MemberWhen Tinnitus hit me, it felt like torture. I heard a loud, shrieking high pitched sound that followed me everywhere. Making it worse, I had hyperacusis, so if I stayed indoors, tinnitus would drive me crazy, and if I went outside, normal sounds hit me like a brick.
To make the noise stop, I tried Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and other "alternative cures". But after 3 months, the tinnitus hadn't change and I was feeling worse. I still had trouble sleeping, kept falling behind at work. I was miserable. My girlfriend even left me. I didn't believe I could ever feel better, much less have my old life back.
Then I remembered my ENT's had said "you'll learn to live with it", and they recommended CBT. I was skeptical that an approach claiming to help me accept tinnitus could work, but out of desperation, I gave it a try and found @Dr. Hubbard . One of the first things @Dr. Hubbard told me stuck. He said, "If your tinnitus doesn't go away, you can still be ok, because your brain can learn to habituate, and you will no longer notice your tinnitus." I remember asking him if "habituation" wasn't just a cute word to calm people down!
Well, seeing is believing, because you really don't believe it until it happens to you. I was so relieved when I began to see small changes, moments when the sounds seemed to go away. As soon as I said "Hey, I'm not hearing my tinnitus!" it would come slamming back. But these moments gave me something to hang on to. They gave me hope that CBT was working just as Dr Hubbard said it would. Gradually, the periods of time when I didn't notice tinnitus became longer and felt more natural. It's not that the tinnitus isn't there. I still notice it sometimes, especially when I'm tired, sick or stressed. But now I see it for what it is: A condition that I can live with. My brain found better things to do than obsess about the sounds. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in my living room reading, when my wife asked, "what the hell is that neighbor doing?" Not really noticing, I said "Oh, is that noise outside? I thought it was in my head!"
One change is that I take better care of my hearing. I carry earplugs now, and use them at loud venues. But it's a small price for getting my life back. In time, my brain has gotten better at tuning tinnitus out, and focusing on the more important stuff. It's two years later, and I've traveled, reengaged at work, even started a new relationship and got married. Life is good again! I still have Tinnitus, but I have moved on with my life.
When I was more active here, there were a lot of talk of people searching for cures, magic bullets, some new thing or old wisdom... If you're truly suffering, I highly recommend that you find a knowledgeable professional with real experience on the subject.
CBT worked for me and I highly recommend it.
Best,
Zug
To make the noise stop, I tried Homeopathy, Acupuncture, and other "alternative cures". But after 3 months, the tinnitus hadn't change and I was feeling worse. I still had trouble sleeping, kept falling behind at work. I was miserable. My girlfriend even left me. I didn't believe I could ever feel better, much less have my old life back.
Then I remembered my ENT's had said "you'll learn to live with it", and they recommended CBT. I was skeptical that an approach claiming to help me accept tinnitus could work, but out of desperation, I gave it a try and found @Dr. Hubbard . One of the first things @Dr. Hubbard told me stuck. He said, "If your tinnitus doesn't go away, you can still be ok, because your brain can learn to habituate, and you will no longer notice your tinnitus." I remember asking him if "habituation" wasn't just a cute word to calm people down!
Well, seeing is believing, because you really don't believe it until it happens to you. I was so relieved when I began to see small changes, moments when the sounds seemed to go away. As soon as I said "Hey, I'm not hearing my tinnitus!" it would come slamming back. But these moments gave me something to hang on to. They gave me hope that CBT was working just as Dr Hubbard said it would. Gradually, the periods of time when I didn't notice tinnitus became longer and felt more natural. It's not that the tinnitus isn't there. I still notice it sometimes, especially when I'm tired, sick or stressed. But now I see it for what it is: A condition that I can live with. My brain found better things to do than obsess about the sounds. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in my living room reading, when my wife asked, "what the hell is that neighbor doing?" Not really noticing, I said "Oh, is that noise outside? I thought it was in my head!"
One change is that I take better care of my hearing. I carry earplugs now, and use them at loud venues. But it's a small price for getting my life back. In time, my brain has gotten better at tuning tinnitus out, and focusing on the more important stuff. It's two years later, and I've traveled, reengaged at work, even started a new relationship and got married. Life is good again! I still have Tinnitus, but I have moved on with my life.
When I was more active here, there were a lot of talk of people searching for cures, magic bullets, some new thing or old wisdom... If you're truly suffering, I highly recommend that you find a knowledgeable professional with real experience on the subject.
CBT worked for me and I highly recommend it.
Best,
Zug
thanks for sharing that! I got my T about 2 weeks ago, I'm surprised I'm more ok with it already
