Newbie — 44 Days In

[E With T]

Hello all!

I have no clue where to begin. The day after a get together with my friends for WWE Westlemania i woke up with severe tinnitus perceived in the back of my head. This new "symptom" in my life has really turned my life upside down. I am a CPA and when the symptoms arose, I was in the middle of our busy season (and still trying to get clients over the finish line). The stress of my work in itself was enough to fold me as a person. Then sever tinnitus started.. I was so confused, distraught, embarrassed at the fact that a plane was buzzing in the back of my head. I was having the toughest time even doing the slightest work function. I was stuck at a client for weeks and during the onset as i was walking around to suite level personnel asking stupid questions and attempting to complete the audit. Luckily, I have a very understanding employer and they have been so supportive. At home, my wife has been so helpful and supportive. For example she has taken over the task of transportation for our daughter between home and school (I honestly miss that time with my daughter). She has been supportive but i think she does not know how to react to how I'm feeling at a given moment. I have been to audiologist, ENT practitioner (due to long waits), mental counselor (for meds) and family counselor for my mental well-being and chiropractor for my back and neck. I am now on a multitude of medications and I feel like these "educated" doctors don't want to perform any research or try to find out the root cause for my tinnitus. If a client comes to me for some issue or tax implication I do not just plug it into a computer and poof "pops out a series of answers". I research and find a good answer for the issue. (vent ended)

Yes, I have been to loud concerts. Yes, I listen to music when i did workout, go hunting, shoot guns, and of course, I like loud ish (poop). And guess what, my audiology report is squeaky clean (no hearing loss) even above normal human speech. Though my daily observation, my tone and sound has changed (decreased) dramatically since inception (or I have gotten use to it). I measured it first at 8 - 9k high pitched ringing and have not measured it since but now i have a buzzing sound (on trip to LA i could hear it above all traffic (smoked herbals)). I first started to buy into the stress hype but as i have read through post, its all false. I can tell that stress and no sleep make my noise way worse. So, i am complacent taking my meds at night and falling asleep as I have work and a life to deal with.

What to do... move forward with a positive attitude for my daughter and family. I'm living a daily groudh0gs day trying to stay happy (as it was not hard enough to deal with my past to begin with). So here i am with chronic tinnitus and trying to suvive day to day. My daughter has been my inspiration to stay on course with life and move forward. I have been through a lot of adversity in my short 34 years but this takes the cake. I cannot smoke anymore medical marijuana (my coping med for my shitting upbringing) as it makes my the tinnitus go really loud and crazy buzz. I have been reading all of your posts over the past month and a half. I do not feel alone in this journey and hope one day they find a cure (but hope it cures all underlying causes). I hope all of you are doing okay out there. I don't want to give up my life because of this symptom. I love music, hunting (just started this year) and all other things that would evolve a loud sound. (Any advise on good plugs that i can hear music, ducks, people, etc while on would be greatly welcomed)

Sorry for the rambling but wanted to introduce myself as i have been lurking a lot. I am out of town for work, along and with a bottle of whiskey.

Wish the best outcome for all of you as I now understand.

-E with T

 

[Bill Bauer]

Though my daily observation, my tone and sound has changed (decreased) dramatically since inception

The fact that it is improving is very reassuring! Chances are it will be even quieter (and hopefully will go away) in a couple of months. When it comes to T, recovery takes a very long time, and it feels like pulling teeth, as good days are always mixed up with temporary spikes...

So here i am with chronic tinnitus

You are still in the acute stage. I believe T is considered chronic after 3-6 months (and permanent after 2 years).

(Any advise on good plugs that i can hear music, ducks, people, etc while on would be greatly welcomed)

Try looking into "musician plugs". I would just wear good shooting ear muffs, if I were you. I know when I wear Peltor muffs, i can still hear music and people.

 

[E With T]

Bill Bauer - I hope that I am still at the acute stage. I have been ejected out of a car window and survived and this is way worse than that 10X fold. I can only take this day to day and see if if subsides.

Thank you for the recommendation for the hearing protection. I just love music and it gets me by in life as I can find lyrics that relate to my life. Makes me feel alive when I get to dance and enjoy a good set.

Thank you for the response. This has been a crazy journey but what is life --- a crazy journey

 

[Bill Bauer]

I have been ejected out of a car window and survived and this is way worse than that 10X fold.

I agree. T seems to be one of the scariest/worst things that can happen to a person. But don't lose hope, even this condition can improve (see the post below)
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/

 

[jjflyman]

The fact that it is improving is very reassuring! Chances are it will be even quieter (and hopefully will go away) in a couple of months. When it comes to T, recovery takes a very long time, and it feels like pulling teeth, as good days are always mixed up with temporary spikes...


You are still in the acute stage. I believe T is considered chronic after 3-6 months (and permanent after 2 years).

Try looking into "musician plugs". I would just wear good shooting ear muffs, if I were you. I know when I wear Peltor muffs, i can still hear music and people.

Bill
How are you doing? Any improvement?
I have not heard of T being referred to as "chronic" after 3-6 months, but that makes sense. I would have to add that passing the 6 months in no way implies the fading will stop. If it was noise induced, I still think the odds are it will continue to fade, some posters have said even up to 2 years.
You right about good days and bad days too, it seems T does not (at least in my case) fade in a straight line.

 

[Zug]

Hello all!

I have no clue where to begin. The day after a get together with my friends for WWE Westlemania i woke up with severe tinnitus perceived in the back of my head. This new "symptom" in my life has really turned my life upside down. I am a CPA and when the symptoms arose, I was in the middle of our busy season (and still trying to get clients over the finish line). The stress of my work in itself was enough to fold me as a person. Then sever tinnitus started.. I was so confused, distraught, embarrassed at the fact that a plane was buzzing in the back of my head. I was having the toughest time even doing the slightest work function. I was stuck at a client for weeks and during the onset as i was walking around to suite level personnel asking stupid questions and attempting to complete the audit. Luckily, I have a very understanding employer and they have been so supportive. At home, my wife has been so helpful and supportive. For example she has taken over the task of transportation for our daughter between home and school (I honestly miss that time with my daughter). She has been supportive but i think she does not know how to react to how I'm feeling at a given moment. I have been to audiologist, ENT practitioner (due to long waits), mental counselor (for meds) and family counselor for my mental well-being and chiropractor for my back and neck. I am now on a multitude of medications and I feel like these "educated" doctors don't want to perform any research or try to find out the root cause for my tinnitus. If a client comes to me for some issue or tax implication I do not just plug it into a computer and poof "pops out a series of answers". I research and find a good answer for the issue. (vent ended)

Yes, I have been to loud concerts. Yes, I listen to music when i did workout, go hunting, shoot guns, and of course, I like loud ish (poop). And guess what, my audiology report is squeaky clean (no hearing loss) even above normal human speech. Though my daily observation, my tone and sound has changed (decreased) dramatically since inception (or I have gotten use to it). I measured it first at 8 - 9k high pitched ringing and have not measured it since but now i have a buzzing sound (on trip to LA i could hear it above all traffic (smoked herbals)). I first started to buy into the stress hype but as i have read through post, its all false. I can tell that stress and no sleep make my noise way worse. So, i am complacent taking my meds at night and falling asleep as I have work and a life to deal with.

What to do... move forward with a positive attitude for my daughter and family. I'm living a daily groudh0gs day trying to stay happy (as it was not hard enough to deal with my past to begin with). So here i am with chronic tinnitus and trying to suvive day to day. My daughter has been my inspiration to stay on course with life and move forward. I have been through a lot of adversity in my short 34 years but this takes the cake. I cannot smoke anymore medical marijuana (my coping med for my shitting upbringing) as it makes my the tinnitus go really loud and crazy buzz. I have been reading all of your posts over the past month and a half. I do not feel alone in this journey and hope one day they find a cure (but hope it cures all underlying causes). I hope all of you are doing okay out there. I don't want to give up my life because of this symptom. I love music, hunting (just started this year) and all other things that would evolve a loud sound. (Any advise on good plugs that i can hear music, ducks, people, etc while on would be greatly welcomed)

Sorry for the rambling but wanted to introduce myself as i have been lurking a lot. I am out of town for work, along and with a bottle of whiskey.

Wish the best outcome for all of you as I now understand.

-E with T

@E With T, you're still very early into this and it can always change for the best. Even if it doesn't, most of us go through a period of adjustment and in time it gets gradually better. Try not to loose too much sleep, exercise, eat, etc. I used to put some white noise to distract me from the sounds.

You ask about pugs, I wear molded earplugs as they are very more comfortable and sometimes my job involves going on stages, using microphones, etc. if you get filtered plugs you'll still be able to understand conversations, etc. Just don't overdo it. Try to wear plugs when the sound is too loud, but don't wear them on regular situations.

Best,
Zug