Hi Gary,
That's great news!
I wear mine from the moment I get up until I go to bed!
Regarding the masker, can you adjust the volume? My masker is set to noise at my hearing loss, but I can adjust the volume. When I'm having a good day, I keep it on low. I can barely hear it. But when my tinnitus is loud, I increase the volume so it blends in with my tinnitus. (When it spikes, my tinnitus is too loud to be masked. But blending in does help!)
The only reason I use the masker daily is to habituate my brain to the tinnitus noise. Why do some people, like us, hear their tinnitus, and others with hearing loss don't hear it? One of the main reasons is our limbic system. The limbic system is our emotional center. And it's this system that probably perceives the tinnitus sound as something threatening. It's the old "fight-or-flight" theory of psychology. The masker helps desensitize our brain to the noise. Once desensitized, the brain no longer fears the tinnitus and so we hear it less or not at all. That's habituation.
Now, you might say, "I'm not worried about my tinnitus, so why do I still hear it?" That's where I am. I do not worry about my tinnitus, and I rarely react negatively to it. I just accept it, even when it disrupts my work.
But I was very fearful about my tinnitus when I first got it. For two months, I rarely slept and couldn't eat. During this time, my brain focused on the tinnitus sound and decided it was an intruder. And so my brain began to memorize the sound, and this is how tinnitus becomes chronic. Now, I'm teaching my brain to forget about it. This will take a while, but it will happen.
Hearing aids help to facilitate the habituation process by giving your brain back some of the sounds it is missing! So that's less work for your subconscious to do as it tries to forget the noise.
The theory I've just explained was developed by Jastreboff in his Neophysiological Model of Tinnitus. (Actually, the theory is more complex; I'm just simplifying.) That model is the basis for Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or TRT. If you want to know more about TRT, you can search for it on the TT board. There's lots of information here. Karl, who frequently posts on the board, is an expert in this area so look for his posts.
Here's a great PDF that also explains TRT:
With time and patience you will be fine! Dont' get discouraged if you get set backs. The road is never straight; there are always potholes. But over time you will get better, and you will regain your peace of mind! Be positive, and, if you get too discouraged, try something like CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) that will help you focus on good thoughts while you heal!