Hello Jeff I too am new to tinnitus, not yet 2 months in. I am glad you found this forum as it gave me the hope and the support I needed from a lot of different people who are united by one element, tinnitus. From what I have read and experienced, the first couple of months are very stressful. You find yourself asking what is this, why me, what is next. As I am new to the world of T. I can only give you insight into the stuff I had to learn right at the start. There are others on this forum who can speak with much greater knowledge about hearing and tinnitus. My t can get so loud I hear it over a car engine on the highway, I hear it when I wake up. What gets me through it is the support and wisdom I have received on this forum with many people telling me, after patiently listening to me, as to what was happening to me and what to expect. For me it was that I had some hopeful signs. So far, their advice has been pretty good, and what I needed.
Everyone knows what you are going through, and you are not alone, you have support at this site. There are others who regularly read, support and answer your questions. Just realize that this site is a world wide site, so if people do not respond right away, it is because they may be on another continent. So when you look for responses and your waiting, give it some time.
As I suspect, you have already been reading the post in the Introduce Yourself and Support sections. You might also want to read the Success Stories section and realize it can give you some hope. These section may help you gain some insight to the various issues and aspects of tinnitus.
From what I have started to learn is that loud noise = bad (so at the start listen to your music at a lower volume and movies can be loud so be wary and keep the volume down), head phones = bad, ear protection = good (ear plugs or ear muffs or a combination of), being aware and not letting your guard down, e.g., going into a loud restaurant or coffee shop without ear protection and thinking it will be ok = not good, realizing and having and believing in your future and hope = good.
When you go to bed have some music playing in the background, just below your T to help you sleep, that means you van hear it but it does not drown our your t.. It has helped me tremendously, and I know a number of other people on this forum also have it playing at night. I have found on the internet Tinnitus Sound Therapy music. I listened to different music, some spoke to me, some didn't. I have it on during the day, and at night I take my laptop into my bedroom and play it overnight (some of the sites go for 8 to 10 hours). If you look on the tinnitus talk forum home page, about half way down to the right you will see a bar titled Audio Player. You can click on it to get an idea about the different sounds used in tinnitus sound therapy, or you can play this during the night as it continuously loops.
It is important, and much easier to say than do, to learn to focus your attention from the screaming in your ear. One approach of many could be to shift your focus. It is amazing how it begins to disappear when your attention is elsewhere. Yes, it is easy to say, not always easy to do, but with some practise and focus you can do it. I would recommend you see your doctor and perhaps an audiologist. Tinnitus unforunately has no cure, and the first couple of months are important, so by seeing them they may be able to provide you with information specifically about your situation.
At the start, and for the first couple of months, for some the t. is fairly consistent, while for others it can fluctuate a little or a lot. From what I am learning is that it may stay at one volume at the start (for a month or 2) and then it may fluctuate, or it my also fluctuate at the start as well, both can be considered frustrating, but neither are unusual. From what I have learned in a number of cases it does get better, but that is where others can share their greater wisdon on this. This condition appears to be as unique as are finger prints and while people may have similiar stories, there are unique qualities to each individual. My t. has fluctuated over the past 2 months, sometimes it is very loud and other times I can't hear it (the not hear it times are sadly far between). If your symptons don't fit into other peoples descriptions, it is just the nature of the beast. As I said I am new myself so I focus on the importance of support and hope at this important entry time to the world of T. as I call it. Coffee Girl, Bill B., Fishbone, Micheal L., Glnyis, Greg among others who have a lot of good ideas, and more experience than I do.
Best of luck and I hope this helps you deal with the world of t., a world no one wants to enter but enter it we have. Remember the start is the hardest and most challenging, but from what I have read there is room for optimism.
John CC
Member
