Masking for the Rest of My Life?!

[Steve-m]

After 3 months I still cannot stand the sound of my T and have been masking constantly in quiet rooms and at night for relief. I'm wondering if I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life listening to the sound of rain and babbling brooks!!
How many of you guys mask on a regular basis and since how long? And if you eventually stopped, how long did it take before you gave it up?

 

[william adams]

Steve I hear my T above the TV, outside and above music unless the volumn is loud which I dont want to cause anymore damage to my ears. Thank God you can mask it for some of us have trouble ever escaping the high pitched sound. Believe it or not after 6 monthes im partially habituated and have excepted that this sound is part of my life now. I can still hear most conversations, I can walk, my eyes still can see and can do pretty much everything I could before T. I am not going to let this ruin the rest of my life and when im busy and my brain is involved in a project or enjoying my self im not aware of it. Hang in there body it gets better in time.

 

[glynis]

Hi Steve,
I like to mask my tinnitus when I carnt sleep and know it helps so happy to keep it under my pillow.
I wear dual purpose hearing aids in the day and so lucky to have them to help......lots of love glynis

 

[Stakovic]

@Steve-m
I were masking it for 18 years and I still masking it

 

[william adams]

I will probably mask mine for the rest of my life. I generally listen to birds chirping and a babbling brook and focus my attention on that not the T. when in bed for the night. When I focus on other sounds then I dont notice the T as much. I also exercise 6 days a week and never hear it at the gym for some strange reason, perhaps im distracted from the T when working out. Lowers adreniline that T feeds on and makes me sleep more solid through the night...

 

[Alue]

You know what I would give to be able to mask my tinnitus?

It's just hard to explain. People that can mask it can get relief while awake. When you cannot mask it, there is no relief, there is no escaping it even for a brief moment.

 

[linearb]

I can't exactly mask mine to the point where I can't hear it at all, but cricket sounds make it a lot harder to focus on, and if I relax it all sort of blends in.

I like real crickets / wind in trees, but synthetic versions sort of piss me off so I don't listen to them unless I'm really struggling with the T. I prefer "silence" most of the time; of course this makes the T super front-and-center, but it's often easier to focus on other things with less sound, rather than more. I slept with a fan my whole life until a few years ago, but now I also prefer to sleep in "silence", and I think it's good to give the auditory system as much of a rest as I can...

Cricket sounds are somewhat comforting when my anxiety is really flaring (which makes the T scream impossibly), but nothing is really "comfortable" in that state so it's like a 10% offset to 85% misery.

 

[Alue]

I can't exactly mask mine to the point where I can't hear it at all, but cricket sounds make it a lot harder to focus on, and if I relax it all sort of blends in.

I like real crickets / wind in trees, but synthetic versions sort of piss me off so I don't listen to them unless I'm really struggling with the T. I prefer "silence" most of the time; of course this makes the T super front-and-center, but it's often easier to focus on other things with less sound, rather than more. I slept with a fan my whole life until a few years ago, but now I also prefer to sleep in "silence", and I think it's good to give the auditory system as much of a rest as I can...

Cricket sounds are somewhat comforting when my anxiety is really flaring (which makes the T scream impossibly), but nothing is really "comfortable" in that state so it's like a 10% offset to 85% misery.

I'm pretty similar. For the past 2 weeks I have been sleeping on the couch with the back door open so I can listen to the summer crickets outside. Cricket recordings don't do anything to me. It doesn't mask it but it does provide a distraction while trying to sleep. I don't know, after 6 months I thought it would get better or easier to deal with.

 

[Penate]

You guys lucky can masked for me is inposible with to jet engine into my ears and very high pitche power transformer in my head,reactive, and hyperacusia.

 

[JasonP]

After 3 months I still cannot stand the sound of my T and have been masking constantly in quiet rooms and at night for relief. I'm wondering if I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life listening to the sound of rain and babbling brooks!!
How many of you guys mask on a regular basis and since how long? And if you eventually stopped, how long did it take before you gave it up?

If it is completely maskable you might be able to get rid of a lot of you T by getting hearing aids. I know with mine they got rid of most of my maskable T. I had to get it amplified just a little above normal to do it. (Always make sure it can't amplify above a safe level) Get your hearing checked out and even if you have a mild loss, try them out. They usually have trial periods so you can take them back if it doesn't help. If you only need them in quiet places, you can put them on there.