Member- Nov 6, 2014
- 522
- 41
- Tinnitus Since
- 10/2014, worsened 5/2024
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Ear infection / Long-term Noise ; Acoustic Trauma
Hi friends. It's been a while so I thought I would give a life update.
It's been now almost been two years with tinnitus, and while it isn't gone, I hardly think about it at all. The only times it ever gets to me is if something else is stressing me out. But this summer in particular I have spent a lot of time working on my own happiness, doing things that make me truly happy like exercising, reading, and spending time with my kids and wife and family. We implemented a Sunday Adventure day every Sunday this summer and it has been fantastic. I actually remember the exact moment my tinnitus went from a major issue, to a minor issue, to a non-issue. It was a major issue when it began (Sept 30, 2014), became a minor issue when I took my son to the Mall of America and got out of the house in a semi noisy environment and overcame a large fear of noise (Jan 1, 2015), and became a non-issue when my second child was born (Sept 30, 2015.)
Just a few days ago, my and my wife's oldest pet dog, Beckett, died. Although we have since started having kids and our lives have gotten much crazier, it was still much, much harder to lose our first fur baby than I ever expected. I sat with him while they gave him his euthanasia shot and while he is in a better place now, I am still coming to grips with losing such a gentle, loving part of our family. If there is anything I can take away from it, it is to be as gentle and loving to others as our dog Beckett was to us. I really think there is something to how animals and children can teach us about life--by default, they live in the present moment and don't have the cognitive ability to keep "thinking" about the past or the future. I think this also applies to living with tinnitus--I'd say a large majority of my suffering with tinnitus had to do with worrying about the future, and wishing that my life was different than it was. I came to peace with the idea that this is where I am and what my life is, and that has helped immensely. Obviously everyone has a different story with tinnitus and different levels of loudness, but I do think there is something to the idea that most people with tinnitus eventually find their equilibrium again. (That's not to say that it isn't a major problem to be solved--it is.)
More than that, too, I have fond memories of Beckett resting his tiny head on my chest when I was really in the throes of suffering, and I remember how comforting he was to me, that even if the world felt like it was collapsing around me, he was there (of course, along with my wife and friends as well.) I can only hope to "pay it forward" by being that kind of person to others throughout life.
It's been now almost been two years with tinnitus, and while it isn't gone, I hardly think about it at all. The only times it ever gets to me is if something else is stressing me out. But this summer in particular I have spent a lot of time working on my own happiness, doing things that make me truly happy like exercising, reading, and spending time with my kids and wife and family. We implemented a Sunday Adventure day every Sunday this summer and it has been fantastic. I actually remember the exact moment my tinnitus went from a major issue, to a minor issue, to a non-issue. It was a major issue when it began (Sept 30, 2014), became a minor issue when I took my son to the Mall of America and got out of the house in a semi noisy environment and overcame a large fear of noise (Jan 1, 2015), and became a non-issue when my second child was born (Sept 30, 2015.)
Just a few days ago, my and my wife's oldest pet dog, Beckett, died. Although we have since started having kids and our lives have gotten much crazier, it was still much, much harder to lose our first fur baby than I ever expected. I sat with him while they gave him his euthanasia shot and while he is in a better place now, I am still coming to grips with losing such a gentle, loving part of our family. If there is anything I can take away from it, it is to be as gentle and loving to others as our dog Beckett was to us. I really think there is something to how animals and children can teach us about life--by default, they live in the present moment and don't have the cognitive ability to keep "thinking" about the past or the future. I think this also applies to living with tinnitus--I'd say a large majority of my suffering with tinnitus had to do with worrying about the future, and wishing that my life was different than it was. I came to peace with the idea that this is where I am and what my life is, and that has helped immensely. Obviously everyone has a different story with tinnitus and different levels of loudness, but I do think there is something to the idea that most people with tinnitus eventually find their equilibrium again. (That's not to say that it isn't a major problem to be solved--it is.)
More than that, too, I have fond memories of Beckett resting his tiny head on my chest when I was really in the throes of suffering, and I remember how comforting he was to me, that even if the world felt like it was collapsing around me, he was there (of course, along with my wife and friends as well.) I can only hope to "pay it forward" by being that kind of person to others throughout life.
for sharing this inspiring and beautiful story 
