I Need Some Support

[The_T]

Seriously, does this hell have an end? I'm so tired and bored of this T! It's enough, I have suffered enough...
In the right environment, at home for e.g. it can be masked to become less of a problem. It's also my "safe house" protecting me from unwanted high sounds. The problem is this society which is so loud, I can't even buy food without cover my ears at least a hand full of times on the way there! It's not durable, it's not acceptable nor tolerable.

I use earplugs sometimes when I want to act like "normal" people, and not like a weirdo.
Thing is also that I have no education yet, so I'm being job-hopping between different temporary posts which often are too loud for me. So I decided to go back to school and started uni, on an program that is so interesting. It's the only thing I want to study. I can't wear earplugs in school because it makes it almost impossible to communicate with other students, which is a must. But it does not pass a single day without being exposed to sudden high noises. I get anxiety and panic when I think of the future which probably contains more T than I have today.

I do not know if I should chose a shorter education and afterward chose the most quiet job I can find and just go with it. Or if I should go with this dream of mine which is the current thing I'm studying. I do not want T to rule my life, but I guess one needs to consider oneself defeated sometime.
If I however manage to succeed the education I'm currently studying, I will be able to chose better jobs in the future.

I wish that this T could have got to my in a later state of my life, this time was the worst thinkable. I do not know what to do. It seems like suffering from T isn't enough, now my whole life is at risk.

What do you think I should do? Have you been in a similar situation? If so, what did you do? And what is your job?

 

[Steve721]

Is your T reactive to loud noises--have you found that loud noises cause your T to spike?

 

[The_T]

Is your T reactive to loud noises--have you found that loud noises cause your T to spike?

Yes its reactive, in some kind of way. It tends to go up in volume as the enviroment does. But it does not spike that often or for long periods. When the sounds in the enviroment goes down, so does my T. Mostly anyway.

 

[glynis]

Great to hear your making plans.
If your at college or uni,
Make sure they know you have tinnitus and this will get you extra study time,help with exams,support from head of year or tutor .
Time out if you need to study away from the group in a quiet area.....
Make sure your learning environment works for you.
Hope the information helps...lots of love glynis

 

[Steve721]

I would be interested to hear what others say on this point. If you are concerned about further damage to your auditory system, there are guidelines for the amount and duration of sounds (in decibels) that may cause hearing loss. For example, this is the webpage from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on noise exposure:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/noise/signs.htm

Under these guidelines, it is doubtful that a trip to buy food in a supermarket would cause hearing loss. (Many people here seem to have gotten T from going to loud rock concerts or clubs, but from what I've read the noise levels in those venues can easily exceed 110db, and according to the CDC guidelines, the "safe" exposure time limit for noise at that db level is just 1.5 minutes.) You might consider buying a db meter on Amazon and checking the db levels of places that you go to; you can also download a db meter app for your cell phone, but in my experience, those apps can be really inaccurate.

The central question is whether, for people with T, their T can get permanently worse by exposure to noise levels that would be well within the "safe" zone for people without T. I haven't seen or head about any studies on this point. Some posts in the Doctor's corner suggest that for a person with T, they should either avoid, or wear hearing protection in, places where you have to raise your voice (above a normal conversational level) in order to be heard by a person standing or sitting next to you. That is the guideline I try to follow. I've also read that wearing ear plugs too much can adversely affect both hearing and tinnitus--the ears need to process a variety of sounds in order to function properly.

Hope this helps.

 

[The_T]

Thanks for the suggestions I'm really considering searching extra help, e.g. longer exams and so on. I have less focus than others, and it's not more than right that I also should have some extra time.

I'm also curios about "The central question is whether, for people with T, their T can get permanently worse by exposure to noise levels that would be well within the 'safe' zone for people without T". Some says that's the case, and some denies it. Whether or not it's true remains a secret. But how should one react to the fact that it might be so?
My goal is to be able to be in school a whole day without using earplugs even once. If it isn't anything extraordinary. If I can manage that I can manage my life, and I will continue studying what I'm currently studying.

If however what is written in Italic is true, maybe I should think in different directions?

Has anyone, from here with T, been to college or uni? And how did you live back then?

 

[Mad maggot]

How long have you had this? It really takes time for you to adjust and for it to settle. If you have had it only a short time then you need time and you will find it isn't so hard to manage after a while. If you haven't had it for long it might also go away which would be great.

 

[Mike TerMaaten]

the noise levels in those venues can easily exceed 110db, and according to the CDC guidelines, the "safe" exposure time limit for noise at that db level is just 1.5 minutes.)

Valuable information.

 

[jeanneguy]

I just tinnitus last month and hypercusis. Both have been worsening almost daily. I feel like I'm on the brink og "losing it." I'm in search of advice on how to deal with this.