The Positivity Thread

[PatrickG]

When life is hard and T is bringing your hope and strength down, watch this and be inspired... <3

 

[Ricardo1991]

Awesome idea! Just makes me think that we're all a part of a bigger thing (even if it sucks). You know, I was thinking of something today that made me think and sort of regained my sanity.
I have 5 brothers, 2 sisters and a mom. 3 brothers & 1 sister and my mom all have tinnitus. I'm the youngest of us and I've been struggling a bit lately. However, I had a spike today and started thinking, well. David has this, so does Ed and Tony.. and my mom said she hears it everywhere and it doesn't bother her one bit, they never even mentioned it to me until mine came on and they aren't bothered by it. So I won't allow it to bother me.

And I proceeded to make a delicious eggplant parmesan with homemade marinara sauce topped with Chihuahuan Mexican cheese. The real hilight of my night? I made a delicious eggplant parmesan with homemade marinara sauce topped with Chihuahuan Mexican cheese

I know I'll hear it tonight when I go to bed, just like I did for the past couple of months but I'm not going to sleep alone in the sense that I know I'm not the only one in this world with tinnitus.

Hope you guys are doing great!
Ricardo

 

[smel]

My T has driven me crazy over the years, and some days are definitely better than others, but I always try to put it in perspective. My T isn't fatal. It's not causing me any physical pain. It's incredibly annoying at times, but that's it. I try to always do things that take my mind off of it, such as listening to podcasts (free entertainment!), audiobooks, various forms of white noise, and movies. Podcasts have kept me sane over the past several years. If you haven't tried them you're missing out on something wonderful.

I sat in on a webinar this evening offered by the ATA. They talked about medications that are being studied for their effectiveness in relieving T symptoms, and it makes me very hopeful that we'll have something sooner rather than later. I used to think that nothing would be available during my lifetime but no longer think that's the case! It's reassuring to know that studies are ongoing, and they've made more progress than I expected and have looked at more drugs then I imagined. I had assumed not much was being done to find a cure with medicine but fortunately I was very mistaken. I just feel sorry for all those poor animals that have to be the test subjects.

Most importantly, I feel positive about the future after reading posts from you all. It's always great to read about people not letting T control their lives. You guys rock!

 

[Kah Povi]

This thread and all your positive messages are calming me and my T. What a gift!

I'm a year into the spike that has put me through the ringer (haha). It's been rough and I've gone through a lot of "cures" and therapies. When I stopped being desperate for a cure, I began to learn lessons I needed to learn, whether I had T or not. The big lesson for me is to stay positive and strong and to believe in my body's ability to guide me toward peace and away from stress. T has been a huge motivation to become more genuine, to respond to life more fully and without worrying what others say or think about it.

I'm happy to say that I've been benzo free for two years and am unequivocally happy to have shed that dependency and gotten through a mean withdrawal that I thought would do me in. I still have anxiety surges. I am still human and probably will continue to be.

Other good news: as a result of my T and coming to this forum I'm working with a wonderful writer, editing a book on his inspiring life. As a result of T I'm eating better and exercising more. My recent visit to the doctor showed that my blood pressure and cholesterol are way down -- this despite a year of thinking T was ruining my life. Apparently not.

There will be hard times; aging is hard. But coping with T is good training for becoming a refuge for myself no matter what life brings.

But I can't and don't want to do this alone, and this thread is one of the best reminders that I'm in good company. Please everyone or anyone - keep posting your positive stuff!

 

[billie48]

Happy Easter to all. Easter is a message of positivity and hope whether we believe in it or not.

It is not all darkness around us living with T. This little 3-year old's song of Easter & Jesus makes me teary . Hopefully and positively after all the suffering (included the cursed T) in this mortal life there is something better beyond. Enjoy.

 

[Arrojo]

25+ years with this and yet, I am a happy person. Happy to be alive, thankful to be in good health (I am an avid runner), with family and friends who love me. No need to feel sorry for myself - there are so many others in the world with serious issues - just look at the daily news. I don't say that to bum anyone out, just to put it all in perspective. Life is good, never perfect. I am happy and thankful for what I have. Peace to all.

 

[CRS]

I'm new to TT And a brand-new sufferer. 26 days in now. I am so glad to find this thread, because I think that I was handling my T ok until I read so many negative and scary threads. I have been in a depression since, but I think that might be prednisone induced. We were trying a 12 day taper to see if the tinnitus began from a possible virus. It's more likely that I'm just getting older and my hearing is getting worse. The thing is, the vast majority of us really don't know exactly for sure what started our T, and we spent hours searching the Internet looking for answers, when in all actuality all we really need is support and positivity. There is scientific proof that stress can make it worse, so kudos to this thread, and thank you so much for posting it and will refer to these kinds of posts daily keep my anxiety levels down and hopeful that this too shall pass and I will move on and raise my two-year-old son and live my wonderful life. The other posts can be really great too. Really helpful information, and just an outpouring of support. I feel like I am part of a community now. Thank you all

 

[Genevieve]

Some positive things:
Last night I upped my zinc and magnesium supplements, and this morning t is softest it has been for a while.
I also was lucky enough to speak to a leading t researcher and doctor. He said that 80% of t cases due to sudden onset substantially reduce in the first year or so.
Three good friends I know with t - two drug induced, the other noise induced, have gone from a 10 to a 1 in their first year. And that is volume and intensity reduction, not just habituation.
There is hope folks!

Thanks @Lisa88 it's exactly what I want to hear! by the way french actor Anthony Delon had bad T for 2 years, it happened after the death of his nanny (his mother was french actress Nathalie Delon who traveled a lot abroad because of her work), he said in his autobiography that he suffered like hell for 2 years, and suddenly one day his T was gone!

 

[Cheryl K]

I have had T since 1/4/16. And have struggled with anxiety and depression because of it but I am working hard to be positive. Body work has helped. I have had chronic neck and shoulder problems for years managing with chiropractic and massage. I am working hard to get back to exercising as I have for many years. I recently went for trigger point injections (dry needling) and it has been very helpful. I am getting relief from T for many hours in the day. Can't wait to go back again. If anyone has chronic neck, shoulder pain give it a try.
This forum has been extremely helpful to me to read the many stories with positive outcomes for improving symptoms of T.

 

[Off-Kilter]

I just realised that I was making a mistake in dealing with my T. I have come to the conclusion that my only problem is my BELIEFS. Obsessing over my T would be no different from being blind in one eye and always "looking" at the empty space where my sight should be.

I have been telling myself "I will live a good life despite my tinnitus". But actually, this is restating the problem.

I should be telling myself "I will live a good live AND HAVE TINNITUS." Why would it be despite my tinnitus? There is nothing in my life that requires me to not have tinnitus.

 

[Mr-T]

I only joined the forum yesterday.. I'll throw my bit of positivity in.

I have only had tinnitus since Feb 2016. Still early days compared to some. Mine is a loud enough to hear over TV, driving a van, and is difficult to mask with white noise sometimes when it really spikes.

For the first 3 weeks I went through anxiety, sleepless nights and all the other crap that everyone mentions with initial onset. Also, I work for a living as a musician, so you can imagine the fear I went through with the possibility of having to give up my career!

To cut a long story short, I'm not having tinnitus ruin my life. After only 3-4 weeks I came to except that this could be the norm for me permanently. Now the anxiety has eased I find that I can still hear the tinnitus constantly, but to me it has almost become like a fridge constantly humming or a fan constantly on. In the end I've just got used to it being on and it's like my brain shuts off from it and I can focus on getting on with my life.

My situation is this, I can't fear it because I HAVE to work with loud noise day in day out. I've had pro ear plugs made up and have continued to work as musician.

It seems to me that the main problem is not the tinnitus but the way that we emotionally react to it. I just keep saying - look at the positives, I still have my loved ones around, my independence, I can still watch films, I still have most of my hearing, so can still have conversations.

Maybe I've found the strength to deal with it because I simply had to or my career over. I have to say, when I saw the ENT and he said that I was ok to continue with work, then that was it for me, I put it all aside. That was my biggest fear. I took a lot of strength from simply just being able to continue with my career. In the end tinnitus hasn't won.

Always look at the positives, you simply have to. ))

 

[pweufp]

I am trying to stay positive though lately there are days when the tinnitus in my ears is so loud it tends to overtake all thoughts. I recently when back to work, rather than wearing headphones all day long I will be using a speaker phone at least until I get hearing aids in a few months. Work has advised me they want me to start looking for a new position in the company where I will not be working on the phone as much along with my relationship being in turmoil. Right now I just want to crawl into bed and hide under the covers. Am looking for advice on overcoming this feeling.

 

[Mr-T]

Could you not use in ear monitors instead of the telephone? Like the ones singers wear?

 

[Virginia1027]

Anyone have a positive thread about TMJ? I'm new to it andstruggling hard with it right now. All the posts I read are so doom & gloom. I NEED some hope!

 

[Cillian]

@Virginia1027 Ive had T for 6 weeks From TMJ only got diagnosed yesterday and I start treatment next week

 

[Engineer]

Hi,

I thought it might be a positive post to share some of my negative T reactions, and positive thoughts that I worked hard to replace them with. These were my personal reactions. My TRT therapist asked me to list them, and to describe them ... and then to try to imagine them in a neutral or dare I say positive context. The goal is to nullify the anxious reaction. This process helped me. I list them as my own personal experience only, and realize they may neither apply to someone else's experience nor help them in any way. Everyone's battle with T is unique and personal.

Best regards,

Trebor


List the negative reactions that you experience when you hear your tinnitus and it bothers you


1. There's that really annoying sound again. I hate that sound. It's going to ruin my day. (This is in response to left ear sounds. They are intermittent and its easy for me to feel interrupted by them)


2. What can I do right now to make this go away or distract myself from it?


3. You caused this yourself and now there's nothing you can do about it


4. That sounds like it might be louder , the tinnitus must be getting worse. What did you do that might have made it worse? (food, supplement, exposure to noise, running, etc)?

List some positive thoughts to replace them with that are better reactions (matched numerically to top list)

1. Those are just neurons firing, a sign that I am alive and well. While this is nice, their pattern signifies nothing of importance. This noise is not worthy of attention. It's utterly useless.

Keywords and helpful thoughts: Neuronal, Living, Life Noise, Applause

2. If it starts to bother me, the best reaction is to focus away from it. This will help me right now in the moment, and this behavior will become automatic over time.

Keywords and helpful thoughts: Refocus, Change Focus, Focus and Forget

3. I am protecting my hearing well now and on the road to habituation. Lots of people hear the same thing and it doesn't bother them. They don't place as much importance on this signal as I have. It wasn't my conscious decision to apply importance and anxiety to this signal. It is my conscious decision to practice ignoring it more and more.

Keywords and helpful thoughts: Move On, Let it Go, Give yourself a break

4. The tinnitus may get louder or softer, but it's not getting worse. Listening to it, and fretting over small things that don't influence it takes a lot of energy for no gain. Doing the things I enjoy is what life is all about.

Keywords and helpful thoughts: Live First, Don't Over React, Its Not Getting Worse

 

[Engineer]

With respect to the above ... the first list of four was written in anguish. The second was written as a battle plan.

 

[Jamie m]

Hello! Just thought I would post something positive!!! I have had t for about month and a half, I have had my setbacks, but today I went to church. In the last couple days, I have had somebody looking out for me, and I can't help but be grateful for the life I live! Yes, this sucks, but I have so much to live for and I'm not letting this get to me as much as it wants to! I ignore it when I can and say whatever. I pray to my guardian angel everyday, I know she is hurting too! But I know this can not ruin me!

I plan on getting married someday ( if my boyfriend proposes and he better in New York jk jk) and I want to have kids. I hope this week gets better for all of you

 

[KyushuKris]

lol at the T noobs giving positive messages.
You guys got nothing to worry about- your T is only super loud now because you've only just gotten it. In 3 months time once you've habituated you won't even notice it, trust me.

 

[Jamie m]

@KyushuKris thank you! I needed this

 

[Chelsea1978]

Hello. I have had T since last year and today I have woken up and it is horrendous. I was looking on forums as I was looking for advice and I am so glad I have come across this one and it is positive! Some are full of doom and gloom and people committing suicide and that terrifies me that people have felt so desperate. This is great and just what you need and it's wonderful to find like minded people, I am a positive person and find it hard to deal with negativity. We are here for such a short amount of time , let's try and enjoy it as much as possible .

 

[Mr-T]

It's not that bad, I just imagine a major 3rd and a minor 7th over mine, throw a bit of rhythm in and I've got some funky James Brown going down in my head.... Hot Pants!!!

 

[HiThere]

I went overboard and bought a bunch of organic German chamomile. It's so sweet smelling and has made exquisite cups of tea for me today!

Words of encouragement from someone who has had T all his life to those who have had T for a short time, a number years, etc:

At some point you'll hopefully reach an acceptance. T is part of me. Save for a cure, it will never go away for me. That's OK. It only has power if I let it. I acknowledge that it's there. It's "in the room", but I can move on to other things (occupy my mind with other things) and choose not to give it attention.

Time for another cup of tea!

You're all super people!

Chris

 

[mandi]

@DmanLamb Did you have changes in your lifestyle or noise level??

 

[Edu]

I love this thread. I have had 5 months with T, but I am happy most of the days. In the first 3 months it was absolutely different. I think I still have some room for improvement, basically due to habituation. I would like to write my own success story in a few weeks or months.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

 

[Gin]

Well, my one positive thing is, I tried Lipoflavnoids and I seemed to be one of the people it worked for. I take 2 3 times a day and my T has decreased greatly. Working on the other issues (neck, headaches, etc). But hey it's one step FORWARD

 

[Eric robert]

Dear friends, thank you so much. This thread is helping me a lot.
As for me, T has made me go towards people. It has brought me out of my sociopathic nature. (Is there an English teacher who can say if this sentence is right?) I consider it as the upside of this. Now I surprise myself enjoying people's company. Love you all...

 

[Zora]

@Gin do you know what caused your T?

 

[Eric robert]

Dear Zora,
I suppose this question is addressed to me. If not, sorry for assuming so.
I think it all started when at one point my car made too much of noise because of some mechanical problem.
But this said, it might also have been due to fact that I used to have long bouts of allergy problems during spring and summer.
In fact, I am not able to pinpoint the cause on anything. I can only make a list of possibilities.
Love
Eric

 

[Sebastians]

As for a positive note today, i went to the gym for the first time in 6 months without having to use earplugs. Music was low and just a few people there, so not too noisy. The metal clangs did not phase me like they used to do. Did not think of my T for the whole hour workout. Hope this continues. Still wearing plugs in the gym when it's too crowded and lots of gym rats throwing around weights and shouting.