How Can You Habituate to LOUD Tinnitus?

[Bartoli]

Just to clear up any confusion here, as I don't want to come across as an asshole in this thread: when I say there's no such thing as X dB tinnitus, I'm referring to it in a comparative context (which is the reason why one would do this). When somebody says that they have 80 dB tinnitus, for example, they believe this gives a fairly accurate description of how loud their tinnitus is for comparative purposes, but it doesn't. In fact, what can seem like a very definitive indicator of how loud that person experiences tinnitus - so that others can compare - is actually so wide in scale that it's pointless and is not representative of a value that can be quantified in a meaningful way.

This is why researchers have always been looking for a way to accurately measure tinnitus severity, objectively. One person describing their tinnitus as being 80 dB (as compared to an external sound source) could, in reality, be the same as another person who describes theirs as being 40 dB. This gives a false impression of what one is experiencing compared to another, and that's why I often reply in threads that use these terms.

The best we can do is describe how loud we hear it on a scale of 1-10, but of course, everyone's scale is going to be based off a different metric. One persons 9/10 might be another persons 5/10 and vice versa. Answering questions like these, along with a bunch of others, however, is still the most popular way of assessing how loud someone experiences their tinnitus in a clinical setting. The next best thing is the sensation level from a pitch and loudness test. For the vast majority of people, their tinnitus will fall between 5 and 10 dB SL. It's extremely rare to see people go above 20 dB SL. This is why many get offended when they hear people say that their ENT Dr told them that the loudest is usually around 20 dB. What they are referring to is 20 dB SL, and members here think to themselves, "that's barely audible! The ENTs haven't got a clue," etc, etc, but this just demonstrates my point. It's like an apples and oranges comparison. People here are using the A-weighted scale to compare to external sound sources that they know to be that loud, and this is where it all goes wrong. 20 dB SL would be extremely loud.

This is why I'm excited to hear about Dr Mehrnaz Shoushtarian's work, as it is moving towards an objective measurement, and that's exactly what is needed!

Mine was measured at 20dB SL. It's rare that it's not been at the forefront of my attention these past two years. Should I just give up trying to habituate? What's the point really...

 

[Luman]

I went to ENT, three years ago to see if I needed an MRI. This was in a major hospital in NYC, where he performs state of the art surgery for a number of conditions, that he specializes in. The doctor revealed to me that he has tinnitus, and when it first hit he tried everything under the sun to treat it, such as Ginkgo Biloba and other supposed remedies, and nothing worked.

It just takes time, for the majority of us who have it, to adjust to it. Now, the takeaway for me was, if this man can perform surgery of a very serious nature, even though he has a bad case of tinnitus, then it must be possible to live with this. Yes, it took a while to rid myself of negativity, bad nights, trying to stop it from happening, etc., but I can say that it matters little to me anymore that this sound is present. I simply do not hear it most of the time, because I am not thinking of it. When I do her it, I do not get annoyed. This is not a special skill, it happens for the majority who have tinnitus, eventually. I did a lot of exercises, meditation, and psychological work to speed up my habituation, as well.

 

[Ed209]

Mine was measured at 20dB SL. It's rare that it's not been at the forefront of my attention these past two years. Should I just give up trying to habituate? What's the point really...

I have no clinical experience of this whatsoever; I have to make that really clear. What I know regarding loudness tests is all from the literature having read through reams of information over the years.

I've never had mine tested, but as you know, it used to drive me insane. It made me suicidal and put me into a really dark place. I don't wanna jinx anything, but nowadays I have other health issues which are far more concerning to me, which I never thought I'd say. Nobody can pretend to know what you're going through. We all have unique sound/s in our heads/ears, and nobody knows what others have to face on a daily basis because we really don't have a way of comparing objectively.

I wish you all the best, though, Bartoli and I hope you end up in a similar position as I've found myself in (minus all my other health issues, of course ).

 

[Bartoli]

I have no clinical experience of this whatsoever; I have to make that really clear. What I know regarding loudness tests is all from the literature having read through reams of information over the years.

I've never had mine tested, but as you know, it used to drive me insane. It made me suicidal and put me into a really dark place. I don't wanna jinx anything, but nowadays I have other health issues which are far more concerning to me, which I never thought I'd say. Nobody can pretend to know what you're going through. We all have unique sound/s in our heads/ears, and nobody knows what others have to face on a daily basis because we really don't have a way of comparing objectively.

I wish you all the best, though, Bartoli and I hope you end up in a similar position as I've found myself in (minus all my other health issues, of course ).

Thanks. How was your habituation like? At what point did you know you were going to make it, or at least got a glimmer of hope?

I must say getting my tinnitus loudness matched made something shift. This sounds stupid as it's really just a number, but for me, it was some sort of confirmation that it was very loud (as per my experience) and it made me resign that I ever would get better.

How reliable is this sensation level? To be clear, they did their best to get my pitch matched, and then asked if I had the noise-like or tonal type. As you may know I have a musical background and my tinnitus is without a doubt a white noise around 12000 Hz. I'm absolutely certain. No octave confusion.
The only thing they could offer through the headphones was a white noise around 8000 Hz. Obviously, it took quite a bit to cover my tinnitus.
What came out of it was 20 dB SL. I asked what that meant. She said most people get around 5 dB and are absolutely devastated already. That was a serious reality check.
I knew it was bad and bothersome or I would not have sat there, but I'll never forget the look as the audiologist had to keep turning it up, and it broke something inside me. The hope to ever habituate.

Do you believe it made a difference? My tonal audiogram is fine around 8000 Hz. It's right at the threshold of 0 dB. I have a steep loss at 12500 Hz, down to 50 dB SL at 14000 Hz and even worse as the frequency gets higher.

Do you think I would have had a different SL when trying to mask around 12000 Hz because my hearing is worse there?

Could it have been a 6 dB SL match around 12000 Hz?

If anything, many patients have been tested on the same gear, so at the very least I'm not comparing favorably against these people . At the very least, it provides a sort of baseline for the thousands of people having been tested in that booth. I know I have it severely. But there's people with severe that are okay on this forum. I wonder if I have a fighting chance.

Finally, I'm sorry you're going through all these other health issues. I hope these things stop to be an issue down the line for you. You have been helpful in the past. I'll never forget that.

 

[BobDigi]

People can say all kinds of things and mostly they tend to exaggerate tinnitus because it's all in our own heads and nobody else can hear or measure it objectively.

I wish I could exaggerate my tinnitus. If anything I can't do it justice when describing how loud it is!!!!!

 

[jay777]

Just to clear up any confusion here

Ed, it was a joke.

 

[GBB]

Just to clear up any confusion here, as I don't want to come across as an asshole in this thread: when I say there's no such thing as X dB tinnitus, I'm referring to it in a comparative context (which is the reason why one would do this). When somebody says that they have 80 dB tinnitus, for example, they believe this gives a fairly accurate description of how loud their tinnitus is for comparative purposes, but it doesn't. In fact, what can seem like a very definitive indicator of how loud that person experiences tinnitus - so that others can compare - is actually so wide in scale that it's pointless and is not representative of a value that can be quantified in a meaningful way.

This is why researchers have always been looking for a way to accurately measure tinnitus severity, objectively. One person describing their tinnitus as being 80 dB (as compared to an external sound source) could, in reality, be the same as another person who describes theirs as being 40 dB. This gives a false impression of what one is experiencing compared to another, and that's why I often reply in threads that use these terms.

The best we can do is describe how loud we hear it on a scale of 1-10, but of course, everyone's scale is going to be based off a different metric. One persons 9/10 might be another persons 5/10 and vice versa. Answering questions like these, along with a bunch of others, however, is still the most popular way of assessing how loud someone experiences their tinnitus in a clinical setting. The next best thing is the sensation level from a pitch and loudness test. For the vast majority of people, their tinnitus will fall between 5 and 10 dB SL. It's extremely rare to see people go above 20 dB SL. This is why many get offended when they hear people say that their ENT Dr told them that the loudest is usually around 20 dB. What they are referring to is 20 dB SL, and members here think to themselves, "that's barely audible! The ENTs haven't got a clue," etc, etc, but this just demonstrates my point. It's like an apples and oranges comparison. People here are using the A-weighted scale to compare to external sound sources that they know to be that loud, and this is where it all goes wrong. 20 dB SL would be extremely loud.

This is why I'm excited to hear about Dr Mehrnaz Shoushtarian's work, as it is moving towards an objective measurement, and that's exactly what is needed!

What about MML?

 

[GBB]

Thanks. How was your habituation like? At what point did you know you were going to make it, or at least got a glimmer of hope?

I must say getting my tinnitus loudness matched made something shift. This sounds stupid as it's really just a number, but for me, it was some sort of confirmation that it was very loud (as per my experience) and it made me resign that I ever would get better.

How reliable is this sensation level? To be clear, they did their best to get my pitch matched, and then asked if I had the noise-like or tonal type. As you may know I have a musical background and my tinnitus is without a doubt a white noise around 12000 Hz. I'm absolutely certain. No octave confusion.
The only thing they could offer through the headphones was a white noise around 8000 Hz. Obviously, it took quite a bit to cover my tinnitus.
What came out of it was 20 dB SL. I asked what that meant. She said most people get around 5 dB and are absolutely devastated already. That was a serious reality check.
I knew it was bad and bothersome or I would not have sat there, but I'll never forget the look as the audiologist had to keep turning it up, and it broke something inside me. The hope to ever habituate.

Do you believe it made a difference? My tonal audiogram is fine around 8000 Hz. It's right at the threshold of 0 dB. I have a steep loss at 12500 Hz, down to 50 dB SL at 14000 Hz and even worse as the frequency gets higher.

Do you think I would have had a different SL when trying to mask around 12000 Hz because my hearing is worse there?

Could it have been a 6 dB SL match around 12000 Hz?

If anything, many patients have been tested on the same gear, so at the very least I'm not comparing favorably against these people . At the very least, it provides a sort of baseline for the thousands of people having been tested in that booth. I know I have it severely. But there's people with severe that are okay on this forum. I wonder if I have a fighting chance.

Finally, I'm sorry you're going through all these other health issues. I hope these things stop to be an issue down the line for you. You have been helpful in the past. I'll never forget that.

This makes me scared to find out what mine is...

 

[Ed209]

Ed, it was a joke.

I know mate, that's why I rated your post as informative.

 

[Ed209]

What about MML?

For some people, the MML can be quite reliable and accurate as it requires no musical training, meaning you aren't going to encounter pitch or octave errors like you would with pitch and loudness matching. The studies I've read on this show that it can be fairly accurate in people who have stable tinnitus and are repeat tested on the same day, but it can vary when tests are repeated weeks apart. This could be due to tinnitus fluctuations or fluctuations in perception.

An MML is usually acquired by feeding a narrow broadband sound into one ear so that it can be compared to one's tinnitus. The numbers are then converted back from HL to SL. There are different levels of maskability that range from complete to partial, none at all, and for some it can cause exacerbation.

I'll put the most common clinical outcomes in bold below (as taken from an audiology site):

Step 8 - Determine the Minimum Masking Level

• Increase the level of the masking noise gradually in 1 dB steps until the tinnitus is no longer detectable in that ear. This Minimum Masking Level (MML) is expressed in dB sensation level (SL), relative to the Masking Noise Threshold.

Note: In most cases the MML is 8 dB SL or less. It is rare for the MML to go above 22 dB SL.

This is from another site. I thought some of you might find it interesting:

The finding that tinnitus is usually matched in loudness with tones at low SLs initially led to the idea that tinnitus is perceived as soft, despite causing marked distress for some people [10]. However, this interpretation ignores the effects of loudness recruitment. For a frequency where a person has a hearing loss, the loudness of a tone or other sound increases more rapidly than normal once the SL is more than 4-6 dB, and at high levels the loudness is similar to what would be experienced by a person with normal hearing [11]. If there is a hearing loss at the frequency of the tone used to obtain a tinnitus match, the loudness of the matching tone may be moderately high, even though its SL is low [7,12]. The unit of subjective loudness is the sone [13]. Calculations using the model of loudness perception published by Moore and Glasberg show that an SL of, say, 20 dB, leads to a loudness of 0.11 sones for a person with normal hearing, but a loudness of 2.13 sones for a person with a 60 dB hearing loss [14]. Thus, the sound is louder by a factor of almost 20 for the person with hearing loss.

The conclusion from all of this is that loudness matches in dB SL are not related in a simple way to loudness in sones. Tinnitus can be moderately loud even when the SL of the matching stimulus is low.

https://www.entandaudiologynews.com.../measuring-the-pitch-and-loudness-of-tinnitus

 

[dan]

I wish I could exaggerate my tinnitus. If anything I can't do it justice when describing how loud it is!!!!!

You certainly handled it like it was a minor annoyance... probably you are superhuman.

 

[Bartoli]

Calculations using the model of loudness perception published by Moore and Glasberg show that an SL of, say, 20 dB, leads to a loudness of 0.11 sones for a person with normal hearing, but a loudness of 2.13 sones for a person with a 60 dB hearing loss [14]. Thus, the sound is louder by a factor of almost 20 for the person with hearing loss.

That's more or less what I was wondering. Does that mean the person with hearing loss would perceive that sound as relative to the level of greatest hearing (the 0 dB line), as opposed to the HL at tinnitus pitch? In other words, that the sound they hear is relative to the theoretical 0 dB line on an audiogram, what may very well have been their own hearing threshold before the hearing loss occurred?

 

[Bartoli]

This makes me scared to find out what mine is...

Better not to know I'd say. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[Ed209]

How reliable is this sensation level? To be clear, they did their best to get my pitch matched, and then asked if I had the noise-like or tonal type. As you may know I have a musical background and my tinnitus is without a doubt a white noise around 12000 Hz. I'm absolutely certain. No octave confusion.
The only thing they could offer through the headphones was a white noise around 8000 Hz. Obviously, it took quite a bit to cover my tinnitus.

If they were using 8 kHz to match 12 kHz then it would suggest that your results are inaccurate. You cannot accurately match a sensation level (above a threshold) if the pitch is out by such a margin. The best type of tinnitus for pitch matching is obviously the pure tone type. As for reliability, it's certainly not a gold standard for quantifying tinnitus loudness, but it's possibly the best we currently have along with MML's. The results are only ever as accurate as the skill of the clinician and the ability of the patient to match sounds. This is particularly a problem amongst those who are not ear-trained to recognise pitch. Also, as was stated in my previous post, the sensation level doesn't always give an accurate depiction of how loud one's tinnitus may be because of other factors like recruitment. Some may have a low sensation level, but when measuring the perception in sones it might be quite high, and this would mean they'd perceive their tinnitus as being much louder. There are other variables at play also, meaning the relationship is not linear.

We desperately need better ways to objectively measure this condition as it will lead to better outcomes all around, and it would also make it so much easier to acquire state benefits.

My journey towards habituation was like a rollercoaster ride. Totally up and down; 2 steps forward, and then 3 steps backward. It takes a long time and is different for everyone as we're all unique. Try not to think about it too much as from my experience it really is possible to go from absolute rock bottom - of horrifying proportions - back to a semblance of normality. Our tinnitus also seems to share similar properties. My main sound is around the same pitch of 12 kHz and it cuts through pretty much everything. It's really shrill and for a long time it disturbed me terribly. I thought I was gonna end up in a padded cell.

 

[Bartoli]

If they were using 8 kHz to match 12 kHz then it would suggest that your results are inaccurate. You cannot accurately match a sensation level (above a threshold) if the pitch is out by such a margin. The best type of tinnitus for pitch matching is obviously the pure tone type. As for reliability, it's certainly not a gold standard for quantifying tinnitus loudness, but it's possibly the best we currently have along with MML's. The results are only ever as accurate as the skill of the clinician and the ability of the patient to match sounds. This is particularly a problem amongst those who are not ear-trained to recognise pitch. Also, as was stated in my previous post, the sensation level doesn't always give an accurate depiction of how loud one's tinnitus may be because of other factors like recruitment. Some may have a low sensation level, but when measuring the perception in sones it might be quite high, and this would mean they'd perceive their tinnitus as being much louder. There are other variables at play also, meaning the relationship is not linear.

We desperately need better ways to objectively measure this condition as it will lead to better outcomes all around, and it would also make it so much easier to acquire state benefits.

My journey towards habituation was like a rollercoaster ride. Totally up and down; 2 steps forward, and then 3 steps backward. It takes a long time and is different for everyone as we're all unique. Try not to think about it too much as from my experience it really is possible to go from absolute rock bottom - of horrifying proportions - back to a semblance of normality. Our tinnitus also seems to share similar properties. My main sound is around the same pitch of 12 kHz and it cuts through pretty much everything. It's really shrill and for a long time it disturbed me terribly. I thought I was gonna end up in a padded cell.

Thanks for elaborating. So this theory goes pretty much one way in the sense that low dB SL tinnitus can still be quite loud due to recruitment but not the other way around.

I don't even know why I get so hung up on the numbers as it's just objectively horrible. It's scary to know that even after nearly 2 years, I haven't had a glimmer of hope that in the long run I'll be ok. It seems just unfathomable that one would ever be able to go a minute without noticing the screaming noise I have.

 

[Kriszti]

We desperately need better ways to objectively measure this condition as it will lead to better outcomes all around, and it would also make it so much easier to acquire state benefits.

I'm an absolute layman and not trained either in music or physics, or medicine. Do you have any idea how would it be possible in the future to get a better understanding of objective features of tinnitus, objective measurements?

I don't quite understand how does the measuring works either. I mean if I have tinnitus at 12000 Hz at let just say 50 dB, how can it be measured that my hearing threshold on that particular frequency is 40 dB, making the tinnitus sound 10 dB? How would I be able to hear the quieter sounds from the outside if my tinnitus is louder? I don't know if it's clear what I mean, I'm a bit lost in translation.

 

[UKBloke]

If they were using 8 kHz to match 12 kHz then it would suggest that your results are inaccurate.

@Bartoli the above was absolutely my first thought after reading your account of the loudness measurement procedure with that particular audiologist.

There's a very interesting article here about the various pitfalls of loudness matching vs pitch. My own "new" tones (around 11 kHz) seem very loud to me, but I don't necessarily believe they are any louder than the old lower ones. It's just that with very little presence of these upper frequencies in everyday sounds to naturally mask them, focussing on them seems more reflexive and has made habituation tougher. Maybe try again with another audiologist.

 

[Ed209]

I'm an absolute layman and not trained either in music or physics, or medicine. Do you have any idea how would it be possible in the future to get a better understanding of objective features of tinnitus, objective measurements?

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...ctively-measuring-tinnitus.43318/#post-560088

I don't quite understand how does the measuring works either. I mean if I have tinnitus at 12000 Hz at let just say 50 dB, how can it be measured that my hearing threshold on that particular frequency is 40 dB, making the tinnitus sound 10 dB? How would I be able to hear the quieter sounds from the outside if my tinnitus is louder? I don't know if it's clear what I mean, I'm a bit lost in translation.

The difference is measured from the threshold of one's hearing loss. If you have a hearing loss of 40 dB at 4 kHz, for example, then the sensation you are experiencing is measured above that. So, if you feel your tinnitus is around 50 dB at that frequency, then your sensation level would be 10 dB.

Recruitment essentially means that one has a decreased dynamic range which can complicate matters. Instead of sounds gradually getting louder, they go from barely audible to bam, this is damn loud, in an instant. There's barely any in-between like a normal hearing person would experience. This appears to have an affect on how some people might experience tinnitus as a percept.

 

[Kriszti]

The difference is measured from the threshold of one's hearing loss. If you have a hearing loss of 40 dB at 4 kHz, for example, then the sensation you are experiencing is measured above that. So, if you feel your tinnitus is around 50 dB at that frequency, then your sensation level would be 10 dB.

This is what I don't understand. How can the threshold of one's hearing loss be measured exactly if the patient has blasting tinnitus at the same frequency? Wouldn't the two interfere with each other? Or is it because the tinnitus is rarely exactly the same frequency being tested at a hearing test?

 

[Bartoli]

@Bartoli the above was absolutely my first thought after reading your account of the loudness measurement procedure with that particular audiologist.

There's a very interesting article here about the various pitfalls of loudness matching vs pitch. My own "new" tones (around 11 kHz) seem very loud to me, but I don't necessarily believe they are any louder than the old lower ones. It's just that with very little presence of these upper frequencies in everyday sounds to naturally mask them, focussing on them seems more reflexive and has made habituation tougher. Maybe try again with another audiologist.

Thanks for pitching in. This was at a renowned hospital, so I can only guess they must do the same with all patients. I honestly don't know where else to turn. They were equipped for extended audiograms (had to ask though), yet could not present me with a narrowband noise centered around 12 kHz. I'm an ignorant prick, but is that really such an investment for a hospital to make if most DIY audioguys can do it from behind their PC?

 

[PeteJ]

I was hoping. But I kinda figured that. Some days it does go down in volume being I can hear the 10 kHz tones and not the roar, but it changes all the time for no reason.

At least, it fluctuates enough for you to perceive a significant (assuming, positive?) difference.

I don't think most can "habituate" to severe loud tinnitus. I can't.

I hate that term, "habituate." It implies "you are used to it?"

I think the fact someone is still alive, it just means they are suffering with it and still alive. It's not just debilitating when it's really loud but also causes feelings that might not be present if the tinnitus wasn't there.

 

[PeteJ]

Bull. ENTs are useless.

 

[PeteJ]

This is what I don't understand. How can the threshold of one's hearing loss be measured exactly if the patient has blasting tinnitus at the same frequency? Wouldn't the two interfere with each other? Or is it because the tinnitus is rarely exactly the same frequency being tested at a hearing test?

How does someone with significantly loud tinnitus hear the beeps in a hearing test?

 

[PeteJ]

I estimated my tinnitus at about 75 dB at the peak, and I habituated over about 18 to 24 mos. It was quite intrusive, and was waking me up from sleep multiple times a night.

This is what helped me:

- vigilant protection from further noise damage (ex: double protection while using vacuum)
- omega3 capsules for over a year
- earplug use at night
- avoidance of further noise events, no concerts, sporting events, parties, etc
- no use of masking devices
- no benzos
- melatonin for insomnia when it was most severe

Hope this info helps others.

Wearing plugs at night?

Sorry, but no one here will convince me that you can wear plugs at night (assuming one is trying to sleep). That means listening to only 'hearing' one's tinnitus and nothing else.

I am talking about someone with loud tinnitus (8 - 10/10). I need at least a fan on.

 

[Bartoli]

@Bartoli the above was absolutely my first thought after reading your account of the loudness measurement procedure with that particular audiologist.

There's a very interesting article here about the various pitfalls of loudness matching vs pitch. My own "new" tones (around 11 kHz) seem very loud to me, but I don't necessarily believe they are any louder than the old lower ones. It's just that with very little presence of these upper frequencies in everyday sounds to naturally mask them, focussing on them seems more reflexive and has made habituation tougher. Maybe try again with another audiologist.

Thanks for the article. This grabbed my attention:

"Tinnitus is usually matched in loudness by a sound with a low SL, typically in the range 6-20 dB SL; for a review, see Moore [7]. However, when loudness matches to tinnitus are made over a series of days, the matches can range up to 30-45 dB SL"

I wonder how that can be?

 

[Ed209]

This is what I don't understand. How can the threshold of one's hearing loss be measured exactly if the patient has blasting tinnitus at the same frequency? Wouldn't the two interfere with each other? Or is it because the tinnitus is rarely exactly the same frequency being tested at a hearing test?

You can hear the sound through the tinnitus, and a warble tone can also be used. The main problem, as you raise a good point, is that audiometry isn't that precise anyway. There is a +- of around 10 dB. What I find fascinating about hearing-related technology and methods of testing is that everything is so old and archaic. There have been no meaningful advancements for decades.

All of the equipment that has been used to test my ears has always looked as though it came straight from the 1970's.

 

[UKBloke]

Thanks for the article. This grabbed my attention:

"Tinnitus is usually matched in loudness by a sound with a low SL, typically in the range 6-20 dB SL; for a review, see Moore [7]. However, when loudness matches to tinnitus are made over a series of days, the matches can range up to 30-45 dB SL"

I wonder how that can be?

Exactly. When I read that part I also realised it seemed to fly in the face of what your own audiologist stated to you during your visit. In terms of trying to understand or explain it in the context of "we usually see tinnitus loudness between 5-20dB SL", I really don't know... Maybe @Ed209 can chip in?

 

[Psych]

Does anyone have any suggestions for habituating to loud tinnitus?

I don't care to hear from anyone with mild tinnitus that can only be heard with ears plugged in or masked by fans. I'm talking about truly debilitating loud tinnitus that never stops.

I've been off work for six months today and have given up that any ENT, audiologist, or medication can help. I'm truly miserable, but have an advanced degree and refuse to sit around the house any longer waiting for change. I can sleep at night with sleeping pills, alcohol, or THC but functioning during the day is hard.

I'm going to look for a desk job but I need to figure out how to not hear this noise or let it drive me insane while I try to focus/concentrate.

To members whom have habituated, do you just take Xanax every morning and force yourself to work? I've exhausted all my options and been told there is nothing more that can be done. I have low and high frequency hearing loss. Above 10 kHz is gone completely and severe distortion in low frequencies from Meniere's disease. The tinnitus is constant roaring at 450 Hz at 70 decibels according to the evaluation I had today. Other tone is 10 kHz at 55 decibels.

I was hoping for Sac Decompression Surgery or a cochlear implant but was told I qualify for neither today.

Any input is appreciated.

So sorry you're going through this. Mine is loud a lot of the time. I have a couple of other health concerns that influence how I perceive the tinnitus. One actually jacks it up, and that is hormones. They also mess with my mood, which seems to make it more bothersome sometimes, also. I can hear it over an idling semi, at times, to give you an idea of the loudness. Hope you get some relief soon! I've been thinking about ways to work, also, and it is definitely a challenge due to these three - sometimes more - symptoms.

 

[Psych]

The only thing that has helped me is time and drugs to help pass the time. My tinnitus is very loud and very high pitched. Nothing masks it. The first 3 months were horrible. I was suicidal, frustrated, all that. However, after the first 3 months my suicidal thoughts suddenly eased up. I think my brain just said well you can't beat it, so you better get used to it. It wasn't quieter, and I don't like it, but I just woke up one day and could experience it without wanting to put my head thru the wall. After that I started to experience a day here and there where the volume lessened and I could function without noticing it. Then there were more days. At this point, I have gone up to 2 weeks where I can function normally during the day and can sleep 6 to 7 hours at night.

However, eventually it spikes again for some unknown reason. Since I can't mask it, I have to be constantly active on those types of days. Because, as soon as I sit down or try to do something quiet I get frustrated and impatient with it. I know if it's really bad I can always relax myself with some drugs (Benzos, sleep meds, or CBD) and on the worst days that's what I do. It's helped me to get thru the worst. It's not ideal, but at least I'm not suicidal, and it gets me one day further in the journey.

Would you mind saying, if that's allowed, what type and dose of CBD works for you?

 

[Jrblovsky]

Charlotte's web is good. Very expensive. Harley Quinn also.