For Those Finding It Hard, It Does Get Better!

[Dmitry]

Hey guys!
I have to be honest, its been a long time since I posted on this forum, but I thought I would share a little bit of info for those that are struggling with tinnitus or have gained it recently
I joined this forum roughly two years ago after a major full blown panic attack about tinnitus and pretty much went through hell. I probably had tinnitus to some extent all my life, but was exacerbated through frequent clubbing and loud music.
I just thought that I would provide some little tips and pointers for those that are finding it hard to cope etc, as I have personally managed to deal with it very well over the last 2 years:

1) In my opinion, I think the best thing that worked for me was ACCEPTANCE. Yes, this can be particularly daunting and difficult, but once you accept that you have tinnitus, it starts to bother you less and less everyday until you get to a point where you are at peace with it. Once you are at peace with it, you won't notice it that much/or you will learn to tune it out

2) Do not compare yourself to other people (e.g. "why me", "why do I have tinnitus"; this only promotes depressive thoughts/anxiety). You may get thoughts that life is unfair etc ... but to be honest, everyone has some problems in their life about certain things. The important thing is to know and learn how to play the cards you've been dealt with

3) In time you will learn to tune out the tinnitus, I promise! (do not try to actively block it out or keep checking if you have blocked it out). This is probably this hardest bit, because during the "difficult" stage when you have acquired tinnitus, you genuinely don't believe that it will get better - but it will!

4) Live your life as normal! - Yes, it will be hard during the beginning, but once you get into the routine of normal life, your tinnitus will become less intrusive

5) Do not regret! - You may have thoughts about regretting listening to loud music....going to an extremely loud rave/clubbing etc - but try and avoid these thoughts, as whatever is in the past cannot be changed - you probably would've done it anyway!

6) Be wary of your tinnitus and/or hearing damage, but DO NOT let it take over your life! - Some people may disagree with my on this one, but in my opinion ENJOY YOUR LIFE! Don't miss out on social situations/drinking alcohol or whatever because you're afraid of your tinnitus etc, instead be cautious - like wearing earplugs if needed and not doing anything excessive!

7) Get support if you need it! - Whether with meds and/or psychotherapy. I personally battled through it, and only took valerian root on bad days to calm the anxiety. I was quite lucky as I had friends and relatives with tinnitus who had been through it and understood what I was going through. The fact that they were able to relate to me helped me, and the fact that they were living their lives as normal helped me to recover faster!

8) Give it time... Unfortunately, this is something that people do not want to hear, but you will have to face the fact that it the change doesn't happen overnight, but you will gradually learn to cope and adapt better with each passing day. You will eventually look back and reflect one day and see how well you have recovered

I hope that this post does not offend anyone, only meant to support those who are having a difficult time
Please let me know if anyone has any questions or disagrees with any of the aforementioned tips!

 

[PatrickG]

Hi Dmitry and thanks for coming back and sharing your story!
How loud would you say your T was for you in the beginning (from 1-10) and how loud is it now for you. I mean, maybe it is as loud as before, but you might perceive it less so.

Good to hear that you're back on track!

 

[Dmitry]

Hey Patrick! Hope you're well.
To be completely honest this is a very difficult question for me to answer because I honestly don't know lol.
In my opinion tinnitus for me has always come down to perception and anxiety...e.g. the more I think about it and concentrate the louder it gets.

I sometimes try to remember what my tinnitus was like in 2012 and 2014 compared to now - and my answer varies from "it is the same" or "it is definitely louder" all the time haha. I know this sounds bad but I just honestly don't know. I have definitely lost more higher pitched frequency however (as I check every 6 months just out of interest).

When I first acquired tinnitus, I stupidly tried to ignore it and carried on going to nightclubs etc: therefore it probably increased.

To give you an idea its probably a 4/5, but when I was anxious about it in 2013 it was like a 10!
Throughout the day I usually don't hear it or ignore it. I only hear it when I go to bed.

Therefore in conclusion, tinnitus for me has always been more of a "mind over matter" thing. I am quite lucky to have close friends who have tinnitus as well - however they seemed to never show any signs of trouble which makes me question whether they have extremely mild tinnitus or they just don't care about it.
Some of those friends even continue to go clubbing without any ear protection but just avoid standing close to speakers. I can tell that one of those friends does have a relatively moderate level of tinnitus, as he states he sleeps with an "open window" to drown out the sound of tinnitus; but yet it doesn't bother them in the slightest lol...

Hope that makes sense?

 

[Vicki14]

Hello there!
I read, with interest your story and only having suffered tinnitus for 5 days I feel reassured that there is light at the end of this very daunting tunnel. I've recently gone through a period of stress which is believed to be associated with it. Admittedly, I am in the very early stages but I am struggling and need some hope to cling onto. I consider myself to be quite holistic and taking sleeping pills to aid sleep is stressing me out! I miss that silence in my head and do genuinely stress about my mental health. It's good to talk, as they say so thank you for your positive contribution! x

 

[Charron]

@Vicki14 I found a herbal relaxing calming alternative on Amazon, I'm only a month in and diazipan zombies me out, it's called zenphorol, £40 for 90 pills, they do work, there are others on there with good ratings so iv sent off for some cheaper ones too, my dr doesn't like to give out sleeping tablets and at a month in I feel much better than I did at the start but I just wake every few hours, don't know why but I feel calmer in the day, I'm sure it will get better, just take all the good tips and success stories on this forum x

 

[Vicki14]

@Charron Thank you for your reply!! Extremely helpful and comforting to chat to others who can comprehend what you're going through! Im pretty sure a positive mindset is also key to dealing with this and talking really helps too - thank you xx

 

[Charron]

I was mess to begin with! And I'm a very strong person, my family fell apart as they have never seen me that way before, the Drs were useless, I read a book called F**k it, and some on tinnitus and hearing loss, took notes, done some YouTube m meditation and advice from people on here, b positive is the best thing! Xxxxx

 

[Vicki14]

Lol, that's funny! Was the Author John Parkin? I actually went on a F*ck it retreat to Italy a few years back!! Maybe to prepare me to deal with this!! X

 

[Charron]

Yes he did mention the retreats, I don't know the cause of my sudden deafness or T it is a few things including stress x

 

[IreneW]

@Charron so happy to see this I thought the day would never come for you. I told you it will get better

 

[Charron]

@IreneW, yes I'm still here! I have good days and not so good days but compared to those first few weeks I can see great improvement, thanks to you going out of your way to encourage and help me while I was in fight or flight, my sleeping pattern is crap but it's early days, I'm re paying the kindness that was given xxxxx

 

[IreneW]

@Charron Well I promise very soon the good days will outnumber the bad, remember baby steps . I was so happy to see your update and you giving others hope. ️️Hugs from Texas , Take care

 

[baz 22]

Great success story, thanks.

 

[grecianmax87]

Great post. It's taken me personally 7 months but I've gone from a 9/10 in volume down to a 2/3. Really manageable now, when you get to those levels and compare it's a relief. If someone without tinnitus had what I had it'd be annoying for them, but my brain has adjusted and I'm used to it. Best thing is being able to work in complete silence again, something I need to do sometimes working in the creative industry.

 

[grecianmax87]

I think the main thing for people at the beginning of their journey to understand is that, in the majority of cases you will experience major improvement over the course of 6-12 months. Get through the first few months and there is light at the end of the tunnel. That's the hard bit, I felt helpless but you will be rewarded in the end.

 

[muzi]

Thanks i am inspired

 

[Uhk]

Hello there , am new over here and also tinnitus 1 month old

I have no idea how I get tinnitus

But I know 1 thing how to manage tinnitus

It's just self confidence , just do not bothered or thing about strange voices , just enjoy your life as normal and you will see the great results soon.

U will thing it's will come

Try to keep busy when ever u get loud voices and try your self happy

Am not wrong if I say tinnitus is for people who get depress and take stress and thing too much .

Manage your stress level , and avoid things which make u stress and adopt things which make you feel rulex

If your brain happy and relax there is no tinnitus

Go gym , go for traveling and enjoy the great life

Be happy

Sorry about my poor English but I hope you guys have some idea what am saying

 

[John Meyers]

Thanks Dmitry. I hate the idea of "accepting" it but I see your point.

I'm going on 8 months and still can't believe I got this from one loud concert (I never go to loud events). -- Anyway, at least I don't need to struggle with an ailment that much more serious like a lot of people do.

Take care,
John