Tinnitus Since 27-Jan-15, Started TRT 01-Apr-15

[Engineer]

Hi All,

Its been awhile since I have posted. Things have been going well. The biggest differences I have noticed in the last few months is how little emotional response my T evokes anymore, and how I go for longer periods of time without being aware of it at all. Here's where I am right now:

· My tinnitus does not enter my perception very much at all. This happens less and less. Maybe 10 times per day right now. Of course, I can "try" to listen to it at any time and will hear it.

· When it does enter my perception, I have no emotional or anxious response, and it leaves my perception with little effort.

· I am not wearing my noise devices during the day, except maybe on a long car ride here and there.

· I wear them at night, but am going several nights at a time without wearing them at night. Sometimes it seems like too much trouble to put them in (how wonderful to say that). I don't mind wearing them at night, and if there are perhaps some small gains to be had, so much the better. I am just at the point where I don't feel dependent on them at night time anymore. I can take them or leave them. I'm not using any other noise maskers, but I do find them "soothing" to listen to.

· It was a bumpy ride. There were highs and lows, but the long-term trend was improvement. I had two occasions where for perhaps one week some of the anxiety and emotional response returned. I think it's crucial to be prepared for this as one enters a TRT regimen. Faith in a positive outcome is required. Improvement is constant over the long term, but there are bumps that feel big.

· I first had Tinnitus on 27-Jan-2015, so it's been about 13 months. I suffered greatly for two months, and it's all been better since starting with TRT. I am one of those individuals who needed TRT. Habituation would not have been as quick for me if I did not pursue TRT. This is my opinion after 60 days of immense suffering, and then gradual relief after starting TRT.

· I suffer from mild anxiety and depression, and have faithfully taken Citalopram during my fight with T. I think it has been helpful in the long term. I took Xanax and Mirtazapine in the short term (first 60 days) when anxiety and sleep loss dominated. I was very happy to not need those anymore as the noise devices allowed my to sleep well without the anxious reaction to my T noises.

· TRT does not cure Tinnitus. It helps people who otherwise would not be able to habituate, due to their strong emotional and anxious reaction to Tinnitus. I am one of those people.

My best regards,

Trebor

 

[Cheza]

@amandine asked you in an earlier post, "Would be interested to know the volume of your T before you did TRT.....can you give examples please? thanks"

You didn't respond. It's always helpful for people reading messages about overcoming T to know what sort of volume/intrusiveness you had. It's understood that people with very mild tinnitus can become extremely depressed and anxious, and people with severe tinnitus can adapt quickly. However, those of us with severe tinnitus who are still struggling far beyond a year with this affliction are more encouraged when someone with severe tinnitus finds a way to habituate. The Back to Silence method is encouraging, but unfortunately doesn't work for everyone.

Personally, I've never been anxious about tinnitus and so benzos wouldn't be worth the risk. It's well-known that Xanax reduces volume, so maybe that stopped your brain from amplifying the tinnitus signal and keeping your limbic system engaged. Then TRT helped you to move your reaction to the frontal lobe. Just speculating.

 

[PatrickG]

@amandine asked you in an earlier post, "Would be interested to know the volume of your T before you did TRT.....can you give examples please? thanks"

You didn't respond. It's always helpful for people reading messages about overcoming T to know what sort of volume/intrusiveness you had. It's understood that people with very mild tinnitus can become extremely depressed and anxious, and people with severe tinnitus can adapt quickly. However, those of us with severe tinnitus who are still struggling far beyond a year with this affliction are more encouraged when someone with severe tinnitus finds a way to habituate. The Back to Silence method is encouraging, but unfortunately doesn't work for everyone.

Personally, I've never been anxious about tinnitus and so benzos wouldn't be worth the risk. It's well-known that Xanax reduces volume, so maybe that stopped your brain from amplifying the tinnitus signal and keeping your limbic system engaged. Then TRT helped you to move your reaction to the frontal lobe. Just speculating.

+1 on that

 

[InfiniteLoop]

@Engineer

Congratulations on your healing. One year is relatively fast to get habituation. In my case, habituation is starting to consolidate after more than two years and many up and downs (mostly downs). The key is the lack of emotional response to T, after getting to this magic point, life starts to make sense again. Your description of the process should be very helpful to other people in early T stages.

 

[Engineer]

Hi Patrick,

Actually I did respond to Amandine but privately. Happy to share my recollections though. In the first 60 days of my T, it gradually seemed to get louder. I had a scratchy noise in my left ear and a constant tone in the right ear. The scratchy noise would come and go, and would get loud enough that it would interfere with my conversation during a phone call at its worst (phone to left ear). A shower would always mask either one, but car noise while driving would not (windows up). Cracking the window a bit would usually provide adequate masking. By constantly moving and keeping busy, I could either distract myself from the sounds or mask them during most days. At work, in sealed buildings, the damn tone would usually ruin my day. Both noises would prevent me from falling asleep, or from falling back asleep if I woke during the night. At its worst, I could always hear my T while mixed in with the normal or volume of a TV, to the point where I didn't want to watch anymore. Masking during the night worked for a little while, then my brain gradually would find the T no matter what masking sounds I played. I remember many sleepless nights, on the edge of consciousness, with my brain going back and forth, alternating, tuning to the marking noises and then the T. The scratchy noise in my left ear is rare now. I hear it maybe a few days out of a month. The tone in my right ear is softer. It seemed to be more of a pure, more constant volume, clear tone before. Its more cicada like now, fading in and out.

Regards,

Trebor

 

[just1morething]

@Engineer, thanks for your post. So is TRT a thumbs up or thumbs down? Is it reactive to your ears? Would you recommend TRT or unsure? I tried SoundCure and it aggravated my condition.
Thanks!

 

[Engineer]

Hi, For me it was a thumbs up. My sleep improved within the first couple of weeks, and that was a dramatic improvement. Progress from there was slower, with ups and downs, but better a little bit each month.

I'm glad you asked if it was "reactive" to my ears. I always had the slightly odd feeling that although I was hearing the white noise of the masking devices, the T seemed a little louder if I thought about it. This only occurred when wearing the devices, and not all the time, and I just stopped thinking about it.

I think TRT is a good option for anyone who is having trouble habituating on their own like I was. I highly recommend the Jastreboff/Hazell book on TRT.

 

[Cheza]

I had a scratchy noise in my left ear and a constant tone in the right ear.

Sounds like it ranged from moderate to severe and now has dropped to mild. You're lucky you only had it in your ears. I think the general consensus here is that "head noise" is much more difficult to deal with. For me, I can't turn up the volume loud enough to mask tinnitus most days. It's irritating to hear extra sound, plus I don't want to cause any further damage to my auditory system.

Unfortunately, with notched audio therapy (3 hours a day) and ACRN (4 hours a day), I have to listen to sound most of the day, but hopefully this three-month regimen will result in greatly improved tinnitus. TRT is not an option for me. No funds, and nearest practitioner is 230 miles away.

 

[amandine]

@amandine asked you in an earlier post, "Would be interested to know the volume of your T before you did TRT.....can you give examples please? thanks"

Sorry but didnt see your post asking me so that is why I didnt respond. If I had seen it I would have responded.
I havent done TRT....dont know why you assumed that I had done it.
Further to your post I dont take Xanax or any other kind of medication.
There are many assumptions and statements re me in your post which are completely inaccurate....
I havent been much on TT lately......please dont assume that I have mild T....you could not be more wrong.
Sorry to have not been much more help. Last night was silent.....four hours sleep and it is raging again.....
Yes Engineer did reply very kindly to me in a personal message. I thanked him then and I thank him again now.
I am not better Cheza even though you have assumed that I am and no I dont take meds.....sorry....

 

[Cheza]

Sorry but didnt see your post asking me so that is why I didnt respond. If I had seen it I would have responded.

I quoted your reply to @Engineer, that's all, as a courtesy to let you know that you were mentioned. The post was directed to Engineer, who responded. He and I had an additional conversation about TRT, which I found to be informative. He was quite helpful.

I'm well aware of the severity of your tinnitus, I'm aware you didn't go through TRT. I have made no assumptions about your current state and would not presume to do so.

 

[amandine]

I'm well aware of the severity of your tinnitus, I'm aware you didn't go through TRT. I have made no assumptions about your current state and would not presume to do so.

Thats brilliant Cheza. Sorry but that wasnt clear to me when I read your post...Sorry for the intrusion on your post to engineer.

 

[Cheza]

Sorry but that wasnt clear to me when I read your post.

No apologies necessary. I can understand how it could be confusing.

 

[小雨小语]

What is TRT regimen?

 

[Atlantis]

What is TRT regimen?

Tinnitus retraining therapy: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-retraining-therapy.43/

 

[小雨小语]

It seem to comfort ourself,

Tinnitus retraining therapy: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-retraining-therapy.43/

It seem to just comfort ourself, some tinnitus can fade gradually,maybe your experience just a small probability event but benefit from TRT.However, congratulations for you and damn tinnitus.

 

[TMLB]

Thanks for your comments regarding TRT. I've had tinnitus for about 3 years now and finally made the call to have an appointment with one of two TRT trained professionals in western Canada. It took about 6 months to get an appointment and I'm hopeful that with one-on-one coaching I'll make more significant improvement. Good to know that it was helpful for you.