Michael Leigh, How Soon Into TRT Did You Notice Habituation to Tinnitus?

#4
@Kristen Aber

You have asked me a good question which I will try to answer, once I'm able to stop laughing at @threefirefour comments above.

Tinnitus can be a complex and difficult condition to treat depending on how severe it is. If a person also has hyperacusis, which often accompanies tinnitus due to noise trauma it can complicate matters further. In addition to this a person's outlook on life in particular, whether they are a positive thinking or negative thinking person can have a profound effect on the way they habituate to tinnitus and are able to carry on with their life. No two people will experience tinnitus the same, so please take this into consideration. I will be posting links to articles that I have written on tinnitus below that you might find helpful. Please take your time to read them.

I have habituated to tinnitus twice and both times with the help of TRT treatment. I had full TRT treatment not a scaled down version of it or elements of it. It required regular counselling with my Hearing Therapist and wearing two white noise generators for up to 10hrs a day. At night I used a sound machine by my bedside for sound enrichment. Treatment lasted 2 years on both occasions I had TRT. More about this is explained in my articles in the links below.

The first time I habituated it took 2 years and I had severe tinnitus and hyperacusis. The hyperacusis was completely cured and has remained this way till this day. My tinnitus reduced to a very low level. It is a gradual process and takes time. In 2008 the tinnitus increased to severe levels. Please read my post: My experience with tinnitus in the link below for more information. It took 4 years for me to habituate the 2nd time.

All the best
Michael

PS: If you decide to try TRT, CBT or any tinnitus treatment with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist. I strongly advise you not to mention the treatment that you are having in tinnitus forums. Whilst there are some very informed people at tinnitus forums that can give good helpful advice, unfortunately there are some people whose only purpose is to promote negativity and cynicism regarding tinnitus treatment. Often such people have additional problems in their life. Forums and other social media platforms are perfect places for them to vent their frustrations to the world. Blaming their government and the medical profession for not finding a cure for tinnitus and other ailments. Please do yourself a favour and keep well away from these people and don't read their posts. Better still limit your use on visiting tinnitus forums and it would be better to stay away.

Veterans like myself and people seasoned to tinnitus are not so easily affected by people that want to promote negativity. More about this is mentioned in my post: The good the bad and the ugly, in the link below.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-experience-with-tinnitus.12076/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-is-trt-and-when-should-it-be-started.19024/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-ent-doctor-and-hearing-therapist.24047/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/inspiration.22894/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/can-tinnitus-counselling-help.22366/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/a-change-of-lifestyle.20643/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-negative-counselling.26669/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-complexities-of-tinnitus-and-hyperacusis.25733/

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.20467/
 
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#6
annV said:
Which hospital did you attend for TRT @Michael Leigh?? I heard TRT isn't available in the UK.
Click to expand...

On a number of occasions your comments towards my posts have been quite disrespectful. Perhaps the intention was to gain admiration from some forum members. I expect this sort of behaviour from some of the younger members not someone of your mature years.

All I will say is don't believe everything that you hear.
Good day.

Michael
 
#8
Kristen Aber said:
@Michael Leigh Thanks!! I think what I meant was, after starting the TRT treatment - how soon did the process start. Wen did you notice that stopped noticing the ringing?
Click to expand...

I did TRT close to 25-26 years ago. It's a long process, that needs lots of dedication and you have to follow through the whole thing. I use to have brutal hyperacusis and TRT solved that issue for me. This process took me about 6-12 months and you have to have a good mindset and have a positive mindset, if you expect any results. Being negative or reading posts, will not help you if you plan on having any success with TRT.

I would ignore people that never tried TRT. There are a few trolls on this site that just like to post comments and never ever "ACTUALLY" tried the method. Talk is cheap, so do yourself a favor. Talk/chat to people that have tried the method. @Michael Leigh and myself have tried it and it has worked. No one pays us to endorse TRT, we simply do because it changed our lives and I am grateful that I tried it close to 26 years ago :)
 
#9
fishbone said:
I did TRT close to 25-26 years ago. It's a long process, that needs lots of dedication and you have to follow through the whole thing. I use to have brutal hyperacusis and TRT solved that issue for me. This process took me about 6-12 months and you have to have a good mindset and have a positive mindset, if you expect any results. Being negative or reading posts, will not help you if you plan on having any success with TRT.

I would ignore people that never tried TRT. There are a few trolls on this site that just like to post comments and never ever "ACTUALLY" tried the method. Talk is cheap, so do yourself a favor. Talk/chat to people that have tried the method. @Michael Leigh and myself have tried it and it has worked. No one pays us to endorse TRT, we simply do because it changed our lives and I am grateful that I tried it close to 26 years ago :)
Click to expand...

@Kristen Aber

Like @fishbone I first had TRT many years ago. His advice is spot on and I advise you to follow it. TRT doesn't mean you will not notice the ringing although it reduced to a very low level for me that I didn't notice it. Whether the tinnitus reduces to mild or moderate doesn't matter for when you habituate your brain will have learned to ignore it. Please read my post: The habituation process in the link below, to understand what it means when one fully habituates to tinnitus.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/

I strongly advise you to take your time and read all the articles in the links that I have given you above. Only when you read these will you fully understand what the habituation process is and how important it is to acquire a positive mindset. TRT, CBT or any other treatment that one has to help with their tinnitus, is just one piece of the jigsaw puzzle. This is what Fishbone and I are trying to convey to you. It is important that a positive mental attitude to tinnitus is reinforced, this cannot be achieved if you allow negative thinking to take hold. This is the reason you should keep away from negative thinking people and not read their posts.

All the best
Michael
 
#10
Thank you both @fishbone and @Michael Leigh - I'll read that stuff and then get off forums. I was just looking to try and find someone new to this that I could go through this with! (I know you're both not new... that was just my original intent). I appreciate the help!
 
#11
Kristen Aber said:
Thank you both @fishbone and @Michael Leigh - I'll read that stuff and then get off forums. I was just looking to try and find someone new to this that I could go through this with! (I know you're both not new... that was just my original intent). I appreciate the help!
Click to expand...

@Kristen Aber

Whilst people new to tinnitus can offer help and advice. If you really want to get to grips with tinnitus and understand it in its entirety, then you have to learn from veterans like Fishbone, myself and those seasoned to it.

If you have a printer then I strongly advise you to print my articles and refer to them often to help reinforce positivity. Also, read the many posts that @fishbone has written and other experienced people with tinnitus in this forum. Go to the "positivity" thread. Read, read and read the positivity stories from members that have habituated, and are able to carry on with their life doing everything that they want to.

You need to look upon this as homework. Just take your time to reinforce positive thinking.
Best of luck

Michael
 
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#12
fishbone said:
I would ignore people that never tried TRT. There are a few trolls on this site that just like to post comments and never ever "ACTUALLY" tried the method.
Click to expand...

While not trying something certainly disqualifies you from talking about your own experience doing it, it doesn't disqualify from making informed comments or brainstorming intelligently about it: your cognitive abilities paired with data (collected in a rigorous scientific fashion) are a very legitimate source of thought.

I've never stabbed myself in the chest, but I can still form intelligent thoughts about it. Perhaps someone will say "I did it and I'm fine!" but it doesn't mean others who haven't can't express their opinions about it.

It is perfectly fine to express opinions about things that we have not lived through: a million data points from a trustworthy database provides more information than one anecdotal evidence. Logic and common sense is also quite powerful: I don't need to chop my hand to know that the outcome isn't going to be positive.
 
#13
annV said:
Which hospital did you attend for TRT @Michael Leigh?? I heard TRT isn't available in the UK.
Click to expand...

This was a very nicely written question post by @annV.


Michael Leigh said:
On a number of occasions your comments towards my posts have been quite disrespectful. Perhaps the intention was to gain admiration from some forum members. I expect this sort of behaviour from some of the younger members not someone of your mature years.
Click to expand...

Shame on you for being a horrible bitter old man towards women who post here. AnnV would never be the type to post something horrible enough for your remark. And pointing out someone's (a woman's) age?
Does this make you feel like a big important man?

@Kristen Aber what other treatments have you tried since you have had tinnitus for less than a year? How loud and how bothered are you by the tinnitus? Are you able to sleep?
 
#14
Habituation for me is tough,Sever bilateral tinnitus with added problems due to Meniere's.
I don't have anxiety or stress no more so in that way mentally I have habituated but the sound is to sever and debilitating to habituate too...
love glynis
 
#15
glynis said:
Habituation for me is tough,Sever bilateral tinnitus with added problems due to Meniere's.
I don't have anxiety or stress no more so in that way mentally I have habituated but the sound is to sever and debilitating to habituate too...
love glynis
Click to expand...

Like me, you've habituated to a sucky state of affairs...
I also don't have anxiety or panic anymore, but I wouldn't call my habituation a success story: my T is still as present and as difficult to deal with as ever, 24x7. I'm sure you understand.
 
#19
Only thing I am finding with WNG's is I can only tolerate them for short periods. I think @Christopher805 mentioned something along the lines that Dr. Nagler had mentioned that some were not able to tolerate WNG's due to their hyperacusis. The 1st week I wore them for a long time and I wound up throwing up from the intrusiveness.
 
#20
fishbone said:
I use to have brutal hyperacusis and TRT solved that issue for me. This process took me about 6-12 months and you have to have a good mindset and have a positive mindset, if you expect any results. Being negative or reading posts, will not help you if you plan on having any success with TRT.
Click to expand...
Finshbone,
I am struggling with tinnitus and hyperacusis. I am glad to read that you recovered from hyperacusis too with TRT.

I'd like to know what kind of hyperacusis did you have, loudness or pain too?

I am asking because I get sharp pains in my ear and sometimes even in my head, face, particularly from high frequency sounds (even low volume) and more so in left ear and I am not sure if TRT is only for loudness hyperacusis or also for pain hyperacusis.

Thanks!
 
#21
LanaK said:
Finshbone,
I am struggling with tinnitus and hyperacusis. I am glad to read that you recovered from hyperacusis too with TRT.

I'd like to know what kind of hyperacusis did you have, loudness or pain too?

I am asking because I get sharp pains in my ear and sometimes even in my head, face, particularly from high frequency sounds (even low volume) and more so in left ear and I am not sure if TRT is only for loudness hyperacusis or also for pain hyperacusis.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Any noise would have bothered me, even noises that were not harmful and loud. I would get pain in my ears and it was difficult to handle it. I had horrible hyperacusis in the beginning and barely noticeable tinnitus. Whether the noise was loud or not, the pain would follow. TRT took lots of time, patience and FOCUS for me to finish it. It all depends on the person, if they want to INVEST into it or not.

I never pushed TRT on people, I just shared that it was helpful to me and my tinnitus journey. The key is to find someone that is a professional in that area. I don't cover much about TRT, because @Michael Leigh has already written numerous posts and threads about it and he has done a good enough job explaining it.
 
#22
fishbone said:
Any noise would have bothered me, even noises that were not harmful and loud. I would get pain in my ears and it was difficult to handle it. I had horrible hyperacusis in the beginning and barely noticeable tinnitus. Whether the noise was loud or not, the pain would follow. TRT took lots of time, patience and FOCUS for me to finish it. It all depends on the person, if they want to INVEST into it or not.

I never pushed TRT on people, I just shared that it was helpful to me and my tinnitus journey. The key is to find someone that is a professional in that area. I don't cover much about TRT, because @Michael Leigh has already written numerous posts and threads about it and he has done a good enough job explaining it.
Click to expand...

@LanaK

I agree with everything @fishbone has said about TRT having had the treatment and gone through very similar experiences with tinnitus and hyperacusis. I have written articles on it which you will find in the links below highlighted in red. I also advise you to read the other articles, that I think will give you a full explanation on how tinnitus affects a person's mental and emotional wellbeing.

Whatever tinnitus treatment a person has, it needs to be reinforced with positive thinking, because the treatment cannot do it all. Reinforcing positive thinking takes time and this means engaging in things that you like to do and keeping away from tinnitus forums, and not discussing your treatment in them. The reason being, negative thinking people will often try to denounce tinnitus treatments saying they do not work. This form of negative counselling can hinder or prevent a person from habituation if they are easily influenced.

All the best
Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/acquiring-a-positive-mindset.23969/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-and-the-negative-mindset.23705/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-habituation-process.20767/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-positivity-important.23150/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-is-trt-and-when-should-it-be-started.19024/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-happens-in-trt-sessions.18195/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/trt-as-i-see-it.19555/
 
#23
Michael Leigh said:
Whatever tinnitus treatment a person has, it needs to be reinforced with positive thinking, because the treatment cannot do it all.
Click to expand...

My angle on this is this: Whatever possible treatments we seek, they will require a great amount of FOCUS. a great amount of MOTIVATION and a will to keep going. Tools like TRT, CBT can and will at times make us lose our motivation and make us not want to continue(not all face this, but some will). The individual, needs to be fully committed to TRT, CBT, or whatever they are going after.

There were many times that I wanted to not finish my TRT sessions. It was long hours and it took lots of time to finish it. I was surrounded by people ,that were not all that helpful to me and they were making my motivations even dip lower. I dedicated my whole TRT sessions to being alone and not having people around me, that were not supporting my cause. I would see people and hang with people only after I had finished my TRT sessions for the day.

It takes lots of commitment, to finish these types of sessions that TRT, can make us go through. Being motivated and keeping it, is very important to doing things like TRT, CBT or any other sessions. If we don't hold that motivation, it is VERY easy to just not continue our sessions and possibly not gain the results we were after.....
 
#24
@fishbone and @Michael Leigh
Thanks for your responses. Fishbone, my hyperacusis sounds exactly like yours, except that my tinnitus is a horrible too. with daily fluctuations.

What you both said goes in accordance with what my ENT doctor recommended to me. Nor she or any other in my country provide TRT, bur she has just found a psychologist for me, with who I will hopefully work on building more positive attitude. I don't know yet what method he will be using (CBT?), but I am dedicated to try as much as I can.
You both have just confirmed that positive attitude is a very important aspect of therapy and I must admit I am currently very weak in this regard.
Positive feedback from people like you two is very important for us sufferers.
 
#25
LanaK said:
@fishbone and @Michael Leigh
Thanks for your responses. Fishbone, my hyperacusis sounds exactly like yours, except that my tinnitus is a horrible too. with daily fluctuations.

What you both said goes in accordance with what my ENT doctor recommended to me. Nor she or any other in my country provide TRT, bur she has just found a psychologist for me, with who I will hopefully work on building more positive attitude. I don't know yet what method he will be using (CBT?), but I am dedicated to try as much as I can.
You both have just confirmed that positive attitude is a very important aspect of therapy and I must admit I am currently very weak in this regard.
Positive feedback from people like you two is very important for us sufferers.
Click to expand...

I am a firm believer, in trying to help myself in any way possible. I hope you stay motivated, when you approach any training or therapy. Take things slow, don't rush it. Use everything to get the full potential, that your sessions has to offer. It's a slow process, it really is. Each day is a step forward, just keep at it.

I wish you much success...
 

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