We Are All Dummies for Giving Ourselves Tinnitus

[cjbhab]

I went to concerts, I went to the bar, I listened to music and enjoyed myself.
I did what everyone else is doing. I am supposed to be better than everyone else.

Now I will pay the price. I have given myself a disorder that will eventually cause my death.
Because regardless of how many ear plugs I wear and how much I protect my ears and how little I go out, tinnitus will continue to get worse every couple months... until it is unbearable.

I accomplished a lot this decade, but none of it matters.

I still can't believe there is no cure for this.
I did it to myself and so did you.
We are all dummies.

 

[JohnAdams]

Agreed.

 

[cjbhab]

Agreed.

This is why there is no cure.
Why would the medical community care about idiots who have no respect for themselves and their bodies?
Just let them die out. Survival of the fittest.

Any reasonable person would have stayed home and played monopoly in silence for their teens and their twenties and certainly not been out at the bar ****ING useless floozies.

 

[KMc24]

I went to concerts, I went to the bar, I listened to music and enjoyed myself.
I did what everyone else is doing. I am supposed to be better than everyone else.

Now I will pay the price. I have given myself a disorder that will eventually cause my death.
Because regardless of how many ear plugs I wear and how much I protect my ears and how little I go out, tinnitus will continue to get worse every couple months... until it is unbearable.

I accomplished a lot this decade, but none of it matters.

I still can't believe there is no cure for this.
I did it to myself and so did you.
We are all dummies.

I deal with the guilt of having caused myself as well. I should've known better. My tinnitus was unbearable for at least 18 months. At 8 months I began to see an improvement. Now at 21 months I'm continuing to heal. Your tinnitus may not get worse. Just keep protecting, and hope for the best. I too can't believe that there is no cure, nor viable treatment for this. I have resorted to Electroacupuncture which seems to have helped calm down some of the hyperactivity. At least research and development is happening right now. Tinnitus really tests the individual, and can literally break you down. Hang in there, hopefully soon some real help is on the way.

 

[astaff14]

This post is so annoying, you do realize people get tinnitus in so many different ways right?
From side effects of medications they have to take, including chemotherapy drugs. From head trauma. From MRI's. From hearing tests. From being in the wrong place at the wrong time- one user had their tinnitus get way worse from a car alarm, mine worsened from a fire alarm. From TMJ issues, from MS. From improper earwax removal. The list goes on!

Get off your high horse, you're no better than anyone else. And coming here just to say that shit is unproductive and irritating.

 

[cjbhab]

This post is so annoying, you do realize people get tinnitus in so many different ways right?
From side effects of medications they have to take, including chemotherapy drugs. From head trauma. From MRI's. From hearing tests. From being in the wrong place at the wrong time- one user had their tinnitus get way worse from a car alarm, mine worsened from a fire alarm. From TMJ issues, from MS. From improper earwax removal. The list goes on!

Get off your high horse, you're no better than anyone else.

I never said I was better - I just said I was a dummy, because I am. I'm worthless at this stage.

 

[Tybs]

I never said I was better - I just said I was a dummy, because I am. I'm worthless at this stage.

The title says "We're all dummies", she's probably referring to that

I didn't even go to concerts or anything volume heavy, but I do consider myself a dummy for falling down the stairs like that. Ah well, stuff happens, at least this last year gave me a lot of insight in what it is like to nót be in perfect health: I respect sufferers from chronic illnesses a whole lot more these days for just carrying on with their lifes.

 

[cjbhab]

Sorry, clearly I've hit a nerve.

It's probably not even true anyway because... everybody I know goes to a concert or bar like every weekend and no tinnitus for them.

 

[Shaz1]

Sorry, clearly I've hit a nerve.

It's probably not even true anyway because... everybody I know goes to a concert or bar like every weekend and no tinnitus for them.

It really is bad luck

I was more careful than most of my friends with hearing protection, headphone use, etc
I still slipped up a few times and was a bit dumb in my younger years, but no dumber than most of my peer group
Certainly partied less than a lot of people
Medication is what made things bad, and that was unfortunate

some people get it from accidents or ear infections

All humans are dummies and fallible

some are just unlucky


At least we have internet access and the ability to discuss it, I'm sure plenty of people have the condition but are unable to access knowledge about it

 

[GregCA]

I did it to myself and so did you.

No I didn't. Neither did many other tinnitus sufferers.

Tinnitus is bad enough: it doesn't help to guilt people into feeling even worse than they are.

 

[Bndsmheowqhe]

I got mine from being trapped in a car on the freeway with a psychotic cab driver. Jumping out of a moving vehicle at 65 mph didn't seem like a viable option at the time.

 

[Mymlan]

No I didn't. Neither did many other T sufferers.

T is bad enough: it doesn't help to guilt people into feeling even worse than they are.

Exactly. I didn't cause my T either. So how in the world could this be my own faulth for being in the wrong place in wrong time?

 

[Mister Muso]

We're not dummies.

The key phrase in your post is, "I did what everyone else is doing." So, how many of them got tinnitus?

There's something dysfunctional about our hearing systems, which resulted in our situation. We weren't to know that we had an ETD, or bruxism, or TMJ, or whatever it was that contributed to our damage.

Yes some of us overdid it with a crazy amount of concerts, loud bars, headphone usage etc. But nobody really warned us of the dangers.

Others amongst us got their tinnitus from other causes - medication, stress, ear infection, and other illnesses. They certainly didn't bring it on themselves.

Whatever the cause, be gentle with yourself, and practice self-compassion.

 

[erikdk]

The only thing you can blame yourself for is if you react in destructive, negative ways to suffering.

I fully understand that tinnitus can be a debilitating disease and I hope my tinnitus is caused by something that can be cured.

At the same time, do you know what chronic pain feels like?

I do.

Tinnitus is probably worse, because at least for pain opioids give relief, but still count yourself lucky that isn't something you're suffering from as well. With pain, some people also want to complain and be miserable. I find that to be selfish. Deal with it or don't. At least don't take the hope of others.

Even so, what else is there but deal gracefully and bravely with suffering?

Find god or buddha or your ancestors and find whatever strength you can. Find your own meaning for persisting trough suffering. I can recommend Stoicism and religion.

Here's a stanza from the old norse religious text Havamal that I find strength in:

The lame ride horseback, the handless drive herds,
The deaf may be dauntless in battle;
Better to be blind than burned on a pyre,
Dead men do no deeds.

Find a reason outside yourself to do good deeds.

I wish everyone a better new year.

 

[DaveFromChicago]

To cjbhab:
I never exposed myself to loud noise or music.

During January of 2014, I got no more than a typical, garden variety cold, but the mucus impaction resulted in a viral particle migrating down the Eustachian canal, which probably made contact with the Aural nerve.

I was told that given the smallness and delicacy of these organs, even the slightest, microscopic damage will cause hearing loss and this condition.

Some of the best advice comes from AA, and blaming (to the point of self-castigation) yourself for the consequences of exposure to loud noise and/or music they call "stinkin' thinkin'."

Who has not made mistaken decisions or judgments that were later regretted? Given the entire realm of human folly, each of us could have done far worse than this.

What especially concerns me is my audiologists' comment that presently 22 million Americans have jobs that expose them to dangerous levels of sound. My ENT Doctor correctly predicted that this will become an epidemic condition.

 

[cjbhab]

My ENT Doctor correctly predicted that this will become an epidemic condition.

I feel bad for saying this, but I hope he is right, I hope everyone gets severe debilitating tinnitus, because if they did, there would be a cure by Friday.

 

[ajc]

I hope everyone gets severe debilitating tinnitus, because if they did, there would be a cure by Friday.

No there wouldn't. Tinnitus is too complex.

 

[astaff14]

Sorry, clearly I've hit a nerve.

It's probably not even true anyway because... everybody I know goes to a concert or bar like every weekend and no tinnitus for them.

"I'm supposed to be better than everyone else" you said. That's what I was referring to.

 

[cjbhab]

"I'm supposed to be better than everyone else" you said. That's what I was referring to.

Don't we all strive to be the best? It's called ambition.

 

[vermillion]

Agreed.

I think there are people that got this randomly. I also think that if tinnitus was really (and only) due to noise exposure, than almost everybody would suffer from tinnitus. For example a friend of mine recently had an acoustic trauma and lost frequencies (she did an audiogram), yet she never got tinnitus. Also not everybody with hearing loss have tinnitus. So what we are missing here? Sure noise exposure is essential, but what else?

 

[Mark A]

We are not all dummies, we are just predisposed to tinnitus.

I am suffering right now from a huge permanent spike, struggling big time, and fighting the urge to think I didn't protect enough. But I know in my heart acceptance and courage is the only way forward. I'm glad to have a support group here to help me through it.

 

[Zud]

I still can't believe there is no cure for this.
I did it to myself and so did you.
We are all dummies.

As others have mentioned, many tinnitus sufferers have been completely responsible and written about their experiences. And as someone like you OP with self-induced tinnitus, that's definitely kicked me out of my self-pity mode.

Guilt and shame are destructive emotions, and worse, they encourage a feeling of helplessness. But we're not helpless. We can be open, sharing, and most importantly forgiving. It may be maddening yet it is harmless. With tools and adjustments the effect it can have on our quality of lives can be mitigated, even eliminated.

Tinnitus has helped me put life into perspective. Life is brutal. People lose limbs, get horrible diseases, and so on. The body isn't invincible. Below is a video of a young women with severe tinnitus and it is the LEAST of their problems. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjms_lQ4qLk

 

[bobvann]

I never saw this coming either. Looking back I have had tinnitus come and go on several occasions over several years until it stayed. Being a drummer using headphones to almost max volume, I always thought I would be one of the caricatures you see holding one of the long thingys going "Whhhaaat did you say sunny?" Never saw this shit coming. I did kick myself in the beginning. Everyone is right. We just have to keep forging ahead.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Listen I know you're suffering greatly. I can tell that from your post. But don't be calling other people dummies......most of us feel bad enough for causing this, as it is. We do not need to be put further to shame.

 

[cj5suzy]

Some of us got this from our work environment. Some of us can just be more prone to get this. It's surely making my life pretty close to unbearable but I have to live it out and put up with it. Wish something would come along and make it all disappear. I'm not giving up yet. Never say never. Everyone's rate of healing could be different. It's not impossible so keep up your spirits as much as you can. Wishing everyone here a peaceful healthy new year. I don't post often but I do read many posts here. Keeps me going! Good luck to everyone in the new year. Let's get some success stories going!

 

[just1morething]

@cjbhab, perhaps writing a "tinnitus for dummies book" would be a good idea? It seems like there have been a lot of "dummies" books written in the past about various subjects.

 

[Gman]

I went to concerts, I went to the bar, I listened to music and enjoyed myself.
I did what everyone else is doing. I am supposed to be better than everyone else.

Now I will pay the price. I have given myself a disorder that will eventually cause my death.
Because regardless of how many ear plugs I wear and how much I protect my ears and how little I go out, tinnitus will continue to get worse every couple months... until it is unbearable.

I accomplished a lot this decade, but none of it matters.

I still can't believe there is no cure for this.
I did it to myself and so did you.
We are all dummies.

speak for yourself "dummy"

 

[cj5suzy]

@cjbhab, perhaps writing a "tinnitus for dummies book" would be a good idea? It seems like there have been a lot of "dummies" books written in the past about various subjects.

Actually may be a fantastic idea. Most people never even heard of this condition. If they only knew, it might prevent a lot of suffering. We take a lot for granted. Until it's gone.

 

[Jaysterk]

This post is so annoying, you do realize people get tinnitus in so many different ways right?
From side effects of medications they have to take, including chemotherapy drugs. From head trauma. From MRI's. From hearing tests. From being in the wrong place at the wrong time- one user had their tinnitus get way worse from a car alarm, mine worsened from a fire alarm. From TMJ issues, from MS. From improper earwax removal. The list goes on!

Get off your high horse, you're no better than anyone else. And coming here just to say that shit is unproductive and irritating.

Super agree. I got it from Antibiotics I had to take. Out of my control.

 

[Flamingo1]

I did it to myself and so did you.
We are all dummies.

No, just uninformed. I had never even heard of tinnitus until I got it! Was never told that loud noise was bad for me.