Tinnitus Is Not Tinnitus...

[coffee_girl]

I see that you have been dealing with the tinnitus for about 2 years or so. I truly get the fears and worries that you face and others. From my 30 years of dealing with this condition, I have done more damage to myself and my ears by the constant abuse that I have given to my ears. The years of parties, frat parties, bars, events. I damaged my hearing and my tinnitus got much much louder.

Also, Meds made my tinnitus much much worse a as well. I'd say that I have had a stressful life all my life and it might have contributed, but not much for me. Keeping stress low in our lives is a must whether we have tinnitus or not.

I want to tell you that you should try to keep on living your life. if you have a fear of noise and scared that some accident, might make your tinnitus louder, possibly carry ear plugs with you (I carry them as well). If this fear truly grips you and is holding you back in your life, then as I always say - Speak to a counselor or therapist or talk it out with family or a caring friend.

I have dealt with fear all my life. I have had some horrible OCDs that were just very unpleasant. With time and effort and patience it's very possible to overcome and move forward.

What I type may not always be the solution/answer some are seeking, but It might also help someone as well

Bless....

Your words are encouraging... Thank you and I'll keep that in mind. I don't generally expose myself to loud sounds, at most I'll sort the dishes or baking and the sound of plates hitting one another bugs me. But that is the loudest I really experience in my every day life. I carry plugs everywhere, I make my maid plant them around town... When I am somewhere new I just make it a fun Easter egg hunt... But not really.

 

[glynis]

Tinnitus is sure mental torture for some people and we can easily say things but not really mean them or get misinterpreted.

We are all here to support eachother and help in anyway we can.

My view is we all have our own problems and some can push us to our own limit and wish we could swap it for something else with out living in that other persons shoes .

Tinnitus Awareness is something that needs to be promoted and a lot of people can live ok with it once they get all the information and adapt well to it but mild tinnitus can push you to breaking point also.

The severe side of tinnitus needs awareness also and where to go for help if feel you carn't cope and in danger from dark thoughts.

People take in all they read on Tinnitus from children to the elderly and they can be vulnerable and shock tactics on awarness can scare them more thinking their tinnitus could get worse .

Tinnitus Awareness needs careful thought to put across every aspect of the condition.

love glynis

 

[derpytia]

You have no idea just how much compassion I have, please don't ever assume. Yes, this forum has people in it and all of us face unique challenges daily. I am facing challenges each and every day. Don't ever assume you fully know the chaos i live with each and every day. I still stand behind my words, I been at this for over 30+ years and I have faced majority of the issues the folks on this forum face each and every day. I know that I am more than qualified to offer some advice to those that suffer.

If folks cannot afford a therapist, then simply talk things out with family and loved ones. The point is to communicate as much or even more face to face, than simply posting on a forum.

I never labeled anyone to be weak or less than me. That's a figment of your own imagination, again you are assuming. I call it a success to make it through each day, yes I do.

***Our suffering is not going away and no amount of pretending, ignoring, or positive thoughts is going to change that. We unhappy sufferers have no choice but to carry on as best we can and we have every right to cry and be sad or angry.*** You are preaching this to someone who already knows this and has faced this daily for many years and still do. Again, you are assuming that you know what I deal with on a daily basis.



***Strength is no necessarily pushing through every obstacle and conquering every illness. Sometimes real strength is living and just existing from day to day with our suffering*** You have no clue what hell I have faced in my life and just how rattled one can be. As someone that has intrusive tinnitus, profound hearing loss, body pain 24-7 and no family and support. Again you are assuming that you know what I deal with each and every day.

My posts/threads are positive and I spread positivity at all times. This is what I do, I never say that my life is easier or better than anyone else here. I suffer like all of you do and just come to give people hope and tell them that they will be ok. I cannot please and win everyone over, that is fine. I have full compassion for the good people that suffer.

Even If I am suffering, I am still trying to find a way to make my life better. I try to motivate others, to take baby steps and try to take some action that will help them live a better life. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this. Encouraging people to better their lives is a GOOD thing and it doesn't make me a bad person for trying to help people with that!

Bless.....

Again, congratulations but we're gonna have to agree to disagree here. I, in fact, do know what living through hell is. I too go through it on a daily basis and never assumed you didn't so please don't take my posts out of context. You also stated that I assumed you didn't have compassion. Read my posts again and you will see the opposite. I merely stated that you trying to push positivity and your brand of strength on other people instead of giving simple comfort and compassion and kind words cheapens your compassion in the eyes of those who don't benefit from what you have to say.

You stated in your posts that you don't tolerate negativity. That, in my eyes, is arrogance. Negativity is all around the world and no amount of not tolerating its presence will make that go away either.

Jazzer came here to express an honest emotion and to grumble as he has a right to do. You came here with an essential "knock it off" post and invalidated those feelings. If I came here and expressed that I am oftentimes angry and jealous of people who can go out and do things with noise just fine while I cannot, would you come in here and tell me to stop being negative and just believe that I will be okay? And what if I told you I didn't want that and I just wanted sympathy? Would you say I'm a lost cause or that I'm too steeped in negativity for you?

I understand that you want to promote healing and help people heal themselves as you have but there are some people that aren't asking for that. Validation of negative feelings is so rare in this society that tells us to cover it up and ignore them. When I feel negative (angry, annoyed, jealous etc) it means the world to have someone validate me and tell me that it is OKAY to feel that way. We are human beings, not positivity robots. As I understand it, if we want to focus on some positivity, there is a pinned thread up at the top of the support section for that.

Again, congratulations on you success in your own fight. We get it. You live through hell every day of your life with more than just tinnitus and tell us so on many many occasions. So do some of the rest of us (including myself). We're all here trying to get through each day alive. If being negative is part of that struggle then it is what it is. All the more reason to rejoice on days that we have positive emotions and things enter our lives.

 

[JohnAdams]

Tinnitus is not tinntius, its shitnitus. And I was surfing along like butter all day and used this space heater in my office and it fucking spiked me. Arrrrgggggggg!

 

[Telis]

Fishbone every one is different mate. I hate to say this but I can 100% say that I would prefer to be crippled than have this. I honestly just think that for someone like me it would be far better. And I am certainly not alone on that.

Not only am I more confident of an eventual cure for spinal injuries, I'm far more confident of my ability to sit in a chair and rationalise my situation of being unable to walk than dealing with this invisible torturous shit every second of every day.

For me the comparison is void because tinnitus is infinitely worse.

Not what everyone wants to hear I know.

I ended up in a MRI machine 2 months ago due to severe nerve pain in the thoracic spine (scoliosis and degenerative disk disease) cause, pain radiated around the front of my body through my rib cage . I couldn't sit without crippling pain, I could barely take a breath, couldn't wear a shirt, numb hands, pins and needles, burning so bad that I had to ice entire upper body every 20 min, take ice cold showers. I was crippled for 6 months laying on the floor in my living room. At the same time as this I was also diagnosed with shingles which I still have to this day (permanent nerve damage). All through this, I didn't take a single pain pill as I didn't want to worsen my tinnitus, my doctor thought I was nuts.

Its funny the absolute worst part of this entire experience was damaging my ears further in that mri machine. My tinnitus was barely livable, but id had it for 5 years, I could always find ways to sleep, and could always find a way to get through the day, meditate etc My back issue is still with me, but I can at least walk (with pain), but now I fantasize about having my old life back, even laying out crippled on the floor with with shingles and my old tinnitus.

After the MRI (acoustic trauma) I can not sleep if my life depended on it, I cant even slow my heart rate enough to relax. I'm walking around literally loosing my mind, my hands shake, I can hardly see, I don't remember what I'm talking about from one minute to the next, I don't know what day it is, I cant even sit down, just pace the house in circles like a crazy person. My eyes are falling shut, even while walking outside with my dog while my head screams. I get home and think, this is it, I pass out (not fall asleep) for 5-10 min, wake with screaming I never thought possible feeling like I'm going to have heart attack.

I have to admit, I entertained the thought that maybe all this pain was as bad as my tinnitus, it wasn't, but it was close. Now, well fuvk, I have entirely new tinnitus, I feel like I just got it, its more than I can handle this time, it was already getting close the last time. I don't think people can really understand what this can actually do to a person. Noise and sleep deprivation are both forms of torture.

So yeah, I don't know, I guess everyone is different, but I would take a life of that, over this. Physical pain seems to be okay for me, but the mental anguish caused by severe tinnitus that I have now, I don't seem to have the capacity to handle this go around. I need my brain, I need my concentration, i need to sleep. I can deal with dragging my self around on the floor in pain as long as I'm not mentally compromised. As soon as I loose my ability to think, its game over for me, I would take almost anything else.

 

[Bam]

I ended up in a MRI machine 2 months ago due to severe nerve pain in the thoracic spine (scoliosis and degenerative disk disease) cause, pain radiated around the front of my body through my rib cage . I couldn't sit without crippling pain, I could barely take a breath, couldn't wear a shirt, numb hands, pins and needles, burning so bad that I had to ice entire upper body every 20 min, take ice cold showers. I was crippled for 6 months laying on the floor in my living room. At the same time as this I was also diagnosed with shingles which I still have to this day (permanent nerve damage). All through this, I didn't take a single pain pill as I didn't want to worsen my tinnitus, my doctor thought I was nuts.

Its funny the absolute worst part of this entire experience was damaging my ears further in that mri machine. My tinnitus was barely livable, but id had it for 5 years, I could always find ways to sleep, and could always find a way to get through the day, meditate etc My back issue is still with me, but I can at least walk (with pain), but now I fantasize about having my old life back, even laying out crippled on the floor with with shingles and my old tinnitus.

After the MRI (acoustic trauma) I can not sleep if my life depended on it, I cant even slow my heart rate enough to relax. I'm walking around literally loosing my mind, my hands shake, I can hardly see, I don't remember what I'm talking about from one minute to the next, I don't know what day it is, I cant even sit down, just pace the house in circles like a crazy person. My eyes are falling shut, even while walking outside with my dog while my head screams. I get home and think, this is it, I pass out (not fall asleep) for 5-10 min, wake with screaming I never thought possible feeling like I'm going to have heart attack.

I have to admit, I entertained the thought that maybe all this pain was as bad as my tinnitus, it wasn't, but it was close. Now, well fuvk, I have entirely new tinnitus, I feel like I just got it, its more than I can handle this time, it was already getting close the last time. I don't think people can really understand what this can actually do to a person. Noise and sleep deprivation are both forms of torture.

So yeah, I don't know, I guess everyone is different, but I would take a life of that, over this. Physical pain seems to be okay for me, but the mental anguish caused by severe tinnitus that I have now, I don't seem to have the capacity to handle this go around. I need my brain, I need my concentration, i need to sleep. I can deal with dragging my self around on the floor in pain as long as I'm not mentally compromised. As soon as I loose my ability to think, its game over for me, I would take almost anything else.

Telis I'm so sorry mate. There is nothing I can say to make you feel better.....I know that. This is not how life should be. It's a bloody disgrace that even when it gets to the level you're facing you're essentially left with never ending mental torture that even the most sadistic regime would raise an eyebrow at.

I really hope you find a way to sleep at least. That for me right now is the only break from the misery. Thinking of you bud.

 

[Bam]

Tinnitus is not tinntius, its shitnitus. And I was surfing along like butter all day and used this space heater in my office and it fucking spiked me. Arrrrgggggggg!

Dude surfing along like butter sounds f'in great! I haven't done that since circa September 17.

 

[Telis]

Telis I'm so sorry mate. There is nothing I can say to make you feel better.....I know that. This is not how life should be. It's a bloody disgrace that even when it gets to the level you're facing you're essentially left with never ending mental torture that even the most sadistic regime would raise an eyebrow at.

I really hope you find a way to sleep at least. That for me right now is the only break from the misery. Thinking of you bud.

Thanks. Yeah, that was always my escape in the past, I posted about it many times, I thought I could sleep through anything. I was wrong.

My hope is that it gets better somewhat, it's new so....
Plus many people have hearing loss and get by. I'm having a hard time believing that something like this exists, and it can be permanent, as in stay this bad. Maybe im in denial.

 

[Bam]

Thanks. Yeah, that was always my escape in the past, I posted about it many times, I thought I could sleep through anything. I was wrong.

My hope is that it gets better somewhat, it's new so....
Plus many people have hearing loss and get by. I'm having a hard time believing that something like this exists, and it can be permanent, as in stay this bad. Maybe im in denial.

When this is really severe maybe denial is the only thing that keeps us going. Stay strong. You're one of the toughest out there my friend.

 

[glynis]

@Telis,
My heart goes out to you and hope life starts giving you a break from all you go through day in day out.
Love glynis x

 

[Red]

Thanks. Yeah, that was always my escape in the past, I posted about it many times, I thought I could sleep through anything. I was wrong.

My hope is that it gets better somewhat, it's new so....
Plus many people have hearing loss and get by. I'm having a hard time believing that something like this exists, and it can be permanent, as in stay this bad. Maybe im in denial.

I'm so mad about your story. Hearing loss from mri. Is there really nothing we can do? Having such loud mri machines has got to be proven as dangerous and all hospitals should be required to switch to quieter models.

 

[Telis]

I'm so mad about your story. Hearing loss from mri. Is there really nothing we can do? Having such loud mri machines has got to be proven as dangerous and all hospitals should be required to switch to quieter models.

Yeah. I think this was my fault as well, I should have worn better protection, and could tell it was just way too loud. I don't know why I thought I would be fine. I wish I had been paranoid about worsening things. I've always been too confident in life, like ah I will be fine type thing. I feel stupid


Plus this was my first noise trauma, my tinnitus was originally caused by barotrauma, plus ototoxic drugs, I should have known my ears couldn't take a beating like they once could, I mean I have severe H, not sure what I was thinking

 

[Tinker Bell]

I ended up in a MRI machine 2 months ago due to severe nerve pain in the thoracic spine (scoliosis and degenerative disk disease) cause, pain radiated around the front of my body through my rib cage . I couldn't sit without crippling pain, I could barely take a breath, couldn't wear a shirt, numb hands, pins and needles, burning so bad that I had to ice entire upper body every 20 min, take ice cold showers. I was crippled for 6 months laying on the floor in my living room. At the same time as this I was also diagnosed with shingles which I still have to this day (permanent nerve damage). All through this, I didn't take a single pain pill as I didn't want to worsen my tinnitus, my doctor thought I was nuts.

Its funny the absolute worst part of this entire experience was damaging my ears further in that mri machine. My tinnitus was barely livable, but id had it for 5 years, I could always find ways to sleep, and could always find a way to get through the day, meditate etc My back issue is still with me, but I can at least walk (with pain), but now I fantasize about having my old life back, even laying out crippled on the floor with with shingles and my old tinnitus.

After the MRI (acoustic trauma) I can not sleep if my life depended on it, I cant even slow my heart rate enough to relax. I'm walking around literally loosing my mind, my hands shake, I can hardly see, I don't remember what I'm talking about from one minute to the next, I don't know what day it is, I cant even sit down, just pace the house in circles like a crazy person. My eyes are falling shut, even while walking outside with my dog while my head screams. I get home and think, this is it, I pass out (not fall asleep) for 5-10 min, wake with screaming I never thought possible feeling like I'm going to have heart attack.

I have to admit, I entertained the thought that maybe all this pain was as bad as my tinnitus, it wasn't, but it was close. Now, well fuvk, I have entirely new tinnitus, I feel like I just got it, its more than I can handle this time, it was already getting close the last time. I don't think people can really understand what this can actually do to a person. Noise and sleep deprivation are both forms of torture.

So yeah, I don't know, I guess everyone is different, but I would take a life of that, over this. Physical pain seems to be okay for me, but the mental anguish caused by severe tinnitus that I have now, I don't seem to have the capacity to handle this go around. I need my brain, I need my concentration, i need to sleep. I can deal with dragging my self around on the floor in pain as long as I'm not mentally compromised. As soon as I loose my ability to think, its game over for me, I would take almost anything else.

I did not realize you had shingles too. Shingles can cause hearing loss. It can damage the auditory nerve, usually higher frequencies incur the most damage. Is it possible the virus made you more susceptible to damage from the MRI? Given how active viruses can weaken organs leaving them more susceptible to trauma, I would think it's possible.

Are you currently experiencing symptoms from shingles? Did you take anything to treat it, it's a virus that can cause serious damage — including deafness.

 

[Telis]

Wow, I did not realize you had shingles too. Shingles can cause hearing loss. It can damage the auditory nerve, usually higher frequencies incur the most damage. Is it possible the virus made you more susceptible to damage from the MRI?

Are you currently experiencing symptoms from shingles?

I didn't know that, I guess that makes sense though. It could be a possiblity. I just thought that because I had T and H, that was mayhe the reason. And, I don't know, I've experienced a lot of loud things in life but that was insane. I'm not sure that wouldn't have damaged even the average ear, it was teeth rattling loud. I've read that some machines can get up to 140db. I had shit plugs in. Not inserted deep enough. The shingles, yeah, still have bad nerve pain, but not like when it was at its worst

But I can't believe that I didn't consider that, unreal. Thanks

The nerve pain now is more like dead nerves, patches of skin that feel weird, some areas lost feeling. Some areas still burn

And I know that the shingles is due to being run down by my original tinnitus for years, funny how this has come full circle again

 

[JohnAdams]

Dude surfing along like butter sounds f'in great! I haven't done that since circa September 17.

I'm on the fence daily between low and high T.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I'm glad that Frontiers supports a spotlight on this:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00098/full

 

[JohnAdams]

tinnitus is not tinnitus, it is shitnittus.

 

[Wolfears]

I don't think people can really understand what this can actually do to a person. Noise and sleep deprivation are both form of mental torture.

This fact hasn't been lost on prominent intelligence agencies around the world, such as CIA, Mossad and GRU (used to be KGB).
They have long realized, that someone who is really determined may not be cracked by physical torture such as beatings, burning with torch etc.

Not that it doesn't happen anymore, but they are now using mostly mental forms of torture such as waterboarding, noise and sleep deprivation
Even the most determined individuals will start singing like a canary after not being able to sleep for a week....

So yes...mental torture could be so much worse than anything physical.
What you are experiencing is probably the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being.
I'm willing to bet that if someone offered you the wheelchair instead, you would thing that you won the lottery at this point.

 

[Bam]

What you are experiencing is probably the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being.

I wish it wasn't so but this statement is the sad and overlooked truth about severe T.

 

[85dB T]

I don't think people can really understand what this can actually do to a person. Noise and sleep deprivation are both forms of torture.

The Aztec Death Whistle: One Of The Most Frightening Noisemakers Man Has Ever Created

 

[Bam]

The Aztec Death Whistle: One Of The Most Frightening Noisemakers Man Has Ever Created View attachment 23691

......But just a soothing white noise for a T sufferer.

 

[JohnAdams]

@Jazzer homeboy, if you go check the cgf166 thread you'll see that this regeneration of hearing in living humans now a proven fact.

 

[Wolfears]

I wish it wasn't so but this statement is the sad and overlooked truth about severe T.

Unfortunately it's usually a matter of time before one of our own members goes out of their way and tries to "correct" that statement by naming some rare disorders, which are also horrible, thus essentially downplaying how bad tinnitus can get.

 

[Jazzer]

@Jazzer homeboy, if you go check the cgf166 thread you'll see that this regeneration of hearing in living humans now a proven fact.

John - thank you for that.
Sounds good.
Allow me to mention that I'm leaving TT for now, at any rate.
Too much on my plate just now.
A bit complicated to explain, but thank you for your friendship buddy,
I'll miss you
Dave x
Jazzer

 

[Telis]

This fact hasn't been lost on prominent intelligence agencies around the world, such as CIA, Mossad and GRU (used to be KGB).
They have long realized, that someone who is really determined may not be cracked by physical torture such as beatings, burning with torch etc.

Not that it doesn't happen anymore, but they are now using mostly mental forms of torture such as waterboarding, noise and sleep deprivation
Even the most determined individuals will start singing like a canary after not being able to sleep for a week....

So yes...mental torture could be so much worse than anything physical.
What you are experiencing is probably the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being.
I'm willing to bet that if someone offered you the wheelchair instead, you would thing that you won the lottery at this point.

I don't want to downplay any condition, but yeah I would if it meant I could relax for a bit, get my brain back and stop this never ending fight that I'm loosing. Tired of fighting

 

[Wolfears]

I don't want to downplay any condition, but yeah I would if it meant I could relax for a bit, get my brain back and stop this never ending fight that I'm loosing. Tired of fighting

I hear you bro...there is also a practical side to a physical disabilit, which I already touched on in my original post.

Don't know about your situation, but I live by myself and I have to pay my bills, or else I would end up on the street...

I need to be able to either work or collect some form of disability...when you are missing limbs the whole process is just a formality and only a complete idiot would dare to question you.

Now imagine trying to make your case in front of the disability board when you walk in like an able bodied person and talk about some weird noises inside your head, which prevent you from being able to work, because you are unable to focus and function due to no sleep.

Most would laugh you out of the room outright...you might be able to win your case after years of uphill legal battle, but by then you are long living in a homeless shelter..
Not to mention you probably wouldn't have the energy to put up a fight in the first place anyway.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I had posted about a crisis hot line call that I received where a parent unintendedly involved the life of one of their children. That parent will have thoughts per the course of events that happened that morning for life.

Severe emotional pain can lead to physical pain. Severe physical pain can lead to emotional pain. After 28 years of hospital employment, I can't state the difference between body and mind or mind and body. We all have different consciousness and there's isn't a single medical term or thought to inject into a conversation on the complexity of human conditions.

The most that I can say who is too judge maybe which is worse unless one has both.

 

[Liam_Cairns]

Tinnitus is not Tinnitus.

It is not "much of a muchness."

Most 'sufferers' have it mildly.
I did, for over twenty years.
A veritable 'stroll in the park.'
I rarely ever mentioned it.
I didn't need to.
It was insignificant.
I lived my life to the full.
I cruised the world playing jazz,
(But you've heard all that crap before, right.)

However, there came a fateful day when that all changed - when a massive acoustic trauma took my quality of hearing and my quality of life.

I do not mention this because I want anybody's sympathy.
Sympathy is of no use to me.
I am simply not interested in @TuxedoCat 's sneering suggestion of
'commiserate with Jazzer.'
Poke your disingenuous sympathy misus!

Sympathy - No.
But Understanding - Yes.

Mild "T" and severe "T" are two completely different animals.

I am writing this piece because one would have thought it should be obvious by now that these two 'barely related' conditions should not be viewed as the same complaint.
They are not - in fact, they are almost totally dissimilar.

The first, barely crosses your mind,
the second, never ever leaves your mind.

For this very reason severe sufferers do not particularly appreciate being preached at by the self-satisfied
"I did it, and you can do it too"
mild 'airy-fairy' Agony Aunt brigade.

Neither do we particularly enjoy seeing our hateful condition being misrepresented by those who portray it merely as some kind of a mild nuisance.

After the incident, which shall forever be remembered on this forum as "Reid-gate," many members were incensed by the annoyance of those of us who felt a tad misrepresented.

A sort of:
"How Dare They?
Let's hold a witch-hunt!
Track them down and flame them where they stand !" - mentality.

Did you perpetrators really think that us decent suffering people, who you have known for yonks, and are known to be kind people, had suddenly turned into hateful monsters?
Really ??
Don't you know us better than that ???

Yes - the interview did raise awareness, I would not argue against that, but it did not show anything of the severe sufferers plight.
That is all I am saying.
Hence - frustration.

I am not wishing to foment another endless argument, though it probably will instigate another
"Night of the Long Knives;"

I am trying to explain a situation that occurs very often on here, due to a disparity in the severity.
I am asking you to try to understand, but if you insist on failing to understand anything that I have been calmly trying to explain, then you all know where I live - so just send the posse round and enjoy your lynching party.

If possible, I'd like a cheese-burger before I'm dispatched
....dash of ketchup would be nice,
.....bit of salad garnish perhaps....
.....but I don't want to push it......x
(.....er.....no mustard....)

Jazzer you honestly write some of the most beautifully worded and heartfelt posts in this forum, you have such a way with words.

 

[Wolfears]

Severe emotional pain can lead to physical pain. Severe physical pain can lead to emotional pain. After 28 years of hospital employment, I can't state the difference between body and mind or mind and body. We all have different consciousness and there's isn't a single medical term or thought to inject into a conversation on the complexity of human conditions.

The most that I can say who is too judge maybe which is worse unless one has both.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I hold the opinion that tinnitus is unique, because it exploits our biggest weakness, as no human is wired to have unwanted noise inside the head.

This becomes painfully evident, when even those who had tinnitus from birth (those you would expect to be 100% habituated) instinctively know, that something is horribly wrong.
Humans are wired to withstand lot of physical pain and torture, so if they get injured while hunting, they are able to move forward...not so much a direct, focused and relentless mental torture.

Our minds are really the only safe spot remaining, if everything around us goes to shit.
I'm pretty sure most people have read the novel "1984" by George Orwell, in which the main character Winston holds the belief, that as long as they can't get inside his head, they can't win...and that is 100% correct.

Tinnitus completely destroys the only true safe spot you once had...your mind.
Now there's no place to hide when things go bad anymore..
This is why there are such disproportionate suicide ideations by Tinnitus sufferers compared to other conditions...because they realize, that the next "safe" place for them is death, as they are looking to strategically evacuate their last positions, which have been overrun by the enemy.

There is simply nowhere else to go after that last stronghold has been breached.
It is a form of self destruction, which kills both...you and the enemy.

 

[85dB T]

the only true safe spot you once had...your mind.

There is simply nowhere else to go after that last stronghold has been breached.

Actually, (this from an Auschwitz surviver), the one thing no one can take from us is our choice to be positive regardless the circumstances.

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Victor Frankel's book, Man's Search for Meaning (Auschwitz Survivor)

But I agree with Wolfears, severe tinnitus is an intrusive condition that debilitates inner peace most effectively.

Until there is a cure we have to choose a positive mental attitude regardless of how bad the suffering gets. No one can take this choice away from us, not even tinnitus.