Tomorrow is My One Month Anniversary. I'm Already Habituating

[Alxtan]

Hey Guys,

Tomorrow would be my first month anniversary of incessant ringing. I'm happy to say that I am already habituating to it. It doesn't bother me as much as it did a week ago.

Since mine is a mild case I could only hear it when it's really quiet (which is rare), when I wake up first thing in the morning and at night when I am trying to go to bed. It is a known fact that most human beings have a short attention span. So what I do at night is focus on the ringing with my eyes close. And since I am already predisposed for having a short attention span I find that I could only focus on the sound for several seconds and I end up thinking about something else. When I notice my mind drifting off I try to refocus on the sound again and end up just focusing on it for several seconds and end up thinking about something else. I try to count how many seconds I can focus on the sound but I end up focusing more on the counting than the sound. Although the ringing is still in the background and I can't shut it off it is not as obtrusive as it was in the beginning. Now I go for hours at a time without thinking about the ringing. Given the speed my mind is adapting to this sound. I believe it is only a matter of time before I would go for days, weeks, months without thinking about it.

On another note. I was hanging out with my brother yesterday. He is an avid hunter. He use to hunt without earplugs then one day he had ringing on both ears. He told me that his faded significantly in about 4-6 weeks. Now he only notices it when he tries to look for it. And yesterday he really had to try.

 

[Karen]

Hi, Alxtan,

Thanks for letting us know that habituation is happening for you. That is really good news, and we're glad you've shared it with us! It's good to know that habituation is possible when you are able to focus your attention elsewhere. Please update us in a couple months on how it is going.

You may be one of our success stories!

 

[Alxtan]

Thanks Karen,

I just wanted to post how I am getting along with the T as I've noticed there isn't a whole lot of success stories out there. This morning the ringing was almost faded then I got a haircut with earplugs on and when I got into my car the ringing was back to it's original loudness. It didn't bother me at all though. I figured no use in crying about it. I just have to learn to accept that this ringing has taken residency in my ears and brain. At this point I'm not sure if it is permanent or not. But the more I resign myself into accepting that the ringing is there the more my brain will learn to let go of it.

Obsessive thinking is my worst enemy when it comes to this ailment. To me panicking and over stressing about it will only cause me to drown in my own eeeee! sound. So for now I just accept it and expect the worst but hope for the best.

I heard another inspiring story from one of my employees who had Tinnitus for several weeks. Hers was due to an ear infection. Her faded away too. I think I'm just going to ask everyone I know if they've had this and if it has gone away. And then I will post it on this forum. Just to give hope to new sufferers that it is possible for it to go away. So far I've asked four people out of those four three don't hear the ringing anymore. And the one person that still had the ringing is in her mid 60s and has had significant hearing loss. So that's 90% who recovered. I'm going to ask more people.

 

[Karen]

That's great! Bring us more success stories!! And, I'm sure that with your great attitude toward tinnitus, yours will get quieter again. Most of us who have had tinnitus for awhile have experienced at least some habituation, and I'd like to get the word out about it. Keep those success stories coming!

 

[Alxtan]

Thanks again Karen. I will definitely keep posting positive stories that I hear about. And I will definitely post my own positive experiences.

I just spoke with a regional manager for one of my stores. He told me that he is a diver and back in 91 he got Tinnitus for about 2 months before it disappeared. His is intermittent it comes and goes he got it again but did not tell me how long he had it before it went into remission.

I was thinking of setting up a website where people can answer questions regarding Tinnitus if theirs went away or if it did become chronic. I'm not sure if it has been done but this would be a good way to sort of kind of get a statistic on how many people get Chronic Tinnitus versus Temporary Tinnitus. I was thinking of making little business cards and have some of my employees hand them out. I can offer a gift certificate or something for participation. Maybe it can help new sufferers calm down. Instead of reading distressing stories online. New sufferers can see that our bodies has an amazing ability to heal or adapt. I'm just playing with the idea. What do you guys think?

 

[Hudson]

Alxtan, I'm glad to hear that you are adjusting well to your tinnitus. It's good that yours is a mild case. Keep those ears protected when you're around loud sounds, and you should be able to avoid having it get worse!

Also, I would say that nearly every person experiences tinnitus to some degree temporarily throughout their life. Not everyone experiences chronic tinnitus, obviously.

I wish mine was intermittent. It's been going strong for 10 years almost now.

 

[Alxtan]

Thanks Hudson,

I'm so sorry to hear about your T going on for 10 years. I wish mine was intermittent too. I would love to get a break from it once in a while. I had an argument with my cousin who has fibromyalgia. I told him that I would trade my T for his F. He got quite upset and said that it was not something he wished for anyone to have. When I asked him are you okay now. He answered yes it's in remission. I then told him at least yours stop for a while.

Yeah, I am quite paranoid of loud noises nowadays. I bought an insane amount of ear plugs. (not the cheapo kinds) I also have shooting ear muffs in my cars all within arms length. A few weeks ago someone jiggled the doorknob to my house quite abruptly and frantically. I thought someone was breaking into my house. I grabbed my ear plugs slipped it in and grabbed my bear spray next. Turns out it was some kid who had mistakenly thought it was his friend's house. (At least that's what he said to me.) I just thought it was funny that I grabbed ear plugs first.

As I am typing this message my T. is faded significantly. Not sure if it's because I changed the way I felt about it or if it really is fading. It maybe premature for me to celebrate. Just taking it one day at a time.

I understand what you meant about mostly everyone experiencing T. Of course I would run into people who have had it. But it still nice to hear stories like that especially for people who are new to this. When I was freak out mode most of what I've read was scary stories and that just compounded the situation for me.

Sorry for the long reply.

 

[Per]

@Alxtan,

I think your idea for a success story website is great. Sure beats ignorant "experts" that doesn't have T. I came to think of that word permanent - what's permanent really? Something that never goes away is permanent. How much is then permanent in our lives? How come that word is used so many times in context of T? It obviously does go away for numerous people all the time and some get rid of it all together as well - even after having it for 15 years! So, is that permanent? Don't think so. Be ware of "experts" talking trash, saying T is forever.

Permanent and forever are strong words and they don't fit the purpose. We never know when things change, just as I never knew I would wake up with an insanely loud tinnitus when I went to bed the 16th of June. I didn't even knew it was possible cause I haven't experienced any acoustics trauma like the ones I read about, then when I started to research T I found out the facts, that almost everyone can get T and that the causes are complex. I greatly appreciate you sharing stories from other T victims Alxtan. Keep'em coming!!

 

[Per]

Alxtan, I'm glad to hear that you are adjusting well to your tinnitus. It's good that yours is a mild case. Keep those ears protected when you're around loud sounds, and you should be able to avoid having it get worse!

Also, I would say that nearly every person experiences tinnitus to some degree temporarily throughout their life. Not everyone experiences chronic tinnitus, obviously.

I wish mine was intermittent. It's been going strong for 10 years almost now.

Hudson, has it been constant in volume as well? I sometimes wonder if there's any similarity between the T types and if the volume varies. In my case it is louder than I dare to mask, in other words if I put on headphones and try to play louder than my T I stop because then I would have to turn up the volume so much that I don't think it's healthy for my condition. Sometimes (for unknown reasons) it is lower in volume. There's no obvious pattern to this. As I write this it's louder than any sound source in my environment. Louder than the trucks outside my window and the TV sitting right next to me!

 

[Alxtan]

Hi Per,

Even if it was permanent statistically it will get better. I read somewhere that only 1% of T sufferers are debilitated by it. Last night my T was significantly lower and I was quite happy. I woke up this morning and it was blaring again. What I am doing at this point is just taking it one day at a time. I don't think about tomorrow or yesterday. I just think about what is going on now.

I'm so sorry to hear that yours is very loud that you are unable to mask it at the moment. I know they say try not to focus on it because it will make it seem louder. I actually do the opposite. When it is too loud I focus on it so much on purpose. I try to make it as loud as possible. I embrace it and co-exist with it. What happens to me is I get bored of it and my mind starts wandering off. The big eeeee! beast turns into this harmless sound and it just fades into the background for me.

I agree that permanent and forever are not the right words to say to patients. Our bodies is the most amazing thing we can own. It is quite capable of healing, surviving and adapting. I know of three people who survived Cancer one of my closest friend had a heart attack and he is still going strong. When I was working for a medical device company I saw blocked arteries form tiny arteries that went around the blockage. It was quite amazing to see the body adapting to the blocked artery to keep the person alive.

My point is if you give your brain some time I truly believe that it will correct itself and make Tinnitus less severe or even go away. There is always hope just got to give your body time to heal and adapt to this new sensation.

THINK POSITIVE AND BE STRONG YOU'RE MORE RESILIENT THAN YOU THINK.

 

[Per]

@Alxtan

Thanks for the encouraging words. Yes, people get all kinds of devastating messages from doctors, if we didn't have doctors telling us how terribly and incurable sick we are all the time the earth would have far less sick people! When an "authorized" person say you will be sick forever it starts to become true in the mind - it's a serious matter. I don't know how many of these "you are doomed for all time" stories there are but it's not few. How many times haven't we read stories with headlines like: "they said I would never walk again", and on the article picture the person is playing tennis. I guess the gods in white jackets with plastic name badge's are very disappointed seeing that.

 

[Alxtan]

@Alxtan

Thanks for the encouraging words. Yes, people get all kinds of devastating messages from doctors, if we didn't have doctors telling us how terribly and incurable sick we are all the time the earth would have far less sick people! When an "authorized" person say you will be sick forever it starts to become true in the mind - it's a serious matter. I don't know how many of these "you are doomed for all time" stories there are but it's not few. How many times haven't we read stories with headlines like: "they said I would never walk again", and on the article picture the person is playing tennis. I guess the gods in white jackets with plastic name badge's are very disappointed seeing that.

No problem Per. We have to stay positive and strong at all times. Grab the bull by the horns and show it who's the boss. Show your T what you're made of.

Not all Doctors are bad. Like I mentioned earlier it's like looking for a Mechanic or a Contractor or even a Music Teacher. You have to shop around to find the right one for you.

In the case of Tinnitus most if not all Doctors will tell you it may or may not go away only time will tell. So the most you will get are treatment options to alleviate it. I am extremely close with my PCP. We hang out after work and even chat on Facebook and the most he can tell me is it may or may not go away.

 

[Robert Fahey]

I think most doctors dislike the subject. They tend to break eye contact when I mention the word. I can see why. There's no way to appease the patient. No prescription. No treatment. Not even a clear prognosis. What can they possibly say about it? A million things can cause it and nothing fixes it except indifference on the part of the "sufferer." That indifference comes soon if the sufferer has the right constitution and can roll with the punches in life. Not soon if the sufferer is prone to hypervigilance and does nothing to treat it. This site attracts the full spectrum for sure, but probably tends toward the Nervous Nellies. People who shrug off things like T are, by definition, less likely to participate in a support forum because they don't need support. My father has had T for decades but never even mentioned it until I mentioned mine last year.

 

[Per]

@Robert Fahey

Doctors that doesn't know that there are several treatments on offer for people with T and H should make the effort to educate themselves, after all they are pulling a lot of money out of us just to say "deal with it". With 4 weeks of research I got more knowledge on treatment methods than the so called ENT "experts" could offer me. Jastreboff' program for Tinnitus retraining therapy is just one of them, and it's a substantial amount of good approaches to treat the condition. "Deal with it" is not a very informative response.

I don't agree with your stigmatic description of people that use forums, I've battled many painful illnesses in my life without sharing that on any forum.Tinnitus and hyperacusis is a very misunderstood condition and since there's so little knowledge on this with the conventional ENT environment the Internet and this forum could contribute much more than any ENT. It's important for me to learn from others. After I entered this forum I've learned a lot and I have searched new knowledge based on the interaction I get with other T and H sufferers. This is not a contest to see who can avoid speaking about T and H, that's why we are all here! The name of the forum is tinnitustalk.com so don't be surprised if we want to share stuff about our condition. And please reconsider who you call a nervous nelly. Please don't profile people like that.

 

[Robert Fahey]

Quoting myself:

"This site attracts the full spectrum for sure, but probably tends toward the Nervous Nellies." I think I'm right, and people new to T should keep this in mind before they bracket the T experience based on this narrow sample. There are legions of T "sufferers" who sidestepped it long ago and now don't give it a second thought, let alone join a forum. That's a good thing to keep in mind, yes? It's not the monster it seems at first.

Regarding hyperacusis, I made no comment about it. I did have it for three days, I think, and I'm glad it was only three days. My rears had a raspy response to any sound above a modest volume level, like everything was being fed through and overloaded speaker system. I'd consider that a tougher nut to crack than T for sure.

 

[Molan]

Robert, let me offer you some advice. Making sweeping generalisations and assumptions like you have been doing on this site is going to rub certain people up the wrong way.

On another thread recently some people took issue with your curious dismissal of their condition based solely on your own short tinnitus experience. We should not presume everyone's tinnitus is the same and it's only the personality that differs. Here you have made yet another assumption by saying something which I do not believe to be true.

I have been a member of this site for over a year since March 2012. In my experience a large percentage of people who join Tinnitus talk are here primarily for information purposes whether to learn or to share. Most who have joined are not actually here to receive emotional support. Though some certainly do they seem to be in the minority when we are talking pure numbers. Of course when you first get this condition you are naturally anxious at first but that doesn't mean those people are 'nervous nellies'.

You might want to reconsider just labelling someone like that. It's not going to go down very well with people.

Regarding your comment that many people with tinnitus that do not give it a second thought let alone join a forum you are not taking into account volume or the type of tinnitus they have. I never bothered with forums when mine was just a single noise in one ear which was easily masked. Now I have multiple noises in both ears which now cannot be masked. Due to this I joined Tinnitus talk last year in order to learn as much as I could and to share what I had learned with others as I felt the medical profession wasn't going to help me. If I had the same tinnitus I had when I first got it I don't think I would ever have bothered reading a forum as I tried to avoid anything Tinnitus related as much as I could.

 

[Alxtan]

Hello Robert,

I understand what you mean about the Doctor's position. It's like trying to tell a little kid that their puppy may or may not live.

But if only those people didn't "sidestepped" it then we might be closer to finding a cure. I don't know how you got your Tinnitus and not to put down your Dad in anyway but if he had told you about his sooner then it would have at least helped you be more careful with your ears. But then again all the people I have met that have had Tinnitus just sat there and waited for it to go away. They didn't tell anybody about it they just sucked it up. To me that is unacceptable. I've met so many people who either has it or have had it or knows someone who has it. All of them didn't do anything about it. No forums, no helping others, nothing, zip. This tells me more than 1 of 10 people get it. Probably more like 2 or 3 out of ten. If more people just put their ego aside and decide to reach out and talk to other people about their T then it would raise more awareness to it. I did an impromptu survey at my company and all of my employees who were under 25 years old did not know what Tinnitus is. And they are the ones most likely who are listening to iPods, going to clubs/concerts, and blasting their stereos in their cars. They are the future Tinnitus sufferers of America.

We have to appreciate the "Nervous Nellies" out there. (I'm one of those.) We help raise awareness and in turn help speed up finding a cure.

I agree that being overly obsessed about T is detrimental to habituating to it. But this is one of the reason a forum like this exists. To offer help and support to people who are suffering and who are afraid. I didn't even know that you can habituate to the phantom ringing until I read it on this forum.