Hello Aliciajay 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, how can I get through this and still enjoy the life that is ahead of me. 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 that made it easier for me cope, and to hope. There are others on this forum who can speak with much greater knowledge about hearing and tinnitus, such as Glynis above. 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, and as Glynis observed above, 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 you're waiting, give it some time.
As you found this forum, I strongly recommend that you read the post in the Introduce Yourself and Support sections. In these two sections you will find insight into the same questions you have, so if you read a post that says this happened, etc. read the responses as this may give you some insight into your t.. It is also heartening to learn that you are not in this alone and that others are in, or were in, the same situation as you and it worked out for them. Realize that this means it may can also work out for you too. You should also read the Success Stories section and realize it can give you some hope. These section may help you gain some insight into 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 either avoid or keep the volume down if you are at home), 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. Coffee unfortunately = not good as the caffine can aggrevate your t., though I must admit I do drink 1 small black North American coffee, which by worlds standards is not that strong, and a number of times I don't even finish it - I know why bother if you drink so little. Simple, I do enjoy that which I do drink (you will also see Coffee Girl on this site who is a pioneer in this area, for she truly is one with the mean bean), and it does not seem to have any impact on my t.
When you go to bed have some music playing in the background, just enough to match your T to help you sleep. 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, and for me it helped. 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. It is important, and much easier to say than do, learn to focus your attention from the screeming 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. If your situation persists, as Glynis recommeded above you should see a doctor.
I know you stated above your concern over your stress levels. Yes stress and being stressed can aggrevate your t., which is a problem because you are naturally stressed by your t., and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, more stress = more t. which = more stress, etc. So how do you break the cycle. For me, I have been meditating for years and that has helped me tremendously. Others on the forum have also stated as such. You stated you were taking a class, so if you are at a school/university there may be an on-campus meditation class. I have also found talking personally to someone also helps. Chat with some friends, or as you are new to the campus, I assume, I would also check to see if your campus offers some psych. support for students. The stress and concern over this is a lot to take on, and talking to a person, in person, has it's benefits, we are all, after all, human, and talking to another human is one of the most natural things we do. It just feels good to share and get it out of our system. I also found that talking to people and realizing it was not just me, also helped. Especially when I read the stories where people did get better and had acclimatized to this condition and were enjoying a good life. This inturn fueled in me that most important human need, one that saw hope down the road.
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 not 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 this condition. 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 and hope.
John CC
Member
