Poll: Would You Rather Be in a Medically-Induced Coma or Have Tinnitus?

[JasonP]

Certainly I do not want anyone to be in a medically induced coma as would take days or months of their life. I am just asking only theoretically to find out how bad some people feel about their tinnitus. If the coma is your choice, do not worry, their is definitely all kinds of things that can help people with T instead of something that drastic.

 

[Starlord]

Considering that tinnitus causes anxiety and depression and changes the way we approach life by always worrying about sounds, foods, reactivity, spikes, colds, worsening of tinnitus, and depending on where we are in our life worrying about our future, schooling, career, family or starting a family...it has definitely taken out months of my life already that I wouldn't mind forgetting. So I would chose a medically induced coma for a couple months, as long as I do not have tinnitus.

 

[LadyDi]

Kind of a skewed question: would I want to be in a medically induced coma for a few days or months, or have tinnitus for the rest of my life? Doesn't that seem pretty obvious?

By the way, I have been in a medically induced coma for three weeks. I don't recommend it, primarily because of the disastrous things that have to happen to you to make them put you in such a coma.

 

[fishbone]

wow, such a question.... I'd choose tinnitus obviously. If you are in a coma, basically your life is over and all hope is lost (most of the time). Tinnitus is not the end of the world, i know some of you are new to tinnitus, but trust me it is not the end of the world.

I can bet you folks that my tinnitus is louder and more destructive than most of yours. It is very annoying and if i let it, it can be depressing and hostile. That is the key difference, I do not let this garbage over take my life, the day I give into tinnitus, is the day that maybe i should not live.

You folks can mask your tinnitus, workout, drink wine or take relaxers (herbal and not prescriptions)and do stuff that can make you not focus on your tinnitus. That is the key, NOT focusing on your tinnitus, by focusing on it and saying "DAMN these F Ing ears ring so so so loud 24/7" that is the thing that makes you even more depressed, sad and even suicidal.

People need to adopt the "Im brave and not broken mentality", I love this forum and feel all your pain and i have had this bastard tinnitus since 1990, so I been going through this journey longer than most of you. Life is going to be ok, you for sure do not want to be in a coma and brain dead and have literally no chance of living a normal life again.

People that come out of comas(if they are lucky) and pretty much brain dead (many to most are) and are hooked up to tubes and machines for the rest of their life and suffer, way way way more than people that just have ringing in their ears.

Please don't jump overboard about tinnitus, you can still live a life and do stuff, people in comas cannot.

Trust me, those that have recently got tinnitus or maybe been battling it for 5 years or more, IT will be OK. you can COPE, it is all about adapting. ALL of you can adapt and make it, I am no different than any of you, I just accepted it and that is the key...accept it, don't battle it so much.....

battling tinnitus is no win situation, if you don't battle it and say F tinnitus and live your life, then it won't destroy you good folks as bad. My ears are Fkd up and i won't lie, but o well.....

Adapt, cope and be strong, it is foolish to wish a coma over tinnitus.....

 

[linearb]

I took the question to mean, live with tinnitus, or be in a coma forever. If the question is coma for a few days vs tinnitus, then I'd need to go read up on the risks of medical comas.

I think polls like this are a little silly, though. Impossible hypotheticals. Things simply are as they are, and they will become what they will become.

 

[awbw8]

If it's any consolation to anyone who felt the need to have answered "coma," I would have picked that easily three years ago.

Anyway, my point is the great thing about being alive with tinnitus is that you're experiencing time, and experiences change over time. Humans have an amazing ability to adapt even to things that seem impossible. A coma freezes the part of you that gets to experience and grow in that sense - you can heal, things can get better - to the point where one day a coma will seem a silly trade for life with t.

 

[JasonP]

I took the question to mean, live with tinnitus, or be in a coma forever. If the question is coma for a few days vs tinnitus, then I'd need to go read up on the risks of medical comas.

I think polls like this are a little silly, though. Impossible hypotheticals. Things simply are as they are, and they will become what they will become.

Yeah, I guess I could have done the poll better. Sorry about that. In addition, I probably should look up what a medically induced coma will do to the body.

 

[Mario martz]

Guys these useless polls need to stop,
hahaha seriously some of them are funny and all,
but they wont change our situation and it will scare new suffers.
this is a condition i dont wish on anybody.
but being in a coma, is not nice, it has its risk.
i just saw a girl i used to know and she was in a coma for a few days.
now she cant move her body properly and cant do a lot of things by herself.
right now the noise is bothering me, but i guess it would be a lot awful not seeing my family, my friends with my eyes.
or not being able to understand, or not being able to poo, pee or masturbate by myself.
i know this is hard.. but at least there a few things we can still do.

 

[Kane Moffat]

I kind of like the idea of being put in a coma and waking up to a cure years later. Acctually it was one of my first thoughts when I got tinnitus, it might be a bit like travelling in time. Of course you would need to basically fund your own facility and hire doctors that agreed with the ethics of what you wanted to do. In fact it might be illegal so you would maybe have to do it secretly? Also you would need to prevent muscle wastage and weakening of bones if you were in it for the long term. Wow, tinnitus tends to make you creative haha.

 

[Alue]

Coma. Funny question, shortly after onset when I was doing a lot of research into tinnitus (probably not a good idea but I couldn't help myself) I had a thought to myself that if someone would medically induce me into a coma for a few months and if it had a high probability of preventing tinnitus from becoming chronic I would go for it.

You need a time frame for your question, though. Like coma for a month then wake up tinnitus free or something like that. Coma for the rest of your life? Well you might as well be dead, or it could be worse and you could end up like the Metallica song "One".

 

[JasonP]

Coma. Funny question, shortly after onset when I was doing a lot of research into tinnitus (probably not a good idea but I couldn't help myself) I had a thought to myself that if someone would medically induce me into a coma for a few months and if it had a high probability of preventing tinnitus from becoming chronic I would go for it.

You need a time frame for your question, though. Like coma for a month then wake up tinnitus free or something like that. Coma for the rest of your life? Well you might as well be dead, or it could be worse and you could end up like the Metallica song "One".

Yeah, I totally botched the question and should have thought of a better way to ask it. Also, I hope people don't think I was trying to be funny because I was serious with this question. I was basically trying to get a feeling about how some people are truly suffering with this condition. I should have put a time frame on it though. I can understand your thinking on this.

 

[Ricardo1991]

Tinnitus, duh. You can't hang out with friends in a coma. I'd rather put up with the shhhhhhhhhhhhh instead of being basically dead for a while. Missing out on summer, food, etc.

 

[Telis]

Not sure what relief a coma would bring? If its like sleeping, time seems to pass very quickly anyway. If I could sleep longer every night I would, days are too long with this. 20 hours of sleep a day and I would be cool with T, I can suffer for a few hours a no problem but 16 is too much.

And ya, duh, who can't put up with shhhhhh. Unfortunately some T is fucking horrendous and hard to deal with.

 

[Dana]

I would rather be in a medically induced coma than being like how I am now. The poll question is not clear at all: the people are asked what they would prefer between having tinnitus and which of the following scenarios?

a) being in a medically-induced coma for a longer or shorter period of time and wake up without tinnitus

b) being in a medically-induced coma for a longer or shorter period of time and resume tinnitus upon waking up

c) being in a medically-induced coma for an unknown period of time until an (unprecised) decision takes place (to pull the plug on you, or to wake you up to how you were before tinnitus wise, or cured of tinnitus)

Suffering as I do now, physically and psychologically, I said that I would chose coma in spite of not knowing if that would mean a) b) c), because all three alternatives would be a break in what I am going through now, and I could use a break of any kind; shorter, longer or permanent.

Disclaimer: I do not want to scare new sufferers that the evolution of their tinnitus will be the same as mine, if one lives in a caring environment healing completely or almost completely until tinnitus lessens to a level so low that it does not constitute a problem anymore is what happens in the overwhelming majority of cases, the stats are showing that. All three cases that I met directly who got tinnitus are now doing just fine. One healed completely after many years (yes!), in the second case the tinnitus diminished 99%, and in the third case (which happens to be an ENT doctor) habituated so well, that she says that no matter how her ears are ringing, they can not bother her and she couldn't care less about them.

 

[Alue]

Yeah, I totally botched the question and should have thought of a better way to ask it. Also, I hope people don't think I was trying to be funny because I was serious with this question. I was basically trying to get a feeling about how some people are truly suffering with this condition. I should have put a time frame on it though. I can understand your thinking on this.

How much are you suffering? Because you keep making these threads around the topic?
I see you have had t for 10 years? Did it increase or something?

 

[Dana]

If the coma is your choice, do not worry, their is definitely all kinds of things that can help people with T instead of something that drastic.

Like what things, for example?

 

[Cillian]

I might stay in the coma until they come up with treatment/cure

 

[JasonP]

Like what things, for example?

Supplements, cardio exercise, TRT, CBT, anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, sedatives, hearing aids, maskers, etc. Not saying all of those will work for everyone, but some might.

 

[JasonP]

How much are you suffering? Because you keep making these threads around the topic?
I see you have had t for 10 years? Did it increase or something?

Actually it didn't increase. I have been bothered by it off and on for a fairly consistent basis for 3 years as it went up in volume a little over 3 years ago. I have had moments where I was at peace during that time, but then would come crashing to depression a few weeks later. I hought about T a majority of the time I was awake. However, I think that is partly due to my brain being geared to focus on the negative more and having depression before T. Lately, I have been taking a mood stabilizer and am testing new hearing aids. The past few days have been really good and I will see what happens in the future. The past few days I habituated to it really well and I tuned it out most of the time. Hopefully, I can continue. I am trying to get a sense of others feelings about tinnitus because I know at one time 3 years ago where I would have preferred to be put in a medically induced coma. It depressed me that bad.

 

[PaulBe]

Jason you are so morbid!


I picked coma.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Another interesting poll.

 

[Anima]

Interesting poll, Jason. In my case, when I feel suicidal, I wouldn't mind at all to be induced coma.

 

[Carlyi]

I choose tinnitus because i know that someday my T. will go once i solve the issue that is causing this. Also i can better ignore it now and have no issues sleeping.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

As of right now: tinnitus....even though it is almost unbearable, but I am only 3½ months in and still have hope that it can get better in the next 1-2 years.

If it were not to get better, I would prefer coma, and then getting woken up when their is a better treatment or a cure.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

C: Medically induced frozen. Thawed when cure is found.

 

[Julien87]

Really sounds like the kiddy "would you prefer to have an elephant trunk or a girafe neck" things

 

[william adams]

I can handle T as annoying as it can be but being blind or paralyzed that would be another story....

 

[Bill Bauer]

Really sounds like the kiddy "would you prefer to have an elephant trunk or a girafe neck" things

In a sane world a patient would be able to ask a doctor to do anything with the patient's body, the patient wants. If there is a chance T would be gone in 2 years, some of us would prefer to not be here for those 2 years. It would be neat to wake up after 2 years and see whether T is still there. If T had faded, great. If it hasn't faded, then that would be the time to ask the doctor for a doctor-assisted suicide. So it is more of a fantasy about being free.

 

[RealismPill]

ll three cases that I met directly who got tinnitus are now doing just fine. One healed completely after many years (yes!), in the second case the tinnitus diminished 99%, and in the third case (which happens to be an ENT doctor) habituated so well, that she says that no matter how her ears are ringing, they can not bother her and she couldn't care less about them.

Hi there,

I read your post and a glimmer of hope has arisen.

My tinnitus was caused by ear wax and dental fillings.

Regarding your above three people who were supposedly healed, 99% reduction etc .. What were the processes /medicines/methods of healing?

I'm considering checking into emergency and suicide watch as I've failed suicide twice now. I cannot function. I've dropped my Academic career, all avenues of life and isolation has begun in full mode. There is no sleep in my life anymore. Zopiclone didn't even work and the side effects were horrible. I have noise masking ear pieces and they aren't helping. The right ear is damaged partially from the dental treatment.

I cannot sleep more than 1-2 hours a day... *with* 9mg of Melatonin. The tinnitus pitch is so strong - more so then the volume. It's painful as hell.

Please any help is appreciated.

From the bottom of the world - New Zealand,
Aly

 

[GoatSheep]

My tinnitus was caused by ear wax and dental fillings.

Regarding your above three people who were supposedly healed, 99% reduction etc .. What were the processes /medicines/methods of healing?

I'm considering checking into emergency and suicide watch as I've failed suicide twice now. I cannot function. I've dropped my Academic career, all avenues of life and isolation has begun in full mode. There is no sleep in my life anymore. Zopiclone didn't even work and the side effects were horrible. I have noise masking ear pieces and they aren't helping. The right ear is damaged partially from the dental treatment.

I cannot sleep more than 1-2 hours a day... *with* 9mg of Melatonin. The tinnitus pitch is so strong - more so then the volume. It's painful as hell.

Please any help is appreciated.

From the bottom of the world - New Zealand,
RealismPill

Hi RealismPill,

I've had tinnitus for close 2.5 years now. It went from a 7/10 to now being an average of a 1-3/10. It took over a year before I saw improvement, but it is definitely possible. Honestly, if I didn't have hyperacusis/noxacusis still I would consider myself a success story. It was a long and hard road and I was suicidal for over a year myself so I know how you feel.

Restoring sleep was the first step to getting things to a survivable state. At first doctors gave me multiple medications including Trazodone and Zolpidem (also horrible side effects like you with Zolpidem) that only made my tinnitus worse and drove it to 10/10. Unfortunately, finding the med that works best for different people is difficult. For me it was Clonazepam, though benzos are definitely a drug to be wary of and many people with tinnitus have issues with taking them.

I've tried quite a few supplements, but ultimately the only ones I can say I feel had a positive effect on my tinnitus were NAD and Melatonin. And really when my tinnitus was much louder I couldn't particularly notice an improvement from them. It was only later after it had improved some and I retrialed things individually I was able to tell what helped with reducing the volume some.

Checking into a psychiatric facility may be a good idea, but please make sure the one you wind up at is a good place. I went to emergency as you say and they sent me to a psych ward for suicidality. It was a shithole and the negative treatment I received from staff, while also being thrown into a drug treatment unit initially and later into a psychiatric unit (when I was neither an addict or exactly what I would call mentally unstable) only made things harder for me. It became a fight to hold on for 5 days as they toyed with the timeframe of a standard 72 hour hold by saying my weekend admission didn't count, then delaying my release on the fifth day (all while dangling subtle threats of a more extended stay that I had unwittingly signed off on after being drugged up on Ativan at the hospital after not sleeping for weeks as you say before going to the hospital). I tell you this not to scare you, but to warn you that you do not want to add an experience like this to the hell you are already suffering.