I'm Thankful... Even with Tinnitus

[Dmitriy]

With Thanksgiving behind us I still want to say that I am thankful for my family and friends. I got T this year and it's a stressful, weird condition.

However, I make sure to continue living my life to the fullest and not let T change anything. I've done more traveling this year then before, and I have more trips planned. I continue with my workouts which boost my mood. I spend more time with people who I love and bring me joy, and it helps me to forget about T.

I am thankful for this site and it's supporting members.

As a community, you all bring hope to the millions of T sufferers around the world.

I believe if there is ever a cure or even a significant breakthrough, it will be through contributions and and knowledge sharing via sites such as tinnitustalk.com

D

 

[Bill Bauer]

I make sure to continue living my life to the fullest and not let T change anything.

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

 

[orbiter12]

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

Where did he say he was going to go to loud places? Living life to the fullest doesn't mean he is going to increase his T.

 

[Dmitriy]

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

Yes, now I worry about my T getting worse, but previously I never subjected myself to loud noises or places. I went shooting guns once (not a fan), and I guess the ear plugs were not fully in.

I never exposed my ears to damaging sounds. I don't go to concerts and such. And now I take precautions by plugging my ears even in moderately loud places, like restaurants. So I don't think that living "my" life as before should be detrimental to my condition.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I don't go to concerts and such.

In that case I ought to apologize for my earlier remark.

I also haven't attended concerts before my acoustic trauma, and I don't intend to start now. But most people do go to concerts, restaurants where loud music is playing, etc. I thought you were one of those people. In any case, if your life had never involved noise, then not letting T win Is in fact a policy that makes sense.

 

[Dmitriy]

Thanks... I am traveling to NYC in few days where I am going with family to attend Rockettes. No a concert per se but I expect to be a louder then my usual environment. So definitely wearing ear plugs all the way, and not hesitant to walk out if I feel it's not enough.

So its a borderline experience, but an example of not letting T control my life.

 

[fishbone]

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

Not always the case Bill. Many can live their lives to the fullest, even with tinnitus. Fullest doesn't always mean LOUD....

 

[fishbone]

With Thanksgiving behind us I still want to say that I am thankful for my family and friends. I got T this year and it's a stressful, weird condition.

However, I make sure to continue living my life to the fullest and not let T change anything. I've done more traveling this year then before, and I have more trips planned. I continue with my workouts which boost my mood. I spend more time with people who I love and bring me joy, and it helps me to forget about T.

I am thankful for this site and it's supporting members.

As a community, you all bring hope to the millions of T sufferers around the world.

I believe if there is ever a cure or even a significant breakthrough, it will be through contributions and and knowledge sharing via sites such as tinnitustalk.com

D

Good for you! keep living your life and enjoy it...

 

[vermillion]

Sounds like a recipe to permanently increase your (currently low, if I remember correctly) tinnitus inventory score.

Actually Bill I will disagree this time with you. Out of this forum I know few people and few acquaintances with tinnitus. They ALL keep on with their lives. I'll name professions: actors, djs (the one owns a bar) among others. None of them has any problem. NONE. No increases, no hyperacusis, no hearing protection. Nada! I do excactly the opposite. I wear plugs everywhere, I quit the cinema, bars, free walks. Everything. Guess what? Worsening and lately ear pain! I am screwed btw. So what is the conclusion here? Does signing up in the forum provides you with bad karma? (I'm just thinking loudly here by being sick of the agony and the state of not figuring out what on earth is happening with me, my body, my ears and my brain)

 

[Bill Bauer]

So negative, this thread should be about positivity!

I would say that reminding someone with a peanut allergy who is bragging about eating everything he wants (without looking at the ingredient list to ensure that the item is free of peanuts) that he might end up dead as a result, would be a favor.

I'll name professions: actors, djs (the one owns a bar) among others. None of them has any problem.

It is possible that their tinnitus would have been gone, had it not for their lifestyle.

I wear plugs everywhere, I quit the cinema, bars, free walks.

Wouldn't walks in the park be reasonably quiet?

Some members on this forum who learned the hard way about protecting our ears include me and the two people I am going to quote below:

I am never, ever going to go anywhere where I risk being exposed to loud music without earplugs

After my first T (very loud Lawn tractor for an hour), I was very careful around loud noise, but an outdoor church concert must have been just too much. My wife had zero T after the concert, so I don't think it was so loud to cause me anything permanent.(there where a lot of people a lot closer to the stage than me) Maybe once you've had T, it's easier to get again???
Anyway, I now carry ear plugs with me everywhere I go just in case!

All of us ended up with spikes that had lasted over three months. It is possible that those spikes will end up being permanent, although all of us are hoping for the best.

I remember reading many more horror stories about people regretting not protecting their ears. I am sorry that I can't produce links to all of the relevant posts.

 

[Bill Bauer]

am traveling to NYC in few days where I am going with family to attend Rockettes. No a concert per se but I expect to be a louder then my usual environment.

Wouldn't you agree that you are increasing the risk of a (possibly permanent) spike, and are also risking compromising your recovery? You wrote that you plan on leaving, if you begin sensing that the noise is too loud. Is it possible that you will end up leaving after the damage is done? Are you sure the benefit (seeing the show) is worth the possible downside (a permanent spike or compromised recovery, that takes place with a relatively low probability)?

 

[Dmitriy]

Wouldn't you agree that you are increasing the risk of a (possibly permanent) spike, and are also risking compromising your recovery

Bill, wouldn't you agree that you simply cannot guarantee avoiding exposure to loud noises unless you lock yourself in a room? I was simply moving pots and pans yesterday at home, and something fell and banged really loud. It could be as simple as that.

I am taking a risk with concert but it's far more calculated then before I had T. Ear plugs, middle of theater away from speakers, and ready to leave at any time. And its not a rock concert, it's not meant to blow your eardrums.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Bill, wouldn't you agree that you simply cannot guarantee avoiding exposure to loud noises unless you lock yourself in a room?

The way I see it, each incident of exposure to noise reduces my chances of recovery and increases my chances of T getting worse. It is sad that it is unlikely that one can eliminate all exposure to noise. One can still try to avoid noise exposure whenever one can avoid it, and this is something that you don't seem to be doing.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Sometimes it seems like people post horror stories [illustrating what happens when one continues to live as if one didn't have T (possibly wearing ear plugs that provide a false sense of security)] on this site every day. It is surprising that people reading those stories are refusing to learn from others' experience.

I did have some minor tinnitus prior to this, probably caused by allergies and fluid in the ears. Hardly bothered me. I had noticed years ago that my tinnitus spiked a bit after gigs or practicing even with protection. I convinced myself that this was not too concerning. Then, over the past couple of years, I started going on moderately extended tours of the US. The longest one was about 5 months, during Spring of last year. Most of the time during others' sets, I was not wearing earplugs.

Now just in the last year or so, my tinnitus has become an inescapable concern for me. Whereas previously I could only hear it in near-complete silence, I now notice it in any area that does not have a constant, notable source of white noise. There are also two tones now; the high pitched one that I've had since almost as long as I can remember, and a louder mid-pitch that is the one that is really bothering/scaring me. It's gotten bad enough that I leave a fan on in my room at all times and spend the bulk of my at-home time in that room. Fortunately, I don't notice it much at work because one of the lights in my office hums noticeably.

This year I have made a point of ALWAYS wearing earplugs to ALL shows. But within the past few months, I have additionally noticed an increased sensitivity to sound. I've noticed it is harder for me to enjoy listening to some music I previously loved, and that certain frequencies aggravate me.