Little Tinnitus Survey

[TinniTom]

I would be very glad if you join!
Please only answer the questions below. If you have questions regarding some other person's answers, send them a private message to ask.


Since when do you have tinnitus?
I have tinnitus since about 20 years and it worsened last year.

How loud is your tinnitus?
25-30dB (according to a ENT hearing test)
- I can hear it pretty well while watching TV / listening to radio.
- I can also hear it when driving in my car.
- I can not hear it in the shower,.. maybe when I really, really focusing on it, but never tried it.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
~8 kHz (according to a ENT hearing test)

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

I would rate my tinnitus 7-8/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I had hyperacusis when it worsened last year for the first weeks/month but not at the moment.
Since about 3 weeks my right ear hurts a little bit and it's kind of fullness or pressure,.. hard to describe.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No, but I would love to

Are you struggling at the moment?
No. Even though it is very loud and I often think about it I'm not really struggling I think. I'm still working and do some activities and go on with life.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
I think the most important is to stay positive and going on with life! Find something you love to do or start activities which require your concentration. Stop Tinnitus-self-talking and thinking about how your life would be when not having Tinnitus.

 

[jacob21]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
2008 then in 2009 I was "cured", I mean I lived with it during 7 years without complaining since 2009 and then a flare up in June 2016

How loud is your tinnitus?
40 dB (according to an ENT hearing test)
- I can hear it all day very well while watching TV / listening to radio / walking in the street / Loud restaurant/ driving car etc.
- I can not hear it in the shower

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
~ 9 - 10 Khz

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

I would rate my T 7-8/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I had hyperacusis in the past and its gone. I listened pink noise for a while ( TRT )

Are you struggling at the moment?
YES . Some day is very loud and very hard to not struggling. However I'm still working, this is the only thing can help me to focus on something else

How do you handle it / What helps you?
I talk to myself that I have to fight and live with it for now . I hope habituation will make its job , and also hope one day there will be a cure or something to give some relief . During the good day I try to enjoy as much as possible ( family activities, restaurant, work ...) and during the bad days , I remember those good days.

 

[Markku]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
April 2010. Makes it 7 years.

How loud is your tinnitus?
I haven't had my minimum masking level measured, but I sympathize with @jacob21 above, I can hear it the majority of my waking time. The shower is one of the few places of bliss.

Rate your tinnitus:
I'd say it's an 8. The shower does still mask it. But what used to mask it (moderate volume music, tv, etc.), doesn't anymore. It's loud, intrusive, and all-around awful. I've demonstrated my tinnitus here.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Check the link above.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
Thankfully, no.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes. I'm battling several health issues at once, and tinnitus definitely makes dealing with other health afflictions that much harder. Even if I was healthy otherwise, and "only" had my tinnitus, I would still be struggling. It's literally terrorizing me all day.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Distraction and sound enrichment used to help me. But these days when it's become intrusively loud, it's a serious problem in my life. I'm honestly at my wits' end more often than not, and I frequently battle some very dark thoughts.

Considering all the crap going on in my life, I'm quite proud of what I've achieved with @Steve and the community here. Latest success being this paper that followed our survey last year.

And we have more to come. A small plug here at the end: if anyone wants to volunteer their skills, join one of our Teams

So I guess I'm trying to cope by working on making a difference till to the very end. Finding some kind of purpose from that.

Best wishes to all of our dear members.

 

[Wojtek Kalka]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Forever ... 23 years now

How loud is your tinnitus?
Used to be 4-6/10 but over the years I habituated it so I rarely reminded myself to hear it .., after the recent spike (concert and ear infection), it went up and is 7.5/10 sometimes which is tough.

Rate your tinnitus:
Used to be felt 3 now it is felt 6-7 .. . The shower does mask it 80%. Some things can mask it better or less

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Very difficult so far the main sounds are 5400, 7200, 9600

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
No,

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes, used to struggle very very little like one time a month, now after the spike it is pretty bad but I am on the way of accepting it as my new base level I agree with Markuu .. even if I was healthy otherwise, and "only" had my tinnitus, I would still be struggling but I will always be stronger , only option

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Pure will, I do what I would do normally, I force myself to do a lot and trying to associate good feelings with the tinnitus .. ... always remind myself there is a genius out there called Steven Hawkings who is way worse doing better

It is a LOT longer story but I have to take a flight to India

Hugs from Thailand all the best
Wojtek

 

[TinniTom]

Would be great if there are any others who join the survey!

 

[Kelvin]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
I have had tinnitus for about 1 year.

How loud is your tinnitus?
I can easily hear it while watching the TV and listening to the radio.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
between 7 and 9 kHz

Rate your tinnitus:
3 to 7 on a bad day.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I have Hyperacusis to some specific sounds ( cutlery, flushing toilets ) on a bad T ( 7 ) day. It is not painful, but my brain processes it as a threat and it still makes me feel irritable and strangely uncomfortable.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No - not found any sounds that comfortably mask it. It hates most White Noise.
Despite that I somehow ( god knows how...) manage to fall to sleep - despite the Hissing symphony in my head

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No - stopped completely. Cant even use a phone to my ear.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Not really - thanks to support and comfort in knowledge from this forum.
Slowly getting used to my new life.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Not found any lotion potion or technique that helps - yet !
Stay busy.
Getting outside for walks.
Tiring myself out.
Using foam earplugs for an hour or so if its really uncomfortable - i.e mowing the lawn etc.
Avoid loud and busy environments - pubs, clubs and concerts.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No - not found any sounds that comfortably mask it. It hates most White Noise.
Despite that I somehow ( god knows how...) manage to fall to sleep - despite the Hissing symphony in my head

HI Kalvin,
Try using a sound machine at night for sound enrichment. It will help to desensitize your auditory system so it is less sensitive to sound. It will also help treat your tinnitus by not allowing your brain to focus on the tinnitus if all it hears is silence while you sleep. Gradually, your brain will push the tinnitus further into the background so it becomes less noticeable during waking hours. Sleeping in a quiet room is not a good idea for someone that has tinnitus, as the brain will often make it louder during waking hours if it hears silence during the night. Set the volume of the sound machine slightly below the tinnitus, it must not mask it. It takes time to get used to sound enrichment at night.
Michael

 

[Reinier]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Since June 2015.

How loud is your tinnitus?
- I can hear it pretty well while watching TV / listening to radio.
- I can also hear it when driving in my car.
- I can hear it in the shower.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
9.5 kHz (according to a ENT hearing test)

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

I would rate my tinnitus 5-8/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
Hyperacusis. No ear pain.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes.
Every day distortion and hard of hearing keeps anxiety up.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
What helps me is outlook on a (partial?) cure one day. My monthly "ritual" of donating to research makes me feel more positive.
Waiting for habituation to happen.

 

[Sam Bridge]

How are people saying there t is 30-40db?? When my audiologist did a test he said it was 7db sensory level. Are you guys really having a way louder t?

 

[Reinier]

How are people saying there t is 30-40db?? When my audiologist did a test he said it was 7db sensory level. Are you guys really having a way louder t?

I think you are correct. I corrected my survey.
My hearing loss for 9.5 kHz is approximately 60 dB. In order to hear a sound of 9.5kHz to go above this tinnitus level I need at least a sound level of approximately 60 dB.
This is not my level of tinnitus.

 

[RudyL90]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Since May 2016, has never been gone since.

How loud is your tinnitus?
Honestly, I do not know. It has never been measured properly. The loudness varies. I used to be able to hear it over many things. Now that I am not hyper focusing on it anymore, I only hear it when it is quiet.


What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Multitone. Different frequencies in both ears, all pure tone. About six to ten different tones.

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

I rate my tinnitus a 4/5 now.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I used to be sensitive to certain sounds in the beginning of my tinnitus. But I knew it was probably due to my anxiety too (I suffer from health anxiety) and that helped me not to be bothered too much about it. In a few weeks it was gone. I never had ear pain.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
Yes. I sleep with my cheap earbuds and a hair band around my head to prevent the earbuds from falling out. Took some time to get used to it, now I do not even feel the earbuds anymore when I sleep. I listen to pink noise on a low volume (I can still fully hear the false orchestra in my head).

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
I used to. Not anymore. But that is mainly because I want my brain to get used to the tinnitus. I do not have any hearing damage and am not afraid to used earphones. When I listen to music now, I used the external speakers from my computer and I like it to be loud.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Not anymore! It is still an annoyance sometimes, especially when I am feeling tired or stressed.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Anything that makes me feel good helps me. Talking a long walk, doing a meditation exercise, playing in my band. It takes my attention off tinnitus.

 

[Kelvin]

HI Kalvin,
Try using a sound machine at night for sound enrichment. It will help to desensitize your auditory system so it is less sensitive to sound. It will also help treat your tinnitus by not allowing your brain to focus on the tinnitus if all it hears is silence while you sleep. Gradually, your brain will push the tinnitus further into the background so it becomes less noticeable during waking hours. Sleeping in a quiet room is not a good idea for someone that has tinnitus, as the brain will often make it louder during waking hours if it hears silence during the night. Set the volume of the sound machine slightly below the tinnitus, it must not mask it. It takes time to get used to sound enrichment at night.
Michael

Many thanks @Michael Leigh for the advice.
I have looked at these devices but have not purchased as I cannot find any sounds that I find soothing.
I have tried listening ( at low level ) to numerous nature sounds, household sounds, white noise, pink noise grey noise and of them none really seem to soothe, help or distract.
Living in hope of finding that sound.
At present I put a speaker under my pillow and listen to talk radio at a volume where I strain to hear it.
I hope you are having a good day.
In Devon today, we have so far had, hail, snow and now full sunshine and its only 9.40am !

 

[Michael Leigh]

I have looked at these devices but have not purchased as I cannot find any sounds that I find soothing.
I have tried listening ( at low level ) to numerous nature sounds, household sounds, white noise, pink noise grey noise and of them none really seem to soothe, help or distract.

I hope you find a sound that works for you Kelvin.
All the best
Michael

 

[Tom Cnyc]

New Since when do you have tinnitus?
May 9, 2016

How loud is your tinnitus?
Depends on the day. Sometimes I need to plug my ears to hear it. Others its louder than the train I'm on. Lately, its more the former than the latter.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
I have one tone at 2300hz that I can always plug my ears to hear. It never changes. I can almost never hear it unless its DEAD silent. I have a cacophony of other high pitched tones that are always changing all above 10k.

Rate your tinnitus:
some days a 1, some days a 5

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I have L ear fullness but no longer have hyperacusis. I do get sensitive to people screaming but my LDLs, while not meausured, are mostly normal.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
very rarely I'll listen to something at very low volume for a few mins at work.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Some days I'm OK. Others I'm really upset. No matter what it consumes my thoughts still.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Press on. what choice do I have?

 

[Flamingo]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Since November 2016

How loud is your tinnitus?
Can only hear it in a quiet room.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
I don't know. I can't determine the frequency. It's not high pitched at all, more like a low hiss/sometimes whistling.

Rate your tinnitus:
I would rate my tinnitus 2/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I had sound sensitivity the first couple of months, but that has gone away thankfully.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No. I tried white noise the first week. It was horrible. White noise is like poison for the auditory system and will only make things worse IMO.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No

Are you struggling at the moment?
Sometimes, even though I have habituated it still has an impact on my life since I can't go to concerts/clubs. It's annoying sometimes, just to know that I have T.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
I try to live my life day by day - searching for new things to enjoy. I also believe that my T will go some day, regardless of what other people say. Hope keeps me going.

 

[TinniTom]

Many thanks to all for your participation!!

I hope a lot of others will follow!

All the best to you!!
TinniTom

 

[RonnieCarzatto]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Since 01Feb2017

How loud is your tinnitus?
Quiet room makes both ears sound louder. In public or watching television I can primarily hear the right ear sound.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Not really sure. It's a hitch pitch hiss mixed with some kind of tone.

Rate your tinnitus:
I would rate my tinnitus 6/10... sometimes 7/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
Surprisingly no.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
Yes. I have to. Sometimes I just use a fan, other times I use both a fan and the NatureScape app. Since tinnitus onset I've only slept once without any masking.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
Definitely no. I do use headphones for my job as I work in a call centre.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Not as bad as the beginning but still having a really hard time. Scared, irritable (even with good sleep), and very anxious.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
To handle it, hope I guess, hoping a cure comes out someday or it goes away someday. I do things like massages and acupuncture, however useless they are. My wife is an enormous help, she's my rock and is very understanding. Tinnitus Talk is a big help as well.

 

[Nordland90]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Since 1 of march. Most likley cause ETD.

How loud is your tinnitus?
I can hear it everywhere inside my home without backround noise and with the TV on low volume.
In the start I could also hear it outside during the night but it has somewhat
reduced its noise.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
White noise at around 9-10 khz and random biip noises that happens from each 2-3 sec to not happening at all
I'd say those are very high, probably 13 khz+.

Rate your tinnitus:

4 in the start, then it went up to 5-6 due to me reading too much horror stories about it and constantly checking it.
Now its around 3.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?

I don't get pain when I hear sounds, but if I hear any sound I get the biip noises I wrote about up here. I actually
sleep better wearing earplugs since then I just get the normal whitenoise sound.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?

Depends. I either use earplugs to just listen to my own produced whitenoise(10/10 would not buy if it was a whitenoise app). Without earplugs I need a fan to make a constant sound since most 'short' noises (something falling on the floor, loud car moving fast outside etc) gives me the high pitch biips that only last for 1-2 secs but still gives me lots so problems.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?

I didnt in the start, but I came to realize that I was starting to go bonkers since I stopped all my normal activities
so I went back to normal and listen to music and play video games with headphones at a moderate volume. I think this is
safe for me since my tinnitus is not from noise damage.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Up and down. Compared to march, april has been better since im able to sleep like a sane person again without getting panic and sadness, but im still not the person I was 2 months ago. But im optimistic about the situation since sooner or later I should habitunate to this, or it will go away when my ETD gets back in shape (fingers crossed...)

How do you handle it / What helps you?

Since its most likley a ETD problem I'm blasting Nasal corticosteroid spray twice a day and trying to equalise my ears.
In the start my right ear would not move at all, no matter how much force I put into it (not too hard ofcourse)
now I can get air into my middle ear but I have problems getting it out again. I also listen to pink noise
when im at my PC (got a pink noise site open 24/7 at low volume) since going from listening to music to complete silence
also gives me the biip noises.

I also try to get out as much as possible since its rare for me to hear it outdoors (I hear it perhaps 10% of the time there compared to 90% at home)
So in one way (but I could do without it...) my T has been helpfull since I struggle from social anxity, but its better to be semi-nervous outside than a wreck at home.

 

[butterfly75]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
I think I've had it since I was 15, but it was very faint and low then so I barely noticed it

How loud is your tinnitus?
I can't really say for certain, because it fluctuates and changes a lot

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Unsure

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I've been diagnosed with hyperacusis

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
I have a "Marpac Dohm" which is relaxing and I use it sometimes

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes

How do you handle it / What helps you?
I don't think I could answer this question because I don't really handle it very well. Antidepressants help me get through the day. Distracting myself with things like TV or books or videogames helps

 

[Rubenslash]

How are people saying there t is 30-40db?? When my audiologist did a test he said it was 7db sensory level. Are you guys really having a way louder t?

But you said you can hear it over tv, is it possible to hear a 7db T over tv? Not sure..

 

[Kibakiru]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Officially just a few days short of three months now, but I'm convinced I've always had some degree of tinnitus (at least the static).

How loud is your tinnitus?
Don't know the exact level (haven't been tested) but I know it's really loud. A dog whistle and a dentist drill combined with a background static, and the lovely pulsatile tinnitus. I can hear it over most things; the shower, the lawn-mower, the television -- at least when I'm actually paying attention to it, which is rarely (I miraculously habituated pretty early).

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Haven't been tested for that yet.

Rate your tinnitus:
8.5--9/10 in the sense of how loud it is.
But to me, personally, it's a 6-7 at its worst and a 3-4 at its best. The volume didn't change, my attitude towards it did.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I have mild sensitivity to sound and pick up higher frequencies in my left ear (I have mild high frequency hearing loss in my right ear), but it's not as bad as it was in the beginning.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
I have the television on but that's something I've always did from a young age. I can sleep in silence so I don't need masking (mostly because I can't really mask it, I can only focus my attention onto something in the background). Sleeping with no-masking often leads to lower volume in the morning and it was a big key in my habituation as well.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
I did in the beginning but don't anymore. My loud music was likely the cause of my mild hearing loss in one ear and also probably the reason behind my regular tinnitus (not sure about my pulsatile though).

Are you struggling at the moment?
No. I have those days when I feel a little claustrophobic but I get over it.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
Keeping busy and not letting tinnitus take the things that I love doing away from me.
I love boxing, drawing, writing, reading, watching movies(horror and comedy), and playing the piano.
Plus, I'm 16. If life goes to plan and I don't die prematurely, I'll be alive for a while. And if tinnitus plans on sticking along for the ride, I don't want it to destroy everything I had planned. I don't want to give my life up to a noise in my head. It can steal my sleep but it sure as hell isn't stealing my life away.

What helped me was knowing that it only had as much power as I gave it. It can scream all it wants, I'm not afraid of it anymore; and I don't plan to be ever again.

 

[TinniTom]

Thank you very much to all!

 

[TinniTom]

I just want to bring this back on top. Maybe there are some others who would also like to participate

 

[vermillion]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
It's been already 6 months

How loud is your tinnitus?
I do not know exactly. The ENT measurement didn't work.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Hard to tell. Various high pitch sounds with different frequencies, a general hissing and something that sounds like Christmas/Santa Claus bells or something.

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

Maybe a 5?

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
No, not sure.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No. I missed earphones...

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes. It's taking me away things i love.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
I don't. I am confused. I'm afraid it's progressing. I don't want to change my life and i deal with dark thoughts.

PS. I shall set a reminder to refer to my answers above after a few years and see if something changed (hope for the better.

 

[ofaisalo]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
September 2015

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
~13-13.5 kHz (according to a ENT hearing test)

Rate your tinnitus:
I can hear it most of the time
and when I want to sleep its loud
7/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
NO for both

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
I am trying not to
but I use headphone playing video games but at normal level of volume

Are you struggling at the moment?
I was but not anymore
its still annoying
How do you handle it / What helps you?
always trying to focus on something else
and forget its exist
I pretend its normal thing like AC sound in rooms

 

[SilverSpiral]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
Over a year.

How loud is your tinnitus?
I have not measured how loud it is, but it is largely unmaskable. My constant tinnitus tones are not he only or most disturbing aspect of my hearing condition though

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
multiple, and different between ears, one ear has multiple tones, the other just one. also ear fullness/heaviness hearing distorted/reactive T etc.

Rate your tinnitus:

10 but yet it can get worse...

I would rate my tinnitus 7-8/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
yes

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No,

Are you struggling at the moment?
yes

How do you handle it / What helps you?

 

[summ]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
February 2017

How loud is your tinnitus?
Louder than anything. Louder than shower that's for sure.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
5-10 tones depending on the situation. Touching my ear, moving my head or shoulders adds more sounds a makes T even worse.
9-13 kHz ordinary T sounds.
1-6 kHz on somatic sounds.

Rate your tinnitus:
6-9/10

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I had hyperacusis for a week. ETD for some time. Ear pain for a month. Ear pressure for months.
Now I feel better than ever.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No, T is really reactive.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
God no. My ears never liked headphones. I should have listened to my body.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes. T is getting worse and worse every week. I've been on sick leave for months and plan to be unemployed until the money runs out.

How do you handle it / What helps you?
On a good day I don't acknowledge it.
On a bad day, you can't do anything.

 

[Melike]

Since when do you have tinnitus?

Since 17/03/2017. Today marks my 4th month with this condition.

How loud is your tinnitus?

First week it was around 50dB, then I guess I made some improvements and it is now 30-35 dB, but can easily go up to previous levels sometimes.

I don't hear it when I'm outside.
I don't hear it sometimes in quiet rooms if I'm moving.
I hear it over the TV and movies.


What's the frequency of your tinnitus?

I believe it changes between 6000-8000kHz

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

Generally 4-5, 8-9 with spikes. Occasional 0-1-2 moments although it seems to be happening less and less...

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?

No. But I do have some TTTS in my left ear, although not 7/24 present.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?

Yes. I even use masking sounds sometimes when I'm hanging around with my friends (in quiet places).

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?

Sometimes. At a reaaally low volume

Are you struggling at the moment?

Yes. But the T related anxiety is mostly gone (if I'm not forced somehow to sit in dead silence). I now feel really depressed about it, thinking about my future. I still can't focus properly with that noise in my head, I have no idea about how I will function when I'm back to university in September and most importantly with my job in the future. My future professional life will require lots of hard work and ability to cope with stress and long work hours which seem altogether impossible to me at the moment. Oh and there is the possibility of T stealing all the joy in my life.

How do you handle it / What helps you?

I hug my boyfriend. My other loved ones live very far away from me. I do yoga, AUM chanting, I try to go outside and get exhausted. I cry. Nothing much.

 

[Makrohn]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
It started when I was 16 after I were exposed to an explosion.

How loud is your tinnitus?
It´s hard to tell, since I have not measured it in any way. But I struggle to find sounds that masks it, and I hear it over most things every single day.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
I have 3 sounds, 1 of them is a high pitch, probaly around 8-9000KHz and the other to are around 450Khz and 1200KHz.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
I have mild form in my left ear.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
No

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No, but when I watch TV I am using a BT streamer that streams sounds directly in my hearing aids.

Are you struggling at the moment?
Yes, I am experiencing a change in volume and fluctuations

How do you handle it / What helps you?
At the moment I am giving it far too much attention, and I know it is not wise. However I try to sleep well, get some fresh air every day, take vitamins, minerals and try to keep salt, sugar and artificial sweetening at a minimum level. I have just started meditating and hopefully with time, I will be seeing some benefits from doing this on a regular basis. Besides this I get some relief in watching tv or keeping occupied in some way.

 

[Rainbowsheep]

Since when do you have tinnitus?
I've had tinnitus for about 3,5 years. The first 3,2 years it didn't really bother me at all. However I had a spike three months ago which sent me to total despair.

How loud is your tinnitus?
I haven't had it tested properly so I don't know for sure. On the good days it's maskable by everyday sounds. On bad days I can hear it over TV and radio but it is still maskable in crowded places and in the shower.

What's the frequency of your tinnitus?
Don't know.

Rate your tinnitus:
1: I can only hear it when completely silent and focusing on it
10: I can even hear it when showering and it's hard to understand people who talking to me because T is that loud

On good days I would say it is a 1/2 on bad days 3/4. However in the beginning of my spike the bad days were a 6/7 and the good days 4/5 so things a definitely changing for the better.

Do you have hyperacusis and/or ear pain?
No I don't think so. But I have always been very sensitive to sounds because I have ADD.
When I was little I would get upset when the sound of driving on the road changed because the asphalt changed for example. So no hypercausis but I am very aware/sensitive to sounds in the environment and I have a hard time screening unimportant sounds out.

Do you sleep with masking sounds?
Sometimes. If I'm really bothered by my T I do but I try not to as I want to be able to sleep over at my friend's without it resulting in a sleepless night because I cannot mask it there.

Do you (still) using earphones to listen music?
No that is one thing I have given up. I kinda miss it but I don't want to risk doing more damage to my ears than I've already done.

Are you struggling at the moment?
From time to time I still do, but luckily I am able to live my life normally and happily most of the time. I am still able to study and pass my exams, I am still able to write and perform Spoken Word poems and I am still able to go to parties and concerts as long as I protect my ears and stay away from the speakers. The only part of my life where I'm still constantly struggling is reading and preparing for lectures. I have always had a hard time concentrating because I am easily distracted by external (and now internal) sounds and inputs so that damn T doesn't make it easier. But I am confident that I will find my way around it some day.


How do you handle it / What helps you?
For the most part I think it is stubbornness. I have spent so much of my life being miserable because I was bullied almost my entire childhood and teenage years and I have suffered a lot from anxiety and depression from my late teens to now. I've fought for so long to get the grades to get to study psychology which I do now and to get to the point in life where I no longer feel lonely because I actually have friends who care about me, so I refuse to let T bully me into committing suicide now, which did cross my mind when my T spiked 3 months ago. I insist to go on with my life and do the things I love because those moments and days where I am happy and doing what I love are the moments and days that gives me strength to go through the days where T and anxiety is about to get the better of me!