Member- Dec 24, 2013
- 933
- Tinnitus Since
- (1956) > 1980 > 2006 > 2012 > (2015)
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Ac. Trauma & Ac.Trauma + Meds.
As someone with severe, long term tinnitus and hyperacusis I live a very secluded and isolated life, especially in comparison to my life 'before'. *[See my Profile for details!]. I used to love to travel, do classes, dance, perform, socialize, etc. yet for many years all I have done really is stay at home and get through life day by day. Fortunately I live in a very quiet and beautiful location which is only 10 minutes from town, but feels like it is way out in the country. Overall though, it is an extremely lonely existence.
When in town I am constantly on "noise alert" and have to use earplugs in stores or wherever there is chance of unpredictable loud sounds, such as traffic, dogs, children, sirens, street music, etc. Thus meeting new people is virtually impossible (and don't even get me started on the thousands of hours I have wasted online trying to do that!) and the only time I get away is a yearly back-packing trip into the deep wilderness where I don't have to worry about encountering noise.
Yet I still yearn to travel and (now that my last hyperacusis event was 6 years ago) can tolerate long periods with earplugs in if I know I can be in a quiet and safe environment at the end of it, to recover. I can sit in airports, do long distance travel, put up with a bunch of people in buses or trains, etc. with my earplugs, and Bose NC headphones, but after an extended period of time it becomes absolutely exhausting. The critical point is what is waiting for me at the other end. Is it worth it to go through all that and why would I want to?
The answer is likely to be "yes" under two conditions:
One ~ If it is a beautiful place, with a quiet location I can use for a base to go out and explore from. Generally that means having to be in the countryside, or in towns where there is nearby and easy access to parks or gardens where I can breathe freely and remove earplugs.
Two ~ There needs to be a reason to even want to go to such a place far away, and for me that mostly means meeting people, or experiencing something extraordinary (if it is 'sound safe').
So at core, we come down to two things that are already well founded and huge on the worldwide web – finding places we might want to visit, and people we might want to meet or hang out with.
The places is done more than adequately by airbnb, though one never really knows if the "quiet place" advertised is indeed quiet in my terms.
Perhaps the TV on all the time and you can hear it through the walls but the 'owners' think it is not on loud at all?! Or they forgot to mention the dog next door that barks at every shadow but they never seem to even notice?!
And so on.
The people is done by meeting/dating sites like Match.com, and countless others. However, they lack terribly in what I would call "truth and reality", and for sure they do not cater to someone saying: "Well I have tinnitus and hyperacusis so I can't actually go to concerts, or movies, or clubs, or whatever".
The big thing seems to be to advertise oneself as 'fun' and ready for anything. So a handicap that means even a restaurant can be hazardous and anxiety producing (have you eaten with earplugs in?!) does not go down well.
As people on Tinnitus Talk over the years have mentioned a number of times: "How can I ever meet or date anyone that does not also have tinnitus?" Indeed, it is extremely hard, and I'm guessing that those of you with life-limiting tinnitus and hyperacusis know exactly what I am talking about here.
Yes, there are 101 things to consider and question. Clearly an extensive 'contact period' would be involved to even try and tell if you wanted to meet person X or Y or if they would drive you crazy in 10 minutes! However, as I have pointed out, this process already happens thousands of times a minute on the web. I would imagine then, that over time we can figure out something that works for us.
So, this thread is an attempt to have some of that "life" back which more severe forms of tinnitus and/or hyperacusis can rob us of. To meet people who understand what living with these conditions means, and in places that are safe to visit. Speaking for myself, I think it would give me something to do and look forward to. Some hope in the future perhaps, that would help keep depression at bay and give more meaning to this narrow and isolated life I am leading.
*[As an example to illustrate place, see my post in the "Participants" thread that follows].
Best ~ Zimichael
When in town I am constantly on "noise alert" and have to use earplugs in stores or wherever there is chance of unpredictable loud sounds, such as traffic, dogs, children, sirens, street music, etc. Thus meeting new people is virtually impossible (and don't even get me started on the thousands of hours I have wasted online trying to do that!) and the only time I get away is a yearly back-packing trip into the deep wilderness where I don't have to worry about encountering noise.
Yet I still yearn to travel and (now that my last hyperacusis event was 6 years ago) can tolerate long periods with earplugs in if I know I can be in a quiet and safe environment at the end of it, to recover. I can sit in airports, do long distance travel, put up with a bunch of people in buses or trains, etc. with my earplugs, and Bose NC headphones, but after an extended period of time it becomes absolutely exhausting. The critical point is what is waiting for me at the other end. Is it worth it to go through all that and why would I want to?
The answer is likely to be "yes" under two conditions:
One ~ If it is a beautiful place, with a quiet location I can use for a base to go out and explore from. Generally that means having to be in the countryside, or in towns where there is nearby and easy access to parks or gardens where I can breathe freely and remove earplugs.
Two ~ There needs to be a reason to even want to go to such a place far away, and for me that mostly means meeting people, or experiencing something extraordinary (if it is 'sound safe').
So at core, we come down to two things that are already well founded and huge on the worldwide web – finding places we might want to visit, and people we might want to meet or hang out with.
The places is done more than adequately by airbnb, though one never really knows if the "quiet place" advertised is indeed quiet in my terms.
Perhaps the TV on all the time and you can hear it through the walls but the 'owners' think it is not on loud at all?! Or they forgot to mention the dog next door that barks at every shadow but they never seem to even notice?!
And so on.
The people is done by meeting/dating sites like Match.com, and countless others. However, they lack terribly in what I would call "truth and reality", and for sure they do not cater to someone saying: "Well I have tinnitus and hyperacusis so I can't actually go to concerts, or movies, or clubs, or whatever".
The big thing seems to be to advertise oneself as 'fun' and ready for anything. So a handicap that means even a restaurant can be hazardous and anxiety producing (have you eaten with earplugs in?!) does not go down well.
As people on Tinnitus Talk over the years have mentioned a number of times: "How can I ever meet or date anyone that does not also have tinnitus?" Indeed, it is extremely hard, and I'm guessing that those of you with life-limiting tinnitus and hyperacusis know exactly what I am talking about here.
Yes, there are 101 things to consider and question. Clearly an extensive 'contact period' would be involved to even try and tell if you wanted to meet person X or Y or if they would drive you crazy in 10 minutes! However, as I have pointed out, this process already happens thousands of times a minute on the web. I would imagine then, that over time we can figure out something that works for us.
So, this thread is an attempt to have some of that "life" back which more severe forms of tinnitus and/or hyperacusis can rob us of. To meet people who understand what living with these conditions means, and in places that are safe to visit. Speaking for myself, I think it would give me something to do and look forward to. Some hope in the future perhaps, that would help keep depression at bay and give more meaning to this narrow and isolated life I am leading.
*[As an example to illustrate place, see my post in the "Participants" thread that follows].
Best ~ Zimichael
