To People with New Onset of Tinnitus

E

Erin1997

Member
Author
Oct 11, 2017
34
Tinnitus Since
06/2017
Cause of Tinnitus
Stress
#1
I just want to say to new comers that tinnitus can be extremely scary and depressing at first but with time, it will diminish from something scary to something that is annoying or an inconvenience (in many cases), and then one day something that does not even matter much to you (in many cases). Eventually you will be distracted and focus back on your own life, and this sound will not matter to you anymore like it did when your tinnitus began. It might only be present during certain times and situations, and even then it might not impact you much. Remember, the sound in itself is not dangerous. It will most likely become as normal as the AC unit in the background, which you ignore all the time presumably already. There are tons of sounds hanging around you 24/7 that you do not even notice. Let tinnitus become one of these background noises that you do not notice all the time.
For many people, it goes from scary to annoying to just a random fact of their lives that they deal with sometimes. The key is to remember this sequence of events.
The beginning is tough for some and rightfully so. But as I type this, I have not heard my tinnitus or the air purifier unit behind me much at all, and my music I have not even heard much either, as I focus on this post.

I also HEAVILY advise that you do not read too too heavily into people's really bad stories. Limit how many negative stories you read. They make the beginning so much worse for you. There are a few absolutely gut-wrenching ones that I obsessed with in the beginning of my tinnitus. THEY REALLY DID NOT HELP ME AT ALL. They fed into my OCD, anxiety, and depression (even though I was/am no where near where the people in these stories were with their tinnitus). When you are in a good place, then perhaps go read them. But please do not fill your mind with horror stories because they will make you more stressed and scared, which will in turn exacerbate your tinnitus (a sad, vicious cycle). Try success stories instead. Seriously. They might be harder to find, but this is most likely because when people are cured of tinnitus they forget to go back and share their success stories. They are so inspiring and made me so happy when I was in despair.

Unless there is a permanent cause found, there is always hope that it will go away. I have read 2 stories of people's tinnitus going away after 15 years! (one was due to cutting out MSG and artificial sweeteners in food, and the other was due to fixing a magnesium and potassium deficiency that they did not know they had). I have read stories of it going away or lowering in volume a few months to a year after onset as well. Point is, being that there is usually uncertainty with the potential causes of tinnitus and its prognosis, simultaneously there is uncertainty with the fate of many cases of tinnitus, which means anything could be possible. It could stay, go away, diminish (or get louder of course too...) But it is not always a life sentence. And if there is a cause, then you can potentially get rid of tinnitus by getting rid of that underlying cause.

ENTs can be dismissive towards tinnitus patients because tinnitus is not fatal. I would suggest you go to the appointment ready to tell them all symptoms and reasons why your tinnitus could have started. Be proactive with the appointments and if need be, try a few different ENTs.

It might be a scary ride at first, and I think many people on here can say that that is the case in the beginning. But it will not be scary like this forever :)

Figured everyone here needed a post of positivity or encouragement. That was my intention anyways.
Let's all be thankful we have modern medicine, science, and technology! Imagine dealing with this in the 1500's :O
 
#6
Erin1997 said:
I just want to say to new comers that tinnitus can be extremely scary and depressing at first but with time, it will diminish from something scary to something that is annoying or an inconvenience (in many cases), and then one day something that does not even matter much to you (in many cases). Eventually you will be distracted and focus back on your own life, and this sound will not matter to you anymore like it did when your tinnitus began. It might only be present during certain times and situations, and even then it might not impact you much. Remember, the sound in itself is not dangerous. It will most likely become as normal as the AC unit in the background, which you ignore all the time presumably already. There are tons of sounds hanging around you 24/7 that you do not even notice. Let tinnitus become one of these background noises that you do not notice all the time.
For many people, it goes from scary to annoying to just a random fact of their lives that they deal with sometimes. The key is to remember this sequence of events.
The beginning is tough for some and rightfully so. But as I type this, I have not heard my tinnitus or the air purifier unit behind me much at all, and my music I have not even heard much either, as I focus on this post.

I also HEAVILY advise that you do not read too too heavily into people's really bad stories. Limit how many negative stories you read. They make the beginning so much worse for you. There are a few absolutely gut-wrenching ones that I obsessed with in the beginning of my tinnitus. THEY REALLY DID NOT HELP ME AT ALL. They fed into my OCD, anxiety, and depression (even though I was/am no where near where the people in these stories were with their tinnitus). When you are in a good place, then perhaps go read them. But please do not fill your mind with horror stories because they will make you more stressed and scared, which will in turn exacerbate your tinnitus (a sad, vicious cycle). Try success stories instead. Seriously. They might be harder to find, but this is most likely because when people are cured of tinnitus they forget to go back and share their success stories. They are so inspiring and made me so happy when I was in despair.

Unless there is a permanent cause found, there is always hope that it will go away. I have read 2 stories of people's tinnitus going away after 15 years! (one was due to cutting out MSG and artificial sweeteners in food, and the other was due to fixing a magnesium and potassium deficiency that they did not know they had). I have read stories of it going away or lowering in volume a few months to a year after onset as well. Point is, being that there is usually uncertainty with the potential causes of tinnitus and its prognosis, simultaneously there is uncertainty with the fate of many cases of tinnitus, which means anything could be possible. It could stay, go away, diminish (or get louder of course too...) But it is not always a life sentence. And if there is a cause, then you can potentially get rid of tinnitus by getting rid of that underlying cause.

ENTs can be dismissive towards tinnitus patients because tinnitus is not fatal. I would suggest you go to the appointment ready to tell them all symptoms and reasons why your tinnitus could have started. Be proactive with the appointments and if need be, try a few different ENTs.

It might be a scary ride at first, and I think many people on here can say that that is the case in the beginning. But it will not be scary like this forever :)

Figured everyone here needed a post of positivity or encouragement. That was my intention anyways.
Let's all be thankful we have modern medicine, science, and technology! Imagine dealing with this in the 1500's :O
Click to expand...

This post is very true. It takes time to get to this point, but you can get there. Kudos for this individual to understand this and be at this point in such a short time.
 
#7
fishbone said:
This post is very true. It takes time to get to this point, but you can get there. Kudos for this individual to understand this and be at this point in such a short time.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Takes time but totally reachable to get to that point. and thank you :) It was a hell of an October grabbing and wrangling my OCD while having tinnitus, but I am on the road to much better emotional well-being now
 
#8
Erin1997 said:
Exactly. Takes time but totally reachable to get to that point. and thank you :) It was a hell of an October grabbing and wrangling my OCD while having tinnitus, but I am on the road to much better emotional well-being now
Click to expand...

I have severe tinnitus in both ears and i don't give a hoot about it. My hearing is a bit poor, due to years of noise damage, but I still live the life I want and not the life tinnitus wants. I ask people to repeat themselves at times and i feel comfortable with who I am.

Tinnitus can be very annoying, but it's not going to control my life. For you to reach your point at such an early stage, is excellent and keep up the good work :)
 
#9
Erin1997 said:
I also HEAVILY advise that you do not read too too heavily into people's really bad stories. Limit how many negative stories you read.
Click to expand...
I couldn't disagree more. If you learn from the mistakes made by others, you are going to be less likely to give yourself a new acoustic trauma.
 
#11
Erin1997 said:
It might be a scary ride at first, and I think many people on here can say that that is the case in the beginning. But it will not be scary like this forever :)

Figured everyone here needed a post of positivity or encouragement. That was my intention anyways.
Let's all be thankful we have modern medicine, science, and technology! Imagine dealing with this in the 1500's :O
Click to expand...

Hi @Erin1997 - Terrific post and I very much enjoyed reading it. Here's wishing you much happiness and success in all you endeavor.

Best wishes,
Barbara
 
#12
Most don't develop severe tinnitus with the chance of it getting worst. I do like the postings on this thread because most can see improvement from a first onset.

My first onset was severe and I did see a lowering after a few years. My second more recent addition of a somatic tinnitus is accompanied by neck trauma and increasing hearing loss. I been told that my tinnitus will get worse with age, but I'm trying to find ways so that doesn't happen.

So I understand that those that are new to tinnitus or don't have a severe case would be advised to look the other way and read success stories. However, those with severe tinnitus should not be forgotten with avoidance when seeking support either here or from the medical community.

There are regulars on this board who help all with tinnitus, hyperacusis, hearing, etc; and anything that may be on the side of a radar screen. One concern for everyone ever having tinnitus is future dental work, future noise exposure and future medication use. For new members with low level tinnitus that may become silent, I would as @Bill Bauer pointed out and at least do some educational reading.

There are things to do and not to do in the dental chair. There's advice on what medications are harmful to hearing or that can cause ringing. There's advice on noise exposure and protection. Sometimes what others say may be frightening, but to close the door on that could be a bigger mistake than not reading about it.

I left this board after my first subjective onset improvement and never studied somatic tinnitus - the neck and jaw - the dental connection. That was a big mistake as I wouldn't be typing this now if I did study physical connections to tinnitus.
 
#15
Greg Sacramento said:
Most don't develop severe tinnitus with the chance of it getting worst. I do like the postings on this thread because most can see improvement from a first onset.

My first onset was severe and I did see a lowering after a few years. My second more recent addition of a somatic tinnitus is accompanied by neck trauma and increasing hearing loss. I been told that my tinnitus will get worse with age, but I'm trying to find ways so that doesn't happen.

So I understand that those that are new to tinnitus or don't have a severe case would be advised to look the other way and read success stories. However, those with severe tinnitus should not be forgotten with avoidance when seeking support either here or from the medical community.

There are regulars on this board who help all with tinnitus, hyperacusis, hearing, etc; and anything that may be on the side of a radar screen. One concern for everyone ever having tinnitus is future dental work, future noise exposure and future medication use. For new members with low level tinnitus that may become silent, I would as @Bill Bauer pointed out and at least do some educational reading.

There are things to do and not to do in the dental chair. There's advice on what medications are harmful to hearing or that can cause ringing. There's advice on noise exposure and protection. Sometimes what others say may be frightening, but to close the door on that could be a bigger mistake than not reading about it.

I left this board after my first subjective onset improvement and never studied somatic tinnitus - the neck and jaw - the dental connection. That was a big mistake as I wouldn't be typing this now if I did study physical connections to tinnitus.
Click to expand...


I understand entirely what you are saying. Research is vital in the beginning, and I did not mean to convey to not research. However, reading suicide stories, or people's online panic attacks that descend into madness is what I was referring to. Those are important and should not be ignored, but people who are new to tinnitus will probably not benefit greatly with reading someone's last emotional willpower posts... I feel terrible for those people, don't get me wrong. But in my opinion, people who start out with tinnitus should not start out seeing mainly the ugly side. They need hope in the beginning.
 
#16
Greg Sacramento said:
Most don't develop severe tinnitus with the chance of it getting worst. I do like the postings on this thread because most can see improvement from a first onset.

My first onset was severe and I did see a lowering after a few years. My second more recent addition of a somatic tinnitus is accompanied by neck trauma and increasing hearing loss. I been told that my tinnitus will get worse with age, but I'm trying to find ways so that doesn't happen.

So I understand that those that are new to tinnitus or don't have a severe case would be advised to look the other way and read success stories. However, those with severe tinnitus should not be forgotten with avoidance when seeking support either here or from the medical community.

There are regulars on this board who help all with tinnitus, hyperacusis, hearing, etc; and anything that may be on the side of a radar screen. One concern for everyone ever having tinnitus is future dental work, future noise exposure and future medication use. For new members with low level tinnitus that may become silent, I would as @Bill Bauer pointed out and at least do some educational reading.

There are things to do and not to do in the dental chair. There's advice on what medications are harmful to hearing or that can cause ringing. There's advice on noise exposure and protection. Sometimes what others say may be frightening, but to close the door on that could be a bigger mistake than not reading about it.

I left this board after my first subjective onset improvement and never studied somatic tinnitus - the neck and jaw - the dental connection. That was a big mistake as I wouldn't be typing this now if I did study physical connections to tinnitus.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your response, I really wish the best for you :)
 
#17
Erin1997 said:
I also HEAVILY advise that you do not read too too heavily into people's really bad stories. Limit how many negative stories you read.
Click to expand...

I get what you are saying, for some people reading bad stories feeds their anxiety, but at the same time it sounds like you are telling people to ignore those that are really suffering. Not everybody is able get used to it in a couple months. For some here the problem is more their anxiety and stress than the actual sound, but for others it really is more of a physical one.
 
#18
This is nice to read. I'm in the psyc ward right now feeling scared. I am new to T. And have depression/ anxiety that started before the T.
My husband sent me a quote:

Unhappiness is never the situation you are in but your thoughts about it.

Trying to stay positive but It's difficult.
 
#19
Hi @Lynne78 -

As you will see, there are countless stories by members who have successfully habituated to tinnitus and have gone on to lead productive and happy lives. I hope you will soon feel better following your treatment in hospital and I am sending my very best wishes to you.

Much to your credit, you are trying to remain positive and I feel that those who possess an optimistic outlook do far better than those who do not.

Please post whenever you feel the need - we are here 24/7 and the members are understanding and helpful.
Take care.

Sincerely,
Barbara
 
#21
David G said:
No. I'm just imagining what being locked in a room for 20 hours a day with tinnitus feels like. Because for me, going out for walks is what helps me to relax, and you can't do that in prison.
Click to expand...
You can take walks, just not at your leisure.

I imagine solitary confinement and tinnitus would be horrific. No noise except your tinnitus. No ability to distract yourself.
 
#22
David G said:
No. I'm just imagining what being locked in a room for 20 hours a day with tinnitus feels like. Because for me, going out for walks is what helps me to relax, and you can't do that in prison.
Click to expand...
I spend most of my time at the "home office" at my house. I guess I have my computer to distract me from tinnitus, so it is not Exactly like it would be in prison...
 
#23
Good post, I think what gives a lot of people the heebigeebies is the fact that. 1) the sound is internal. 2) you can't block it off with headphones(although masking can go a long way toward alleviating the noise). 3) it is is purely subjective tinnitus( cannot be heard with external instruments) you have no effective point of reference. therefore, without a degree of understanding of what is going on. negative thinking can sink in.. the trick is sufficient understanding to realize that it is not some terrible disease that will obliterate your chances of a meaningful life. a good analogy might be chronic pain, each person will have a different experience..

When working out ways to lessen the negative impact T has on your day today living. always strive to observe situations that are lessening the negative impact, are you absorbed in some activity that consumes you with pleasure, and as a result you are not bothered by your T, capitalize on those good experiences, activities and the good emotions that stem from them. The more you focus on the positive, the less likely it is that you will focus on negative emotions, it takes time but persevere and I am sure you will get to a point where you say with some confidence" I have this T where I want it , not the other way round".:)
 
#25
Alue said:
I get what you are saying, for some people reading bad stories feeds their anxiety, but at the same time it sounds like you are telling people to ignore those that are really suffering. Not everybody is able get used to it in a couple months. For some here the problem is more their anxiety and stress than the actual sound, but for others it really is more of a physical one.
Click to expand...

I totally understand what you mean, sorry if it came off that way... what I was thinking of were mostly suicide stories or people's last straw posts which are SUPER important and they deserve all the love and attention too!!But to a new comer those posts and stories can be the scariest thing.
 
#26
Thank you for this thread. I'm new and I'm trying to be positive. Just scared about changes or it worsening. That's my anxiety and stress talking, which I believe brought it on. CBT and Mindfulness here I come.
 
#27
I am encouraged by all the dialogue on this post! And thankful to @Erin1997 for posting this! As a fairly long term veteran of severe chronic tinnitus, one who has gone thru the valley of death, and suffered, I can only give MY testimony. And that is that I have (many will ate me to say this), "learned to live with it". I NEVER thought that was remotely possible for a long time. But it's real!! Take heart, focus on positive contacts and threads. Avoid the negative. It will only do you good. Support others and be supported. Peace.
 
#28
Erin, Congratulations on your self hypnosis! However, seeing that you are six months into this I'm going to speculate that your T volume may be lower than many of us. Still, words of encouragement are always good.

I am roughly nine years into this with very loud T and Hyperacusis, and still manage to go about life. My advice to you would be to now take the best care of your ears as possible in hopes there is no further damage, or increase in volume.

If you are invited to a function with loud music, politely explain why you cannot go. Not long after the onset of mine I accidentally got placed beside some loud speakers at a wedding reception......bad mistake. I had to leave. That is just one example. Just be aware of your surroundings, or anticipated exposure to louder than normal noise levels.
 
#29
HCR123 said:
Thank you for this thread. I'm new and I'm trying to be positive. Just scared about changes or it worsening. That's my anxiety and stress talking, which I believe brought it on. CBT and Mindfulness here I come.
Click to expand...
I feel you. The worst thing you can do is worry about things that did not happen. I did that a lot before tinnitus. But stopping that self-destructive behavior has been the best thing for me
 
#30
pathworker2017 said:
Good post, I think what gives a lot of people the heebigeebies is the fact that. 1) the sound is internal. 2) you can't block it off with headphones(although masking can go a long way toward alleviating the noise). 3) it is is purely subjective tinnitus( cannot be heard with external instruments) you have no effective point of reference. therefore, without a degree of understanding of what is going on. negative thinking can sink in.. the trick is sufficient understanding to realize that it is not some terrible disease that will obliterate your chances of a meaningful life. a good analogy might be chronic pain, each person will have a different experience..

When working out ways to lessen the negative impact T has on your day today living. always strive to observe situations that are lessening the negative impact, are you absorbed in some activity that consumes you with pleasure, and as a result you are not bothered by your T, capitalize on those good experiences, activities and the good emotions that stem from them. The more you focus on the positive, the less likely it is that you will focus on negative emotions, it takes time but persevere and I am sure you will get to a point where you say with some confidence" I have this T where I want it , not the other way round".:)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your response; it always makes me feel better seeing posts like this. You are right, T is ours. We are not T's
 

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