a Sunday night, I'd been pretty sick with the ear infection and all; well... they had a Church band and it was cranked up super loud... 3 hours later service ended... I noticed the normal cloudiness in my ears after hearing loud noises for an extended amount of time (If id known what i know now, Id had worn my Musicians Earplugs)

That night the loudest unexplainable tone started in my left ear, and a totally different tone in my right ear...

Monday came, still there... Tuesday came... still there... no sleep. Couldn't focus. Anxious is an understatement, many nights it would drive me till my body shook uncontrollably from the noise, THIS WAS NOT NORMAL. Doctor after Doctor, ENTs, specialists... all of them said the same thing; Nothing can be done, be prepared to go deaf (that was the devil). As a singer/preacher this was a horror unimaginable... this went on for 9 months...

A few times I thought I was going to go crazy, the thoughts in my mind were not thoughts that Travis would normally think while lying in bed listening to those noises in my head; I'd try to mask it with sound therapy videos, white noise, brown noise...

I never realized noise had so many colors....after the 9 months I finally began to stop with the trying to mask it and all.

Someone said "it's better just to listen to it, let your mind hear itself ring". So... that's what I did... it's been a year almost to the date, and I can say now; i can lay my head down at night at times not even hear the faintest noise... I had changed my eating because of an ENT saying it "could" be linked to that... I lost almost 30 pounds in the first 2 months, simply because I was scared to make the noise worse...

FEAR IS A LIAR. I still have portion control on my foods, can't say it hurts or helps...
But it's a mind over matter struggle, not 100% yet, but I want to be an encouragement to someone; IT WILL BE OK! HEALING IS POSSIBLE! I take multivitamins, fish oils and of course allergy meds... not saying that helps or hurts... but I'm at least 85-90% back to living a normal life... For those with sound induced tinnitus PLEASE please please wear protection during loud concerts; and if you're reading this and never had tinnitus... PROTECT YOUR EARS because this past year was a living Hell... but with God, faith &my family... I'm getting back to living. Don't allow this to steal your life! It's not worth it! Keep pushing, talk to yourself, pray, believe... YOU CAN DO IT! I'm praying for you all!

 

[Pleasure_Paulie]

Thank you! God bless

 

[Smartone202]

Glad you found peace but I just don't know how you can go from horrible ringing to "let your mind listen to it" and now you barely hear a sound when in bed at night. I know it's a mental thing, but I just don't get how it's possible if the ringing is still legitimately there

 

[dpdx]

A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with "Sound Induced Tinnitus"... this came on during a time when i also had a double ear infection and my ears were super sensitive to noises.
I'm a Pastor/Singer/Evangelist...

I'm exposed to decently loud music at times when going to different Churches.
One night we went to one specifically on a Sunday night, I'd been pretty sick with the ear infection and all; well... they had a Church band and it was cranked up super loud... 3 hours later service ended... I noticed the normal cloudiness in my ears after hearing loud noises for an extended amount of time (If id known what i know now, Id had worn my Musicians Earplugs)

That night the loudest unexplainable tone started in my left ear, and a totally different tone in my right ear...

Monday came, still there... Tuesday came... still there... no sleep. Couldn't focus. Anxious is an understatement, many nights it would drive me till my body shook uncontrollably from the noise, THIS WAS NOT NORMAL. Doctor after Doctor, ENTs, specialists... all of them said the same thing; Nothing can be done, be prepared to go deaf (that was the devil). As a singer/preacher this was a horror unimaginable... this went on for 9 months...

A few times I thought I was going to go crazy, the thoughts in my mind were not thoughts that Travis would normally think while lying in bed listening to those noises in my head; I'd try to mask it with sound therapy videos, white noise, brown noise...

I never realized noise had so many colors....after the 9 months I finally began to stop with the trying to mask it and all.

Someone said "it's better just to listen to it, let your mind hear itself ring". So... that's what I did... it's been a year almost to the date, and I can say now; i can lay my head down at night at times not even hear the faintest noise... I had changed my eating because of an ENT saying it "could" be linked to that... I lost almost 30 pounds in the first 2 months, simply because I was scared to make the noise worse...

FEAR IS A LIAR. I still have portion control on my foods, can't say it hurts or helps...
But it's a mind over matter struggle, not 100% yet, but I want to be an encouragement to someone; IT WILL BE OK! HEALING IS POSSIBLE! I take multivitamins, fish oils and of course allergy meds... not saying that helps or hurts... but I'm at least 85-90% back to living a normal life... For those with sound induced tinnitus PLEASE please please wear protection during loud concerts; and if you're reading this and never had tinnitus... PROTECT YOUR EARS because this past year was a living Hell... but with God, faith &my family... I'm getting back to living. Don't allow this to steal your life! It's not worth it! Keep pushing, talk to yourself, pray, believe... YOU CAN DO IT! I'm praying for you all!

Did you have hyperacusis?
Have you done an audiogram above 8khz? any hearing loss?
Otoacoustic emission test to determine the function of hair cells?
Is your T loud right now, has it reduced in volume?
Do you thin your ear infections might have attributed to the Tinnitus?

 

[coffee_girl]

It's nice to see these kinds of posts on this forum, thanks for sharing with us. T is often times mind over matter, happiness is a choice. Thank you =]

 

[dpdx]

It's nice to see these kinds of posts on this forum, thanks for sharing with us. T is often times mind over matter, happiness is a choice. Thank you =]

are you still struggling?

 

[sirhand]

So you got used to it...

 

[threefirefour]

So you got used to it...

Don't you hate clickbait?

 

[Wolfears]

Good for you..but from your post I'm struggling to figure out if the tinnitus went away, or if you just got used to it?

 

[Jazzer]

"Quasi-hobbycraft-tinnititions often tell us that Tinnitus is largely 'mind over matter!'

"Happiness is quite simply a choice folks...!!"

How many more times do we have to listen to this kind of crap ??

Tinnitus is not a psychological condition.
It is the manifestation of both physical and neurological damage.
Do you really believe that genuine sufferers
'choose suicide rather than choosing happiness ???'

 

[Jazzer]

"Sorry guys - Happiness is a Choice...!"

 

[Jazzer]

So - @coffee_girl .......22 suicides a day strikes you as being funny does it....??

 

[coffee_girl]

So - @coffee_girl .......22 suicides a day strikes you as being funny does it....??

I think it's funny that you feel a comment that has nothing to do with you and was merely an opinion can make you go into a flurry of meme posting, I stand by my comment and if you don't like it please just put me on ignore. You really need to quickly because you can't seem to handle differing opinions. I am just here sipping my tea and enjoying my foot massage

 

[Jazzer]

I think it's funny that you feel a comment that has nothing to do with you

Wrong again I'm afraid.
If you are talking about Tinnitus on this forum then it has something to do with all of us sufferers.
Some comments are highly offensive for us to read. Perhaps you don't / can't understand that.
No, I have no wish to ignore your comments.
I would far rather know what your comments are - let's face it - some people might take them seriously.
For those with severe Tinnitus, happiness is not a choice.

However, I hope you have a pleasant evening, enjoy the tea, and the foot massage, but perhaps give the multi-tasking a rest.

 

[Smartone202]

Where is it noted that 22 people commit suicides a day bc of this condition ?

 

[coffee_girl]

Wrong again I'm afraid.
If you are talking about Tinnitus on this forum then it has something to do with all of us sufferers.
Some comments are highly offensive for us to read. Perhaps you don't / can't understand that.
No, I have no wish to ignore your comments.
I would far rather know what your comments are - let's face it - some people might take them seriously.
For those with severe Tinnitus, happiness is not a choice.

However, I hope you have a pleasant evening, enjoy the tea, and the foot massage, but perhaps give the multi-tasking a rest.

Perhaps you ought to take the time to read instead of taking time to be offended, I said "often times"...not everyone lives with severe T and those with even mild T can have severe life changing experiences. Critical thinking dictates that everything that gets posted on a public forum should be taken with a grain of salt, nothing is fact as none of us are trained professionals. Happiness is a choice, it might not seem like it for those with severe T but for some people if it is manageable, they can overcome it.

But then again I Can't expect someone who called people with mild T "insignificant" to understand, amiright or nah?

 

[Jazzer]

Where is it noted that 22 people commit suicides a day bc of this condition ?

I simply looked up suicides of veterans suffering PTSD, of which the major distressing symptom was deemed to be Tinnitus, created on active service in war zones.
I imagine the exposure went way beyond the norm for those of us in civilian lives.

 

[Jazzer]

Perhaps you ought to take the time to read instead of taking time to be offended, I said "often times"...not everyone lives with severe T and those with even mild T can have severe life changing experiences. Critical thinking dictates that everything that gets posted on a public forum should be taken with a grain of salt, nothing is fact as none of us are trained professionals. Happiness is a choice, it might not seem like it for those with severe T but for some people if it is manageable, they can overcome it.

But then again I Can't expect someone who called people with mild T "insignificant" to understand, amiright or nah?

The real point is that lightweight (low level) Tinnitus is obviously far less significant then severe Tinnitus.
I know because I had that for 20 years.
I overcame it. Easy-peasy.

But it is as well to remember that some of us struggle through every second, of every minute, of every day, with truly considerable noise going on endlessly.

If somebody, however well-meaning, with no understanding of the full spectrum of the Tinnitus condition, trots out that it is largely 'mind over matter, and happiness is a choice,'
it doesn't do a great deal for one's humour.

 

[Jazzer]

However - in a concerted effort to perhaps draw a line under this interesting little 'spat,' I should like to show everybody a picture of one of my delightful pussycats.
He is five years old, his name is 'TimTom,' and I'll just mention that he absolutely loves his father. (Me).
He has no choice - let's face it - I feed him.
(Might as well end on a charm offensive
- right ?)

 

[fishbone]

Perhaps you ought to take the time to read instead of taking time to be offended, I said "often times"...not everyone lives with severe T and those with even mild T can have severe life changing experiences. Critical thinking dictates that everything that gets posted on a public forum should be taken with a grain of salt, nothing is fact as none of us are trained professionals. Happiness is a choice, it might not seem like it for those with severe T but for some people if it is manageable, they can overcome it.

But then again I Can't expect someone who called people with mild T "insignificant" to understand, amiright or nah?

I want to say this, tinnitus whether mild or intrusive can be hard for people to handle. All of us are at different levels of motivation and determination. Some have lots of support and love around them, they have families. Some have none, all of us live such different lives. If folks have that support system around them, then happiness is possible.

People with tinnitus need and should get as much support as possible. Those that have families and lots of friends are VERY BLESSED. I was on both sides of the fence before. I had mild tinnitus and a family around me. I should have appreciated what I had more. Now, I have nothing and intrusive brutal tinnitus and brutal body pain all day long too.

Tinnitus has changed all of our lives, but for a moment just think how fortunate you are...even with the ears ringing. As I say in many of my posts. AT the end of the day only YOU/WE can help ourselves. I woke up today at 630 am and my ringing was on a another demon level. I could barely move my arms and my whole body was in agony of pain.

I was like "you have a choice as usual, let the pain take you over or YOU TAKE OVER and say the HELL with the pain and ringing". I had my oatmeal as usual and then went to the gym in pain and lifted even heavier weights today and loved it.

My pain and my ears tell me, don't do this. Don't do that. We do have a choice in life, it's never easy...I cannot say 100% that I am happy. I have no parents, not many friends and a messed up body. BUT our willpower and determination is what over powers the negativity.

So yes, happiness and success in life is a choice. Just doing something, instead of nothing can move us closer to our goals....

 

[Jazzer]

@fishbone - simply amazing xx

 

[coffee_girl]

I want to say this, tinnitus whether mild or intrusive can be hard for people to handle. All of us are at different levels of motivation and determination. Some have lots of support and love around them, they have families. Some have none, all of us live such different lives. If folks have that support system around them, then happiness is possible.

People with tinnitus need and should get as much support as possible. Those that have families and lots of friends are VERY BLESSED. I was on both sides of the fence before. I had mild tinnitus and a family around me. I should have appreciated what I had more. Now, I have nothing and intrusive brutal tinnitus and brutal body pain all day long too.

Tinnitus has changed all of our lives, but for a moment just think how fortunate you are...even with the ears ringing. As I say in many of my posts. AT the end of the day only YOU/WE can help ourselves. I woke up today at 630 am and my ringing was on a another demon level. I could barely move my arms and my whole body was in agony of pain.

I was like "you have a choice as usual, let the pain take you over or YOU TAKE OVER and say the HELL with the pain and ringing". I had my oatmeal as usual and then went to the gym in pain and lifted even heavier weights today and loved it.

My pain and my ears tell me, don't do this. Don't do that. We do have a choice in life, it's never easy...I cannot say 100% that I am happy. I have no parents, not many friends and a messed up body. BUT our willpower and determination is what over powers the negativity.

So yes, happiness and success in life is a choice. Just doing something, instead of nothing can move us closer to our goals....

Thanks, everything you've said is true and I agree 100%

 

[Smartone202]

I like this guys story of habituation but I just don't know how in the hell is it possible to habituate when the ringing is on a level of 6/10. I really can't see myself at this point, living with this, for eternity Someone please just help me understand.

 

[coffee_girl]

I like this guys story of habituation but I just don't know how in the hell is it possible to habituate when the ringing is on a level of 6/10. I really can't see myself at this point, living with this, for eternity Someone please just help me understand.

For some people, religion has helped them immensely .

 

[Smartone202]

For some people, religion has helped them immensely .

Yeah well that ain't gonna fly with me. I'm 1.5 months into a spike after 10+ years of T being non existent. I remember you coffee girl writing how you heard a spike lasting more than a month will be permanent.
How true do you really think that is ?

 

[coffee_girl]

Yeah well that ain't gonna fly with me. I'm 1.5 months into a spike after 10+ years of T being non existent. I remember you coffee girl writing how you heard a spike lasting more than a month will be permanent.
How true do you really think that is ?

Hmmm I don't think i ever said that a spike lasting a month will be permanent, I've had 2 noise exposures with spikes that lasted a month and it eventually went away...so based on those experiences i would think that spikes are more often temporary.

But like i have always said, not everyone's T is ever going to be the same..I haven't met anyone whose t is like mine.

I'm sorry you are dealing with a spike. I hope it goes away and you will find peace again.

 

[Smartone202]

My last spike was in 2010 just to put it into perspective for you. My lord did my T become an afterthought. An absolute afterthought. To think one night at a wedding with a little extra time on a crazy loud dance floor will ruin my life forever.

Oh, and my original injury that lead to T? A friend of mine blew an airhorn too close to me.

God I just don't deserve this. Trying to stay positive. It's harder when I don't really have full support of my parents either.

 

[Smartone202]

Also what is so different about your T?

 

[coffee_girl]

My last spike was in 2010 just to put it into perspective for you. My lord did my T become an afterthought. An absolute afterthought. To think one night at a wedding with a little extra time on a crazy loud dance floor will ruin my life forever.

Oh, and my original injury that lead to T? A friend of mine blew an airhorn too close to me.

God I just don't deserve this. Trying to stay positive. It's harder when I don't really have full support of my parents either.

Sorry but that made me literally angry just hearing the story of someone blowing a horn in your ear, that moment must've changed your life forever...it isn't right and I would have sued that person. I am so sorry you had to go through that. I wish i can say without a doubt that your spike will disappear, but I don't know your story. If it makes you feel better, a year ago I was in a restaurant with a very loud live band (in a small space)...and I had to sit through it until i couldn't take it any more. I wasn't wearing plugs and it took about 1.5 months for it to go away. My T is back to how it was (maybe even quieter...but my previous T was already quiet so i dunno). Hang in there, don't let the negative thoughts get the best of you and don't read too much into the depressing posts on the forum.

 

[Smartone202]

He was and still is my best friend. It wasn't purposely to upset me. He just made a mistake of doing it too close. Point is that was in 04 and after 2-3 weeks it subsided. Another couples of years and it eventually went to a level of being on existent aside from a few spikes, the last as I said in 2010. But this time idk. This time I may have done some damage. I just don't know anymore. Thanks for being there tn