New to Tinnitus... It's a Bumpy Ride!

[Steve Feldo]

Hi, first post on here and looking forward to reading some upbeat and positive stuff about coping with tinnitus.

Mine started suddenly about 3-4 months ago following a period of prolonged stress. To start with, I had a couple of days 'on' and then there would be a few days with nothing at all, at this stage my mind hadn't started the spiral of negativity as I just thought it was an ear infection or similar. Anyway, after about a month of this cycle it didn't go away and of course panic ensued.

Fast forward to now, I have days like today where at about 7am it 'spiked' and I've got hissing and a cricket in my left ear, that was after a great day yesterday where at times I honestly forgot about it. So, there's no pattern but I'm trying to keep positive and take the Liam Gallagher approach to it. What I find a real pain is when it spikes like today and it reacts to the TV and radio and also noise in busy locations, but this tends not to last for more than a few days at a time...it's just the unpredictability which is really difficult to deal with. Eddy Temple Morris said acceptance is a massive step...easier said than done I know but I'm just trying to keep positive as I know stressing has a really negative effect.

 

[glynis]

Welcome to Tinnitus Talk Steve.
Tinnitus is like a rollercoaster for some people having good days and bad and for some it stays.
As you get to know your tinnitus how it reacts and appears you start to adjust and the unwanted emotions start to settle as your brain stops seeing your tinnitus as a threat.
Try off load any stress and take time out in the day to relax and a relaxing walk.
Sound therapy is good at night setting natural sounds below your tinnitus as helps your brain adjust to the sound as it learns to focus on other sounds instead....lots of love glynis

 

[MikeL1972]

Hi Steve,

Glynis is right on with her advice.

The logic behind coping with tinnitus is essentially to manage it so it does not manage you. It is a gradual process (took me about 3-4 months), but eventually, your brain will simply get tired of the noise and file into the 'not important' file. You will hear it, but it will not affect your nervous system, thus raising your anxiety and stress levels. This state is known as 'habituation' and until a 100% cure is developed, it is the optimal way to manage tinnitus. The sooner you stop fighting it, the easier it will be on you. We can all empathize with you because we've been there.

In the interim, enjoy life as always, yet be mindful of situations you can control where there is risk of exposure to loud noise. Good luck!

 

[Steve Feldo]

Hi Glynis, Hi Mike. Thanks for your comments, that's really helpful and the 'file under not important' comment is true I am sure. Last night I totally zoned out and even though the background Tinnitus was still there, I wasn't conscious of it which is a really positive thing, shame it spiked today after that really encouraging step. I've got a flu bug, so coupled with this, lack of sleep and stress, I suspect that might have some bearing on it rearing its head today. I'd love some calm and stability over Christmas, fortunately I've an audiology clinic appt on Thursday which I'm hoping will help my head too. Cheers, Steve