Peaks and Valleys

[Holly1987]

Does anyone else feel like they are very up and down when it comes to dealing with their tinnitus?

I'm coming up to my third year so I think it's safe to say mine is here to stay. I will have a few good months where I'm OK and getting on with my life and then have really crap months where I think "ah fuck I really don't know if I can do this, I'm just so damn sick of it".

It's all rather exhausting, you would think after nearly 3 years I would be fairly stable by now.

Is there still hope for me?! Or am I going to be like this forever.

 

[Gman]

Does anyone else feel like they are very up and down when it comes to dealing with their tinnitus?

I'm coming up to my third year so I think it's safe to say mine is here to stay. I will have a few good months where I'm OK and getting on with my life and then have really crap months where I think "ah fuck I really don't know if I can do this, I'm just so damn sick of it".

It's all rather exhausting, you would think after nearly 3 years I would be fairly stable by now.

Is there still hope for me?! Or am I going to be like this forever.

Yes, for sure. Also coming up to 3 years. I think it being so unpredictable is what gets me. It's like being a yo-yo. Sometimes you know what triggers it to go nuts, but other times it comes out of nowhere.
Yet the first 6 months for me were stable and never had a spike, no hyperacusis, no TTTS, etc.

 

[HanaK]

Definitely. I always try to keep my tinnitus in check because an increase in tinnitus means I'm doing something wrong whether its sleeping inadequately, eating too little, or exposing myself to too many noises. Some days I won't care about my tinnitus because it's not that loud. But other days I'm super fed up with the ringing because it's so annoying lol. Hang in there Holly. Tinnitus definitely has its ups and downs, and it may or may not go away, but we can still try to live our lives as best as we can by staying healthy and happy. Hopefully a cure comes out in our lifetime.

 

[Hissy missy]

I started with this in 2002 at 28 years old. I've had plenty of ups and downs on this journey. Given tinnitus is a chronic condition I slowly came to learn that my life had altered and I had to make lifestyle choices and make my hearing health an ongoing priority. It's a condition that from my experience you don't just 'get used to and move on' unfortunately. Sadly as careful as I am, as I age my tinnitus has slightly worsened. I'm coping sort of ok but sure could do without this burden.

 

[MBH]

After 6 months I knew that was it. And all the way until now. I feel like you do, sometimes I feel well and sometimes I want to climb the walls. But all in all I can handle my days. But yes I think tinnitus is not consistent. I think most people's tinnitus goes up and down and goes all around. You have to work on mind strength and work on finding a new hobby. I made adjustments to help along the way.

 

[another sean]

I'm around the 3 1/2 mark myself and recently Ive come to a point where I don't want to try to accept and live it anymore in terms of finding a quiet place in the middle of nowhere and just isolate myself. Ive recently decided to pursue alternative therapies like PRP or Stem Cell and make every effort to get my life back to the way it was. Tinnitus doesn't bother me much at all, its the confinement in preventing my tinnitus getting worse thats bothering me. plus, I miss listening to music too much and am not ready to let it go for the rest of my life. I will probably have to travel by boat to either Thailand or Korea eventually. Before I was so ready to buy a house in the mountains, away from cars, planes, freeways, boulevards and pretty much everyone I care about. Not anymore.