Haven't Been Here Very Much But I Do Check In...

[Kathi]

I'm in my 18th month and have my life back. I work everyday, and sleep through the nights...I still have good ear days and bad ear days but recently I had four good days in a row a couple of times. My tinnitus doesn't bother me much unless I am tired or otherwise stressed. Mostly, it's just part of who I am now and I know that it's here to stay. I think that is the most freeing of realizations--that it's here to stay. I still have louder days but like I said, it doesn't bother me very much. I just get on with what I'm doing. I won't say that I don't get frustrated sometimes but it isn't that terror that I had at onset. It's more like--here we go again--let's just do something else so as not to think about it. I think it's because my tinnitus cycles and it makes it a tad more difficult to totally habituate. I think I'm about 75-80% habituated although I do still hear it most of the time. I may be attending to it more than I should as I wear an iPod while working because my office is so quiet.

I hope all are doing well and if you're new--please know that it does get better. It's not perfect but my life wasn't perfect before this happened and 18 months ago I was seriously on the edge.

I just hosted a baby shower for my daughter. I had over 40 people and it turned out beautifully. I would never have thought I could do that at onset. I planned it all and carried it out and was there for the whole thing--and didn't notice my tinnitus unless someone asked me about it!

Love and good wishes to you all.

 

[JohnnyMx]

I really love and enjoy this stories like yours Kathi, not because it helps me with my T, in fact i have also habituated and just have bad hours if i'm tired or stressed.

What i love, is that i really enjoy knowing that people is feeling better, because it is like it should be. Tinnitus has not to be the end, but the begining.

I had blood test last week, and I'm currently in normal levels of sugar, good blood preasure, and all of my other blood factors are ok.... before T i was going directly to death for my bad health habits.

Best for you Kathy!

 

[Roger]

Good one Kathy. I'm in the same boat. Its a positive story. Life's good. All the best.

 

[marqualler]

So happy to read this @Kathi!

 

[billy43]

Hi Kathi.so glad you are doing well. I love your story because its so similar to mine.im 19 months in.still pay way to much attention to my T.But thank God also never experience that feeling of absolute terror that I went through the first 4 or 5 months.lLike you I also am so happy to say that I have my life back.and like you I never would have thought would have been possible,even at the 6 month mark.I sleep great and spend as much time as possible thinking about all the great things in life that I DO have ; for me that is having a great family ,good health, a job that I like and a nice place to live.thanks for the positive story Kathi. billy43

 

[MrT]

That's awesome Kathi. It's great to hear that you are doing well. At 18 months, I'm sure even brighter days are in your future.

 

[billie48]

It is heart-warming to read positive story like this. Thank you Kathi. It is acceptance and not resistance that free us from the bondage of T. Let T be. Let the rest of our life and all its beauty be.

 

[MattK]

Glad to hear that Kathi and thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear it when tinnitus no longer is controlling someone's life.

 

[Kathi]

I'm in my 18th month and have my life back. I work everyday, and sleep through the nights...I still have good ear days and bad ear days but recently I had four good days in a row a couple of times. My tinnitus doesn't bother me much unless I am tired or otherwise stressed. Mostly, it's just part of who I am now and I know that it's here to stay. I think that is the most freeing of realizations--that it's here to stay. I still have louder days but like I said, it doesn't bother me very much. I just get on with what I'm doing. I won't say that I don't get frustrated sometimes but it isn't that terror that I had at onset. It's more like--here we go again--let's just do something else so as not to think about it. I think it's because my tinnitus cycles and it makes it a tad more difficult to totally habituate. I think I'm about 75-80% habituated although I do still hear it most of the time. I may be attending to it more than I should as I wear an iPod while working because my office is so quiet.

I hope all are doing well and if you're new--please know that it does get better. It's not perfect but my life wasn't perfect before this happened and 18 months ago I was seriously on the edge.

I just hosted a baby shower for my daughter. I had over 40 people and it turned out beautifully. I would never have thought I could do that at onset. I planned it all and carried it out and was there for the whole thing--and didn't notice my tinnitus unless someone asked me about it!

Love and good wishes to you all.

Thank you @JohnnyMx --I did the same as you--had complete blood work done --my PCP is wonderful and wanted to rule out any underlying disease. I gave up bad habits too--too much caffeine and sugar. I've gotten healthier too!

 

[Kathi]

Good one Kathy. I'm in the same boat. Its a positive story. Life's good. All the best.

Thanks Roger. At least the boat we are in now isn't horrific like at onset. Life is good, not perfect--but who needs perfection?

 

[Kathi]

So happy to read this @Kathi!

Thank you marqualler. I couldn't have made it this far without TT and the wonderful people here.

 

[erik]

Thanks for posting to let us share in your success!

 

[Kathi]

Hi Kathi.so glad you are doing well. I love your story because its so similar to mine.im 19 months in.still pay way to much attention to my T.But thank God also never experience that feeling of absolute terror that I went through the first 4 or 5 months.lLike you I also am so happy to say that I have my life back.and like you I never would have thought would have been possible,even at the 6 month mark.I sleep great and spend as much time as possible thinking about all the great things in life that I DO have ; for me that is having a great family ,good health, a job that I like and a nice place to live.thanks for the positive story Kathi. billy43

You are so right about our stories being so similar. To tell the truth, you are one of my favorite people--you always have something good to say and you are from NJ--just like me. I live down the shore. We've kind of taken this journey together. I'm working on not paying so much attention to my tinnitus--I found Pandora radio on my computer at work and am trying to wean myself off my iPod. Just hope the IT police don't catch me. I can go full days without masking on weekends and the noise when I put my ear to the pillow no longer bothers me. Let's keep the faith that it gets even better!

Off topic: I have a sticker on my truck that says: I'm a Jersey Girl and I DO NOT PUMP MY OWN GAS!

 

[Kathi]

That's awesome Kathi. It's great to hear that you are doing well. At 18 months, I'm sure even brighter days are in your future.

Thank you MrT--I hope you are right...the days will get even brighter--but if they don't, well I can live with it now and life is good. That's something I never thought I'd say.

 

[Kathi]

It is heart-warming to read positive story like this. Thank you Kathi. It is acceptance and not resistance that free us from the bondage of T. Let T be. Let the rest of our life and all its beauty be.

billie, you are truly an inspiration and have helped me more than you'll ever know. All your stories about carrying on when your tinnitus was very loud gave me hope that I could get there. I did well with carrying on with life but in the past couple of months I really noticed an improvement. You are right, when I finally just gave into the fact that I have tinnitus and it will be with me for life--things improved more. When I stopped worrying about what I ate or what I did, I got happier. I even started riding again (with good ear protection). It's kind of a paradox--giving in to succeed. It's still hard at times and sometimes I still get frustrated but frustration doesn't set off the negative reaction anymore--it just causes me to refocus on something else. An old proverb or something I read once states: Acceptance is the answer to all my problems.

luv ya billie--seriously--you are that light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Kathi]

Glad to hear that Kathi and thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear it when tinnitus no longer is controlling someone's life.

Thanks MattK--it's good to be able to just live.

 

[Kathi]

Thanks for posting to let us share in your success!

Thank you erik for helping provide such a wonderful forum. I couldn't have gotten out of the dark days without all of you at TT.

 

[billie48]

Thank you Kathi for the kind words. We are all here trying to help relieve the suffering of T for one another. You have been a wonderful help for so many members here too. Take good care and God's choicest blessings be with you and your family.

 

[DebS]

Good to hear from you Kathi...I'm at about the same T time frame as you and am experiencing about the same almost-habituation. I had two days in a row of low T but today it's rather loud and annoying but I am not that bothered by it anymore. I feel I've come a long way from when it started and am looking forward to continued acceptance/habituation. I recently moved to a new townhouse and have been busy fixing it up and having friends and family over, so T has to take a back seat where it belongs! This site has definitely been very instrumental in my progress, and I thank all the staff and contributors.