Member- Apr 7, 2017
- 15
- Tinnitus Since
- February
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Insomnia, stress and sleep medication
When I first posted on Tinnitus Talk 20 months ago, I was in a pretty dark place as a result of my tinnitus. I think I contracted it from a bad combination of genetics, stress, insomnia and overmedication for the insomnia. It just appeared one morning out of nowhere. For the first year, my signal would go from strong to ear splitting strong with little relief. I remember posting one frustrating morning when even aiming a shower head at the back of my head failed to mask the high-pitched devil's dentist drill. Even more crazy making was the very occasional day when I would awake in complete silence – I'm cured! But it always came back, usually that afternoon or at best the next morning, leaving me disappointed and sad.
Throughout my journey, I received so many encouraging messages from members like Glynis and Ijflyman. You kindly assured me it should calm down and "the peaks and valleys will get smaller." That helped a lot. I wanted to believe it, but I wasn't completely convinced. At my one-year anniversary, I pretty much gave up hope.
But in July something seemed to shift. I still hear the signal, it's spiking even now, but it is notably softer. Many times, ambient outdoor noise can mask it. And I have been experiencing multiple days of silence or a very mild signal. As a result, my attitude has shifted. Even on louder days, I just go about my day with acceptance. It no longer affects my life, and enjoyment of life, in a significant, negative way.
I really don't know why things have improved, not that it really matters. I've read the brain does adjust to the signal over time. Also, I acquired hearing aids in February to address my deafness in the upper ranges, and that may have helped. I've read patients with hearing aids, and high frequency deafness, report an improvement between six and 12 months, so the timing is about right. I am glad I didn't return the expensive aids after two months, when the trial period expired, because I didn't yet hear any improvement.
Maybe my improvement is a combination of all of the above. I am sure attitude played an important role but, realistically, I doubt my attitude would have improved much had I not experienced a weakening of my tinnitus signal, in intensity and continuity. I think it is awfully unfair to tell a sufferer to just fix their attitude, and all will be well.
So, my message to those who are just starting their journey is, even if this condition is permanent, it does seem to get better over time, if you give it time. Not now versus two weeks ago, but now versus six months ago. Life goes on, and life can be good again.
Throughout my journey, I received so many encouraging messages from members like Glynis and Ijflyman. You kindly assured me it should calm down and "the peaks and valleys will get smaller." That helped a lot. I wanted to believe it, but I wasn't completely convinced. At my one-year anniversary, I pretty much gave up hope.
But in July something seemed to shift. I still hear the signal, it's spiking even now, but it is notably softer. Many times, ambient outdoor noise can mask it. And I have been experiencing multiple days of silence or a very mild signal. As a result, my attitude has shifted. Even on louder days, I just go about my day with acceptance. It no longer affects my life, and enjoyment of life, in a significant, negative way.
I really don't know why things have improved, not that it really matters. I've read the brain does adjust to the signal over time. Also, I acquired hearing aids in February to address my deafness in the upper ranges, and that may have helped. I've read patients with hearing aids, and high frequency deafness, report an improvement between six and 12 months, so the timing is about right. I am glad I didn't return the expensive aids after two months, when the trial period expired, because I didn't yet hear any improvement.
Maybe my improvement is a combination of all of the above. I am sure attitude played an important role but, realistically, I doubt my attitude would have improved much had I not experienced a weakening of my tinnitus signal, in intensity and continuity. I think it is awfully unfair to tell a sufferer to just fix their attitude, and all will be well.
So, my message to those who are just starting their journey is, even if this condition is permanent, it does seem to get better over time, if you give it time. Not now versus two weeks ago, but now versus six months ago. Life goes on, and life can be good again.
