New Tinnitus Sufferer from Hawaii

[Mark K.]

Hello to everyone:
My Tinnitus just recently came on on 11-8-14. It has been very hard for me to sleep and concentrate. Just recently (2 days ago), it got worse for some reason. My doctor prescribed me Trazadone to sleep, but it hasn't helped, so I switched to Ambien CR as of 2 days ago. Seems like my Tinnitus got worse in 2 days, since now its constant and louder in the days and nights. These past 2 days have been terrible. Very depressed and high panic attacks. Never thought this would ever happen to me. Not sure what I should do?

Is there anyone out there living in Honolulu Hawaii? Would like to talk to people face to face also if possible.
Would like to hear your stories and how your coping. What drugs your taking etc. Need to talk to someone who understands what I'm going through.

Mahalo,
MarkK.

 

[uncle vikin]

We'll I'm not from Hawaii wish I was there now but I'm in Nashville TN.Mark you will see this is a very good place to learn about T and get support. I have seen others on here from Hawaii so I know there is someone mabe you can talk to face to face.Just to let you know we all have our stories on here about stress panic attacks ,not sleeping hang in there .I'm just 4 month into this myself and I can say it will get better with time.I tried ambien then went to lunesta (longer acting)same thing as ambien then 2 panic attacks later dr tried amytriptyline tried TraZadone finally went to a pshc. dr now I'm taking klonipin .I have weened off my Anti depressant just take klonipin 0.5 mg a day and trying to ween down after about 4 months on it.I don't like the drugs before T never took anything.my suggestion is MELATONIN SR which is sustaned release will work longer.If you are stressed get to a pshc. Dr and get a low dose anti anxiety med mabe try an Anti D med.The goal is to try not to take meds or just take the lowest dose that can help you.You will find people on here that are very knowledgeable about Tretment options masking TRT ect learn more about those options. I'm not an expert but there is a doctor forum on here .I know what your going through I am still trying to cope with T myself.The stress you are feeling is because of a natural response to the sound you are hearing it's called fight or flight its a natural reaction from your body your probably healthy the T will not hut you but you should get some blood work ect. from your dr. mabe an MRI to rule out anything health wise.Diet is important just right now deal with your anxiety and try to sleep. You have got support here we all have this sound going on in our brain so goodluck YOU WILL BE ALRIGHT .TIME, WILL HEAL...... (uncle Vikin) Mike

 

[billie48]

Aloha & welcome to TT. I am not from Hawaii too but I lived there for 6 years on Oahu on the North Shore. Beautiful beaches and ocean on that side of Oahu and ever so green. So nice to watch the gorgeous sunset from Sunset Beach and so wonderful to snorkel at Sharks Cove. There used to be a lady member who is from Hawaii and she posted often a year or two ago. I forget her name but she is quite a faithful Christian. Perhaps you can ask the mods to help you locate some members from HI.

I am sorry to hear about your suffering. But your T condition is quite new. It may fade or disappear. Don't panic too much. If your anxiety is too much with the ringing, consider to get some masking. Try search masking on TT and it should give you lots of suggestions. You can search Youtube on tinnitus masking sound and you should have many choices of video with masking sounds. You can also try a sound machine for bed time. Don't need to fully mask the T. Just need to have something else for the auditory system to focus on other than the T sound. If needed, you can also ask your doctor for meds to help with the anxiety and/or depression. Stress and being anxious will add more fuel to the T ringing. That is why for some, Klonopin (a benzo) helps them by reducing the anxiety level and so the T loudness too.

I encourage you to read up the success stories. Many of us were where you are and suffered badly too. But many do recover and live a normal life. Some come back to post their success stories. You can find hope and insights from reading their stories. A few years back I was hit with ultra high pitch dog whistle T and then severe hyperacusis. I was in a mess for a while and thought I never would recover. But today I am back to normal and live an enjoyable, productive life. Good life can be back. Believe it.Take care and God bless.

 

[attheedgeofscience]

There used to be a lady member who is from Hawaii and she posted often a year or two ago.

@christine kauhane I believe...

 

[Mark K.]

Thank you all for your responses. You're giving me a lot of hope and inspiration. Just an fyi, I took the Trazadone initially, but it wouldn't keep me asleep. I would still end up waking every hour due to the ringing. It also made me very tired the next day. The Ambien CR put me asleep for about 7 hours straight uninterrupted. I also noticed that right after I took the Ambien, about 15 minutes later, I couldn't hear the ringing (probably because the drug was effecting my brain). Even when I woke up in the morning, I couldn't hear the ringing. It's been about 3 hours since I've been up, and the ringing is coming back now, but not as loud as normal. Just wondering if anyone else has had this effect with Ambien CR?

My anxiety level is pretty good this morning, probably because of emailing and receiving responses from all of you guys (definitely appreciate the support). It's amazing how in a short period of time something like this can totally turn your life upside down. I've never taken many drugs in my life, and now I find myself looking towards them for relief. I also haven't been doing my normal activities, since this started (going to the gym, going out with friends, watching sports on TV, Etc.) I'm so consumed about thinking of the ringing all the time, I can't concentrate on those activities. Anyone have any good ideas on how to train your mind to think of other things? It was easier when the ringing wasn't as loud (3 days ago), but now its hard to not think of anything else. Any ideas or methods would be greatly appreciated. Which is why I'd love to have a support group here in Hawaii, so I can cope and get ideas and helpful information on who to talk to (ie. Doctors, Audiologists, Psychiatrist, Etc.). My primary doctor is not very knowledgeable about Tinnitus, so she can only prescribe what she knows, not what necessarily has been proven to work on Tinnitus patients.

Thanks again to all. And looking for some much needed relief.

MarkK.

 

[Rube]

@Mark K. Billie48 provided some great info on masking, I would definitely find a sound that works for you and utilize it. Also try reading through the success stories as well, hard as it is to believe it will get better. I certainly wouldn't have believed it but when I found this forum and spoke with many nice people from here it was definitely comforting and helped me believe that it will get better. Try reading through this thread as well, a lot of excellent info to aid habituation.
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172/page-5#post-86574

 

[Mark K.]

Thanks Rube. Definitely encouraging. Since I acquired Tinnitus, Its been consuming my every thought for the last 2 months. Always thought I was a pretty positive and strong minded guy, but this thing has really hit me hard. Thanks for the email. I will continue to try and find my relief so I can cope. Was hoping to do this without any drugs, but I wasn't strong enough and succumbed to the sleeping pills, and now possibly anxiety pills. Hopefully someone can help me find a better solution, but for now this will have to do till I can mentally wrap my mind around it and cope with this thing. The great news is I found out there is someone here in Hawaii I can talk to (Christine), and we'll be talking on the phone later this evening. Just knowing there are people who have gotten a lot better makes me feel like there's hope. I've just read the horror stories of people who couldn't cope and are not doing well. Hope to be a success story to encourage others.
Mahalo,
MarkK.

 

[billie48]

Glad to hear that you are connecting with our Hawaiian member Christine. Hope she can help you towards recovery. Be aware that when you are having an initial traumatic encounter with T, your nerves will most likely be under the control of the limbic system and you mostly function in fight or flight mode. In this condition every negative sensation and reaction can seem amplified and making it feel worse than it actually is. That is why there will be many distorted thoughts (called cognitive distortions in CBT) especially catastrophic thinking about T and the future. It will take time for the mind to get out of this mode of functioning back to the normal parasympathetic nervous system. When we are back to normal nerve, then it is much easier to handle and we can make more sound judgement on living with T.

To regain the normal nerve, the first thing is, it needs time, patience, positivity, relaxation/distraction. Time will get the body to get more used to the new alien T sensation. Patience will help us not rushing to judgement of doom and gloom because of the present suffering. Positivity will help us deal with anxiety better by countering our distorted thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. Relaxation is important to reduce the stress level which can aggravate T loudness. By doing some form of exercise or outdoor activities, we can learn to relax. They are also good distraction from paying attention to T. Getting busy again with living our life is a good way to distract from T.

Breathing exercises (abdominal breathing) and mindfulness meditations (google or search youtube for detail) are very important to help relax the body and to accept the reality of the T sensation better. We should do these at least daily if the limbic nerves are active. By persisting in doing these relaxation activities, at some point the normal nerves will return. This is exactly how I turned my limbic nerves back to normal within a few weeks after the recent flare up of anxiety/panic attack. Once the normal nerves are back, the anxious feelings and panic sensations just weaken to the point I can use my will power or thought process to control my emotions without the need of meds.

When you read the success stories, you will find there is a common ingredient of success for the posters. They may use different treatment strategies which work for them. But the common ingredient is just the passage of time. Each person can take different time length, but the body needs time to get used to the new T sensation and to restore to the normal nerves. So be patient and give it time.

 

[Mark K.]

Thank you for those words of encouragement. Ill try to get back to my exercise routine. Its been a roller coaster, some days I feel good emotionally, some days Im feel hopeless. Looking forward to when Im the happy carefree guy again. One question, does taking the anxiety meds going to make it harder for my body to adjust to Tinnitus? Should I just exetcise and keep busy instead? I would ask my doctor, but they have no clue. They look at me like Im a wimp, and should suck it up.
Thanks again,

 

[billie48]

One question, does taking the anxiety meds going to make it harder for my body to adjust to Tinnitus? Should I just exetcise and keep busy instead?

Taking meds should be the last resort. People who suffer acute anxiety and panic attacks or severe depression or sleeplessness should consider using meds to moderate our reaction to the tinnitus trauma. If you think you can manage w/o meds, then there is no need to use them. That is my suggestion. Usually relaxation, exercise and outdoor activities should help lower the anxiety level. If those can't lower the anxiety and you are suffering from worsening symptoms, then I think you need to get some meds. The effect of anti-anxiety meds on T can vary with people. There have been good reports of people having their T and stress level lowered by Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, and even some anti-depressants. The user of such meds will be the best to tell if the meds help them. But do talk to the doctors first if you want to use them. You cannot tell the doctor that you want to get some anti-anxiety meds for tinnitus though. They may not prescribe it to you for tinnitus. But if you say you get really anxious because of loud T, then they may give you the anti-anxiety drugs for treating the anxiety. During my darkest days, I had no choice but to take Ativan (a benzo for anxiety), Prozac (anti-depressant for depression and for stopping the panic attacks), as well as some sleep meds which I don't remember the name. You can phase out these meds when you don't need them. The benzos can be addictive. So make sure to use them short termed and with caution, and make sure you phase it out slowly to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Take care.

 

[Mark K.]

Thanks again. I just recently started taking Ambien CR 12.5mg and got some much needed sleep. However, both days I had a panic attack. Not sure why, they just came on for no apparent reason. I was thinking it was a side effect of the Ambien. Any thoughts?

 

[Mark K.]

Towards the evening, I feel okay, no anxiety. Maybe no Ambien in my systen by then? Any ideas of how to get t sleep

 

[billie48]

Sorry I didn't take Ambien for sleep so perhaps you should post this in the general support board so members at large can give you advice on Ambien. Perhaps ask the doctor who prescribes this or the pharmacist. Usually panic attacks can be related to stress and anxiety overload. There is a good method to deal with panic attacks by this member:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/the-panic-attack-miracle-cure.7057/

 

[sanjay doodani]

Of all the melatonin supplement 5mg to fall asleep and.0.5mg klonopin works best

 

[Harry]

Of all the melatonin supplement 5mg to fall asleep and.0.5mg klonopin works best

Happy to someone from India as well @sanjay doodani !

 

[hbphillycheese]

hey dude, I live on Oahu, have T high and low pitches. Had surgery and now its back. if you need someone to talk to I am all ear.....hehehe hearing jokes. Seriously though I know what you are going through becuase mine just came back after snorkeling in Manele Bay on Lanai and I just had surgery a year ago and it went away but is now back with a vengance. If you respond I will give you my number and we can meet for coffee.

 

[Mark K.]

Hey Phil:
I just sent you a post. But lets get together for Coffee. Believe it or not, we have numerous of T people here in Hawaii. Do you work or live on the leeward side of the Island? I usually meet with another person who has T at a place called CoffeeBean located in Pearl City (right across from the Pearl City Police Station). Do you know where that's located? We can meet at 5pm at Coffeebean if you'd like. The other person is Christine, and she's had T for 2 years. She's really habituated very well. I've had it for almost 4 months. Trying to habituate, but its still changing on me, so kinda hard. My number is (808) 271-4818. By the way, how bad is the ringing? Are you having trouble sleeping? Or its not that bad? Please try and call me if you can.

Mahalo